Had an… epiphany of sort. When I started studying aikido, and for quite a few years, I thought of it as a ‘martial art’. I thought of various aspects of self-defense, taking those into consideration when trying to understand the techniques. I’m not saying anything has really changed, but today I realized aikido is not a martial art. Not for me. Not anymore. The ‘martial’ aspect of it is gone, the ‘art’ remains. Some may read this as “aikido is choreography, a dance”, but that’s not exactly what I mean. The principles taught can be applied to a situations where violence is a real threat. The art can be used for self-defense. But it is not a martial art. For me, now, Pekiti-Tirsia Kali is the martial art I study. Aikido that I study is… merely an art. How it is used, it’s immaterial.
In a way, I’ve lost something. Something I miss already. But it will fade away and at some point I’ve forgotten what I thought I saw in aikido. I just hope the mere ‘art’ is enough for me.