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Through the popularity of this column, I get correspondence from all over the country. And the most commonly asked question is, “How long does it take to get a black belt?”I don’t know how this question is answered in other schools, but my students know that asking such a question in my dojo would set them back several years in their training. It would be a disaster.

Most people would be overjoyed if I would say it takes just a couple of years to get a black belt, but unfortunately it does not. And though I am afraid most people would not be happy with my answer, I think the general misconceptions about “what is a black belt?” should be clarified as much as possible. This is not a popular subject to discuss in the way I am going to. Indeed, I warn my students not to ask the question in the first place. The answer is not what they want to hear.

How do you get a black belt? You find a competent teacher and a good school, begin training and work hard. Someday, who knows when, it will come. It is not easy, but it’s worth it. It may take one year; it may take ten years. You may never achieve it. When you come to realize that the black belt is not as important as the practice itself, you are probably approaching black belt level. When you realize that no matter how long or how hard you train, there is a lifetime of study and practice ahead of you until you die, you are probably getting close to a black belt.

At whatever level you achieve, if you think you “deserve” a black belt, or if you think you are now “good enough” to be a black belt, you are way off the mark, and, indeed a very long way from reaching your black belt. Train hard, be humble, don’t show off in front of your teacher or other students, don’t complain about any task and do your best in everything in your life. This is what it means to be a black belt. To be overconfident, to show off your skill, to be competitive, to look down on others, to show a lack of respect, and to pick and chose what you do and don’t do (believing that some jobs are beneath your dignity) characterize the student who will never achieve black belt. What they wear around their waist is simply a piece of merchandise brought for a few dollars in a martial arts supply store. The real black belt, worn by a real black belt holder, is the white belt of a beginner, turned black by the colour of his blood and sweat.

Training Pattern

The first level of black belt in Japanese is called Shodan. It literally means “first level”. Sho (first) is an interesting ideograph. It is comprised of two radicals meaning “cloth” and “knife”. To make a piece of clothing, one first cuts out the pattern on the cloth. The pattern determines the style and look of the final product. If the pattern is out of proportion or in error, the clothes will look bad and not fit properly. In the same way, your initial training to reach black belt is very important; it determines how you will eventually turn out as a black belt.

In my many years of teaching, I have noticed that the students who are solely concerned with getting their black belt discourage easily, as soon as they realize it is harder than they expected. Students who come in just for practice, without concern for rank and promotion, always do well. They are not crushed by shallow or unrealistic goals.

There is a famous story about Yagyu Matajuro, who was a son of the famous Yagyu family of swordsmen in 17th century feudal Japan. He was kicked out of the house for lack of talent and potential, and sought out instruction of the swordmaster Tsukahara Bokuden, with the hope of achieving mastery of the sword and regaining his family position. On their initial interview, Matajuro asked Tsukahara Bokuden, “How long will it take me to master the sword?” Bokuden replied, “Oh, about five years if you train very hard.” “If I train twice as hard, how long will it take?” inquired Matajuro. “In that case, ten years”, retorted Bokuden.

Finding a Focus

What do you focus on if you don’t focus on attaining your black belt? It is easier said than done, but you must focus your energy on practice. However, to think, “I will concentrate on my training to get a black belt”, is simply playing mind games with yourself and will ultimately lead to your own disappointment.

Can you simply think “I will forget about rank completely”? Can you simply say to yourself that you will never achieve it? Will you always be attached to your black belt, allowing the idea to linger in the back of your mind? In other words, can you simply concentrate on your training without regards for anything else? Can you finally realize that your black belt is nothing more than “something to hold up your pants”?

You should also realize that although you master all the requirements, the correct number of techniques, all the required forms and put in the appropriate amount of hours of training, you may still not qualify for black belt. To achieve black belt is not a quantitative entity which can be measured or weighed like buying string beans in the market. Your black belt has to do with you as a person. How you conduct yourself in and out of the dojo, your attitude to your teacher and fellow students, your goals in life, how you handle the obstacles in your life, and how you persevere in your training are all important conditions of your black belt. At the same time, you become a model to other students and eventually reach the status of teacher or assistant instructor. In the dojo, your responsibilities are greater than the regular students and you are held accountable to much, much more than those junior to yourself. Your responsibilities are great as a black belt holder.

Achieving Training Focus

How do we focus on our training? Successful training means, to a great degree, that we look at what we do from a reasonable and realistic viewpoint. More often than not, we are not looking at realistic goals but dreams and delusions. Do you want to excel in martial arts as a way to improve yourself and your life, or are you motivated by the latest cops and robbers movie? Is your practice motivated by a strong desire to enlighten yourself, or do you simply want to imitate the latest martial arts movie stars? Although experienced martial artists may snicker, it is amazing how many inquire about martial arts saying they want to be just like Chuck Norris or Steven Seagal. But those people are themselves by their own efforts. You are yourself. We all have our hero, role models, and our dreams, but we have to separate out fantasies from reality if our training is to be meaningful and successful.

Reality

Training has nothing to do with rank or black belts, trophies or badges. Martial arts is not simply playing out our fantasies. It has to do with your own life and death. It is not only how we protect ourselves in a critical, lethal situation, but how we protect the lives of others as well. You cannot be another person, whether he is a movie star, great teacher or multimillionaire. You must become yourself - your true self. As much as John Doe dreams about becoming James Dean, Bruce Lee, or Donald Trump, he can only be John Doe. When John Doe becomes John Doe 100 percent, he has become enlightened to his true self. An average person only lives 50 percent, or maybe 80 percent of his life and never knows who he is. A martial artist lives 100 percent of his life and becomes impeccable. This is what the true black belt holder must come to realize within himself. He is no other than himself, and his practice leads to enlightenment into nature of his true self, his real self. This is the essence of out training in martial arts.

Achieving your Black Belt

Think of losing your black belt, not gaining it. Sawaki Kodo, a Zen Master, often said, “To gain is suffering; loss is enlightenment.” If someone were to ask the difference between martial artists of previous generations and martial artists today, I would sum it up like this. Martial artists of previous generations looked upon training as “loss”. They gave up everything for their art and their practice. They gave up their families, jobs, security, fame, money, everything, to accomplish themselves. Today, we only think of gain. “I want this, I want that.” We want to practice martial arts but we also want money, a nice car, fame, portable telephones and everything that everyone else has.

Shakyamuni Buddha gave up his kingdom, his palaces, a beautiful wife, and everything else to finally seek out enlightenment. The first student of Boddhidharma, considered the founder of Shaolin Kung Fu, cut off his left arm to study with his teacher. Now we don’t have to take such drastic measures to learn martial arts today, but we should not forget the spirit and determination of the great masters of the past. We must realize that we have to make sacrifices in our own lives in order to pursue our training.

When the student looks at his training from the standpoint of loss instead of gain, he comes close to the spirit of mastery, and truly becomes worthy of a black belt. Only when you finally give up all thought of rank, belts, trophies, fame, money and mastery itself, will you achieve what is really important in your training. Be humble, be gentle. Care for others and put everyone before yourself. To study martial arts is to study yourself - your true self. It has nothing to do with rank.

A great Zen master once said: “To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to understand all things.”

Dobun (instructive principles) by Morihei Ueshiba.
As taught by Sadao Takaoka Shihan, Wakayama Aikikai dojo
Original translation by: Haruko Kado
Recompiled in English by: K.C. Brodbeck
Parts taken from Aikido Newsletter 2/10/1974
Mototsumitama (literally translated as the Great Basic Metaphysical Substance of being) of the one spirit, four souls, three elements, and eight powers, make up the Great God. The Great God is the living infinite mother who has spread spiritual and physical prosperity throughout space.
Space was once empty, with no Heaven and no Earth. Suddenly a pinhole opened up in this empty space. This pinhole was the very origin of existence. From this hole, Ki of the Great God, which was finer than steam, smoke or mist, gradually came forth to form a circle which surrounded the pinhole and gave birth to the Kotodama of Suu. This birth was not only the birth of the physical world, but of the spiritual world as well.
The universe then began its natural respiration taking a deep breath of expansion, and as it expanded sound flowed from it. This original sound was the kotodama Suu. Suu then continued expanding in four directions and formed a pulsating circle. When Suu has developed it turns into U. The constant work of Suu produced the kotodama U.
The kotodama U, which is the origin of spirit as well as substance, divides into two and works as opposing forces which function independently. Each of these two functions has its own Mitama (spirit). One of these forces flows up and generates the kotodama A, while the other function falls to Earth and creates the kotodama O. With A going up and O going down an opposing force is created, and held together by Ki, an attraction is formed.
Takamagahara ( high planes of heaven ) represents the universe. It teaches us what the law and order of the universe should be and how the gods reside within it. Everyone s family represents Takamagahara and each individual has Takamagahara within him\herself. All the elements of this universe constantly breathe and flux and live every moment of our lives. In other words, Takamagahara is the great celestial globe which has successfully accomplished its formation and wishes. It is the very origin of creation of heaven and earth. To come to understand the wishes of Takamagahara and pursue the tasks of the gods to satisfy their will is Aikido.
Clarify the Ki of space, the Ki of the self-curdling island (Onogorojima), the KI of the universe, and all the ways which mitama come into your body. Make all the breathings of the universe match your own. Use these lines as the law, and make them accomplish the mission of the universal heaven. The basic principle to pursue in each direction is called Aikido.
Aikido should be the doctrine endowed by god to clarify the workings of the universe. The past, the present, and the future are the routes which the universe should follow. This includes the human body, as it has the universe within it. Purify the universe and harmonize it with the three worlds of the manifest, the spiritual, and that of the gods. Following this continually is Aikido.
The core of the universal dynamism consists of 75 sounds. Each one of these sounds obeys three rules: triangle(Iku-musubi), circle(Taru-musubi), and square(Tamatsume-musubi).
The kotodama, A, O, U, E, I, manifesting the mind of the Founding god( Kuni no Katachi no Kami), interacting with the neutral god (Toyokumo no Kami), the functions of the Five gods came into being.
When the eight powers interact with each other, the light, pure ones went up to the heavens, and the heavier, impure ones fell to the Earth. Each time the heavens and the Earth interacted, some functions fell to Earth, expanding it. This was done by the god of Tamatsume-musubi. With the three elements, Iku-musubi, Taru-musubi, and Tamatsume-musubi, influencing the process, the universe grew and continues to grow today. Aiki is this interaction and use of kotodama. It is the one spirit, four souls, three elements, and the eight powers.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, one hundred, one thousand, one million, and the great Mitama of all These words represent the one spirit, four souls, three elements, and the eight powers. Ueshiba Sensei never failed to recite these words in his prayer before and after Aikido practice in order to teach us to assimilate ourselves within the universe. By doing so, we can produce techniques which make the three elements visible in the manifest world. Wishing for world peace, Ueshiba Sensei always preached that human beings are also a part of the universe.
The Three Elements
Ueshiba Sensei told us in his Dobun that the Three Elements are gas, liquid, and solid. After studying this for a long period of time, I came up with my interpretation for this. I think that these three elements are three stages. When O Sensei said gas, he wanted to tell you to match your breath with that of your opponent. Liquid indicates that you should absorb your opponent s strength. Solid implies that you should use your breath and perform the technique. In other words, in the gas stage we should lead our opponents with our Ki. In the liquid stage we should assimilate ourselves with our opponent. In the solid stage we gradually apply ourselves in the desired directions to complete the technique.
The Four Souls
Historically in Japan four separate aspects of functions of mitama have been recognized. The first is Kushimitama, or the heavens, which give light to all things in order to purify their KI. The second is Sachimitama, or the Earth, which lavishly provides and never expects anything in return. The active and valiant Aramitama, or fire, is indispensable for any type of development. The harmonious Nigimitama is the water that can flow anywhere and rules the Earth.
The Eight Powers
The eight powers are always contrastive to each other. Moving force and stopping force, dissolving force and curdling force, pulling force and releasing force, joining force and separating force, work actively in the universe to sustain life and the Earth. This is also true within ourselves, as we are part of the universe and have a universe within our bodies. I draw an analogy from the Ken-zen-ichi-jyo sword tactics which were written in the twelfth century. In Ken-zen-ichi-jyo we learn that if an opponent gives you his full 100% attack, you should receive the attack with zero. If he gives you 90% then you receive it with 10. 80-20 70-30 60-40 40-60 30-70 20-80 10- 90 0-100. I believe this is much easier to understand than the definitions given by O Sensei If we meet 100% with 100% we end up with a 50-50 connection and we cannot proceed with the desired function.

Fire and water are two basic examples of the opposing powers. Fire naturally flows vertically, while water flows horizontally. Water puts out fire, and fire evaporates water.

Many people ask about Aikido with relation to religion. I don t believe in religions because I know that history has seen a lot of conflicts among religions which have caused many great battles. Instead I believe in the god of fire and the god of water. It is such a simple concept that I wish people all over the world could come to support the idea.

The final set of contrastive powers is positive and negative. When explaining these two forces I use the terms plus and minus.

Correct breathing is critical to using these forces effectively. Take a breath as you pronounce A, O, U, E, I. Try to let your body learn to breathe the kotodama, and not your brain. In doing so you will not need commands from your brain to move as quickly as possible.

In Aikido, zero (or nothingness) is necessary most of the time. Kokoro (heart and mind) is one thing while Ki is something else. Many people believe that they are identical, but it they are not. Heart and mind remain innocent for your entire life, while Ki is always fluctuating. You must purify yourself to become nothing. What you do in Aikido never fails to reflect the state of your Ki. If your Ki is clouded, you cannot accept or lead your opponent. I really hope that everyone can learn to master the Aikido that Ueshiba Sensei taught and lived.

http://www.aikidofaq.com/dobun.html

Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba (often referred to by his title ‘O Sensei’ or ‘Great Teacher’). On a purely physical level it is an art involving some throws and joint locks that are derived from Jujitsu and some throws and other techniques derived from Kenjutsu. Aikido focuses not on punching or kicking opponents, but rather on using their own energy to gain control of them or to throw them away from you. It is not a static art, but places great emphasis on motion and the dynamics of movement.

Upon closer examination, practitioners will find from Aikido what they are looking for, whether it is applicable self-defense technique, spiritual enlightenment, physical health or peace of mind. O Sensei emphasized the moral and spiritual aspects of this art, placing great weight on the development of harmony and peace. “The Way of Harmony of the Spirit” is one way that “Aikido” may be translated into English. This is still true of Aikido today, although different styles emphasize the more spiritual aspects to greater or lesser degrees. Although the idea of a martial discipline striving for peace and harmony may seem paradoxical, it is the most basic tenet of the art.

We could attempt to pigeonhole Aikido into a synopsis of X number of words, but that would not do it justice, so we leave the practitioner of Aikido to find out what Aikido is for themselves without any preconceived notions.
What are the different styles in Aikido?
There are no ’styles’ of Aikido. It is like cheese cake. You can cut it in wedges or squares or just dig in with your fork but it is still cheese cake!

Aikido was originally developed by one man, O Sensei. Many students who trained under O Sensei decided to spread their knowledge of Aikido by opening their own dojos. Due, among other things, to the dynamic nature of Aikido, different students of O Sensei interpreted his Aikido in different ways. Thus different styles of Aikido were born. The more common are listed here along with a brief explanation of what is different about the style. Each style has its own strengths and weaknesses, but all are firmly rooted in the basic concepts which make Aikido the unique art that it is. None should be considered superior or inferior to any other, but rather an individual must find a style which best suits him or her. Outside factors such as geographic location may of course limit one’s options.
No matter which style you choose, you are going to be taught that particular instructors interpretation of it, and you yourself are going to develop your own particular Aikido. One might say that there are as many different styles of Aikido as there are practitioners.

Since this list is going to be challenging enough without looking for extra work, we’ll restrict our definition of Aikido to mean styles that clearly trace their lineage to Ueshiba O Sensei. The classification into categories is fairly arbitrary.
The “Old” Schools
Here we’ll list the schools that developed from the pre-war teachings.

Aiki-Budo
This is the name given to the art O Sensei was teaching early in his development. It is very close in style to previously existing Jutsu forms such as Daito-ryu Aiki-Jutsu. It is considered to be one of the harder forms of Aikido.
Most of the early students of O Sensei began during this period and much of the early practice overseas was in this style (e.g. Abbe Sensei’s teaching in the UK in the 50s).
Yoseikan
This form was developed by Minoru Mochizuki, who was an early student of O Sensei and also of Jigoro Kano Sensei at the Kodokan.
This style includes elements of Aiki-Budo together with aspects of Karate, Judo and other arts.
Yoshinkan
This is the style taught by the late Gozo Shioda. Shioda Sensei studied with O Sensei from the mid-30s. After the war, he was invited to begin teaching and formed the organization known as the Yoshinkan. Unlike many later organizations, the Yoshinkan has always maintained friendly relations with the Aikikai both during and after O Sensei’s life.
The Yoshinkan is a harder style of Aikido, generally concerned with practical efficiency and physically robust techniques. It is taught to many branches of the Japanese Police.
The international organization associated with the Yoshinkan style of Aikido is known as the Yoshinkai, and has active branches in many parts of the world. In recent years, there have been a number of offshoots of this style, usually developing for political reasons.

The “Modern” Schools
This includes most of the variants taught today. Most of these “styles” are taught by various senior students of O Sensei, with the divergences coming after the death of the Founder. Most would claim to be teaching the art that O Sensei taught them - and this is probably true even though some have little in common with others! Taken together with O Sensei’s notorious obscurity in teaching style, the story of the elephant and the blind men may give us some clue as to how this could have come about :-).
Most of us have our biases and preferences amongst the various styles but can recognize that all have their strengths and weakness and we all have something to learn from all of them.
The “Traditional” Schools

Aikikai
The Aikikai is the common name for the style headed by Moriteru Ueshiba, O Sensei’s grandson, as taught under the auspices of the International Aikido Federation. Most regard this school as the mainline in Aikido development.
In reality, this “style” is more of an umbrella than a specific style, since it seems that many individuals within the organization teach in quite a different manner. The Aikido taught by Ueshiba Sensei is generally large and flowing, with an emphasis on a standard syllabus and little or no emphasis on weapons training. Other teachers within the auspices of the Aikikai (like Saito Sensei) place much more emphasis on weapons practice.
Iwama-ryu
The style taught by Morihiro Saito, based in the Iwama dojo, is generally considered sufficiently stylistically different from mainstream Aikikai that it is named individually, even though it still is part of the Aikikai.
Saito Sensei was a long time uchideshi of O Sensei, beginning in 1946 and staying with him through his death. Many consider that Saito Sensei was the student who spent most time directly studying with O Sensei Saito Sensei says he is trying to preserve and teach the art exactly as it was taught to him by the Founder. Technically, Iwama-ryu seems to resemble the Aikido O Sensei was teaching in the early 50s mainly in the Iwama dojo. The technical repertoire is larger than in most other styles and a great deal of emphasis is placed on weapons training.

The “Ki” Schools
One of the most noticeable splits in the Aikido world occurred in 1974 when Koichi Tohei, then the Chief Instructor at the Aikikai, resigned from that organization and founded the Ki no Kenkyukai to teach Aikido with strong emphasis on the concepts of Ki. Since that time, there has been little interaction between the traditional schools and the Ki schools.
All of these arts tend to refer to themselves as Ki Aikido, even though there is little contact between some of the styles.

Shin-shin Toitsu Aikido
The style founded by Koichi Tohei - Aikido with Mind and Body Unified. Tohei Sensei places a great deal of emphasis on understanding the concept of Ki and developing this aspect independently of the Aikido training for application to general health and daily life.
This style is one of the softest styles of Aikido and is characterized by soft movements that often involve the practitioner jumping or skipping during the movement. Most schools are not concerned with practical application of the techniques, considering them exercises to further develop Ki.
In recent years, Tohei Sensei has been moving further and further away from Aikido and has devoted himself almost exclusively to Ki training. The latest news is that Ki no Kenkyukai has started an initiative to make Shin-shin Toitsu Aikido into an International Competitive sport.

The “Sporting” Styles
One of the other big breaks in Aikido history occurred during O Sensei’s life when Kenji Tomiki proposed “rationalizing” Aikido training using Kata and Competition. Since that time, there has been little commonality between the Tomiki schools and the mainline Aikido schools.
In recent years there have been a number of offshoots of Tomiki-ryu that have abandoned the idea of competition.

Tomiki-ryu
Founded by Kenji Tomiki, and early student of O Sensei and of Judo founder Jigoro Kano. Tomiki Sensei believed that a “rationalization” of Aikido training, along the lines that Kano Sensei followed for Judo would make it more easily taught, particularly at the Japanese Universities. In addition, he believed that introducing an element of competition would serve to sharpen and focus the practice since it was no longer tested in real combat. This latter view was the cause of a split with O Sensei who firmly believed that there was no place for competition in Aikido training.
Tomiki-ryu is characterized by using Kata (prearranged forms) in teaching and by holding competitions, both empty handed and with a rubber knife.

Can Aikido be used for self-defense?
“Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered,
those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid.
Thus the wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win.”

Yes, Aikido can be a very effective form of self-defense However, it can take considerable time and effort before Aikido (or any martial art) can be used effectively in a self-defense situation.
Does Aikido take longer time to master and apply than other martial arts?
“If you knew the time it took me to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful.”
Michelangelo

The simple answer is “yes”. A year in Karate/Tae Kwon Do/Kempo and you can probably fight much better than before. It takes well over a year before you start feeling comfortable enough with Aikido techniques to imagine using them in “real life”.

The complex answer is “no” in the sense that I don’t think anyone ever feels like they have “mastered” an art. If they do then they’ve stopped growing, or the art is too simple. In Funakoshi’s autobiography you definitely get the feeling that he doesn’t feel like a “master” and is bemused to be considered one.

An old story might tell you some of the mindset you ought to apply when studying martial arts:

A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo he was given an audience by the Sensei
“What do you wish from me?” the master asked.
“I wish to be your student and become the finest kareteka in the land,” the boy replied. “How long must I study?”
“Ten years at least,” the master answered.
“Ten years is a long time,” said the boy. “What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?”
“Twenty years,” replied the master.
“Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all my effort?”
“Thirty years,” was the master’s reply.
“How is it that each time I say I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” the boy asked.
“The answer is clear. When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way.”
Is Aikido better than karate/judo/any other martial art?
Though there are many paths
At the foot of the mountain
All those who reach the top
See the same moon.

This is an extremely controversial question and has generated much heated debate in forums such as the rec.martial-arts newsgroup.

The answer to this question is very subjective - students of any particular martial art tend to favor that one over any other (otherwise they would probably be studying the other martial art).

There are many different but equally valid reasons for studying any martial art, such as for self defense, for spiritual growth or enlightenment, for general physical health, for self-confidence and more. Different martial arts, and even different styles within a particular martial art, emphasize different aspects.

Hence ‘better’ really depends on what it is you want out of a martial art. Even given this distinction, it is still a very subjective question so perhaps a better one would be ‘Is Aikido better than any other martial art *for me*?’

This can only be answered by the individual asking the question. The rest of this FAQ may help you in some way towards finding that answer.

An alternative way to answer this question is to simply say, ‘No, Aikido is not ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than any other martial art. It is simply different.’
Can I train an additional martial art while training Aikido?
Eat right, exercise regularly, die anyway.

Yes. There is no problem in training several martial arts at the same time, but there is one thing to watch out for. If you have not gotten yourself a solid base in one martial art first you are going to confuse yourself when you start your second art. The result is (very likely) that your progress in both martial arts is going to be slower than if you trained first one and then another.

What kind of martial art you choose to train in addition to Aikido is of course entirely up to what you yourself like and feel comfortable with. A suggestion is that if you start to train an additional art early, the more different from Aikido the better, as you’ll probably not be too much confused then.
Does Aikido have competitions?
“I like tall men. I like to turn them into small men.”
A Tomiki Aikido Sensei

It is often said that Aikido does not have any competitions. It is true that the founder of Aikido (Morihei Ueshiba, or O Sensei) felt that competition was incompatible with Aikido, but that does not mean that everyone agrees.

One popular style, Tomiki Aikido, does have competition. It is not however considered to be a fundamental part of the style. On the other hand, the majority of Aikido schools do not have any competition.

Most Aikido training, even in schools with competitions, is of a cooperative rather than antagonistic nature, with both thrower (nage) and throwee (uke) working as partners and trying to optimize the experience of the other.

This “working partnership” is also necessary to a) minimize the chance of injury from practicing (potentially dangerous) Aikido techniques, and b) to develop both partners’ capacity to “take ukemi” - to be relaxed and able to take care of oneself when responding to “falling” or being thrown in a martial situation.

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After reading my article, “Bruce Lee Said What?,” David Connelly asked me to contribute to the Bruce Lee Central website, and particularly to the “Extracts and Interpretations” page. I am honored that he thought highly enough of my work to invite me here, and I hope that my investigations and observations are of interest to you as well.

Taken in context, the Tao of Jeet Kune Do has much to offer the avid JKD practitioner, as well as other martial arts enthusiasts. The thing to keep in mind is that much of this work is comprised of notes from various sources and was simply used by Bruce Lee in his studies. Many people know this. Many do not. That is why there are numerous apparent inconsistencies throughout the text.

For this month’s installment, I’d like to look at one of the passages under the heading, “Jeet Kune Do,” show the source, and examine the deeper meaning as it applies to the martial arts and Jeet Kune Do in particular.

The passage that I’d like to look at appears on page 13 of the Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and is as follows:

The tools, your natural weapons, have a double purpose:

1. To destroy the opponent in front of you – annihilation of things that stand in the way of peace, justice and humanity.
2. To destroy your own impulses caused by the instincts of self- preservation. To destroy anything bothering the mind. Not to hurt anyone, but to overcome your own greed, anger and folly. Jeet Kune Do is directed toward oneself.

First, let’s look at the source. As mentioned in my article, there is much material in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do that came from the book Zen and Japanese Culture by D.T. Suzuki. In the section titled, “Zen and Swordsmanship,” it is stated:

The sword has thus a double office to perform: to destroy anything that opposes the will of its owner and to sacrifice all the impulses that arise from the instinct of self-preservation.

At first glance, the passages don’t seem to have a great consistency between them, other than a few like terms.

“Double purpose” and “double office” are similar.

“To destroy the opponent…” and “to destroy anything that opposes the will of its owner…” are similar as well.

“…impulses caused by the instincts of self-preservation” and “…impulses that arise from the instinct of self-preservation,” I think, are too close to ignore.

But after reading a little further in Suzuki’s book, we see this sentence:

The sword comes to be identified with the annihilation of things that lie in the way of peace, justice, progress, and humanity.

And then:

… but the sacred sword of Mañjusri is not to kill any sentient beings, but our own greed, anger, and folly. It is directed toward ourselves, …

Now it becomes rather obvious that the passage in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do was pieced together from these fragments of text. But what significance does this have to the art of Jeet Kune Do?

Of course, this is all conjecture on my part, because who really knew what was in the mind of Bruce Lee? But I believe that Bruce Lee wanted philosophy to be a deep part of the art of JKD. This is put forth through his many personal notes, writings, and through the testimonials of his students. As Suzuki makes the point that Zen was an inextricable component of Japanese swordsmanship, so do I believe Bruce Lee wanted these same elements to be intertwined with JKD.

The idea that your weapons - either sword, hands, feet, etc. - serve a dual purpose, is to bring the art to a higher plane. They not only serve in a martial capacity to defeat one’s opponent, but also to be used as a means of self-discovery and enlightenment.

This type of thinking towards the martial disciplines is purely a “peace”-time derivative. In wartime, the luxury to develop the self is simply not practical or affordable.

Nonetheless, Jeet Kune Do is much more than an art designed to overcome an opponent. It is most definitely designed to do this, but this is only one aspect.

While the literal definition of “art” applies to the purely martial applications, artistic expression, in my opinion, is the domain of the development of self. As D.T. Suzuki states:

It is now the embodiment of life and not of death.

JKD lends itself beautifully to the process of self-discovery. Simple in execution - being comprised of only a handful of techniques - it gives the practitioner the chance to minutely explore the facets of each technique while at the same time, the artistic expression needed to “see” into one’s own self.

This passage from the Tao of Jeet Kune Do may not be in Bruce Lee’s own words, but he thought enough about the words to write them down and to adapt them to Jeet Kune Do. This says a lot, I think.

If you haven’t read D.T. Suzuki’s book, I encourage you to do so. I believe it will help you to understand much of the topic discussed here, as well as many other passages in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

http://www.martialdirect.com/articles/zenconnection.htm

In some circles, running your martial arts school or class like a business is considered “selling out”, so-to-speak. Using advertising techniques, sales techniques, and such are considered distasteful to many. But if you don’t have anyone in the class to teach, then you certainly don’t have a class!

It would benefit every school owner at the very least, to purchase a few sales books, audio lessons, or attend a seminar. A cursory knowledge of sales techniques will help you in many areas of your life, not just your business life.

With that being said, I would like to offer 7 tips to help boost your student base. I hope they at least spark some ideas in you to help bring in more students.

Tip No. 1: Give a Demonstration
There are many places to give demonstrations of your martial art. Local malls, schools, and cultural organizations are a great place to start. You should give plenty of time to schedule one for a school as most schools have their activities scheduled months in advance.

Tip No. 2: Yellow Page Ads
I don’t know about you, but the first place I look for local martial arts schools is in the Yellow Pages. I know these are expensive, but they will pay for themselves in business brought in.

Tip No. 3: Press Release
There are many sources out there to show you how to write a Press Release. Make sure it is news worthy! Examples are:
Starting a new business
Student who successfully used martial arts skills in a self-defense situation
Sponsoring an event (See Tip No. 4)
Hosting a Tournament

Tip No. 4: Sponsor an Event
Get involved with local events by sponsoring through your school. Examples could be:
Local Golf Tournament
Sponsor a team in a run or walk-a-thon
Get involved with a local Tele-thon

Tip No. 5: Brochures
Brochures are a great way to advertise your school. You can include information about your school, your programs, your style, or just about anything you think is of interest to prospective students.

Tip No. 6: Write an Article
For Martial Direct!
That’s right! Martial Direct is looking for good articles. If you have an article or an idea for an article, e-mail us at webmaster@martialdirect.com with the subject to see if it’s of interest to us.

Tip No. 7: Give Something Away!
I’m talking about Specialty Advertising here. Don’t just give any old thing away. Give something away with your school name or slogan on it. Specialty Advertising is one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising there is- not to mention successful!

http://www.martialdirect.com/articles/seventips.shtml

]]> http://aikidojogja.org/?feed=rss2&p=16 http://aikidojogja.org/?p=15 http://aikidojogja.org/?p=15#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:03:03 +0000 admin http://aikidojogja.org/?p=15 Further information: Aikido styles

The biggest aikido organisation is the Aikikai Foundation which remains under the control of the Ueshiba family. However, aikido has many styles, mostly formed by Morihei Ueshiba’s major students.^[17]

The earliest independent styles to emerge were Yoseikan Aikido, begun by Minoru Mochizuki in 1931,^[18]Yoshinkan Aikido founded by Gozo Shioda in 1955,^[19] and Shodokan Aikido, founded by Kenji Tomiki in 1967.^[20] The emergence of these styles pre-dated Ueshiba’s death and did not cause any major upheavals when they were formalized. Shodokan Aikido, however, was controversial, since it introduced a unique rule-based competition that some felt was contrary to the spirit of aikido.^[17]

After Ueshiba’s death in 1969, two more major styles emerged. Significant controversy arose with the departure of the Aikikai Hombu Dojo’s chief instructor Koichi Tohei, in 1974. Tohei left as a result of a disagreement with the son of the founder, Kisshomaru Ueshiba , who at that time headed the Aikikai Foundation. The disagreement was over the proper role of ki development in regular aikido training. After Tohei left, he formed his own style, called Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido, and the organization which governs it, the Ki Society (Ki no Kenkyūkai).^[21]

A final major style evolved from Ueshiba’s retirement in Iwama, Ibaraki, and the teaching methodology of long term student Morihiro Saito. It is unofficially referred to as the “Iwama style“, and at one point a number of its followers formed a loose network of schools they called Iwama Ryu. Although Iwama style practitioners remained part of the Aikikai until Saito’s death in 2002, followers of Saito subsequently split into two groups; one remaining with the Aikikai and the other forming the independent organization the Shinshin Aikishuren Kai, in 2004 around Saito’s son Hitohiro Saito.

Today, the major styles of aikido are each run by a separate governing organization, have their own headquarters (本部道場, honbu dōjō^?) in Japan, and have an international breadth.^[17]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido

[edit] Initial development

Takeda Sokaku

Ueshiba developed aikido primarily during the late 1920s through the 1930s through the synthesis of the older martial arts that he had studied.^[13] The core martial art from which aikido derives is Daitō-ryū aiki-jūjutsu, which Ueshiba studied directly with Takeda Sokaku, the reviver of that art. Additionally, Ueshiba is known to have studied Tenjin Shin’yō-ryū with Tozawa Tokusaburō in Tokyo in 1901, Gotōha Yagyū Shingan-ryū under Nakai Masakatsu in Sakai from 1903 to 1908, and judo with Kiyoichi Takagi (高木 喜代子 Takagi Kiyoichi, 1894–1972) in Tanabe in 1911.^[14]

The art of Daitō-ryū is the primary technical influence on aikido. Along with empty-handed throwing and joint-locking techniques, Ueshiba incorporated training movements with weapons, such as those for the spear (yari), short staff (jō), and perhaps the bayonet (銃剣, jūken^?). However, aikido derives much of its technical structure from the art of swordsmanship (kenjutsu).^[2]

Ueshiba moved to Hokkaidō in 1912, and began studying under Takeda Sokaku in 1915. His official association with Daitō-ryū continued until 1937.^[13] However, during the latter part of that period, Ueshiba had already begun to distance himself from Takeda and the Daitō-ryū. At that time Ueshiba was referring to his martial art as “Aiki Budō”. It is unclear exactly when Ueshiba began using the name “aikido”, but it became the official name of the art in 1942 when the Greater Japan Martial Virtue Society (Dai Nippon Butoku Kai) was engaged in a government sponsored reorganization and centralization of Japanese martial arts.^[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido

• 合 - ai - joining, unifying, harmonizing
• 気 - ki - spirit, life energy
• 道 - dō - way, path

The term dō connects the practice of aikido with the philosophical concept of Tao, which can be found in martial arts such as judo and kendo, and in more peaceful arts such as Japanese calligraphy (shodō), flower arranging (kadō) and tea ceremony (chadō or sadō). The term aiki refers to the martial arts principle or tactic of blending with an attacker’s movements for the purpose of controlling their actions with minimal effort.^[5]aiki by understanding the rhythm and intent of the attacker to find the optimal position and timing to apply a counter-technique. Historically, aiki was mastered for the purpose of killing; however in aikido one seeks to control an aggressor without causing harm.^[2] The founder of aikido declared: “To control aggression without inflicting injury is the Art of Peace.”^[6] A number of aikido practitioners interpret aikido metaphorically, seeing parallels between aikido techniques and other methods for conflict resolution.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} These kanji are identical to the Korean versions of the characters that form the word hapkido, a Korean martial art. Although there are no known direct connections between the two arts, it is suspected that the founders of both arts trained in Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. One applies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido