The Value of Tenkan Training

Morihei Ueshiba defined aikido as "The Art of Peace." A cursory examination of the terminal positionｓ of the techniques of aikido shows that unlike those of many other martial arts, they are clearly designed not to cause death or injury. Aikido pins are designed to lead to capitulation on the part of an attacker, but have no lasting harmful effect. Aikido throws are designed to be taken in safe falls. Strikes in aikido have many purposes, such as momentarily distracting an attacker, rendering him off balance, attenuating his resolve, etc. but generally are used in order to facilitate an aikido technique. They are not designed to have full-force impact in order to cause injury. In addition, aikido techniques against an attacker with a potentially deadly weapon leave the attacker disarmed but unhurt.

Aikido practitioners train diligently in order to master techniques which are effective both in self-defense and at affording even dangerous attackers protection. As ethical standards in aikido cannot be separated from the techniques being practiced, the decision to learn aikido, therefore, is the decision to adopt its ethical standards regarding the well-being of an attacker. However, a set of ethical guidelines requires a means to ensure that these standards are observed. Though it may be clear how an aikido technique should terminate--specifically, with both partners unhurt--there is the problem of variability of situations.

Neither attacks nor attackers are of a single kind. Intent, resolve, intensity, strength, and many other factors vary with the individual and the situation. Compounding the problem is the fact that these factors not only vary from the beginning of an attack, but also may change at any moment during an attack or as the subsequent aikido technique proceeds. In an instant, these factors may intensify or diminish greatly. In order to avoid harming an attacker, there must be a means to discern and address these differences instantaneously, if a humane outcome is to be achieved.

Even in the aikido dojo, where there is no question of practitioners' peaceful intent, awareness of the varying capacities of individuals is critically important to avoid injury. A technique applied against a highly-trained aikido practitioner with a given force could easily injure one who is less skilled or experienced in aikido training. Also, sudden modifications during the execution of a technique may be necessary when training with even a highly-skilled practitioner in order to avoid injury. The factors mentioned above take the form of and are perceived as energy, and this energy must constantly be perceived, evaluated, and controlled by aikido practitioners, always as aikido ethical standards dictate. As changes in this energy may occur in fractions of a second, adjustments must be made by aikido practitioners correspondingly in fractions of a second.

The primary agent for making these adjustments is, of course, energy or ki, or more specifically, interplay of energy.

Very simply put, in aikido, energy emanating from an attacker, or uke, in the form of an attack is perceived and analyzed by an individual being attacked, or tori, is combined with tori’s own energy and then manipulated into the form of an aikido technique.

From start to finish, tori takes the initiative in determining the course of that interplay of energy, always with the precept of preserving life in mind, guiding his actions. The variability that this energy takes, the instantaneous manner in which it may change during the course of an attack through the completion of a technique, combined with the fact that aikido techniques ungoverned by an ethical code are quite dangerous, require that aikido practitioners enhance their skill in the perception and control of energy. There is a means in basic training to effect this.

In our dojo, tenkan is practiced before any technique. In each training session, at least as much time is spent on tenkan as on any technique that we practice. Indeed, tenkan practice often lasts two or three times as long as the training of any single technique. In addition, tenkan is taught in a detailed way that no technique is. There is a reason that tenkan practice takes precedence over the training of techniques.

Tenkan is generally translated into English as turning. But turning is merely the most overt physical manifestation of the movement. In tenkan training, we are not training turning, at least not primarily. In tenkan practice, we are training the ability to perceive and control energy. In katatedori tenkan, we are taught an initial projection of energy on the part of tori. While this has practical implications that are beyond the scope of this essay, I see one function of this initial projection of energy as taking the initiative in perceiving uke's energy, as this initiates an intensified and therefore more readily understood response on the part of uke. This response reveals more clearly uke's intent, intensity, direction and possible course of attack, and many other factors of the attack and attacker. Based on what this intensified and clearly perceived response reveals, tori moves to produce the beginning of an aikido technique, whether this is a pin, a throw or a combination of techniques. Projection of energy on the part of tori continues throughout the movement as tori makes adjustments in guiding uke during the process of turning.

Tenkan is an ideal means to train awareness and manipulation of energy. As neither an attack nor a technique is involved, attention can be paid more closely to the energy involved. In this way, focus can be applied effectively on making adjustments in fractions of a second. With practice over time, this training enables aikido practitioners not only to produce effective techniques but also to deal with an attacker in a way that is consistent with ethical considerations. Given the inherent danger in situations where sudden attacks are met with nearly automatic aikido techniques employed to deal with these attacks, this ability is vitally important.

This process of energy manipulation, in its efficiency, effectiveness and naturalness describes a feedback system, a regulatory system monitoring energy, with the ethical standards of aikido as the control center. Training in this manner ensures that there is no inconsistency between the techniques produced and the code of ethics we all abide by. This is the most important value I see in tenkan training.