Training with a Hombu Practitioner

On Saturday, March 21, we had the honor of welcoming a special guest to Samsungdang for training. Mr. Ok Jaeouk, who is currently training at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo, joined us on the mat.

Mr. Ok began his Aikido training at New York Aikikai and trained there for five years, after which he continued his training at Hombu for another fifteen years. Despite this considerable experience, he remains very humble, often referring to himself as still being among the “junior members” at Hombu. He has always been warm and considerate toward Korean practitioners, including myself, whenever we attend the early morning classes at Hombu. I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again for taking the time to visit Incheon despite his tight schedule during his trip to Korea.

For this session, I led the first half, and I asked Mr. Ok to take charge of the second half. My intention was to give him sufficient time to observe the students first, trusting that he would then be able to guide them on what they currently need most.

The following is a summary of the remarks I shared with the members at the end of the training, after Mr. Ok’s instruction. :

To be honest, I feel a great sense of relief today. Many of you have probably seen the expression on my face during training at least once.

Our dojo is often described as having a high level of intensity. Visitors from other dojos frequently comment, “You really sweat a lot here,” or “The intensity here is different.” However, rather than feeling pleased when I hear such remarks, I would often find myself making a rather complicated expression. Some of the senior members may remember this. I believe you now understand why.

Mr. Ok, who visited us today, trained in a very gentlemanly manner, showing full consideration for all of you. This does not mean that training at Hombu is simply rougher. Rather, he demonstrated—while being considerate—the kind of grounded and decisive intensity that should naturally exist in the body, along with a continuous exchange of technique without breaking tempo or flow. What I have been trying to convey all along was something I believe you were finally able to experience today, and that is why I feel such relief.

There is nothing wrong with training slowly. What matters is not breaking the flow. If you go slowly, you must maintain that tempo consistently. If you go fast, you must sustain that speed. Ultimately, the key is to maintain your own tempo and intensity without interruption while exchanging techniques accurately.

As I have mentioned many times, a lack of physical conditioning is a clear limitation. Up to now, you have mainly seen me lead the training while making certain considerations as the instructor, which may have led you to assume that the current level represents the maximum. However, in reality, it is still far from the level I aspire to. You should not be losing structure at this level of intensity.

Aikido is both a martial discipline and a form of physical training. You must first become physically strong through training, and then express that strength in a controlled, refined, and gentlemanly manner. It is not appropriate to claim to be “tolerant” or to pursue “soft technique” without having the necessary strength and conditioning. Building physical capacity must come first.

You should be able to sustain the tempo demonstrated today, and you should be able to continue exchanging techniques for an hour without breaking the flow. Losing continuity during training, or becoming so fatigued that your breathing collapses, is not merely a personal issue—it is also a matter of consideration toward your training partner.

In the past, I had the opportunity to train at Hombu with Mr. I, who is the chairman of the Tokyo Aikido Federation. After training together, he said to me, “Thank you for giving me your one hour.” I felt exactly the same way. Training is an exchange of time, and it is important not to waste that time.

This is why I always repeat the same points: there should be no lost time, you should not show a lack of composure, your ukemi must be reliable, and you should train more decisively. These are not only for your own development, but also a minimum level of respect toward your training partner.

It is not desirable for senior members to spend excessive time explaining at the expense of training, and it is also problematic when juniors cannot properly receive techniques due to insufficient conditioning or ukemi. Both disrupt the flow of practice.

Today, Mr. Ok demonstrated all of these points not through words, but through his body. In that sense, this session was highly meaningful, and personally, it gave me a strong sense of clarity and relief.

Moving forward, I would like us to continue training together based on the standard we experienced today, aiming for greater depth and density in our practice.

Thank you for your time.