There is an old martial art saying stating that the martial artist always needs to be in control of his personal affairs. The mind cannot be free from distraction if our personal affairs are not in order. Martial art requires focus and fluidity of the mind.
We always go back to Morihei Ueshiba's famous quote:
"Masakatsu agatsu: True victory is self-victory."
It is difficult to be in control of everything in our lives however it is important to not ignore issues and do our best to resolve them. Life has its challenges so we cannot ignore them, and we have to find solutions.
Aikido teaches us to be grounded in life and to find solutions without any resistance. Any resistance will cause a possible unbalance. The least resistance path will always offer a better outcome.
We went over in some details about the things that we are creating that are making us unbalanced. Now, if the aikidoka has found a better mental and physical way to be balanced in his personal life then Kuzushi training will become easier because he will have a stronger core.
In Aikido, it is not possible to do a technique if the partner is not unbalanced first. There are two different levels of kuzushi training, and both require time, patience, and hours of practice.
Physical kuzushi:
We all have a center that keeps us in balance so the goal for the student is to move the partner’s center at a specific point in time. Timing and proper distance (Mae in Japanese) are the essential elements to create the perfect condition to perform the right action on the partner.
Mental Kuzushi:
The wind is an invisible movement of air and it is an invisible energy. Imagine an invisible force or energy coming from a partner during practice.
It is the most difficult to achieve and it takes years of practice. The partner will feel a forward energy before any physical contact, and he might think twice before attacking.
A student who wants to follow the Aikido’s path should think to create the perfect conditions in life and on the mat so there are no openings. It is important to work hard, study hard and practice well.
The practice will help to foster the proper mindset and fitness on the mat and in the everyday life. Only with a calm mind, it is possible to face an opponent.
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