This is one of several things that I've wanted to say about aikido. There may be more.....
When you start to practise aikido you are faced with the task of learning what can seem to be a never-ending list of techniques, all with several variations and tricky Japanese names. Many people learn these and see aikido as painting by numbers - attack A is countered technique A etc. This, of course, is wrong. Others, realizing this, think that the practise of aikido involves moving out of the way and then choosing a technique that will suit the occasion. This, too, is wrong. In fact, tori has no choice, apart from the choice to move out of the way of an attack. (Think about it - there isn't going to be any time for clever choices with a real attack.) What happens is that the technique performed is dictated by the movement of the uke. So knowledge of the many and various techniques of aikido is important only in so far as they provide you with sufficient options to deal with an attack.
Margaret
