The path lies in an opened hand

Akuzawa Minoru  阿久澤稔

It has been quite a few years since I’ve studied practice on tatami and it allowed me to understand many things, things about me among others, and especially blockages.

This one of the most rewarding things when evolving deeper into an art we came to understand or a path that we recognize as important when it comes about what it brings to one being.

Punches and hits in general are to be found on the path of our lives and we’ll meet them on the tatami too.

Coming from Aïkido, I always saw in the eyes of the other that fear of the punch, fear of receiving as well as giving it.

And nowadays I still meet people who are affected, deep down inside, by the fact of giving or receiving a punch.

I remember a sentence from my father who used to tell me when I was young :
« You look like you’re about to punch »

I didn’t question further at the time but as I grew up I became more and more withdrawn in my shell.
These closed hands weren’t there to hit but rather to give protection in wait of the hits that were to come.

As I began to practice Aunkai, I started to feel a problem with my arms, as if the flow didn’t go through them.

When I was hitting, it felt like there was a ton of solid rocks to lift at each end, it was becoming more and more difficult.

A friend once told me « … you keep your hands closed when doing your technique ».
It’s this moment that I saw the light and remembered a sentence from Akusawa sensei during the

Intensive Course, one that said « work with an open hand ».

Then the meaning of the open hand came as a revelation and allowed to lift the blockage on the energetic level.

Watanabe Manabu  渡辺 学 (範士

Why ?

Because the open hand receives, offers, waits, is listening to what’s coming and is also a mean of physical communication with the other …
Just like Wushu, Bujutsu means stopping the enemy spear.
It is easier to do with an open hand.

Hits are there to express the intention of the one who’s giving it, it’s all energy
If the hit is given to destroy, the energy will remain locked within the zone of the impact.
However on the tatami, the hit is given to help the other practice his technique.

This is the reason why in kyusho jitsu (pressure/vital points technique) we learn to chase negative energy away and get energetic circulation back running in order to revive a person.

The importance of a hit when working in pair, is the intention carried over by the hit.
If there is no intention, the other can’t practice since the link between the two won’t exist.

Miyakawa Kazuhisa 宮川和久 (範士)

But if the hit is given with the intention of helping the other, a link will be created through the energy between the two partners, which the « attacked » will be able to catch on in order to improve his movement.

Aunkai seems like power and strength, but in its learning it is the complete opposite.
It is an opening to the other

The mind state of the closed fist will never be an opening to the other and thus never and opening to the feeling.

I quote Akuzawa senseï « Work with the heart, work with an open hand », working on our feeling in order to work on the other’s feeling and be able to make progress together.