protectivearts

REVERSED EFFORT AND THE KEY TO MASTERY

The more I teach, the more I distrust my own methods. I vacillate between two instincts: to explain everything, the Western compulsion toward clarity, and to say almost nothing, as my Japanese teachers did. Both seem inadequate. There is a paradox in learning that unsettles: The more effort one exerts to master, the more elusiveContinue reading “REVERSED EFFORT AND THE KEY TO MASTERY”

AIKIDO AS A FORGE

I have been focusing on tanren-geiko and drawing out a muscular pressure from both uke and nage in order to cultivate honest training. “Whatever has value in the present world has it not in itself, according to its nature—but rather because it has been given value, and frequently because it was regarded as valuable byContinue reading “AIKIDO AS A FORGE”

WEAPON RETENTION

The banner image is a sobering reminder that retaining control of your weapon is imperative in close quarter combat. Primary weapons are always carried at the waist, thus the focus on chudan level. The ritual endures longer than the reason for it – try to deduce the martial logic behind the ritualistic rote repetition inContinue reading “WEAPON RETENTION”