Hard mats

We had a few days break last week for Golden Week a national holiday. This gave everybody a little chance to get away or just give the joints a few days rest. I finally feel that my wrist is healed enough that I can start offering some genuine resistance to Nikkyo, which is a nice feeling. It took a little longer than I had hoped to heal, but then again I never stopped training for more than a day or two. It's still a little sore when it takes my full weight but sure that in time it will heal completely.

I am now entering week 5. The time is just flying by. My body seems to be coping well, not too many aches or pains, just some tightness in the quadriceps, due mainly due to all the standing up - falling down - standing up - falling down - standing up and surwariwaza, my actual knees don't seem to be too bad. I haven't resorted to knee pads - yet (never say never). I am having a lot of fun with all aspects of the training. One of the main reasons I cam to Nemoto sensei was that he taught lots of Bukiwaza (FYI Lara, that's weapons training, or perhaps better said as training with weapons). We have not yet made a complete cycle of the entire syllabus but what we have been doing I feel is really starting to sink in, well the form of the movements at least, Nemoto Sensei is very kind and points out plenty of Dame's to me. I am trying my hardest not to keep making the same ones, and hopefully in that regard I am having some success.

In a couple of weeks there is the All Japan Aikido Federation Demonstration in Tokyo and 6 of Nemoto Sensei students are performing, a couple of years ago his group won best in show for there section. This will be a great opportunity to go and watch and should be an amazing experience, I am lucky that I decided to come this time of year. It is held at the Tokyo Budokan, If you have watched you tube then sure that you will have seen the clips and know what I am talking about.

As I have mentioned before one of the other major things that is happening during the time that I am here is that four of Nemoto Sensei's students, two uchideshi and two soto deshi are taking there shodan tests, and another his Nidan(?) on my birthday. What a treat. I will be the only other uchideshi present as all the others will have left by then. So will be present for the build up, which has already begun, we are doing a fair amount or tanken/jo/tachi dori practice and watching them practice Jiuwaza. I have had a go as both Nage and Uke, its interesting to watch and feel one of the higher aims of Aikido training. As a passive observer it also gifts me the opportunity to watch and learn, well ahead of the time that I am expected to participate. They have all shown significant improvement over the past few attempts with less hesitation, more fluidity and more decisive attitudes to engaging/initiating each technique rather than passively waiting for the attack to come to them. One of the students does struggle quite a lot and it is apparent to everybody that he may not be ready this time around. It also raises the difficult question of what should a shodan grade represent - should the level of attainment that it represents have some flexibility according to the natural ability of the student? Should a student who trains hard for a long time - but never the less struggles due to a lack of "natural ability" never be allowed to attain shodan. If the purpose of aikido is to create better people then holding somebody back from may put them off training completely - and who would that help? The the other hand does it degrade from Aikido to have people who seem to not be "worth" the grade that they are. It's a very difficult question, and will be interesting to see how it pans out for this particular student. it seems that when you wear a hakima people expect a certain standard from you and your peers look up to you so you need to have attained the standard that is appropriate for the level you are at.

Personally I feel that I am trying my best, but I must try harder, without the effort getting in the way. In other words trying, not just trying to try. Guess that sound pretty silly. Letting go and relaxing seems the critical factor, fortunately I am not shy about getting things wrong. So if I do something wrong that it is not actually a bad thing provided I then take that opportunity to improve and don't keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Staying calm, relaxed yet focused and grounded seems to be the key to solid technique. If anything I am perhaps a little jerky and need to work on becoming more fluid in my movements - without losing accuracy. The combination of being calm yet focused, focused yet relaxed, relaxed yet strong, strong yet flexible is the goal, perhaps outwardly they may seem somewhat contradictory although they all clearly go hand in hand and actually, strength without flexibility causes brittleness and is not really strong at all. I guess on some level that is the crux, to forge something that is strong at the same time flexible and not brittle is a difficult task and takes a long time and a lot of effort, I am of course thinking about Japanese sword manufacture and the parallel to our self development through Aikido, the art of the sword without the sword. I could go on (and on) to talk more about this idea and its potential ramifications, but I had better stop as I have probably already got carried away, "he who knows does not speak, and he who speaks does not know" Lao Tsu.