Kotsu Kotsu

The four basic principles of Kokikai Aikido are: Keep One Point Relax Progressively Positive Mind Correct Posture These principles underlie every part of the practice of this wonderful art of self-defense. They are also fantastic principles for living everyday life. I tell new students at Rutgers that if they only take one class they can get enduring benefit if they keep these principles in mind. Here's one way I put them into practice. There are times when I get agitated, angry, or can't stop thinking about something (even though I would like to). First step is to notice that I am agitated, angry, or etc. Then I pick one of the principles and focus on it. It's amazing how even the "physical" principles, like keeping good posture, or physically relaxing my body, can affect your state of mind.

"Which is stronger: breathing in or breathing out?" Most of us don't think much about our breathing, but if you do, you may realize that most of us naturally exhale (breathe out) when we do something requiring physical effort. Just try lifting one end of a heavy couch: we naturally breathe out as we lift. And try again while you're breathing in: not so easy! So, it's not surprising that in fitness training, in yoga, in martial arts, the emphasis is usually on the exhalation for any movement that requires physical effort. As for the inhalation: in most martial arts, the opponent's inhalation is considered to be a weak point - something you can seek out and exploit. In the practice of Kokikai Aikido , too, I've always thought of the in-breath as a weak point. Sensei has said that we shouldn't make our breathing obvious, lest our opponents use it against us. The Strength of the In-Breath But inhalation can be strong as well. Consider t...

After taking her first classes with Rutgers Kokikai Aikido Club, a student asked, "Do you do conditioning exercises, like pushups, leg lifts or squats?" She seemed surprised when I said, "No," since strength and aerobic conditioning exercises are part of the warmup drills for most martial arts. Here's why we don't spend time on "conditioning" and "muscle building" exercises in Kokikai Aikido classes: Kokikai Aikido training is highly-specialized . Black belt instructors have typically trained for a minimum of seven years to gain the level of experience needed to teach. If they have advanced black belt degrees (which many do), they may have been training for 10, 15, even 35 years! (In contrast, you can get a certificate as a fitness trainer in a few days or weeks.) We try to make best use the limited time in class, teaching things that require this expertise.  The "strength" that we develop from practicing Kokikai Aikido ...

A lot of people ask me what aikido has to do with music and here's the essential reason: Musicians, understandably, spend a lot of time thinking about music - learning tunes, listening to their tone, practicing technique. But in aikido I learned that there is a hugely important element to practicing and playing, which is to  practice mind-body coordination . This is nothing esoteric. It has to do with paying attention to your body in a specific way while you are playing. Go to the gym any day and you'll see rows of people on the treadmill, elliptical and stair machines, doing exactly the opposite . Many of us who are trying to learn a physical skill, whether it's a musical chord progression, throwing a perfect curve ball, or a tango "ocho," assume that doing the drills/exercises is primarily a physical activity. In practicing aikido I learned how to coordinate my mind and my body. And I learned why it leads to much better results. To improve mind-body c...

My instructor, Dan McDougall, often suggests that beginning students try picking one of the Four Basic Principles to focus on during ki development exercises. Here are a few specific ideas that may help during ki development exercises: Keep One Point :  Find your  one point . Try imagining that this point is very heavy and is grounding you, making you balanced and strong. As more movement is introduced into the ki exercises, see if you can keep your sense of  one point  just as strong.  Unlike gravity,  one point  is an idea, and maintaining it is totally under your control, so if you want to feel heavy, you can, but you can also feel light if you choose.  You may want to try imagining your  one point  to be very small, or imagine it to be infinitely large. Or you may feel its enough to simply feel it is there. Entire treatises have been written on one point. It's best not to get too carried away, just keep it simple...

In a previous post I wrote about why, and how, we practice ki development exercises in Kokikai Aikido . What is Ki, Anyway??? So, we're supposed to be developing our " ki " during "ki development exercises," but what is ki ? Ki  is an concept that is shared among many Asian traditions. While Google translates it unhelpfully as "ki", the word is used in  many ways  in Japanese to signify everything from  spirit  or  life energy  to  air  and  atmosphere . There are many common Japanese expressions that use  ki  such as "O-gen ki desu ka?" ("How are you/Are you well?") " Ki " is part of the word "Aikido" and "Ko ki kai" as well as some other health-related practices you may have heard of such as "Rei ki. " In Chinese it's " qi " (pronounced " chi ") and is part of Qi -Gong and Tai Chi Chuan. In Sanskrit the word  prana  means much the same. One of my favorit...

I've been slowly but surely writing of a series posts devoted to each of the  four basic principles of Kokikai Aikido . One of these is Keep One Point to Develop Calmness. We spend about 90 minutes in each aikido class, and most students practice once or twice a week - only a small proportion of the of hours we are awake each week. It may be plenty of time to spend doing a demanding physical exercise, but we need to spend more time working on the underlying principles for them to become second nature in our bodies. Fortunately, all of the basic principles are easily practiced at any time, not just in class. We can easily practice finding and keeping One Point while off the mat, and test the results when we're back on the mat. What Is One Point? One Point is a concept closely related to your center of balance. Centuries ago martial artists discovered that if the mind is focused on keeping this point low, one becomes stronger and harder to move. In Kokikai, we first...

Of the four principles of Kokikai Aikido, the one I have most difficulty explaining is Positive Mind. It's hard to grasp how changing your mind can affect your physical ability. Scientists concluded way back in the 19th century that the structure of the brain is fixed after childhood, and the idea is so  normative in our culture that we don't even realize it's a belief; it's just the way it is. As an instructor I'm aware that I risk my students thinking of me as a flaky New Age thinker by proposing Positive Mind as an essential part of our practice. It is helpful when I can back up my assertions with scientific results. Recently in a class at the YWCA Princeton , Maruyama Sensei said that thinking "I Can" has a physical effect on the brain, helping make your brain more organized. He may have been referring to a recent study from a group of Japanese researchers  showing that praise following motor training directly facilitates the consolidation of...

Last week I attended a class at Princeton Kokikai Aikido with Shuji Maruyama Sensei, the founder of Kokikai Aikido . He said that when we practice aikido we should focus on being "downset," not "upset."  "Downset" isn't in any English or Japanese dictionaries, but it's a fantastic idea. We become upset when encountering something threatening, unusual or uncomfortable. But what happens if we try to become "downset" instead? What is "downset?" In Kokikai we focus on these four basic principles to develop greater strength and control: Keep One Point to Develop Calmness Relax Progressively Correct Posture (in Everything) Develop Your Positive Mind The more you use all four principles together, the more you can be "downset." It's worth mentioning that "downset" doesn't refer to being heavy or unable to move, in fact, you should have more control of whether you move or don't move. Wh...

"Relax progressively" is one of the four basic principles of Kokikai Aikido . It is a simple idea that can have profound effects. In Kokikai we learn that we can be physically relaxed and still remain strong-in fact, we can be even stronger when we are relaxed. This idea is counterintuitive for a lot of people, but you only have to spend a little time on the mat in a Kokikai class to see that it is true. The concept that relaxed can be stronger can even be extended to cognitive relaxation.  I've often found myself becoming anxious and distracted by a stressful situation, sometimes for days. Especially if my stress was based on an angry or feared interaction with someone, I would rehearse or replay the conversation endlessly in my mind. At some point I had a realization that there was no purpose to hanging on to this fear, anger and distraction. They didn't help me when the time came to handle the situation. And they made all the time in between pre...

I spoke to an aikido student during a Kokikai Aikido camp in March. I understand he is a fairly well-known mathematician. I asked whether it was challenging to work with human beings, who react differently every time, as opposed to mathematical constructs. He surprised me by saying that his biggest challenge was in dealing with things happening in real time, with no recourse to contemplation or consideration. Then he said something that was quite poignant. It is fairly accepted in scientific circles that most mathematicians do their groundbreaking work when they are in their 20s. By the time they're 35 they are "over the hill." With their best work behind them, it's time to make way for the new stars. This student said that for him the most rewarding thing about Kokikai practice is the possibility of continued growth throughout his lifetime. Before he practiced aikido, continued growth was not part of his outlook. It may seem like no big deal, the idea the you c...

In the practice of Kokikai Aikido , one of the four basic principles is Relax Progressively . The idea is to relax as much as possible when responding to an attack, as this allows you not only to respond with more power, but to respond with more flexibility of both mind and body. Beginners can achieve results on their first night of practice when they realize that they are adding unnecessary tension while throwing, but even advanced students find that there are always more ways to relax, more fine muscles that can be released, more mental openness that can be achieved. Hence: relax progressively . Yet, Maruyama Sensei emphasizes that "relax progressively" does not mean "relax completely." If you relax completely, you can't respond at all! There are benefits to relaxing completely, just not when you are being attacked! Most people seldom relax fully, even in sleep. Over the long term, this inability to release physical stress can have many negative effects, ...