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  • INSTRUCTOR
  • ABOUT AIKIDO
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  • TEST REQUIREMENTS
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Aikido Principles

Four Basic Principles of Mind and Body Unification

Keep One Point
Relax Completely
Keep Weight Underside
Extend Ki


Keep One Point
The  One Point is not a physical place in the typical sense of the word, but  rather a point within the body upon which the calm mind may focus. It  is really a state of mind.People often talk about the One Point being 2 -  4 inches (some measure it as precisely as 10 centimeters) below the  navel. Such attempts at objectively describing a state of mind miss the  point (no pun intended).By calmly focusing the mind on the lower  abdomen, one becomes centered in the truest sense of the word. Physical  movements, such as walking, are much more coordinated, while at the same  time being very powerful. One may think of the One Point as the center  of the universe. Since the universe is infinite, there is no single  "center", but rather infinite centers. Thus, each person's One Point is  the center of his or her universe.This universal mind/body centering  creates a very powerful and calm feeling, which is very conducive to  performing aikido. There are several tests which may be used to  demonstrate whether a student has devloped the ability to keep One  Point, such as standing in hanmi (normal aikido stance) and being pushed  gently by a partner on the upper chest, shoulder, and small of the  back. If One Point is being maintained, it will be relativlye diffcult  to move the person being tested. The position is maintained by simply  holding your place, not by resisting through pushing back.


Extend Ki
Ki  is a Japanese word which translates to, among other things, energy,  spirit and power.In aikido, extending ki means extending energy.  However, it does not mean to simply push with physical force. Rather it  is a state of mind used to align the body to permit movement in a  unified and calmly concentrated fashion.The classic illustration of ki  extension is the Unbendable Arm test. The arm is extended in neither a  rigid nor limp manner, but with a feeling of lively energy coursing  through the arm from the One Point and extending out to infinity through  the finger tips. This mental image produces an arm which is soft and  pliable to the touch, but which is very difficult to bend.This feeling  of dynamic energy extension is used in all aikido techniques. Without  it, throws quickly become exercises in muscular tension, largely  dependent on mere mechanical advantage and bulk.


Principles of the Body
The  remaining principles, relax completely and keep weight underside, are  principles of the body. although the mind initiates the "body feel", the  primary focus of these principles is the state of the body.

Relax completely
This  is probably the most misunderstood of the four principles of mind and  body unification. Complete relaxation in the sense in which it is  applied in aikido is not the relaxation of a lump of jello, that of the  "dead" relaxation. It is instead the sense of a body full of energy  without tension.Complete relaxation goes beyond simple muscular  relaxation into mind/body relaxation. A calm mind naturally produces a  calm body. Removing stress from the body greatly enhances freedom of  movement, which is so necessary in aikido.


Keep Weight Underside
With  all objects, weight naturally falls in the direction it is pulled by  gravity, namely down. In human beings, however, it is possible to  influence the manner in which the body "carries" its weight.The human  body is not solid in the strict sense of the term, but is instead fluid.  As water moves within a glass, so may the parts of the body "float" in  relationship to one another.If one concentrates on the weight of the  body being underside, or in the lower portion of the body, one finds  that the body is very stable. if one concentrates on the upper body, of  example the top of the head, the body becomes weight upper side and, as a  result, unstable.When moving in aikido, it is important to keep your  weight underside. This happens naturally if you are calm in mind and  body, whereas tension automatically makes the body weight underside.


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