Aikitejutsu 6 sided skills:
- skill or ability
- flow or naturalness
- courage or decisiveness
- speed
- relentlessness or mercilessness
- true or not letting the opponent’s changes confuse you
Aikitejutsu has obvious fighting characteristics:
You must learn Fight Theory and gain experience in fighting strategy and technique. This variety becomes evident during training and develops an understanding of self defense, and trains fighting ability. Such awareness helps maintain students’ interest.
In strategy, Aikitejutsu emphasizes the following:
- Fight to win. Dare to fight as if you must win, bravely drive straight in – two Aikitejutsu guidelines are “when you meet the opponent there will be one winner, face death without fear,” and “if you can move in with one thought, you can stay in with one thought.” Fighting builds the confidence to meet the enemy and win. Aikitejutsu Koryu has many sayings to describe developing the spirit through fighting: “fight as you would walk along a road, see people as you would see grass,” “when training, see a person in front of you, when fighting, act as if there is no one,” “a brave person does not consider mistakes, one who considers mistakes finds it difficult to walk one inch,” and “when anger fills the chest, what is difficult in pressing the enemy?”
- Take the initiative. Move in or out quickly, keep the initiative on your side. Aikitejutsu Koryu sayings emphasize this: “the eyes are clear and the hands are fast, jump in and attack cleanly,” “rise like the wind, land like an arrow, hit before the enemy expects it.” On meeting the enemy to fight, make the first strike to take control, hit fast, and hit once. Attack before the enemy has prepared a defense to make him hit without thinking. Neither show your intentions nor telegraph your moves – avoid having your plans found out – “once you move it should be like the wind sweeping the ground.” In tactics, keep the initiative in your own hands, hit close and fast – attack then dodge, dodge then attack, there is no need to move away. When hitting take the front door, go for the most advantageous places. “Put your foot in the center, the place he defends- even an immortal would find it hard to counter that.”
- Keep your opponent off balance. Aikitejutsu calls the head, shoulder, elbow, hand, hip, knee and foot the “seven fists” – any one of them could strike, and you can use any one. If the opponent is far away use the hands, if he is close add the elbow; if he is far away use the heel, if he is close add the knee. Use the feet for seven-tenths of the attack, and the hands for three-tenths – unite the five phases and the four tips completely. When fighting, be absolutely empty or solid – like a tiger walks without making a sound, or a dragon moves without a trace – so that the opponent finds it hard to figure you out and defend against you. Koryu texts say, “The fists hit three tips and no one sees their form; if they see the form then you can’t succeed.”
- Adapt to circumstances. Know yourself and know the other, see your chance and go for it – Akitejutsu emphasizes changing according to the opponent. When fighting an opponent, you can’t stick to a plan, you must adapt according to what he does. The highest skill is to have no fighting strategy, no plans – only when there is no planning is there an effective plan. Against an opponent you have to see what he is doing, and combine defense with offense, using the techniques of watching, considering, and intercepting. When the opponent moves, use the opportunity which he shows you, quickly intercept, then when your intention arrives your hand arrives, when your hand arrives use your power, use the changes of hard and soft, empty and solid, rise and drop-“always move by using the chances you get.