The Efficiency of Bowing

In Aikido, there are many times that a bow is the right thing to do. Some bow when entering the dojo and all bow before stepping on and off the mat. We bow to O-Sensei. We bow to our Sensei. We bow to our Senpai and also to our Kōhai. We bow to O-Sensei before using the bokken, jo, and tanto. We bow to show respect, as a courtesy, and to simply say, “thank you.”

But today, I write about a much more practical and common usage for a bow. When practicing Aikido, a frequent problem is when the Aikidoka lose track of whose turn it is to be uke and nage. Sometimes we practice twice or four times (once each side or twice). Even when its clear how many times we practice, we can still lose track of where we are and whose turn it is. This can lead to the very awkward and potentially dangerous situation where both parties believe they are uke and attack each other concurrently.

Someone recently commented to me that they weren’t sure if they were supposed to bow “in between” or not. I replied that I always bowed to signal that its time to switch uke and nage roles. It allows us to avoid much of that awkward and (frankly) wasteful time in between simply orienting ourselves to one another. As simple as that explanation may be, it belies the subtlety that is pervasive in all AIkido. Bowing clearly is an indicator of respect. Its use here to lubricate expediency between uke/nage switches is not just for efficiency, it’s also for respect. In fact, in many ways, consideration for efficiency is a form of respect. We come to the dojo to train. Wasting other’s time with confusion is disrespectful. Therefore, we bow; silently signaling to our partner that we respect their time and we are ready to take our turn.