I first thought of writing something on this theme after realising that contrary to what I thought initially, there were some interesting differences in the way my techniques were performed and intended according to whether I was demonstrating them as a teacher, or performing them as a student. Of course, for the experiment to be meaningful, these techniques had to be applied on the same partners each time. What struck me most is that the sensation was totally different according to the status I was assuming on the tatami.

The explanation comes from the fact that as teachers, we go through the whole class only as Tori, while the fact of being Uke requires a terrible investment that wears down both our resistance and lucidity. Moreover, as Uke, we have to cope with wrists locks, projections and it requires an uncompromised attention. However, as teachers, because the role of Uke becomes more remote from our sensations, it becomes obvious to me that we tend to forget how hard it is to give in and to surrender in order to allow the teacher to perform the perfect technique.

It seems crucial to me that teaching should never overlook the fact that the techniques that we master well are for us, teachers, basic techniques. However, for our students, these very same techniques can seem like very much advanced. It is of course crucial to "pull" students to the highest level but it is just as important to make it accessible enough so the challenge and the difficulty do not become a source of over frustratiion or failure.

Philippe Gouttard performing and receiving techniques

How come that, when I am a student, during a class taught by another teacher, what used to be so easy forme while I was standing at the centre of the mat demonstrating the very same technique becomes so difficult to realise? Once again, we are the same body and our partner has the same physique but the change is to be found in the relationship between Tori and Uke as well as the mental interaction. Obviously, the practitioner in front of me is no longer the submissive student who hoped to be taken in the middle and tried to understand what his teacher is expecting of him.

Instead, when placed in a corner of the mat, hidden by the other practitioners, this same student will expose a completely different side of his personality. He will practice in a much more personal fashion and since I will have to be submitted to his technique, my behaviour will shift from dominant to dominated and it changes completely my relationship with this person.

When I am standing on the tatami, there is a concept that I always try to put into application. In a single sentence, it goes like this: "When we are students during a class, we try to be as perfect as a teacher would be, but when we are teachers, we should put ourselves in our student's shoes in order to demonstrate a technique that is accessible to them without having  them experience the sensation of impossibility".

In addition to that, it seems very important to me to know about the history of each technique that is being taught, especially from the perspective of the one who attacks (Uke) in order to stay lucid and capable of feeling the reactions of our various partners. That being said, I have sometimes had the feeling that some of my own teachers were demonstrating techniques that they could not really receive themselves. I therefore ended up wondering if we should  not demonstrate these particular techniques at all or at least, only to students with a sufficient  background and knowledge to translate with their body these apparent discrepancies.

I am convinced that the basis of teaching is to bring up students who will one day do better than us a style that will be unique to them. Our duty , as teachers is to bring them to this moment of "choice" and "freedom", in a total physical and spiritual freedom, while making sure that the small physical and mental pains gathered along the way do not hider their research of a better Aikido.

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To go further:

To follow on this subject, you can read an article I wrote in order to try to analyse a one hour class that Philippe and I spent practicing together in Tokyo, while both of us were "students" at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo.