No Ego

Training continues and my next test approaches. I'll be testing for 5th kyu on Saturday. I know the six techniques on the test and am pretty relaxed about it. But more important than the test, I've been trying to find something in my Aikido.

It seems I'm at the point where I'm trying to learn how to align my entire body in the movements and draw power for the technique from my center. Right now I'm working on refining my body's movements to draw out and focus this energy and make it available to use. Of course at the same time I'm trying to be aware of the uke's energy and momentum, but I feel like I still need to further develop my own power and balance before I can really manipulate the uke effectively.

It's a difficult process and one that the concept of "no ego" becomes important. As soon as you let your ego enter a technique, you start using external physical power to get through the technique. The goal goes from learning how to blend with the uke, to getting to the end of the technique to prove to yourself, the uke, or a third party that you can do it. By taking the focus away from having to prove something, you can try focus on the true difficulty of Aikido, extending your sphere of control past yourself and into the uke.

Ego gets in the way of this by forcing you to give up part of your control. Instead of giving your entire focus to the technique, your ego consumes part of that focus, sapping the effectiveness of your Aikido. While you may be able to make your technique more powerful physically, the blending aspect will suffer.

Osu!