The Thoughtful Sensei-Aikido Musings

197. Personal Goal - Teaching Goal

A meme sometimes circulates on the internet that goes something like ...... "I'm a popular loner. I know a lot of people and a lot of people know me, but my circle is small and I'm usually by myself".

For those of us who are long-timers (life-timers) in Bushido and the martial arts world this is likely truer than not.  Over the many years of putting in the training time and work that it takes to excel at something simultaneously complex and sophisticated but at its essence very primal, we've changed, matured and are blunter and more direct than in the past.  We've probably become scary in some ways but gentler in others and we likely have outlooks on "life, the universe, and everything" that don't really match those of most of the people around us.

For example, if we have an argument with someone who is angry, we tend to not easily back down.  In fact, we may deliberately provoke them in order to test the depths of who they are.  It likely won't lead to a true confrontation but it's not easy to intimidate us; something that most people don't understand (and may therefore fear) since so much of society today involves itself with various levels of loudness and attempted intimidation tactics (such as raising their voice or making accusations such as "That's a lie").  They simply do not understand what is happening on a deeper level when they are working the angles to win the discussion and the most they get out of us is a bored, "Well .... ok .... whatever" or we just flow-on and act as if it never happened, almost like we just didn't notice; that "non-response" in-and-of-itself possibly being within the realm of heiho (or deeper strategy).

Martial arts gives the long-term practitioner something that no other activity (be it golf, poker, a pick-up game of baseball or basketball, or psychotherapy) can give that makes you different and apart from the normal's (the common person on the street who does not have your calmness or focus).

That is, when you spend 100's or 1,000's of hours on the mat learning to read and then physically and spiritually dominate an opponent in training then a simple loud argument in "civilian life" has little impact on you.  After all, if you can "whack" someone bigger than you, then that apoplectic maniac with the bulging eyes and throbbing veins in their neck and temples will have little success at establishing their dominance; in short, they have none (dominance over you) and they simply cannot understand why as it has worked so well on others ........ but not on you.

While this may sound overly simplistic consider this. In a changing society with all the crazy insanity, arguments over anything at all, lighting quick memes, 30 second sound bites, apocalyptic news reports, crazy people who fly off the handle into personal assault or road rage for seemingly no good reason, and internet news panic porn (aka "click bait") it can be really difficult to "abide" and "maintain" (your peaceful, calm, and relaxed attitude).

In the 60's they referred to it as "stay cool man" and your parents may have said "take a deep breath before you act" all of which helps avoid hyperventilating and "stroking out" and then making what could be a serious mistake.  You in effect have learned to be "above the fray" making you that person who stands alone and acts as an independently thinking individual who is not a part of the surging crowd moving as a mindless group; and, if you do choose to react then it is on your terms, on your time frame, and intuitive in its conduct.

If you train and learn to use that self-confidence, “centered-ness” and grounding that it teaches and gives you, then it positions you to let the weirdness and crazies roll off your back like water off a duck; instead of over-reacting like that apoplectic maniac who loses control and greatly regrets what comes after.

"If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you ....." Rudyard Kipling

They may not understand you .... but you understand you.

Stay centered.  Stay grounded.  Stay relaxed.  Be cool man.  Get into the keiko and set yourself apart. Budo (or Bushido, your choice) is to be lived and not just dabbled in like we just happened to be at the dojo that day.  Or as in a recent movie based on the book, be one of the "Humans" instead of one of the "people".  As I've said for many years now, "We Sensei sift through the people to find the humans".  Not my quote but I still get to steal it once in a while.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

August 2, 2023

196. Time On, Time Off

As we age our perspectives change in the sense that we more carefully consider what did and what did not have importance in how we have lived these many years. We may find ourselves counting the days, months, years doing something with that something being marriage, how long we've spent time in the gym or at the dojo, how long we've had a particular job. What we count can vary of course based on our life choices.

So the question becomes, why do we not count time off? Why do we not count the days and the weeks off during which we did nothing but relax? And should we (count time off) or not? I for one would suspect that counting time off isn't much done for the simple reason that deep down in the inner recesses of who we are that some part of us understands that time off, the days, weeks, or months of "nothingness", of not putting in the time really isn't helping us learn, grow, progress, or reach that goal we claim to be striving for. In short, they don't count, they aren't helping us, and they aren't the ones (the days, weeks, etc.) that matter. Only activity and positively working forward count for us in the longer term.

When we steady pursue that goal (training in martial arts is the closest example since that is after all what we are talking about here) we slowly build momentum which will give us the opportunity to stay mentally focused, physically healthy, and additionally maintain the relationships we develop through our study. Maintaining momentum also helps in gradually digging into the deeper thoughts behind technique and heiho (strategy) and the relationship between the two.

Some people train every day and allow themselves no time off while others train two to three times a week. Whatever training schedule you pick and how you maintain your personal momentum really doesn't matter as long as you do (maintain it). But remember, the days off don't really count for much of anything other than falling backwards and retarding your path forward.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

July 18, 2023

 

195. A Wider View

Being the guy (or gal) who runs the dojo doesn't have a whole lot of advantages; long hours, legal and financial obligations, marketing, trying to keep everyone happy, working to vary lesson plans and avoid boredom as much as possible are examples. One clear advantage however (of running the dojo) is that of changing the curriculum and class focus when the mood strikes. Sometimes that mood consists of new training drills to help the beginners, sometimes it might be rolling into a old-new (new-old) kata that no one has seen for lord knows how long, and sometimes it might be something really different and far from the normal keiko.

As an example, our primary kata set is known by several aliases including "Ju Nana Hon", "Randori no Kata", or "The 17 Attack Movements". All beginners are immediately introduced to this work almost from day one and promotion to 1st and 2nd dan is based on an improving ability to show this work. It is foundational with most of the more advanced kata sets being based in large part upon these specific foundational techniques.

We also teach a system of knife fighting that was developed for the military by special operators for survival in the field. One night we had the idea to combine the two and show a larger picture of how Aikido can be the platform upon which one can build. It is a cold reality that if attacked from too close a distance then you (the defender) will be unable to draw any weapon, be it knife, gun, or otherwise which means that you (the defender) will have to intuitively resort to empty hand techniques first (such as The 17 Attack Movements) before reaching for a weapon. They call this the "Tueller Rule" and it is widely discussed and taught in police training circles.

So in class one night we discussed the reality of over-dependence on the weapon being carried, and when to go for it during an attack. In Texas this is very pertinent since so many citizens have concealed carry permits or carry a knife for self-defense (known as EDC or Everyday Carry). Because of this legally granted ability (to carry) combined with a lack of hand-to-hand training, the untrained non-martial artist develops an acute over-reliance on that weapon.

The result was a class session in which everyone put a rubber training knife in their obi and then had their uke attack. Tori the defender had to avoid the attack, do the empty-handed technique, and only after throwing or pinning the attacker pull the knife to finish it.

So this was a spur-of-the-moment that had value but that can only be done if you the Sensei run your own dojo, or are a senior enough Sensei such-that the Dojo-cho/Kancho allows you to do so (in our dojo our most senior people have this level of teaching authority). My old Sensei from years ago would never have allowed any such lesson (unless he himself thought it up) so that freedom of creativity (of hand-to-hand then to knife) came in the form of a very practical drill (based on a well recognized training rule, i.e. Tueller) for an important life lesson.

Another example would be drills in randori or a modification of a basic technique normally taught to beginners or intermediate players as an expanded example of what can be possible. While one may argue that beginners only need to work on the very, very basics the counterargument may be made that exposure to more advanced ideas early on results in developing curiosity about what is to come and offers a different way of doing a basic principle that may improve their current overall understanding.

So basically the ability to be creative (as the Sensei in charge) can result in better lessons, a more open-minded curriculum, and an expanded view of the principles that make everything fit together and actually work.

Your job as the deshi or junior Yudansha is to not become confused when you see something that you've never seen before (sometimes known as the "Whut tha'?" response) but instead, focus and do the work and while doing so consider the larger picture. You may be surprised at how your horizons open and how much "new stuff" you learn.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

July 7, 2023

194. The Fog

The phrase “Onward Thru the Fog” originated at a 60's head shop in Austin, Texas called Oat Willie's (a comic book character) not far from the University of Texas campus. No one really knows (at least I don’t) what the "fog" refers to; hint .... it is a "head shop" but even that is a guess. Oat Willie's is still open today some 60 years later continuing to do what a head shop does, but the question remains, what is the "fog" (other than the inability to see clearly to the other side)?

In our journey into the martial arts and the mythos of what is called "Bushido" there is so much information out there that one can become lost in the "fog" or put another way, you begin to be unable to see the forest for the trees. Either way you care to describe it, you sometimes find yourself lost in your study and not certain which path is the best one for you; remembering that other than the requirements of the ryu you study there is no "correct" path per se, only a path that fits you, your personality and character, and your goal (assuming you know what your goal even is).

And I am assuming here that you have found a true martial pathway and are not training at a "McDojo".  And I am also assuming that you have chosen the old flow koryu path of you “becoming” the ryu and not doing the modern or gendai idea of “making it your own”.

This "being lost in the fog" can manifest itself in several forms. One is that you decide what kata/work you like the best (because you can actually do it and it feels good) and then spend your entire life doing only that, leaving out the broader work. In the Tomiki Ryu that broader work is all 7 of the advanced koryu kata plus all the randori work and all the drill sets AND the work from Kano's Judo that was the basis for both Judo and Aikido (that work from Kito Ryu Jujutsu and Tenjin Shinyo Ryu).

Thus, we sometimes we see deshi decide to only work on one or two of the advanced kata which results in both a loss of the system because they never see or do large parts of it, and a growing lack of understanding the underlying realities of the work (esp. when we consider that older and wiser heads than ours put that work there for a reason).

Years of this entropic attitude can keep the deshi active in the dojo but no real advancement in deeper knowledge may be realized and they become stuck in place.

In my martial career I have always tried and looked for other areas of study to look at. While I began in MA in Tae Kwon Do, then Kodokan Judo, then to Aikido and at one point even took a brief side-trip into BJJ to improve my newaza from Judo, I was always looking for an enhancement of my studies. Once I was able to involve myself with a koryu combative weapons study (SMR Jojutsu) I found (and indeed continue to find) that at some point the psychological aspects of a true koryu weapons/dueling system begin to manifest and bleed over into my hand-to-hand work.

While each of these areas are of interest and are a welcome change of pace from doing the basic Randori no Kata over and over again (no matter how much that work is still important) the real value in branching out into all the work comes from the realization that at its most basic level, true principles (sen, seme, musubi, metsuke, ma-ai, riai, et al) are universal regardless of what may or may not be in your hand, or whether you take ukemi or not.  The real issue here is that in order to fully understand all the facets of each principle you must study and internalize all the work.  In other words, understanding sen, sen-no-sen, sen-sen-no-sen (for example) depends on more than one kata such that each kata teaches only one aspect of any one principle.  All the kata must be studied to fully understand and more importantly be able to utilize that principle; each kata covering only a small aspect of it.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

July 4, 2023

193. Branching

As deshi promote upwards to higher ranks a sort of entropy can sometime set in.  Years of doing the same kata (basic, advanced, or otherwise) can create in one’s mind a sort of "over-familiarity" and the idea that not much is left to do, other than to go to the dojo and teach a few beginners before sushi and sake apres' dojo.  Years of this entropic attitude can still keep the deshi active in the dojo but no real advancement in deeper knowledge can be realized.

In my martial career I have always tried and looked for other areas of study to look at. While I began in MA in Tae Kwon Do I found that I needed something more so I gravitated to Kodokan Judo, and then to Aikido.  At some point years ago I found SMR Jodo (the Seitei flavor mind you) and then once introduced to SMR Jojutsu (the Koryu flavor) I changed to that as a fresh study that expanded my view of Budo but also began to answer questions that I didn't really know I had.

Here lately my interests have opened up to our new knife fighting class (a military style built by and for special forces operators) and police tactics (we are developing a small system and now have the opportunity to actively teach law enforcement).

While each of these areas are of interest and are a welcome change of pace from doing the basic Randori no Kata over and over again (no matter how much that work is still important) the real value in branching out comes from the realization that at its most basic level, true principles are universal regardless of what may or may not be in your hand, or no matter whether you take ukemi or not.

While it is true that in the beginning one needs to focus on the learning one's primary system (Aikido in my case) once you have moved beyond basic or intermediate levels and from there into advanced, branching out to look at a complimentary art can be a good thing.  It can enhance fighting skills, and both broaden and deepen your view of Bushido.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

June 20, 2023

192. Constipation

Taught a lesson in class one day.  A Yudansha got confused and couldn’t follow it.  Had a discussion after.  He finally figured it out with the admission of “If I had only paid attention to the lesson to begin with”.  For him, that was a valuable lesson in and of itself, more important than the actual material being looked at.  So, what happened?

Most if not all of the older, more senior and advanced Sensei have had this experience in their own careers in Bushido; e.g., that of “seeing” too much in the lesson and the topic at hand.

We spend years, decades, learning the work and internalizing the fundamentals, base kata and learning sets, doing intermediate work, advanced work, and then doing the keiko (deep, advanced and highly focused training) of all the variations along with the hiden (secret) ideas of that which is transmitted only verbally (aka direct transmission).  Taken as a whole, that study comprises a very large corpus or body of information to digest and put in its proper place in our conscious and subconscious minds as it is fully internalized, reactions set in place, and the neural pathways built.

The issue arises in that instead of focusing on that one moment and specifically on that lesson being taught, the mind sees the beginning of the lesson and leaps far ahead into variations such as “I could do this” or “I can do this, this, and this instead” or “If I tried that and he reacted then I could do this and this”.

All those variants are coming out of the body of the information already known and well-understood.  Those variants overwhelm and block the receipt of the new information and may even cloud the clarification of any older already known information that is being taught for that lesson albeit from perhaps a different viewpoint.

This blockage (or “constipation” if you like) of the mind occurs as all the variations upon branching decision points to more variations leap to the forefront and hinder paying attention to the specifics and focus of the lesson at hand, making it difficult to understand its meaning and value.  It is only semi-problematic when occurring in the context of normal class and instruction.  It becomes very problematic however when it occurs in self-defense situations.

What to do.  What to do.

It’s called having an empty teacup, or possessing a mind that is not clouded with prior perceptions or beliefs but instead, is open to new learning scenarios like it was a blank slate.  Taking each lesson individually and understanding its place in the corpus does matter

How to have and hold an empty tea cup.

Accept that the ryu already has most of the variations set in place via advanced kata.  Keeping it simple helps as some variations are unproven and not clearly differentiated, other than in the existing kata system.  Learn some internal discipline about focusing on the topic; it is after all not randori.  Then watch the lesson.  Understand the information and viewpoints being shown and discussed for that specific situation.  Do the work, e.g., the repetitions required to understand the lesson.  Focus on one idea at a time and stop trying to “multichannel process”.  Again, keep it simple.  Then and only then look at alternate views after having looked at the pure lesson first and understanding it and only then look at alternate views individually and not as a clump of amorphous shifting ideas.

Constipation can be cleared but first one must know and understand that one “is” constipated and then build the discipline to stop it.  I think that this is called the “mind” part of developing “Mind, Body, Spirit”.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

April 14, 2023

191. Are You Elegant

A rock and roll singer once used the phrase “… are you experienced …” in a song to express a sentiment; so, to paraphrase, “… are you elegant …”.

Elegance is neither elusive nor elitist as some may think; it is, however, difficult to achieve in an effective and believable fashion, as it contains more “mental” than “exhibited” traits although exhibited traits are definitely part of the picture.

Simply buying expensive clothes or pursuing the latest “thing”, always buying the priciest fragrance in the store, going “commando” like the rest of the guys down at the sports bar, following the newest clothing trends from Hollywood or shoe trends from New York, or adopting and posturing a physical attitude that is demeaning to others (by the nature of its’ very arrogance, think “let them eat cake”) doesn’t bestow elegance upon anyone.  Elegance is between the ears first, and only after becoming part of you will it begin to manifest itself through seemingly very small but extremely important changes in your dress, behavior, language, and attitude.

Elegance “becomes” you.  You do not “become” elegance.  It takes control of you and reshapes who you are.  You do not “seek” it out to achieve it.  You simply look up one day and discover that associates are looking at you in a new, more respectful light and only then do you discover the idea of “not” seeking something that you gain and of “not” trying to deliberately do anything.  Another way of considering it is the idea of the journey being more important than the goal; the goal having not been set as a “goal” when the journey began and you’re simply following the path.

Very “Zennish” isn’t it?  Living and shaping your existence to be “simplicity” generally is.

Many years ago I read a novel that focused on the story of a man’s life-long effort to achieve shibumi, the Japanese concept of “restrained elegance”.  One of the leading characters’ teachers was a Sensei teaching the game of Go who told him that shibumi was not something that could be worked on like a project at the office but, instead is discovered or put in another way, “grown into”.  It also should not simply be another goal set for achievement and recognition; instead, one must pass through knowledge and arrive at simplicity.  Shibumi has been described as a very Zen state of unpretentious perfection, common in appearance but deep like an ocean.  Not flashy.  Simple.

So how does this apply to Aikido on the tatami and life off the tatami.

Shibumi has to do with refinement that belies commonplace appearance.  It is a statement of fact or reality that is so totally correct that it does not have to be bold or blunt to make the point.  It is so touching or emotional that it does not have to be pretty and so true it does not have to be real.

Shibumi is understanding, rather than knowledge.  It is expressive silence, and in your demeanor it is modesty with no shame or embarrassment.  In art it is elegant simplicity.  In a man’s personality and behavior, it is quiet authority without domination or intimidation.

Examples of this can be illustrated by looking at some simple dojo examples;

When doing an embu or promotional demonstration showing control over your body by using minimal movements as opposed to swinging your arms back and forth as you move into or out of position for the kata and next technique.  Look coordinated and in control instead of looking and moving in a “sloppy” fashion.

Not preening by continually “fixing” and “fluffing” your hair or adjusting your gi, all that excessive and unnecessary movement indicating that your subconscious is preoccupied on something other than the opponent while minimal body movements (only the movement needed in that moment) shows a quiet focus and comportment (and body/posture awareness).

Wearing a “quiet” gi indicating only your name or maybe a small dojo patch; as opposed to your gi looking like you drive for NASCAR and you have 3 dozen sponsors.  A quiet gi allows onlookers to focus more on you than the distracting information on the gi and doesn’t work to ostentatiously call attention to you by your clothing.

Focus your conversation on the work and your fellow deshi and when discussing martial arts don’t brag about things done or not done and don’t exaggerate.  Discuss the techniques in an academic way instead of the immature, “Yeah, I could really __________ (fill in the blanks) with this”.  Understatement many times is much more effective than the opposite.

Acting a little quiet and thoughtful when on the mat instead of being loud and brash.  Sometimes the quiet man draws the attention since he is seen as pausing to consider before offering the studied opinion, that pause drawing more respect than being “out there”.

This of course can be extended outside the dojo but then again, we are working on Bushido and dojo ideas.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

February 12. 2023

190. S.A.D.

Funny acronym that.  SAD. 

SAD, not the emotion (like an emo on the mat with black eyeliner) but instead whether that person on the mat is a Student, an Apprentice, or a Disciple.  Which are you?  More importantly, if you’re the Sensei, then what is that person on your mat (which S.A.D) to you, the smooth operation of the dojo, and the dojo’s future.

Being Sensei means many different things ranging from being a marketing expert and salesman, accountant, counselor, risk assessment manager, psychologist, and task master (just to name one or two).  However, it also means being an evaluator of a person’s potential for learning and how serious they are (and dedicated to) the learning process; or in other words, do they want to learn and will they strengthen the dojo and be an acceptable and positive influence.  This classification (of the person who just walked in the door) should come to bear in deciding how that person is viewed and taught the ryu/system.

Are they a student.  Do they come to class (mostly) and do they pay attention.  Do they train only during class times, or do they come early and stay late for extra work.  Do they have a long-term goal in mind for their martial arts study or appear to only be checking off the boxes on their punch list.

Are they an apprentice.  Do they come to class faithfully and pay attention to everything the Sensei says, does, and teaches; remembering that a Sensei is giving life lessons and strategies and not just or only teaching techniques but they only work toward achieving the requirements of the training without working to excel and grow beyond that.

Or are they a disciple.  Are they not just a student or a learner or apprentice, but a follower; one who applies what he has learned and works to continue the teachings.  Would you look at them and believe that they will someday teach and continue the work and preserve the ryu.

Important considerations when Sensei is having to ration time and focus where it will do the greatest good and avoid being sad at wasted effort.

L.F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

October 19, 2022

189. Samurai Chicken

Having been an athlete since grade school where I ran track as a sprinter before getting into playing competitive football through my high school years, I’ve been in weight rooms and gyms my entire life training before eventually moving into dojo and martial arts.  For me and others like me, staying in shape became an obsession literally decades ago which is why, at age 70 (well, if you count gestation like the Japanese it actually makes me 71) I can easily operate like someone 20 years my junior.

Part of that fitness obsession included a lot of research on what could be called “balanced training” such as nutrition, structuring training routines, and discipline (in their application).  That research covered Japanese concepts that eventually led to a tattoo; speaking to balance.  Ever since being inked, I’ve strived to remember the two mottos (here roughly paraphrased) which are; Ningen Keisei (become a complete human being) and Bun Bu Ryo Dou (living a life in balance).

This includes life in the gym, resistance training, working to stay flexible and limber and also includes the same ideas of “balance” in the dojo as I work through the material.

So today I’m in the gym trying to get back to (and stick with) a regular resistance training routine when I look up and in front of me is a guy preparing to run through sets of chest press using dumbbells.  When I do sets of chest press, my working weight is 40 to 45 pounds per dumb bell (or per hand).  He was working with dumb bells that were 70 pounds each and then he pyramided up to 100 pounds in ten-pound increments.  Impressive for someone who was not a pro football player (based on his size) or an obvious power lifter.

He completed the set and stood up from the bench and since he was wearing shorts, I saw them as he rose.  The legs.  The skinny, scrawny, undeveloped legs. The legs that looked like they had never done any lower body work such as free bar squats, or deadlifts.  His legs were smaller than most peoples’ arms.  It was an amazing moment of cognitive dissonance, this exhibit of upper body over-development and lower body neglect.

Times change as does street slang but when I first began hanging out at gyms and focusing on resistance training the nickname for this was “Bar Body”; someone who hyper-developed the chest, arms, and shoulders so-as to impress someone while buying them a drink.  That was the “kinder” term.  The other term, not quite as nice was “Chicken Man” or sometimes “Turkey Legs”; someone who had a large body (like a good size fryer) but who had the skinny leg bones of a bird.  I still remember once knowing a female co-worker who took one of these specimens’ home from a bar one night and couple of days later at the office, she got talkative and said “WTH …. That’s false advertising.  I was cheated”.  All I could do was laugh.

Martial arts and dojo have much the same issue with many deshi as they come up in rank.  They gain rank, improve ability, move forward in understanding, and one day look up and decide that so-and-so kata set is a little too difficult and uninteresting when compared to other kata (that are easier); much like Chicken Man decided somewhere along the way that chest and shoulders were easier than leg day so they’d do the easy and pass by the hard. 

I must admit that I don’t like legs either, much like many gym regulars who have broad and well-thought routines.  Legs are tough to enjoy but if you want a balanced physique then you simply must include a well-rounded leg routine and you must stick with it long term regardless of how difficult it may be to stay with or however slow progress may be.

Likewise, if you want to achieve well-rounded ability in your martial art then you must use a well-rounded routine for training; a little basics, some intermediate work, some advanced work, and maybe some research on the arcana such as the relationship between Buddhism and combative behavior so that you see the subtlety of some of the teachings.  You have to make a regular pass through all the material, even kata sets that may be confusing, difficult, tiring, or whatever because they broaden certain aspects of your study and at some point teach you how it all inter-connects.

We train in Aikido in the Tomiki Ryu which at it’s core is simply pre-WWII Ueshiba-ha Daito Ryu Aikibudo.  It’s an old koryu based system that is organized much like Kodokan Judo was; kihon (basics), bunkai (analysis and applications), and formal kata, with each kata designed for teaching principles and variations.

For example, in the Tomiki Ryu we have Koryu Dai Ichi (the 1^st kata) and Koryu Dai Ni (the 2^nd kata) both of which are directly related to and clearly illustrate Daito Ryu such that Ichi kata directly shows old school Daito Ryu as originally illustrated in the book Budo Renshu which documented Daito Ryu techniques.  These two kata have short and direct techniques that have a flow to them, running one into the other, but are very much self-defense oriented.

Koryu Dai San and Koryu Dai Roku (3^rd and 6^th kata) are very formally structured and presented to best illustrate the fundamental principles of the ryu including knife, sword, and stick ideas.  They are presented slowly and very precisely in order to best illustrate your understanding.

Koryu Dai Yon (4^th kata) has very large, circular, and flowing movements to show the circularity of certain patterns and also introduces, in a deliberate fashion, the idea of failure in which you apply a technique and it works but then you apply it again and it fails requiring you to respond with a kaeshi waza (counter).

Koryu Dai Go (5^th kata) has many of the same techniques as do Ichi and Ni to the point to where the last 5 of Ni and of Go are identical.  The primary difference is that in Go everything from the first suwari waza to the last striking technique is done at absolute full speed and very dynamically to pressure the defenders’ subconscious which must respond instantaneously; a true test of the intuitive processes in which should tori (defender) move too slowly or go into brain lock, uke is allowed to complete the attack and knock tori over.  It builds an understanding of pressure.

Each kata looks at and teaches different areas of the ryu.  Each kata is important for showing (and learning) all the variations in attack, with or without a weapon.  Each kata teaches variables in application of principles.  Each kata is, therefore, critical in learning and understanding the full scope of the ryu.  Leaving out a serious study of any of the kata (along with the kihon & bunkai sets) will result in an “unbalanced” Aikido player, much like the guy in the gym.

Without the full balance study, the Aikido player will have large “gaps” in their ability to intuitively recognize and respond correctly and appropriately to an attack; something permissible in the dojo where everyone are friends, but inadequate in the street where friendship is non-existent.  The lesson here to remember is that of balancing your training and not leaving out your legs.

L. F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

September 12, 2022

188. Strategies of Teaching

Strategy most normally involves setting goals and priorities and then determining actions to achieve the goals and using resources to execute the actions.  Having a strategy entails a description of how the goals will be achieved with the resources and in many minds is primarily thought of as being a military or governmental idea; large or global as it were.  Strategy may also be applied to smaller venues, such as succession at a dojo or kai (martial arts school or martial organization).

A Samurai saying was that there are three kinds of people.  The first is the person (deshi) who understands the purpose of his teacher’s teachings and functions well within that limited scope.  However, he does not have many original or creative teaching ideas of his own and does not practice much. He can become a teacher of students but not a true leader or master of the art.

The second type of person is the one who, besides what he learns from his teacher, adds his own ideas of effectiveness into his skill sets and randori ability.  He practices long and hard to both improve those skills and his ability to communicate (and teach) those skills.  He is the deshi who excels and if put on a battlefield will likely as not prevail most of the time.

The third type of person is the one who does not learn all his teacher’s techniques nor absorb his knowledge but understands the ones he does learn.  He can become competent on the battlefield and in randori but is rarely able to grow beyond whatever direct lessons he has been taught.  Some would refer to him as being a “book person”; if it’s not in the book then does it exist.

The Samurai strategist who proposed these categories of students or deshi was referring in the larger sense to warfare on a larger scale but these may also be applied to the smaller universe of the dojo. 

The Sensei or Dojo Cho (dojo manager) needs the ability to do a couple of things here.  First, be able to identify which up and coming Yudansha fit into which category; and second, be a guide.  The Sensei must be able to teach, guide, and work with all three categories.  A dojo does not need only the second type of person who excels at everything at the potential expense of the other two.  A Sensei should be able to work with all three and assist each of those in improving, growing in understanding and ability, and becoming a real leader; his replacement as-it were and in so becoming, a testimony to the ideals of teaching.

L. F. Wilkinson Kancho

The Aikibudokan

Houston, TX

May 11, 2022