O Sensei Ueshiba said that the essence of aikido could be understood with these three simple geometric shapes; triangle, circle, and square. Indeed the relate on many levels to aikido, to martial arts in general, and to nature itself. He said the body should be triangular, the mind circular, and that the square represents the basis of applied control. It could also be said that the triangle is the stance and the angular method of movement we use in aikido, the circle is the spiral used to unbalance an opponent, and the square is the final pin. Also true; the triangle is splitting the attack, the square is the edges of the opponent's body vulnerable to counter, and the circle is the dynamic sphere in which one interacts with one or more opponents- therefore our awareness is expansive and multi-directional, our attack is direct, and our approach is indirect relative to the foe.
But what does any of this have to do with kyushokitsu?
For those who do not know, kyushojitsu literally translates to "vital techniques" referring to the vital points, erroneously called "pressure points" by laypersons. Kyusho also translates as "secret" and you can literally Google that yourself as I just did to check. Kyushojitsu is literally the "secret techniques" found in most martial arts. "Secrets" passed down in ancient manuals for generations, but then essentially lost with the Western spread of martial arts and our hunger for quick acquisition of rank and titles.
These "secrets" are not really all that hidden to be honest, they are just largely overlooked. Kyushojitsu is based on the same medical science as acupuncture, which is also largely dismissed in the Western world. Manuals like the "Bubishi" are readily available and details these "secrets" explicitly.
Because of my own background in Eastern holistic medicine, it was easy for me to see the relevance of kyushojitsu when I was taking aikido classes. Moreover, I instantly saw the "secrets" revealed in the triangle, square, and circle.
One of the biggest most common arguments against kyushojitsu is that these precise points would be too difficult, if not impossible to attack in a real fight. Well, first and foremost, that's exactly why we train... but leaving the obvious aside, there is also a "secret" I would share with you now...
The points are actually very easy to find, if you know how to look... and by "look" I suppose I really mean "feel."
The Chinese version of kyushojitsu is qin-na, and listed among the types of qin na techniques is the term "dian-xue" means "pressing the cavity."
These "points" can often be felt as literal cavities in the human body, and they tend to be located in certain shapes and patterns. Namely; every hinge type joint can be found to have vulnerable points located at the corners of an imaginary "square" around it. These points are most responsive to being attacked in an angular fashion, as of drawing an X over the square, dividing it into triangles, or attacking in an angular fashion, as discussed above.
There are also points found in triangle, namely those formed by muscles and tendons. Again, in Chinese "fin jin" and "zhua jin" techniques aim to "divide" or "seize" these deep tissues of the body. When you feel or see a triangular shape in the musculature, that is because the tissues overlay one another in that area, thus it is easy to get under and between the tissues to severely disrupt them.
Circles relate in two ways; in the shape of arterial cavities, and the type of movement used to apply variable pressure to nerve points so that the body does not have time to adapt. Arterial cavities feel like holes. Arteries are located deep beneath tissues to provide them natural protection. Therefore, one must utilize deeply penetrative techniques to access them. Again, we may think of the triangle like a blade driving deep into the body, and model our technique off of that concept.
When attacking nerve clusters, the body has a natural way of dealing with pressure by temporarily cutting off sensitivity in the area so that one can remove the affected body part from the threat without fear of intensifying pain. This is detrimental to effective technique. The way we circumvent this natural defense mechanism is simply to apply "variable pressure" and you do that by essentially pressing the point and moving in small circles. There are also jujitsu techniques, particularly joint locks, which utilize a similarly circular type of movement applied to the joint. These same techniques are present in aikido, but they are masked from novices who are focused more on the wide spiraling movements designed to uproot the opponent.
These secrets are not intentionally "hidden" from students, they just aren't immediately obvious unless you know what to look for. Beginners have to get the larger movements and footwork down to the point of being second nature before they can focus on the subtle methods of effective joint locks. Atemi waza and tuite waza (striking and grappling techniques) are very much a part of the traditional aikido syllabus, but they will avail you naught without proper stance and breath control.
The only reason you don't hear about these things more often, is that aikido has become more of a pacifist, spiritual art than a practical martial art, thus making these aspects less important to students, who then become teachers, who may go on to teach hundreds of students the same way they learned, and so-on and so-forth.
As with karate and other martial arts, what looks like a "block" can easily be a strike. What is taught as a "submission hold" or "deflection" may easily be limb destruction or dislocation. Knowing how to find the most vulnerable points, and the most effective angles of attack, reduce the amount of effort required for maximum result. That has been the major selling point of aikido for many years, has it not?
