Aikido is full of people who are either skinny and fast, or strong and big. For those of us who are small in weight and who dont have as much "Meat" on their bones it is difficult to sometimes make our larger oponentes go with the moves. That is why we have to make sure our moves are spot on -- the Larger people dont have to be forced then, if they want to keep their arm they will go with the moves.
But the larger people -- with more meat on their bones -- have it easer sometimes. They know the moves and have the power to make the little people go whether the moves are correct or not. Thats called POWER.
What we try to learn in Aikido is to CONTROL that power. If you cant control that power then you will break the toys you practice with. If you break your toys then you have no one to practice with and you will also have very angry comrades.
If someone is large, or small for that matter, and is new to Aikido -- just learning the moves -- then it is understandable that they may not know how to control the power behind them. Once they start getting into higher belts then they will be expected to control more and more of that power.
Though the opponent may come in very strong for an attack, said large or small person should still control their power. Yes, the opponent is coming in very fast, take them out with their momentum -- use their own power against them and try to preserve yours. This is what we try to learn in Aikido. Once the momentum is gained and the Toy under you is momentarily subdued, the proof of your control will result as the wholeness of your Toy. If you can not control your power and the toy under you breaks, no only will that toy be angry at you, but no one will want to be your toy anymore.
A display of controlled power VS. a display of uncontrolled power are two completely different things. A controlled power in Aikido is quick, fluid, in its execution. For example, the Black belts are more or less not going to care if you get hurt or not, but they know how to judge the amount of pressure a toy can take before it breaks. A brown belt knows a fraction of that judgement, and below that the students are still learning how to control theirs.
But a Blue and Green belt will/should know better then to break their toys right away. If it is a slip up and happens in the heat of the moment, then once is good enough. They are high enough belts to know whether or not to do that again. Orange and Yellow belts should know at least half of what the Green and Blue belts know. and the White and Red belts should know half of what the Orange and Yellow belts know. While a Red belt is learning how to control things still.
In a display of uncontrolled power, a Green of Blue belt is likely to not realize how much they are uncontrolled and when confronted will most likely say something to counter the conformation.
In Aikido, we do not want to break our Toys, for there are few Toys out there who actually LIKE ESTA Aikido and who will come back for more lesions. The higher belts should know this more then anyone. Plus, if a higher belt continues to show uncontrolled power, their Toys might just think that the higher belt is on a crazy power-trip and will start to not like them -- causing the UNIT of the class, the comradery, to dissolve.
Unity in the class is a requirement. For there are only two oponents you must be worried about: 1) Black Belts, 2) Yourself. Everyone else, they dont matter. Their just TOYS
If that Unity is broken, then you are most likely to get broken.
Knowing how much POWER you contain and how to CONTROL that power -- not breaking your TOYS -- will eventually cause you to gain a higher belt once you grade again.
I feel you will be surprised as to how well this control will work; specially when your a Dan grade.
