Of Mice and Men...by Kancho Sensei

I’m often asked how Aikido is best practiced from the perspective of protecting the body.  I have had this on my mind quite a lot lately.

We have two "schools" of thought if you will in Aikido today. The first one says that as a martial art you should punish the body and train explosively and powerfully, taking breakfalls as if your life depended on it and so becoming really quite oblivious to its effect on your body (this incidentally was the way I was brought up and used to teach!)

The second approach says that you should "study" aikido, learning how to manage your own body and take breakfalls safely. This approach is still hard training but focuses much more on the mind and ultimately understanding the way in which your body moves and interprets aikido techniques.

In general, the first approach appeals to the young, the second the more mature.

My own position is now with the second school (not that I am saying I'm old you understand!!!).

As a Kancho, my job is to try and cater for all people, whilst directing and guiding from a position of experience.

I can now see where certain types of training will end up and will try to discourage certain types of practice, which are harmful to aikido practice later on. I have seen many people become damaged in Aikido and been unable to train in later years and this is tragic.

It is exactly what O'Sensei didn't want.

Aikido must be something we enjoy all our lives and we have to train today with tomorrow in mind.

Therefore we must learn how our bodies work and how to train in a way that is both powerful and yet working with our body type etc. This way we develop true aikido and make the process enjoyable.

The alternative is to just race away and fail to understand what you are doing until eventually you are forced to slow down with injury and find you really don’t understand what you are doing!

I’ve seen it happen so many times and my desire for the Northern Aikido Association is to have a style of aikido that is rooted in syllabus but not tied to it, a style that actively engages the mind as well as the body.

Therefore if you come to class and it is a slower night with less sweat and more study, then just embrace it as the other side of the coin. Learn how to train safely and enjoy your time on the tatami.

OSU!