Aikido is a martial art whose practice is intricately woven within a very humanistic philosophy (more on this in a future post). Despite, aikido's humanistic underpinnings, it is a fighting system with very real applications provided the training is tailored to exploit these applications. My friend kahuna6 (see Kahuna International link in the side bar) makes the point in his post Archaic Pedagogy that the aikido training system is inefficient. Its attacks are telegraphed. Its techniques are difficult to execute because they assume a certain competency in martial art technique (ie. how to move, punch, throw, etc). Mired in the Eastern affinity for tradition, it cannot progress. With this point, I agree. This "archaic pedagogy" is the standard in many aikido dojos in America and elsewhere around the world as this technique of instruction is used as a vehicle for character cultivation. The training style is necessarily difficult as this is how aikido dojos, who focus primarily on human character building and not fighting, cultivate and polish their students' character. The difficult training curriculum is the adversity. But this does not train an aikidoka how to fight.
Aikido's philosophical endstates of self-defense, character cultivation, spiritual transformation, and peaceful resolution of conflict are certainly valid reasons for the practice of aikido and have their place. But in the end aikido is a martial art, a fighting system. The essential elements of aikido philosophy, noble as they may be, are hollow unless they are applied from a position of martial strength. If one is martially weak, then strength in negotiation or battle is impossible, and one must comply, whether they desire to or not, to the enemy's will. This is not aikido. True aikido is having the choice to comply or not based on one's martial skill. Knowing you have the ability to engage your enemy with force if necessary, and win, and choosing not to do so out of compassion or compromise for the sake of all involved, is very different from complying with the enemy's will out of an inability to be successful in the application of needed force.
I agree with kahuna6 that current aikido pedagogy is inefficient at training the martially minded aikidoka. This is why I recommend study of another martial art before aikido is attempted. A sound grounding in another, more physically demanding art (like muay thai, for example) provides a martial foundation for aikido development both physically and mentally and allows for a proper appreciation of the skill and time required to develop a high level of proficiency in aikido. It is very easy, due to the difficulty of applying aikido with proficiency in a martial context, to slip into "aikido as character building" by placing sole emphasis on its spiritual and ethical philosophy. This must be avoided unless one wishes to be forced to comply out of weakness, a situation no self-respecting akidoka would allow to happen.
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4 comments:
I never considered this either-- that the pedagogy of aikido was purposedly difficult because of character development. If that's true, then I would have to say that it doesn't really work because I've done aikido for a long time and I'm still an asshole. Additonally, some of the biggest assholes I've ever met have come from the aikido dojo-- endlessly opining on technique they can't really perform. Telling you that the uke is wrong when they can't perform some random technique. I have a hard time with MA as character building because I haven't really seen it do that. Come to Hawaii and you will find that most of the MMA schools doin't give a shit about that at all. Of course, that's more bujutsu than budo. Maybe you're right.
I still tend to think what Joshua Chamberlain said about war-- that it makes good men better and bad men worse-- applies to MA as well. Not to blow sunshine up your ass, but I believe that the Marine Corps didn't give you your sense of integrity. Rather you brought that to the Corps.
I agree that many aikidoka "...endlessly opine on technique they can't really perform." This all too common practice in aikido reveals a very shallow MA practice, in my opinion. To focus on technique as the goal is missing the real value in aikido (or any martial art) and that is its ability to eliminate suffering as I described. Of course, this is just my opinion.
I know many people come to the MA for numerous reasons. Some just want to learn to fight. If so, do not practice aikido. Learn boxing, muay thai, or MMA. As you know, all are very effective on the street. A spiritual practice can be had in any MA practice. But what aikido brings to a spiritual MA practices (at least the way I practice here in Okinawa with my sensei) is a deep ethical philosophy which I find appealing and important as a professional warfighter.
Again, aikido is not for everybody. As I know you agree, aikido is significantly less esoteric when one comes to it after practicing a harder or more physical MA.
I don't disagree with you on any of this. I, too, practice aikido because I find the ethical foundation very appealing. I'm just very curious about the actual process that turns something physical into something spiritual. I suppose we must as Voltaire said-- define our terms. Spirituality... What does that mean? In the Eastern or Western Tradition ? Or some amalgam? I am suspicious of the process. I know it works but I also know just talking about it doesn't do it and that most teachers can't teach it. I think that you have to truly care about the technique or you don't get the spiritual aspect. I don't believe you can get the spiritual aspect until you achieve some level of performance.
I would define "spiritual" as the absence of human flaws. Many would define this as God, I guess, but that tends to define "spiritual" within the boundaries of Judeo-Christian religion and philosophy, something I wish to avoid). A "spiritual" practice facilitates the elimination of these human flaws. As to how it does it, that is something I must contemplate. I certainly believe that you must believe in the practice to achieve any level of success and that achieving success, to state the obvious, facilitates belief in the practice.
I will think about this...
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