Aikido - Mental training

Aikido training is mental as well as physical, emphasizing the ability to relax the mind and body even under the stress of dangerous situations. This is necessary in order to enable the practitioner to perform the bold enter-and-blend movements that underlie aikido techniques, wherein an attack is met with confidence and directness. Morihei Ueshiba once remarked that one "must be willing to receive 99% of an opponent's attack and stare death in the face" in order to execute techniques without hesitation. As a martial art concerned not only with fighting proficiency but also with the betterment of daily life, this mental aspect is of key importance to aikido practitioners

Ki



The study of ki is a critical component of aikido, and its study defies categorization as either "physical" or "mental" training, as it encompasses both. The original kanji for ki was 氣 (shown left), and is a symbolic representation of a lid covering a pot full of rice; the "nourishing vapors" contained within are ki.[27]

The character "ki" is used in everyday Japanese terms, such as "health" (元気, genki?), or "shyness" (内気, uchiki?). Ki is most often understood as unified physical and mental intention. Gōzō Shioda's Yoshinkan Aikido, considered one of the 'hard styles', largely follows Ueshiba's teachings from before World War II, surmises that the secret to ki lay in timing and the application of the whole body's strength to a single point.[21] In later years, Ueshiba's application of ki in Aikido took on a softer, more gentle feel, and many of his later students teach about ki from this perspective. Koichi Tohei's Ki Society centers almost exclusively around the study of the empirical (albeit subjective) experience of ki. Students are even ranked separately in aikido techniques and ki development.