“[I want to be able to] show what you have practiced in actual performance.” I assume many people think this way, whether at work or in sports. However, actual performance is not an extension of practice.
Of course, if we don’t practice enough, we won’t be able to do well in actual performance, but there is also no guarantee that we can do it in real performance exactly as we practiced. On the other hand, it is out of the question to expect to do well in actual performance when we are neglecting to practice, and there is no way to demonstrate our skills unless we have mastered them.
It is generally said that we should “practice as if we are in the actual performance/situation”. This is important in the sense that we should [be serious about practice and] put everything we have into it. However, practice is still practice and is not the same as actual performance. It is precisely because it is the real performance/situation that people become truly serious/ motivated. And the [real/actual performance] moves our Ki, so it becomes an opportunity for true growth. In other words, the actual performance is not so much an opportunity to demonstrate the fruits of our practice, but rather, actual performance itself is an opportunity for growth in daily life.
If we understand this correctly, our perception of actual performance will change. It is not an occasion where we are forced to be nervous but is an opportunity that helps us grow. No one is good at doing well in actual performance from the beginning. Those who, on some occasion or other, have come to view actual performance in a positive light, and actively seek them out, will be better at doing well in real performance situations. The only way to become better in actual performance is to approach and build on each experience with a positive attitude. We just need to gain experience without fearing the results.
In Shinshin Toitsu Aikido training, there are real/actual-performance opportunities called “Shinsa” (examinations, judging). There are things we can only gain through this kind of actual/real performance. In particular, we can see amazing growth in children.
The same is true for the All Japan Shinshin Toitsu Aikido Competition, which is held annually. The purpose of this competition is not to compete for techniques and to determine rankings, but to grow through demonstrating in actual performance what we have learned. There is really no point in comparing ourselves to others thinking, “I am better than that person”. What is meaningful is the growth that is achieved through participating in the competition.
Last month (November, 2024), we held our “Shinshin Toitsu Aikido 50th Anniversary Celebration”. A commemorative lecture was given, and I spoke as the successor of the art. There was no podium, so I took the stage with nothing but just a microphone in my hand, so it was like astand-up comedy show. I came up with the content/topics to talk interactively as I went while observing the audience’s reactions.
After the lecture, many people asked me questions, such as, “Do you decide the content and order of the items you present in advance?”, or “Why do you never get stuck in the middle of your talk?” The timing of my talk was also perfect (right on schedule), and I didn’t even glance at my watch during the talk. Some people asked me, “How did I keep track of time?”
When I do not have to present any documents or materials, I usually give my talk with just one microphone. I keep a watch nearby just in case, but I usually do not look at it. This ability was gained through the accumulation of a vast number of such actual lecture performances; simply practicing the same number of hours will not produce the same [actual/real] results in daily life.
Please do not misunderstand me. Practice is preparation and should be done carefully and never be neglected. However, people do not grow only through practice, but also through actual performances in daily life. I, too, continue to hone my skills on a daily basis through actual-performance opportunities.
Translated by Mayumi Case
Edited by David Shaner
Eastern Ki Federation
https://easternkifederation.org/
Original article in Japanese: 練習と本番（Renshū to Honban）
December 1, 2024
https://shinichitohei.com/japanese/04-%e3%83%a1%e3%83%bc%e3%83%ab%e3%83%9e%e3%82%ac%e3%82%b8%e3%83%b3/35024/
