Newsletter - No. 2
re-typed by Wendy Wallace for the Internet
In this letter I am taking the opportunity to point out some of the common weaknesses I observed on the last course, dated September 7th 1980, at Chorley. I would like to emphasise the necessity of diligent and continuous practice to overcome them. Five points are listed below to read and memorize and for you to take the opportunity to practice as much as possible under my instruction and my teachers dan grade.
(1) 'weakness of the armpit' This occurs when the position of the hand is separated from the centre line of the body in the execution of a technique. Deviation from this line not only weakens one`s posture but also exposes one to a counter attack. Practice of suwari-waza kokyuho helps to overcome this weakness.
(2) Stiffness of the shoulders resulting in unbalanced and stiff movements. By relaxing the shoulders and bringing one`s centre of gravity towards the tanden, movement becomes much freer and flexible.
(3) Inability to control the weight of one`s body.
(4) Lack of naturalness in action. This nature of a technique is artificial while the essence is natural (spiritual). Perfection of the artificial results in naturalness.
(5) Lack of proper maai (distance in relation to one`s opponent) which is very much related to the presence of mind and the lack of zanshin (continuity and flowing of ki after the execution of a technique).
M.Mucha (Principal).
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY
In spite of my teaching of Aikido Principals, and ideas in general, Students still think in this modern way of life of Academic Learning. There is no end to the learning of Aikido; one must always come back to basic techniques. Of course, one can't get blamed for this way of thinking while there are comedians advertising various courses of Martial Art on short term and high fees.
Even in Aikido some people have not followed the original teaching of Morihei Ueshiba, they separated themselves from the mother club, because it suited their purpose, and now they are teaching a watered down version of Aikido, due to the fact that they do not practice and observe the Principals of Aikido.
There is a Law in this Universe "you will only be rewarded by the effort you are going to put in" or "you can't get something for nothing".
HARMONIZING
If you are walking along a railway track and a train is coming, you wouldn't stay on the track. This applies to Aikido or fighting, one wouldn't stay in the path of a punch. Unfortunately it's in our way of life that if somebody is attacking you fight back that is you clashing with your attacker, hence to learn Aikido it is necessary to understand and to master UKEMI, the method of protecting oneself against throwing techniques, is very important in the learning of Aikido. This mastery is not only important for safety reasons but also for the confidence it gives in practice which is necessary for the real enjoyment of the art.
However, the idea of ukemi in Aikido should be understood more deeply. Ideal Aikido has neither winner nor loser in practise, only pure action - a pure action in which one completes his own mission and lets others complete their own within the content of the technique. There is no difference between technique and ukemi in Aikido. It is therefore important to understand ukemi and techniques as pure action.