Aikido - Ju-Jutsu - Real Life

Yoshigasaki Sensei


2021-07-22

Bosco Gurin 2019

Aikido has been developed in the dojo.
The Aikido of Ueshiba, not that of Takeda. In Japan, there are still people who practice Aikido in Takeda style. But they call it Ju-Jutsu. When I say Ju-Jutsu, I mean more or less the kind of Takeda. People come to practice and practice with a partner of the same level. So fifth Kyu with fifth Kyu, and they practice only techniques of the fifth Kyu. And accordingly first Dan with first Dan, and second Dan with second Dan. The master does not even have to be present. People practice for themselves, and the master looks over when he wants to and explains and corrects something. That's the way in Ju-Jutsu.

It is "private" lessons (self-teaching), so to speak, but always with a combative attitude. When you fight, you can't have a fifth Kyu compete against a first Dan. A first Dan has to fight a first Dan, a second Dan against a second Dan. That's the way to train Ju-Jutsu.
In Aikido, on the other hand, in the entire Aikido, there is one teacher at a time and all students practice the same technique. This is the structure of Aikido. This must be maintained. If you don't keep this, it becomes Ju-Jutsu. That is important.
We now practice Aikido here in the morning, in the afternoon you can practice alone, but not in Ju-Jutsu way. You should always do it like in Aikido. Because in this way you generate a philosophy of how everyone can practice together. In other words, peace is needed. Without a peaceful attitude, one cannot practice Aikido. When you start fighting, you can't practice. That is important.
One more thing. It's ok to practice in this way in the dojo, but there are also inherent flaws. As with everything, there are mistakes, but there are also good sides. The flaw in Aikido is that Uke always attacks in a fixed way, so that people develop the technique knowing how the other is attacking. But what is it like in reality? In fact, people are attacking in ways that you don't know. So that's the fault of the people who practice Aikido in the dojo. In the real case, they don't know what to do because they don't know how the other will attack.
That's why there is "Aikido for real life". In real life, you don't know how somebody attacks, and you don't know how to do the technique.
One more thing. All techniques are aggressive. Potentially. Why? What is a technique? A technique is a fixed form in a fixed environment to arrive at a fixed result. But in life, nothing is predetermined. That's why techniques becomes aggressive in life.
That's why a Japanese master, when he has to be successful with his technique, often becomes aggressive. You know that very well.
But there is a way not to become aggressive. If the technique (in the dojo) does not work, it is enough to smile and then try again. This is the only way to practice the technique without aggression. If I have to be successful with the technique, the relationship becomes aggressive.
So there are masters in Aikido who are not aggressive.
If you practice like this, you can practice without aggression. But that's not good in real life when someone is actually attacking. If my technique doesn't work, should I only smile? No! Then he kills me (maybe). In the dojo you can practice the technique without aggressiveness. But in the real world, you have to do something. That is why this problem must be resolved.
So, in real life, you can't use techniques!