Movement from Mechanical to Flowing Aikido
Chris Benge
June 27, 2024
In my first paper, consistent, focused practice, making small changes, and not dwelling on
mistakes were integral in my journey to Shodan. These continue to have their place in my
work towards Nidan rank. In addition, in preparation for Nidan rank, a return to
fundamental movements while refining my understanding has been one key. A focus on the
three principles and the six concepts continues to bear fruit. Learning to relax and feel is the
most difficult, but arguably the most important lesson of this journey. These are central to
moving from “monkey see/monkey do” and understanding how aikido fits my unique body.
They have created what my aikido looks like at this point in my development
I believe that in artistic pursuits that a cyclical path exists leading you back to the
fundamental building blocks again and again. Each time you return to the fundamentals, you
gain a better understanding of them. A better understanding leads to refinement of them.
My realization came with a desire to return to unsoku & tegatana or what we call the
“Walks”. It came from a conversation with Sensei as we were driving back from a weekend
seminar. I realized that I was making many of my movements too complicated. Instead of
making my techniques more effective, they were creating openings for Uke to counter. I
needed to return to the basics. I began studying my “Walks” and found extra movements
and tension present. By simplifying my movements and relaxing, the effort needed
decreased and the flow in my movement increased. From this practice, I found many
instances in techniques where I added flourishes or extra movement. Instead of helping, it
gave Uke a place to get back on balance and resist or walk out of the throw. I found places
where I lost my triangulation on my centerline and disconnected my locomotive power. It
was humbling to discover how often I used muscle and tried to force an outcome. So, I
repeatedly returned to the “Walks”. I slowed down and worked very consciously. As my
“Walks” improved so did my art. I began to see those basic movements in every technique.
During my preparation, the association began to really focus on the three principles
(gentleness, natural posture, and breaking balance) and the six concepts (safe distance, eye
contact, centerline, hand sword, unified power, and locomotive power). You cannot single
one out as the most important. However, I found the principle of “gentleness” the most
challenging. The idea of gentleness while learning a martial art seemed to be an oxymoron.
Like many people, I tend to meet force with force. Shihan King’s interpretation of gentleness
or non-resistance as “Go with the Flow” was very helpful for me. Learning to “go with the
flow” really helped me get better at not meeting force with force. The concept of
locomotive power “to use the most direct way to connect what is being moved to the power
source” tied back to my work on fundamentals. These two pieces built the foundation for
my third challenge of learning to relax and feel.
Relaxing and feeling are hard for me. I am an acknowledged control freak who wants to
rigidly control his entire sphere of influence. This carries over into the type of work I do. It
requires a fanatical attention to the details. Being one of the main implementers on my
team really encourages my controlling tendencies. Learning to relax, feel, and flow for aikido
has leaked off the mat and into my everyday life. It caused me to ask if I need so much
control. Amazingly, the world continues unfazed as I work at relaxing and flowing in all
arenas of life. I enjoy life a bit more when I am not trying to force it to run according to a
rigid schedule and framework. On the mat, this is still a learning curve, but I can see and feel
the progress. (No pun intended). It shows up in a focus of getting off the line of attack
better. This helps with the principle of gentleness. I see improvement not trying to force Uke
to do what I want them to do. Instead, I work with what they give me and adjust as
necessary. Earlier in my journey, I found a tendency to try and push Uke as far away from me
as possible. This resulted in using muscle and bringing my shoulders over the top. This in
turn disrupted my natural stance because I would bend over. If I keep them at a natural
extension of my arms and keep my hips under my shoulders, they remain in my center of
power and control. It is not a huge distance difference when measured. However, the result
is stunning with effortless, effective throws. Growth in understanding of the three principles
and six concepts has been transformational in the relaxing and feeling part of my journey.
Refining the fundamentals, a growing understanding of how the three principles and six
concepts apply to aikido, and learning to relax and feel led the way in my preparation for
Nidan. The journey is far from over. The challenge will continue in the years to come. I am a
work in progress. Progress and the journey are the point. As always, I am full of sincere
gratitude for those who have worked with me during this part of my journey and for the
invaluable guidance of my Sensei who has been alternately patient and tough on me to
grow in understanding every time I step on the mat
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