Most Aikido people have not been taught the full scope of the very complex systems of martial etiquette. I expect different clans and schools even had their own variations of doing the same task.
What was the "correct" traditional martial etiquette to "I disarm someone trying to kill me with a lethal weapon, and then I say, "best two out of three" and give them their weapon back and another chance to kill me." Probably there wasn't one.
How much I put myself in jeopardy when giving a sword to another person can be a statement on my regard for their character. If I bow and offer the blade in a position that could result in my instant death, I am showing a huge amount of trust ie leave the blade facing me. This is fine if this is a close friend or a high ranked teacher with whom I have a relationship. It could look reckless or clueless, and might lead to accidents.
If I protect myself, I am maybe putting my training partner in jeopardy and acting more threatening ie leaving the blade facing my partners in a position where I could instantly attack and kill them.
If I place myself in potential jeopardy with a stranger, I might be insulting their ability. I could be seen as saying that I don't believe they could hurt me anyway. Think early Steven Seagal sitting on the floor to call out an attacker and make them out to be a coward in Out for Justice. "You suck so badly you couldn't hurt me even if I..."etc, etc. Also, this person may well not be worth the level of trust I am showing.
How much effort I put into protecting myself can be a compliment to another person's ability. Backing up ten feet, putting a weapon on the ground, backing up another ten feet or more, and never taking my eyes off the opponent shows respect for their ability. It also shows a huge lack of trust, and possibly insults a person's character. It also slows a test or class situation down, which I think is why our dojo doesn't do this. Too busy acting respectful to actually acquire or demonstrate any skill. If you were told to do this one way by your teacher, but a testing or visiting instructor asks you to behave differently, respect the teacher in front of you. Then, when you go home, respect the different teacher in front of you.
As it was explained to me, any particular action could be viewed as very respectful or very insulting. Anyone can be grateful for the compliment or enraged over the insult from a single action. So, we look for a balance.
If a high ranked teacher asks me for something, I do it, as that is polite. I personally do not use minor points of etiquette as a flimsy excuse to get enraged and harsh.
I do get irritated when an entire class cannot train skills because someone wants to pontificate.
Decades ago, a young psychiatric nurse I knew had to disarm and contain a patient who was attacking her coworkers with a snow shovel. She just entered and did what needed to be done. It's one of the very few real life longer weapon disarms I ever heard about, and she was successful and likely saved lives.
She didn't bow, and she certainly didn't hand the shovel back and no one cared if her actions were insulting.
I some times wonder if a circus of rules breaks out in a class to avoid actual training. Maybe the discussion of the rules of engagement is a barrier to O Sensei's dokka: "facing the point of a sword, your whole life comes into focus." If class is time for talking, you're not looking at the point of the sword.
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