07/09/2026
Well, as it happens, in the early stages of learning Aikido you don't tend to see a lot of harmony going on at all.
Before we get into all the harmonising stuff, we have to get to grips with some of the basic principles like movement, timing, distance and balance. At this stage techniques are taught with a step-by-step approach, and there's much stopping and starting as we work out the intricacies of the technique.
Initially of course, the attacks are pre-planned so the defender already knows what to expect and both know which technique they're going to practise. Knowing what we're working on gives us the opportunity to explore how to move with an attack rather than simply fight against it.
Then repetition becomes important. Both partners take turns in each role and as they become more proficient, we start to introduce further Aikido principles. It’s at that point when you might start to see the flowing and blending.
As the practice begins to flow, the defender blends with the attack and redirects it through movement and technique.
But the attacker has an equally important role. They recognise and move with the technique being applied to them — and, where necessary, fall or roll safely. This is part of what we call ukemi, the skill of receiving a technique.
One is blending with the attack. The other is blending with what happens next.
As that exchange becomes increasingly smooth, an attack comes in, the defender moves, a technique happens and the attacker rolls away.
Sometimes from the outside that can look choreographed and to a degree the sequence is often structured that way. Both know what they're practising and they've probably repeated those movements many times before. But that doesn't mean the practice is always predictable.
As experience develops, attacks can become faster and more committed. Intensity can increase and resistance can be introduced. Because of course, somebody outside the dojo isn't going to attack you and then conveniently cooperate with whatever you decide to do next.
And the attacker isn't necessarily simply cooperating with the technique. They’re using their own Aikido to respond to what is happening — maintaining their balance where they can, moving with the forces being applied and falling or rolling when they need to.
So, when experienced practitioners move together smoothly, what we're seeing isn't necessarily one person performing a technique while the other simply goes along with it. Both are bringing their own skills to the exchange. And that's where some of that harmony we mentioned starts to make a little more sense.
And none of that happens overnight. It starts with the same stopping, starting and sometimes awkward movements — and gradually the harmony develops through practice.
If you're curious about Aikido, you don't need to understand any of this before you start. Find a dojo, start at the beginning and see where your own Aikido journey takes you.
