by 
Steve Weber
By Steve Weber
Special to the Nugget
How one handles the power, speed, and aggression of an attack will determine the success or failure of the defense. There really is no specific answer – only an answer that seems to work for you under the circumstances present at that precise moment in time.
In Aikido, the optimal defensive outcome is to fool the attacker into thinking that the attack is succeeding, when in fact, it is actually failing. A perfect metaphor for a student of Aikido facing an attacker might be a bullfighter facing the bull. If a person “cares” and is consumed with self doubt, concerned with the fear of loss or fear of injury or what others may think, defeat will be practically guaranteed. To overcome fear, one must “not care”, yet still be careful.
Practice allows the subconscious mind to store and remember information. Each Aikido student needs to develop a method that grants them immediate access to that stored information – without conscious thought. “Thinking” should be limited to total awareness and “mind of no mind”. A warrior’s mentality requires the necessary “spirit”, or courage, to engage an enemy without the fear of thinking about all the possible outcomes.
Self-Defense training is effective if it prepares you for “real” life experiences. Those who have not been exposed to the dynamic uncertainty of “street situations” may find “caring” to be a disadvantage that is decidedly not in their best interest. “Careful” training and mental preparation is what’s needed.
Mr. Weber is the chief instructor at the Aikido Academy of Self-Defense located at 16134 North Oracle Road, in Catalina. He has more than 45 years of experience in the Martial Arts and has achieved skills in a variety of disciplines. He also teaches Tai-Chi on Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m.
Please call (520) 825-8500 for information regarding these and other programs. If you wish, check out the website at www.AikidoAcademyOfArizona.com.
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
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