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| Vol.3.88 | |
Three Attackers - Soft Focusby Vince PoscenteAuthor of The Ant and the Elephant, Invinceable Principles and The Age of Speed How did I cap last Sunday morningω With three attackers dressed in pajamas. At the end of a "belt test" in Aikido there is something called the Randori. This is where three attackers (the uke's) come at you (the nage). This final requirement for the test is where the nage must respond with fluidity and composure. Reflecting on my recent exam reminds me how we can all overcome the big three opponents we have day-to-day. Financial, Physical and Emotional attacks. To give you an idea of what a Randori looks like I found a video of a young Steven Segal, an accomplished Aikido practitioner, demonstrating this martial art. This two minute, mini-documentary pretty much covers the art of handling multiple attackers at full speed. My Randori went well for one reason. Soft focus. Dealing with financial, physical and emotional attacks on your peace of mind can be challenging. Yet soft focus is the way. Soft focus is a technique of taking everything in, all at once, while maintaining composure and calmness. I'm not saying it's easy but it is - simple. You know what to do. It's not time to get cerebral on your bad self. It's time to live ai ki do through soft focus. At the end of my test I referred to Aikido as "a sport." Lynn Sensei immediately corrected me by saying it was a "way of life." Aikido means "the path of harmonious energy." The student learns the technique to ultimately (hopefully) flow through life without doing any technique. Wouldn't life be easier if you followed a path of harmonious energyω Even though everything seems to be relentless and fast. Maintaining a soft focus while remaining calm and fluid can make your troubles fall to the mat. Now repeat after me: "Take that financial, physical and emotional attackers. Get up in my grill and I'll Aikido your ukeass." Until next week it's full speed ahead,
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© 2010 Vince Poscente. All Rights Reserved. |
In my ten minute Sankyu (the fourth belt) test I went through over two dozen techniques and street scenarios with the Sensei calling out terms like Yokomenuchi - Kokyunage or Ryote mochi - kotegaeshi. (Yes, one must learn the Japanese words for each technique. Just once I wish the Sensei would call out Hibachi or Miso Soup.) Sweating and breathing heavily after all the techniques, Sensei called for the "Randori with three opponents." 