Constant repetition of prearranged attacks and defenses in paired and group practice is an efficient and safe way to transfer techniques and principles from the brain to the body, replacing your reflexes with a more efficient set. This choreographed approach allows us to practice at full speed whilst minimizing the chances of injury.
In time you will discover that for a single attack you have developed a number of responses. Later you will find yourself responding dynamically during the attack, instantly taking advantage of openings or weaknesses with no premeditation whatsoever. Ultimately you find that no matter what the attack you have an appropriate response wired into your system. As you progress you will find that you no longer think about where this arm goes and where that leg should be.
Your focus shifts from the details of technique, from Aikido by numbers, to more important concerns such as how to use your centre, leads, balance, distance and timing. Eventually even these principles should be so completely absorbed that you are not consciously aware of them. At some point you will begin to approach Mushin, a state where you do not consciously think of anything. Your body, through your training, takes over.
The techniques themselves are not as important as what you learn through them. How to move, how to use your centre, leads - atemi included, balance, distance and timing. You are after the very essence. In self defence it is that essence that will be of use to you. Bruce Lee didn't master the one inch punch by simply practicing one inch punches. He learnt through the countless repetition of normal punches, finally realising the heart of the punch and then being able to apply it within an inch. With a Shomen cut, as you step forward, the lower you are the greater feeling you have for the ground, and a greater sensation of how your centre is involved. With experience that movement can be abbreviated, so that you no longer need to be so low or even step to deliver that cut with the same coordinated power.
People practice for a variety of reasons. Only a few end up devoting a major part of their lives to Aikido. If you enjoy Aikido but can't commit to practice more than once a week, that is fine. Likewise it is not necessary to train so hard that you can no longer stand or breathe. However, one of the most useful things you can take from the mat is the ability to focus, one hundred per cent, body and soul, on a single task. No diversion, no doubt, no delay, not even for an instant. There is nothing to think about, you just do it. This is part of Shinken Shobu, a fight to the death. Sincere practice consists of approaching every encounter in this frame of mind. There is also the thought that it is your own prevaricating mind that is being put to the sword.
You develop this committed state of mind while you are actually practicing. Every attack, every defense, every movement, always doing the best Aikido you can. Every time you practice anything your object is to be that much better with each attempt. A hundred cuts, a hundred cuts better. However, being careful not to lose yourself in endless repetition. Ten focused cuts is better than a hundred if for those hundred you are merely going through the motions. If you must rest, rest. If you are doing Aikido, do Aikido.
Takemusu Aikido is described as the spontaneous creation of techniques appropriate to each unique situation. Whatever the attack, whatever openings are offered, wherever the aggressor wishes to go, wherever you wish to go, it does not matter. You will move in accordance with Aikido principles in a relaxed state, with a clear mind, creating techniques dictated by the circumstances. There is nothing magical about this, it is simply the logical result of practice. Be aware that in the early stages it is vital that you stick strictly to the techniques you are taught. Otherwise you will quickly find that you are not practicing Aikido at all.
At Exeter Aikido we regard weapons practice important for several reasons. Weapon work can clarify basic principles such as footwork and how to use your centre. It also improves posture and strengthens the legs making the Aikidoka much more solid. Additionally it is useful for the practice of defences against weapons. However more significantly O-sensei has said that Aikido techniques are based on the sword. An understanding therefore of how to use the sword gives the Aikidoka an insight into the whole of Aikido.