To say life is a battlefield is more than just a metaphor – we struggle to succeed, struggle to overcome obstacles – including each other. Even without being particularly competitive or success-oriented, we all have a method by which we measure our personal success, judge which victories are truly meaningful to us, and decide at what price we want it.
There are many different types of martial arts. There are some that focus solely on striking fast and hard and others that train just on throws and the grappling side of combat. There are some that are practiced primarily for exercise or competition and others that focus on dealing with real life self defense situations.
How can we as warriors have successful lives? We are all part of the Jizai organization, and Jizai means continual pursuit of perfection. How can we begin to apply these same principles to our lives? Let’s take a look at the Aiki Kihon Happo and the principles that it represents.