Ring the bells that still can ring
Leonard Cohen, Anthem
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
One of the things we learn through the practice of martial arts is that there is no perfect attack and no perfect defense. If there was, that would be the focus of every class. Rather, every attack creates openings–cracks, unbalances, momentum–where we can counter. Similarly, every technique in Aikido has within it potential openings for our partner to re-establish control.
The openings that are inherent in an attack don’t only invite response. The attack mindset on the part of Uke (the attacking partner–the one who falls) invites preemptive responses–a response-before-the-attack that we sometimes refer to as sensen no sen (先々の先). This type of interaction requires balance and finely-tuned awareness on the part of Nage (the one who throws.)
Whether nage moves before, during, or after, the focus is on balanced movement, calm awareness, and an eye for the cracks in Uke’s attack. We train to subdue the fight-or-flight response that can lead to a head-on collision. We also train to build confidence–the cracks are in there. Sometimes they are not immediately obvious. Sometimes they are tiny: a move one way lets them open, but pressure in the other direction seals them tight.
The same principle applies off the mat. Whether an attack is physical, verbal, political–every one has cracks inside. Sometimes it is easy (and appropriate) to be hurt, angry, and frightened, both by personal attacks against us and by larger social changes that seem too big, too overwhelming. Those are the times to breathe, focus on balance, open our senses, and expand our awareness. There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.