throwing or falling

To throw or to fall?

When you see people flying around in the air in aikido, you may have the impression that tori is throwing uke. Most aikidoka surely are throwing uke and both are hawing a swinging time. So it is OK to throw people if it is this you like.
However, it is a different perception of what actualy is going on between tori and uke in we are trying to a chive the quality of Aiki.
When Nishio, sensei, began to study Aikido, his background wad 5 dan Karate and 4 dan Judo. He found rather quickly that the ”throwing technique” in aikido did not work. So he adopted Judo principles in to the aikido to make it more efficient. Also his ”atemi” became inspired by his karate background, as ”hitting”.
However, in the Aikido of O´sensei – we are not ”throwing” nor ”hitting” our opponent. So for many Aikido is practised as a soft form of Ju-jutsu

What you need is a new concept. First of all we must understand the concept of Aikido as an Art of Peace. Knowing this we try to transform our opponent to our partner. We are doing this by trying to be one with our opponent. We try to place our self in his shoes.
If we look at our opponent as a ”thing” or mere ”object” - we easily are adapting ”throwing” and ”hitting” technique – that is control, speed l and power, by witch we manipulate the opponent.

Tohei sensei, introduced this question in the formula: ”Do not throw your partner – help him to fall”.
To do this you need Ki – that is rhythm, flow and timing. In this process you are trying to show uke a alternative way out of his misery of the attachment of the ”fighting mind”. By this you ”lead” him – show him door by which he cane leave the negative situation he by his attack have created, with our hurting others of harming him self. It is a win win situation then, and the is no space for revenge.
So what uke actually are doing is accepting the open door tori is showing to him – and his is surrendering his attack to the power of gravity – and are falling to the ground as a ripe apple in the autumn and relax – leaving his figthing mind and entering the peace of mind.