THE DECISIVE MOMENT

Aikido teaches commitment and timing. I recall Okamoto sensei telling us “without commitment there is no Aikido” and I have been trying to unpack that ever since. Its simple to articulate, hard to convey and embody. I recently used Diomedes to explain kairos: the harmonious incorporation of committed action in proper time. Then I foundContinue reading “THE DECISIVE MOMENT”

KNIFE TRAPPING

In the past several articles, I have argued that Aikido’s strength and aesthetic lies not merely in technique, but in deportment: the cultivation of calm, structural integrity, and presence under pressure (shizentai). I have also raised concerns about how knives are addressed within Aikido training, our treatment of tanto-dori is under-developed given the realities ofContinue reading “KNIFE TRAPPING”

KALI AND AIKIDO: SANGFROID AND THE AXIS

Deportment is never neutral. How one stands, how one moves, and – most critically – how one does not react are constant signals. In other posts I have argued that sangfroid is not merely an affect but a form of power: the capacity to enter any encounter, including conflict, with an unflappable calm that communicatesContinue reading “KALI AND AIKIDO: SANGFROID AND THE AXIS”