Training Principles, in my words

Our assignment this week is to rewrite O Sensei's "Training Principles" in our own words.

Training Principles, by Morihei Ueshiba:

1. Aikido decides life and death in a single strike, so students must carefully follow the instructor's teaching and not compete to see who is the strongest. 
2. Aikido is the way that teaches how one can deal with several enemies. Students must train themselves to be alert not just to the front but to all sides and the back. 
3. Training should always be conducted in a pleasant and joyful atmosphere. 
4. The instructor teaches only one small aspect of the art. Its versatile applications must be discovered by each student through incessant practice and training. 
5. In daily practice first begin by moving your body and then progress to more intensive practice. Never force anything unnaturally or unreasonably. If this rule is followed, then even elderly people will not hurt themselves and they can train in a pleasant and joyful atmosphere. 
6. The purpose of Aikido is to train mind and body and to produce sincere, earnest people. Since all the techniques are to be transmitted person-to-person, do not randomly reveal them to others, for this might lead to their being used by hoodlums.

In my words:

1. Aikido can be very dangerous, so you must be careful and follow the instruction given to you exactly, so that you don't hurt your partner. This is not a competition to see who is stronger. 
2. Aikido teaches you to deal with threats coming from all directions, so you must practice this in your daily life, and build awareness of things going on around you in all situations. This means being constantly observant, whether in your own home, on the street (with pedestrians, cyclists, and traffic), or in the dojo (with things going on on the mat), whether or not these things are happening in front of you or behind you, or whether or not they involve you at the moment. 
3. You should try to train with a positive attitude. When you are training mad, you are less receptive to instruction. A good atmosphere makes it easy for everyone to be engaged and attentive. A bad atmosphere makes everyone unhappy and less receptive, when people are concentrating on the negative aspects.
4. The instructor teaches the physical aspect of the art, and the techniques relating to that physical aspect. The application of aikido is much broader, however, and extends through all aspects of life. You must treat every encounter as an aikido encounter, look for all potential applications in life, and practice them constantly.
5. Carefully learn the basics of the technique first. Once you have the basics memorized, you can begin to be expressive with the technique, and train more vigorously. Aikido movement is natural and based on the movement of the body, so anything that is unnatural or forced will not work, and may cause injury. If you follow this rule, everyone can train, even the elderly and the young.  
6. Aikido is difficult and takes a long time to learn correctly. As you go through the training process, you undergo emotional development process. You begin to become more earnest and sincere in your daily life. Without this emotional development accompanying the physical training, aikido could be used for bad purposes, so you should never teach a technique to someone who is not undergoing the training.