The Secret to Aikido
Inryoku Volume 4 Issue 9
BY JOSH PAUL SENSEI, AOSB HEAD INSTRUCTOR
And secret to aikido is…practice. It’s hardly a secret. In fact, O’sensei said, “Progress comes to those who train and train. Reliance on secret techniques will get you nowhere.”
It would be much easier if there was a single, knowable secret. A piece of knowledge so vast and comprehensive that it made the possessor an invincible warrior and all-knowing sage. A secret that obviated the need for practice, perseverance, dedication, and time. A knowledge about the human mind and body so profound that it transcends time and space and those in the know would exist in the rarified air of ancient philosophers.
“Progress comes to those who train and train. Reliance on secret techniques will get you nowhere.”
There isn’t. Aikido is simply about practice. Sometimes it’s exhilarating. Sometimes it’s a grind. Sometimes it’s just an even, endless plateau. There are no secret techniques to learn, no competitions to win or victories to be had. The secret to aikido is to practice.
It’s a tough sell. But the highs and lows are all just moments along a continuum. They can be fleeting or prolonged or even just right. And it is the appreciation of the moment that gives aikido its many benefits. Every movement during every class is a unique, passing moment. Being present for that moment—for every repetition of every exercise, every roll, every technique, every breath—is the skill that we take off the mat. It is the skill—the secret, if you will—that helps us learn to let go of the past and to worry less about the future. It is the skill that liberates us.
At its highest levels, aikido is about freedom of movement—physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is about continuing to flow through even the thorniest of obstacles. It is about practice.