Aikido and Competition, G. Ruglioni

  














Aikido and Competition


An Article by Giuseppe Ruglioni sensei about the proposal to introduce Sportiv Competition in Aikido

Aikido is practicing of relation. It is a discipline that offer the possibility to acquire a bigger sense of recognition and certainty either interior or in the relation with the exterior world. Harmony in the techniques execution express oneself in the research of no-collision and in the partner acceptance.

In relation of his evident educational aspect, distinguish oneself from all the sportive activities, finding placing also among the disciplines for childhood and youthful age formation.

The values of reference are connected to “comprehension” and to the use the group experiences rather than the capacity and the stand up of the individual. Every individuality and every individual progress find theirnatural space in group and in the society.

The typical performances in the aikido techniques, “to move together” and create the occasion that the “techniques happen” and not to compete against the other.The “other” is not an opponent but a partner, a companion with whom converse with a non verbal language that means the relation with the body of both partner in a contact of no collision.

The union of the movement of both bodies that develop the techniques. It is also a practice that help to have a bigger determination and firmness in one hand and comprehension and flexibility in the other hand. It is a discipline that help to appreciate the respect for universal love and for life.

The industrialized society where we are living, is often the cause of a state of insecurity of human been. Our productive and consumers society, founded especially over the productivity and over the capacity of consumptions and therefore over competitiveness, the malfeasance and richness, is less interested to the universal love, to the life.

Almost all the sportive activity proposed in our society, are based on competition and selection. This reflect fundamentally the productive and consumers aspect and the logic of profit. This reflect besides the commercial aspect of the same practice, creating the myths of win and arrive first, of win the most prestigious medal e to recognized to be better than others.

In my aikido instructor formation was fundamental the experience with disability. I learned a lot teaching aikido with unable and disable subjects. This is an experience useful and fundamental for all the people are in the dojo group. Practicing with a person with motor problems, for example, it help us to learn more thing plus. In particular children learn the respect and the reciprocal help, the equality in the diversity, the brotherhood and the comprehension and not certainly arrogance and competitiveness.

I horrify when I hear to speak to introduce the competition on the aikido practice. It is really aberrant to think about children that compete to establish who will be first or second. My disable students never have any chance to win in a competition like that, it is enough sufficient to be in live.

And anyhow cannot be a justification the quotation that “the competition form the character of the future man”. This way is only functional to a society that hasn’t like his own values love, comprehension, live. It is only functional to create the condition that who is strongest, richest, could surpass the others that are less lucky.

It is a wicked action promote the aikido competition between children and young boys and girls, with justification of necessity to create stimulation for the children.

We have to pay attention to create stimulation like that. We are not in the fascist period of “Giovani Balilla”, fortunately.

My question is why they don’t promote that idea for adults too ? Because children are more stupid?

I believe firmly in the potentiality of aikido like a way to better know himself and in the relation with others.

I shouldn’t want that the promoters of competitive activity in aikido (even if for children and young people) they are pushed by commercial motivations that operation could develop.

The Doshu write: “…aikido does not have to be a self defence. Defence is same as attack. Aikido is a way to create situations that attack is difficult to happen. If attack does not happen, defence is not necessary. I think this is the only way for peace”.

Thinking to do better of another concurrent means to put ourselves in the challenge between who attach and who defend himself. Certainly this is not the way of Harmony.