The Pool Story

by Paul Williams

​I’d like to preface this in acknowledging that the following story is not an anecdote of how aikido saved my life. I was not strolling in a dark alley where I fended off several attackers unscathed. That would be cool. No, this is The Pool Story.
 
It was winter 2005 and my apartment complex had a great pool area with grills for cooking out and a jacuzzi. My friends and I had many a pool party where we would take full advantage of the amenities and the South Florida weather. One day, I had just gotten off from work and could hear my friends and neighbors were at the pool. So, I thought I’d drop by and stick my feet in the water. Bad idea! Why? Well, if you’re near a pool with friends that are drinking and you’re fully clothed, then you may be an easy target for a two-man rush.
 
There I am sitting down at the end of the pool with my feet in the water. In that moment, two of my so-called buddies split up attacking me from each side. I recognized instantly their nefarious plans for me. I quickly arose to my feet anticipating that they would try to grab me somehow and throw me into the pool.
 
At about this time, I’d been practicing Iwama style aikido for several years. Due to my training, I knew that even with my back turned to the pool I still had the advantage with Ni-nin-dori. As they inched closer, I provided my arms out to both of them as targets hoping they’d take the bait. They did! As soon as they grabbed, I raised one arm as if to raise a bokken and stepped toward one of them. I then turned and drew the other arm toward me with my other friend attached. Lastly, I tied them up by crossing their arms. With them tangled and still holding on to me, the pool was now directly behind them and in front of me. I stepped forward and pushed both of them into the pool. Even today I can still hear the sound of them smacking into the water. It puts a smile on my face every time.
 
Look below to see this technique illustrated by Morihiro Saito Sensei. To see this technique in action click on the link to watch Saito Sensei demonstrate it (in YouTube) in the first Ni-nin-dori demonstrated.

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​​I’ve remembered this event from years ago like it happened yesterday. I was just as surprised as they were that it worked so well but of course I was more pleased. It brought to light some crucial principles that I look for in my aikido. Those principles consist of maintaining a relaxed body, keeping connection with my partner, facilitating grounded zanshin, and preserving a non-combative mindset. 

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​Relaxation
 
When I was forcibly grabbed, I realized no amount of strength was going to save me. They were both my size and one is a Marine. I say “is” because “once a Marine always a Marine,” regardless if they are still serving. With that said, they both were trying to separate my arms away from my center line. There was no way I could pull myself back into alignment with the pool directly behind me. Relaxation was the only thing that was going to save me from a wet demise. I relaxed my body, stepped toward the Marine first, dropped my body, and used kokyu ryoku (breath power) to enter under his arms.
 
Maintaining Connection
 
As soon as I dropped and entered, my connection with him was set and he instantly became reliant on me for his balance. Had I stiffened my body at all, disconnected, or caused tension in my body it most likely would have broken the grab. For this to work I needed them to hold on.
 
Maintaining connection is one principle that I have really looked into establishing as a keystone in my aikido. Just about everyone that had been an uke for Morihiro Saito Sensei has stated to me that it was like being on ice skates once you touched him. If you watch him on YouTube, you’ll often see uke instantly off balance after the attack and relying on him for stability. I have felt this in many instructors including Hoa Newens Sensei, Hiroshi Ikeda Sensei, Ryuji Sawa Sensei, Shigemi Inagaki Sensei, Hitohira Saito Sensei, Roy Goldberg Sensei, and many more. With them there’s no push or pull with their technique. It’s as if they are reaching into your center and lifting you up causing you to be reliant on them for balance. This is aiki in my opinion.
 
Groundedness
 
The practice of groundedness in hamni (half stance) kept me from being pulled into the pool. At the end of every technique it is important to practice zanshin with a strong stance. Zanshin is a grounded awareness of not just our surroundings but also internally within your body during and after a technique. Even though both of my friends were tied up together, they still maintained strong grips on my arms. With the front foot forward and pointing toward my partners I was able to produce in my hamni stance the strongest structure in the universe, the triangle. If hamni and grounded awareness had not been a part of my practice, they would have successfully yanked me into the water. Instead, the energy of their weight transferred through my body into the front foot and dissipated into the ground thus breaking their grab.
 
Avoiding Fight or Flight
 
Lastly, and probably the most difficult to reproduce in a real-life situation of self-defense, is the principle of remaining in a mindset of non-conflict in order to avoid fighting with them. I believe this is what O-Sensei was trying to convey in his teaching and what most traditions would call the non-dual mind. This mind set does not see in terms of black and white, right or wrong, or us versus them. Instead the mind of non-duality is yes/and. It is accepting of all things that include both the bad and the good or in my case wet and dry.
 
I honestly can’t say that I truly achieved this higher state of consciousness because they were my friends and the consequences were only getting wet. Thus, the principles above were more than achievable to a novice like me. Thankfully, I was able to avoid a fighting state of mind.
  
There you have it, The Pool Story. It’s not a grandiose epic, however, this experience at the pool allowed me to reflect on these principles for years to follow. They have given me a bearing toward a greater understanding of aikido. I feel very fortunate to have had such an event in my life. Even if it was just playful. Nevertheless, it was a moment of conflict turned into harmony through the principles of aikido set  into motion by O-Sensei- a human being that I believe achieved far more than just feats of physicality but also a way of being that we should all strive to realize.