今日の稽古は私含めて三人。でもとても楽しかった。三人でも楽しい稽古だった。私が楽しく感じるのはみんなが体を動かし、なんとなく合気道を感じることができたときだ。合気道を感じるって何なんだろう。形のない合気道という概念。それを私とこの道場の最初からのメンバーとあと中学生になるくらいの男の子の三人でどう感じるのか、それが私の稽古の腕の見せ所だ。できれば上達したい。しかもみんなが上達したい。それぞれの進度を理解して、どういう動きが次にトライすべき課題なのかを考えて技を組み立てていく。でも大きな流れがいる。大きな流れはその日の大テーマだ。両手取りで大切になる鳥船の業にもある舟漕ぎの呼吸法で一体になる感覚。力で解決しようとするとうまくいかないが呼吸法を使って相手との伸縮を操る感覚を感じたい。それが今日テーマだった。それは別にできるようにならなくていいんだ。感じてもらえればいい。それぞれがそれぞれの目標に向かって。そしてそれぞれが役割があって、役割を懸命に果たすこと。それができたら、終わったら気持ちいい「ありがとうございました」なんだ。それだけなんだと思う。
１合気体操
２足さばき
３受け身
４両手取り呼吸投げ（鳥船の業）
５両手取り玄型呼吸投げストレッチと投げ
６両手取り入身投げ
７両手取り一教表
８両手取り呼吸投げ
９両手取り四方投げ
１０座技呼吸法
１１両手取り天地投げ表
１２両手取り呼吸投げ
１３両手取り内回転極め
気がつけば１３項目にもなっていた。ちょっとハイペースだった気もする。いつも通り録画をみて反省しよう。
Today’s practice was attended by only three people, including myself.
And yet, it was a wonderful practice.
Three people were enough.
The moments I enjoy most are not when techniques look impressive, but when everyone is moving, exploring, and somehow beginning to feel aikido.
What does it mean to feel aikido?
Aikido itself is formless. It is a concept, an experience, something difficult to define. Today there were three of us on the mat: myself, one of the original members of the dojo, and a boy around middle-school age. How could the three of us experience that same invisible thing in our own different ways?
That is where the challenge of teaching begins.
I want to improve. More importantly, I want everyone to improve.
Each person progresses at a different pace. My task is to understand where each student is, identify the next challenge that might help them grow, and build the practice around that. But individual techniques alone are not enough. There must also be a larger current running through the entire class.
Today’s theme was breath.
More specifically, it was the feeling of becoming one through the rowing-breath exercise found in Torifune no Gyo, a practice that is deeply connected to techniques from ryote-dori. When we try to solve everything with force, aikido becomes difficult. But when breath is used to create expansion and contraction between ourselves and our partner, something different appears.
That feeling was today’s theme.
The goal was not necessarily to master it.
The goal was simply to feel it.
Each person follows their own path and pursues their own goals. At the same time, each person has a role to play in practice. If everyone sincerely fulfills that role, then at the end of training, the words “Thank you very much” arise naturally and feel genuine.
Perhaps that is enough.
Practice
- Aiki exercises
- Footwork
- Ukemi
- Ryote-dori kokyu-nage (Torifune principle)
- Ryote-dori genkei kokyu-nage stretch and throw
- Ryote-dori irimi-nage
- Ryote-dori ikkyo omote
- Ryote-dori kokyu-nage
- Ryote-dori shiho-nage
- Suwari-waza kokyu-ho
- Ryote-dori tenchi-nage omote
- Ryote-dori kokyu-nage
- Ryote-dori uchi-kaiten osae
Before I realized it, the class had grown to thirteen separate items.
Perhaps the pace was a little ambitious.
As always, I will watch the recording afterward, reflect on what happened, and continue learning from the practice itself.
That, too, is part of training.
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