Aikido

Aikido . Martial art that indicates the way to harmony with universal energy. It comes from the Japanese, ai, ‘union’, ‘harmony’; ki, ‘vital breath’, ‘energy’; do, ‘way’.

Summary

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  • 1 History
  • 2 Label
  • 3 Feature
  • 4 Learning methodology
  • 5 Grade categories
  • 6 Aikido in Cuba
  • 7 Aikido motto (Masanao-veno)
  • 8 Values ​​of Aikidoka
  • 9 Spherical Rotation
  • 10 See also
  • 11 Source

History

The official name of Aikido dates from February 1942. Previously, the art was known by various names, although its essence remained constant. Master Ueshiba’s father, Yoroku, was a relatively prosperous landowner who also had interests in fishing and lumber businesses. Respected by the people of his city, he served on the municipal councils of Nishinotani and Tanabe in Wakayama Prefecture. The young Ueshiba revered his father, and the latter, seeing that his son had great possibilities, offered him the maximum material and moral support to carry out his ambitions beyond the limited world of his birthplace. The son, however, felt that he had failed to meet his parental expectations and in 1901, at the age of eighteen, he left for Tokyo, where he made a short apprenticeship in the business world. The following year he opened the Ueshiba Warehouse, which distributed and sold supplies and stationery for schools; but he fell ill and his little business failed.

Soon after, he joined the Imperial Army of Japan and fought in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). He was promoted to sergeant and honorably retired, and then, in 1912, when he was twenty-nine years old, he recruited a group of fifty-four families from his hometown that numbered a total of more than eighty people, and founded a new colony in Shirataki, Hokkaido. This prefecture had just opened up to development and welcomed all settlers who wanted to work the land. For seven years he was the head of this new colony and cultivated the land, served on the municipal council and contributed to the development of the Shirataki region. Although he displayed a certain talent for leadership, he felt that he had not yet satisfied the high hopes his father had placed in him. The death of his father from illness in January 1920 was a serious blow to him, and leaving everything in Hokkaido he returned home, experiencing deep psychic distress. He then sought the support of Onisaburo Deguchi, the charismatic religious teacher of the Omoto Sect, derived from Shinto. Under the patronage of his great teacher, the Founder lived at the Omoto Headquarters in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture, practiced meditative Shinto and purification rites, and contributed to the strengthening of this new religion.

The eight years in Ayabe (until he moved to Tokyo in 1927) were normative years in the Founder’s spiritual evolution. During this time he studied Shinto philosophy and mastered the concept of koto-dama (literally, word-spirit).

After the death of his father, and during his stay in Ayabe, the Founder’s dedication to Budó became exclusive mainly due to Deguchi’s encouragement. He had previously practiced and mastered various martial arts, including the sword art of the Shinkage School, the Jyujutsu of the Kitó and Daitó schools, and others. One of his most notable achievements was receiving the highest certification from the Daito School from Master Sokaku Takeda, whom he met by chance at the Hokkaido inn in 1915, when he was thirty-two years old. It was this style of jujutsu that opened the Founder’s eyes to the deep meaning of martial arts; Daito principles differ from Aikido, but many of its techniques are common.

The reason Deguchi encouraged him to focus on martial arts was because he was aware of the Founder’s rich and varied background in Budó, and he realized that this path was best suited to his temperament, qualities, and aspirations. I advise the Founder to reserve a section of his residence in Ayabe and turn it into a dojo, advice that he accepted, opening the modest eighteen-tatami Ueshiba Juku. The Ueshiba Juku was initially intended for the young people of the Omoto Sect, but as Moriliei Ueshiba’s name, “The Budó Master of Ayabe” began to become widely known, outsiders began to join the dojo, the most notable being the young naval officers from the neighboring port of Maizuru. His fame spread and students from Tokyo and other distant parts of Japan began to arrive.

More or less since 1920, Master Ueshiba had already been thinking of establishing his own independent modality of budo, and in 1922 he proclaimed Aiki-bujutsu as a new form of martial art. As the term bujutsu suggests, it maintained the principles and techniques of the oldest martial arts, which somehow differ from current Aikido. Its originality appears in the use of aíki as a specific term. There are, in some Budo transmissions, some loose references to the idea of ​​”union” (Ai) of the ki with the adversary in combat, but this was the first time that the combination itself was used.

Although the choice of the new term aiki may have had something to do with the influence of the Kitó and Daito schools, due to the fact that both are based on the principle of yin and yang and on the use of ki, its main origin is in Master Ueshiba’s own Budo training, in his own life experience and in the understanding of Ki acquired during his stay in Ayabe, in addition to his mastery of the koto-dama, to which he makes continuous references in lectures, writings and instructions in his last years.

The Aiki-bujutsu seems that it was not accepted immediately. Rather, people referred to the new Budo as the Ueshiba-ryú or the Ueshiba ~ ryú Aikí-bujutsu, but the Founder’s fame nonetheless continued to spread throughout the country. The turning point came in 1924 or 1925, the date on which, as noted above, he took part in an expedition to Inner Mongolia, and shortly after his return, when challenged by a young naval officer at Ayabe, he experienced the Sumi-kiri, the clarity of mind and body that makes possible the unity of the Ki of the universe with the own Ki. He was then in his early forties and this was the foundation of his Martial Art. We can say, therefore, that the year 1924 or 1925 marks the beginning of the spiritual development of Aikido, since henceforth, from this moment on,

In the fall of 1925, following repeated pleas from his protector and admirer, Admiral Isamu Takeshita, the Founder went to Tokyo to demonstrate before a distinguished audience, including the former Prime Minister, Count Gonnohyoe Yamamoto. Count Yamamoto was deeply impressed by the Founder’s performance and had him lead a special twenty-one-day seminar at the Aoyama Independent Palace for high-ranking Judo and Kendo experts from the Imperial Household Staff. In the spring of 1926 he was invited again to Tokyo by Admiral Takeshita, and taught Aiki-bujutsu to members of the Imperial Household Staff, naval and army officers, and prominent figures from the world of politics and business. In 1927, at the request of Admiral Takeshita and Onísaburo Deguchi,

Over the next three years he established various dojo in the Shiba district and instructed many people in Aikibujutsu, including high-ranking experts in other martial arts. There were already some signs of recognition of the Founder’s Buddho as something more than a traditional Martial Art, and there were those who began to use the term Aikido to describe it. In October 1930, Jígoro Kano, founder of Judo Kódókan, when he saw the superb art of Master Ueshiba, proclaimed him as the ideal budó and even sent him some of his best students. Despite attempts to be selective, the number of students continued to grow and the Founder had to face the need for a larger dojo. In 1930 he established a new Dojo in Wakamatsu-cho, Tokyo, initially rented and later purchased from the Ogasawara family.

In 1936, the Founder decided that the time had come to clearly distinguish between the ancient martial arts and his own, by virtue of the philosophical and spiritual content that he had incorporated into his own. Feeling that the essence of his new art was different from the old martial arts tradition, he abandoned the term Bujutsu and renamed it Aikibudo. This necessary and inevitable step laid the foundation for the future of his school. As the founder of a new martial art system, he felt deeply the responsibility to subordinate his personal quest to the expansion of the path among all those who might be interested in it.

In 1939 he made an official request for recognition of his organization as an institution with legal personality, under the name of Kobukai. The approval of the application the following year made Aikido official and ushered in its Golden Age. The number of members grew and the name of Master Ueshiba became more famous than ever. The outbreak of the War of the Pacific in December 1941, and the growing turn towards militarism in Japanese society, could only hinder the growth of Aikido, whose number of students was markedly reduced when they were recruited into the armed forces of the most young people. One of the steps taken by the government with the intention of mobilizing the country for the war effort was to order the unification of the various martial arts groups into a single organism under its control.

Although the Founder did not express his objections to the governmental order, it seems that he was ultimately unhappy that the Budo he had developed, different from the other martial arts, was forced to be part of such an organization. Staunchly opposed to this mixture, as if it were just another martial form, he came to think that the name Kobukan Aiki-Budo suggested that his art was simply the Kobukan branch or style of a broader art, so he decided to proclaim the new name of Aikido so that his art would be identified as an original and distinctive form of the budó, then entering, with the new name, in the association. In February 1942, Aikido was officially recognized as the name of the Founder’s school. Twenty-two years had passed since the birth of the Ueshiba Juku in Ayabe.

The Aiki Shrine of Iwama In order to fully appreciate the proclamation of the name of Aikido and understand some of the reasons behind it, including the changes in the Founder’s thinking, we must turn our attention to the creation of the Iwama Aiki Shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture, at northeast of Tokyo. This place, revered by all Aikido students, played an important role in the revamped beginning after the Second World War. The idea of ​​establishing a spiritual center for Aikido was conceived by the Founder around the year 1935. It was born out of a deeply felt need to continue the search for the truth of the universe through Budo, and he desired a special place to carry out this purpose. . He had gotten Aikido firmly rooted in Tokyo, and his purest desire to spread true Budo throughout the world was being fulfilled. He was pleased with the successes achieved, but at the same time this did not seem enough, deploring, in fact, the invasion of his private life and the lack of time that fame had caused him. The Founder showed a complete disregard for the things that are normally objects of human desire – social position, honors and applause, wealth and material well-being – and his only concern was the training of the spirit through the discipline of Budo.

Around 1935, making use of his small savings, he began to buy forest land around Iwama. Agriculture was in his blood, as was evident in his settlement venture in Shirataki, Hokkaido, and he planned to cultivate the land and renew his search for spiritual Budo; But this desire of his to cultivate the land was not easily achievable, since, as a renowned martial artist, he was constantly invited to various places and his tight schedule did not leave him time to continue it. The wartime attempt to bundle all forms of martial arts into one organization presented a unique opportunity. Events made the continuation of normal Aikido activities impossible and he was no longer required to monitor their growth. and when the war scene became darker, the number of students decreased and the invitations to demonstrate Aikido declined. Thus, he felt that this was undoubtedly the ideal time for him to make a decision regarding his future, and the order to join the Great Japan Martial and Virtuous Association was the final straw, such that the Founder proclaimed the establishment of Aikido and finally made the decision to retire to Iwama, where he could pursue his own path.

The Founder was a patriot in the true sense of the word and believed that one should be willing to sacrifice his life for his own country, so he chose not to protest against national wartime politics. However, he did not agree with the plan to unite all the forms of Budo under governmental jurisdiction, and for him the order had little to do with love of the country. Furthermore, the new organization demanded more and more paperwork and attendance at meetings, all of which hindered his desire to continue his search for Budo. With absolute disinterest, he would say, “I’m not good for paperwork. For me there is only the practice of Aikido ». And saying this, he sent one of his uchideshi, Minoru Hirai, to represent Aikido in the meetings. I was still a student at Waseda High School, But he appointed me chief instructor of the Tokyo Dojo and asked his senior disciples, such as Kisaburo Osawa, the current chief instructor, to assist me, and then he left Tokyo to go to Iwama with my mother, Hatsu. The Founder acted in his usual way without wasting time putting whatever he decided to do in motion. Iwama is close to Mito, a cultural and artistic center during the Tokugawa Period, but which was sparsely populated at that time. Farms were few and far between, and the entire area was heavily wooded, 90 percent of it covered with pine trees, fruit trees, and groves of other species. The Founder cleared about 20,000 tsubo (6.62 hectares) of the properties he had acquired over the years, and began to cultivate the land, thus fulfilling his wish, long fed, to unify agriculture with martial art. The small farm-converted building he lived in contained only two small rooms and an area of ​​dirt floor. Visitors to this small hut were surprised by its dilapidated appearance, but the Founder’s spirits were high.

He had three plans aimed at realizing his ideal of true Budo when he settled in Iwama. The first was to establish an Aiki Shrine that symbolized the Aiki Way and the spirit of Aikido. The second was to build an open-air dojo, infused with the Ki of nature, where the ideal Buddho of Take-musu could be taught. And the third, to carry out his long-awaited dream of unifying agriculture with martial art. He aspired to relate the training of the budó (take) that harmonizes with the protective vital force (muso), with the work of agriculture, through which the earth produces the food that sustains life.

The Aiki Shrine was conceived to pay homage to the forty-three gods who protect and give creative power to Aikido, and to be the sacred center of all Aikido practitioners who are committed to promoting the Way for all beings. The forty-three gods are the martial deities, the dragon kings, and the glorified incarnations in Japanese folk lore. The Founder firmly believed that his prowess in Budo did not come from himself, but from the gods who protected him and nurtured this ability. This was his fundamental faith, but more importantly, it shows his humility and self-discipline; By entrusting himself to a greater power, he would never become arrogant for his achievements. This humility, a compendium of his sincerity and his devotion to training,

The layout of the Aiki Shrine is based on the principles of the Koto-dama. The placement of the inner sanctuary, the worship hall, the front door, etc., are all in accordance with the three principles of the triangle, the circle, and the square. These three signs are symbols of the breathing exercise in the Koto-dama study. In the words of the Founder:

When the triangle, circle, and square become one, there is spherical rotational motion along with flow of ki, and Sumi-kiri Aikido appears.

The fact that the Aiki Shrine, which reflects an elaborate philosophy, could be completed in the difficult years at the end of World War II, was due to the efforts of a master carpenter named Matsumoto, who lived in Iwama, and the tireless support of numerous practitioners since the beginning of Aikido. The completion of the main shrine of the Aiki Shrine in 1943, was an occasion that brought tears of happiness to the Founder. His lifelong dream had come true, and the foundations of Aikido were laid. The Sanctuary is now a Mecca for all true students of art.

The construction of an outdoor Dojo, second part of the Founder’s plan, took place in a corner of his farm, but with the increase in the number of students it was necessary to build a small indoor Dojo of thirty tsubo (90.9 m2) It was completed in 1945, immediately after World War II, and was a departure from the original goal of combining agriculture with martial art, but brought unexpected benefits to Aikido.

During the three years after the war, the Wakamatsucho Hombu Dojo was forced to reduce its activities for a number of reasons, including the ban on all martial arts by the Allied Occupation Forces. Then all the activities of the central Dojo were transferred to Iwama, so that, thanks to this Dojo, Aikido was able to endure in a time when the climate and the general attitude towards martial arts were strongly negative. Today the Iwama Dojo is called Ibaraki Dojo and is dedicated to the memory of the Founder.

The Founder had long cherished the ideal of establishing an Aiki center, and for this to come true, even with minor modifications, in the midst of the difficult years of the war and in the chaotic years after it, was almost a miracle. Therefore, it must have been very gratifying for him to have been able to escape from the busy life of Tokyo to fully dedicate himself to realizing the ideal of true budó. Aikido’s recovery path began in February 1948, with the official approval of Aíkikai as a new institution. It was first publicly recognized at the Takashimaya Department Store, Tokyo, in September 1956, and the First Public Aikido Demonstration sponsored by the Aikikai was held in 1960 at the Yamano Hall, Tokyo.

Seeing the prosperity that Aikido has achieved, what less than to reflect on the decisions taken by the Founder during the war years and immediately afterwards. If Master Ueshiba instead of retreating to Iwama had allowed the Kobukan Aiki-Budo to be engulfed by the fusion of martial arts during the war, the history of Aikido could have ended then. Both names, that of Master Ueshiba and Aikido, and his brief but glorious chapter on Budo during the prewar years, could have been relegated to the history books and eventually become only obscure legends in the annals. of martial arts. The current reputation and success of Aikido is due to the Founder’s decision to dedicate himself to the spiritual search for the essence of martial arts in the remote region of Iwama. Master Ueshiba demonstrated by his own example that the prosperity of Aikido is not measured by the number of followers, but by the depth and intensity of the personal search for truth through training and practice. In my understanding this is the most important reason why Aikido is what it is today. The Zen saying “Reflect on our steps” warns us to always check if our feet are on solid ground. As Aikldo practitioners we must always “Reflect on our steps”, even though we move forward together with high ideals and passionate about the truth. Master Ueshiba demonstrated by his own example that the prosperity of Aikido is not measured by the number of followers, but by the depth and intensity of the personal search for truth through training and practice. In my understanding this is the most important reason why Aikido is what it is today. The Zen saying “Reflect on our steps” warns us to always check if our feet are on solid ground. As Aikldo practitioners we must always “Reflect on our steps”, even though we move forward together with high ideals and passionate about the truth. Master Ueshiba demonstrated by his own example that the prosperity of Aikido is not measured by the number of followers, but by the depth and intensity of the personal search for truth through training and practice. In my understanding this is the most important reason why Aikido is what it is today. The Zen saying “Reflect on our steps” warns us to always check if our feet are on solid ground. As Aikldo practitioners we must always “Reflect on our steps”, even though we move forward together with high ideals and passionate about the truth. In my understanding this is the most important reason why Aikido is what it is today. The Zen saying “Reflect on our steps” warns us to always check if our feet are on solid ground. As Aikldo practitioners we must always “Reflect on our steps”, even though we move forward together with high ideals and passionate about the truth. In my understanding this is the most important reason why Aikido is what it is today. The Zen saying “Reflect on our steps” warns us to always check if our feet are on solid ground. As Aikldo practitioners we must always “Reflect on our steps”, even though we move forward together with high ideals and passionate about the truth.

Label

Many times I have been asked why we do so many greetings during practice. The reason is, on the one hand, in the Japanese cultural tradition, in which courtesy plays a preponderant role in every relationship between people. On the other hand, Aikido is heir, as a member of budo, of the codes of conduct of the samurai. He respected his adversary, as it was ingrained, that failure to do so implied a lack of appreciation of his ability, and therefore, it was a way of being defeated before combat.

But in Aikido there is no combat. It is an Art of Life. We train for a better world. Our attitude during practice should be one of concentrated attention, collaboration and respect. The way to express the latter is courtesy. It is useless to refine our technique if we do not refine our spirit. A deep greeting is a negative act if it is not sincere. It must be a message without words in which we express:

” I’m going to attack you frankly and attentively, I don’t want to hurt you, I’m going to perform my best ukemi, let’s progress together .” And if we can bring this attitude to our daily lives, we will have managed to capture, to the best of our ability, O’Sensei’s ideals.

Characteristic

It is the search for the harmonization / neutralization of the opponent in conflict situations , leading to the defeat of the adversary without harming him; promoting the education of one’s instinct, self-reflection and the evolution of the opponent. Instead of “just” destroying or humiliating you; seeking in turn their own personal growth. Forming ourselves as valuable people for society and promoters of peace.

Learning methodology

Unlike the vast majority of traditional and modern martial arts, and sports of combat , seeking to condition or machining different gestures of defense and attack, the Aikido seeks to raise awareness reprogramándonos physically, mentally and emotionally. This is why the teacher Mitsugi Saotome affirms: ” Aikido seeks the education of our aggressive instinct “; training our perception, developing our decision, leading to an adequate execution / neutralization.

The following are the four elementary foundations of Aikido training formulated by the Founder. From them, everything that the disciple needs to take into account for a correct evolutionary development within Aikido can be deduced. They are the following:

TAI-IKU. Body realization: Development of physical aspects through the practice of the principle of UNITY in techniques.

KI-IKU. Mental realization: Development of energy, Ki, based on the realization of UNITY with the Universe.

TOKO-IKU. Moral fulfillment: It is achieved by putting into practice the principle of UNITY in all spheres of life, on a daily basis.

CHI-IKU. Spiritual realization: Development of wisdom through knowledge of the truth of UNITY.

Grade Categories

Traditionally, the Kyu-Dan system, inherited from Judo , is maintained ; between mudansha (white / colored belts) and Yudansha (black belts). The categories established in Aikido of the Aikikai of Tokyo are divided into 10 kyus for children (under 15 years), and only 5 kyus for adults. Then come the Dan grades, from 1 to 8. Also within the Aikikai institute there is a system designed for the training of instructors, divided into: Fuku Shidoin, which is a low degree of assistant. Then there is the Shidoin or teacher / instructor that is obtained from 3 Dan, and finally the title of Shihan , when one is already a teacher and the grade of 6 Dan is observed.

Aikido in Cuba

According to some authors, from the second half of the fifties of the twentieth century, he was known by sensei Andrés Kolychkine Thomson (1913-1997), a teacher born in Finland and later settled in Belgium, 8th Dan of Judo and introducer of that art in Cuba; In his classes he used some concepts typical of Aiki, such as “where the force ends, Aiki Do begins”, but it cannot be said that there was a systematic practice or training of this art clearly on the Island.

In the 90s of the twentieth century, the current fourth Dan Carlos Sosa began to train in Cuba, who had studied it during his stay in Bulgaria. But it was not until 1996 when the National Aikido Association affiliated to the Cuban Federation of Karate and Related Martial Arts (FCKAMA) was created and the structures were organized at the provincial level, establishing the provincial branches and the National Board. In that same year, Mr. Luís Miguel Bonnemaire, advisor to the director of the “French Aikido Federation”, sensei Jean Claude Joannes, came to Cuba, who proposed to serve as a representative before the teacher Noboyushi Tamura, president of the French Federation, recommending that the Cuban Federation join the Latin American Aikido Federation (FLA), led by Shihan Yoshimitsu Yamada, 8th dan and disciple of the creator of art. Parallel to this, the recently inaugurated Board of Directors made a tour of all the schools in the country, taking the first grade examination endorsed by the French Federation.

In 1998, Mr. Wagner Bull, an emissary of the FLA, arrived on the island and the affiliation of Cuba to this regional organization, as well as to the Hombu Dojo Aikikai of Japan, is processed. That same year Mr. Wagner Bull returns, accompanied by sensei Miguel Morales Bermúdez, secretary of the FLA and president of the Aikikai of Peru, who is conducting an international seminar.

During the month of February 1999, the Shihan Yoshimitsu Yamada arrived on an official visit, accompanied by Miguel Morales and gave another seminar beginning the administrative affiliation process.

History of Aikido in Santiago de Cuba

At the beginning of 1994, at the University of the East the American sensei Susan Kinne, resident in Nicaragua) created a small school. About 8 students began training on the first day, increasing the number, reaching from 30 to 40 in a few days. Three months later the sensei returned to Nicaragua, where of the initial enrollment of about 30, only about 15 students remained. The Aikido school in Santiago de Cuba operated for a short time, less than a year. Taught by former students. During 1997, under the auspices of the president of the already created Aikido Association, contacts with these practitioners were resumed, achieving that in May 1998 a small school was opened on a soccer field, with only 6 or 7 companions, the most of the old school.

A few months after the school reopened, the French sensei Christian Huc who lived in Santiago offered to help them and give classes twice a week, training continuously.

To help the situation, the Association organized several national seminars, as well as an international seminar with the participation of sensei Y. Yamada. In March 1999 the first Aikido exhibition held in the city was offered. It was organized by the Universidad de Oriente as part of the opening program of the University Games (March 13 Cup).

In San Antonio de los Baños, in the province of Havana, Sensei Alfredo Ruiz Fleitas teaches the Seikikai style, the only representative of this Aikido in Cuba.

Aikido motto (Masanao-veno)

  • Maintain discipline
  • Do not get nervous
  • Do not be sad
  • Not possess hostile feeling
  • Be understanding
  • To be calm
  • Be peaceful
  • Maintain ethics
  • Be friendly with everyone
  • Respect all people
  • Be humble
  • Be fair and honest
  • Raise awareness of what AIKIDO represents, the way of God.
  • Raise awareness of what is practiced, the principle of self-knowledge.

Aikidoka values

Hakama have a number of folds, and even these have meaning. There are five and seven folds, although it is more common to have five, representing the 5 virtues:

Chuu: Loyalty

Ko: Justice

Jin: Humanity, compassion

Gi: of giri, or honor

Rei: Respect

The seven folds represent the virtues of the Budô:

Jin: Benevolence

Gi: Honor or Justice

Rei: Courtesy and Etiquette

Chi: Wisdom, Intelligence

Shin: Sincerity

Chu: Loyalty

Koh: Have mercy.

Spherical Rotation

The principle and application of spherical rotation as the foundation of Aikido was thought by O’sensei as a nascent challenge to traditional Martial Arts. This principle is found in ancestral Jujutsu where the soft controls the hard and the flexible overcomes the rigid, an inheritance from these arts to the formation of Aikido.

In the language of Aikido, this concept is the most appropriate when it comes to body movements that include turning and turning and whose basic technique is to enter, known by the name of tai-sabaki or, more exactly, irimi-issoku , which means “enter in one step.” Standing, face to face with an opponent in the hanmi position, when the opponent moves forward we will avoid the linear onslaught by entering the opening that is out of sight, called shikaku or blind spot. The key point here is a fast and safe footwork by which we seize the opponent’s center. The basic technique includes, as we enter, a blow (atemi) to the opponent’s unprotected and vulnerable point, but in advanced training several movements are executed (irimi-nage, irimi-tenkam, irimiotoshi).

As I have already indicated, the irimi is essential to the principle of spherical rotation, and the most important consideration we can make is that we must always maintain our center of gravity. In a real combat situation, in order to seize the center of the adversary and take charge of the situation, it is essential to enter with the full force of ki. At the moment of entering, when a direct blow comes towards us, we must avoid any hesitation at all costs. There are many other important aspects, but as this work is not intended to be a detailed explanation of techniques, we refer the reader to the relevant manuals.

If irimi represents the characteristics of budo as a martial technique, tai-sabaki, correct body movement, would embody the essential features of aikido, considered as a set of movements that contribute to harmonization with dynamic change. Finally, body movement techniques are based on spiritual unity with the order of the cosmos and on dynamic unity with the ever-changing universe.

As we have pointed out, body movement in aikido is based on the principle of spherical rotation, and, in the same way as in the case of a spherical body, the center is stable and the movement arises from that stability. And this spherical movement, through techniques arising from its center and which, although elegant, possess infinite power, can control any opposing force. To explain the movements of aikido we could appeal to the laws of physics, for example to the centrifugal and centripetal forces, but -its essential beauty comes from the unity ki-mind-body, and since it is an experience of the person whole, of being in its entirety, analysis would not really add anything to our understanding, and even less to the possibility of mastering the art. The aikido student should spend most of his training mastering the techniques of spherical rotation and studying its implicit basic principle through constant practice. As long as it moves, it must be like a top, stable in its center and without ever losing its balance; then, and although the practitioner may not be aware of it, the unity of the ki-mind-body with the universe will have been achieved.

 

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