charyuop
Black Belt
I had always seen demo of Aikido and those nice smooth techniques. Then I started Aikido and I was introduced the strikes, Atemi. I had always seen Atemi not as a main objective in the technique, but more like a distraction that leads to the technique.
Yesterday Sensei spent almost the whole class with something which is new to me as a principle. We would receive an attack and lead it, but not with the objective of doing the technique, but with the objective of striking the opponent (knee, punch, cut with side of hand).
I was, say a little would be a lie, surprised in the this new (to me) aspect of Aikido. Using an Akemi was something, but leading the opponent streight into our strike reminded me more like a form of karate or kung fu.
I told Sensei how surprised I was and he said "yes this is Aikido too. Aikido is not the techniques, but the principle behind them".
This makes more difficult to me to actually understand what Aikido is. Not because I didn't use the pretty technique (which actually after a strong strike like that would come out even easier), but because now the line dividing the so called soft and hard MA has become very thin in my head and can barely see the difference.
Yesterday Sensei spent almost the whole class with something which is new to me as a principle. We would receive an attack and lead it, but not with the objective of doing the technique, but with the objective of striking the opponent (knee, punch, cut with side of hand).
I was, say a little would be a lie, surprised in the this new (to me) aspect of Aikido. Using an Akemi was something, but leading the opponent streight into our strike reminded me more like a form of karate or kung fu.
I told Sensei how surprised I was and he said "yes this is Aikido too. Aikido is not the techniques, but the principle behind them".
This makes more difficult to me to actually understand what Aikido is. Not because I didn't use the pretty technique (which actually after a strong strike like that would come out even easier), but because now the line dividing the so called soft and hard MA has become very thin in my head and can barely see the difference.