Friday, March 06, 2020

How deep is your Aikido?

What do you think Saotome Sensei means when he says,

"If Aikido is just dancing for you, then your Aikido is shallow, and 
it has no ability to either defend or heal"

"My purpose is to guide Aikido students away from the “dancing mindset’, from training in a comfortable way mentally and physically. I want to make them think about the real meaning, the real application of “harmony” – it comes from the moment of being in front of an enemy who can destroy you, who is not going to participate in your harmony. This is the essence of O Sensei’s Aikido meaning, and without this understanding Aikido is missing something important. I often ask my students, “can you defend your life?” Because if your answer is “no”, then your Aikido has no real meaning and you have no real understanding of Aikido principle. If Aikido is just dancing for you, then your Aikido is shallow, and it has no ability to either defend or heal". - Mitsugi Saotome Shihan