30. Attacker - Defender - Mixed Triplicity of Aikido
See also Entry - Execution - Finish Triplicity of Aikido for more information on Aikido and its Triplicites.
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To begin, the notion of self defense implies there is an attacker, and a victim, or defender. This immediately establishes a dualistic polarity that can be symbolised by the Yin-Yang interrelationships. Using Yin-Yang as a metaphor for various dualities such as softness/hardness, weakness/strength, we can label the attacker as being "yang", due to their higher level of strength, aggressiveness and threat in relation to the defender, who we can label as "yin". (see diagram 1) If we locate the attacker and defender in space, and in relation to each other, we can depict the scenario as two individual protagonists, standing on the ground, facing each other off, and moving towards each other, relatively speaking, in space (see diagram 2). Since both the defender and the attacker are alone, separate and apart, they both form separate entities. |
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The attacker moves in towards the defender to attack, the point where they both meet and come in contact is spatially known as the "middle ground". The engagement creates a new entity, that of two individuals now struggling with each other. (see diagram 3) Their forces are coming in contact with each other. If we observe the two protagonists from a distance, now as a single entity, we can define this new entity as being a mixture in equal parts of the two separate entities that were previously standing in opposition to each other. This can thus be represented by the circle that is half black, and half white. (Diagram 4) Harking back to the famous Yin-Yang symbol, or "Tai Ji Tu", we can see how the twirling of the black and white halves into the teardrop shapes, which give us the now familiar symbol, is intended to represent this very intermixing of opposing forces.(diagram 5). |
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We substitute the black and white circles for the geometrical elements of Triplex Unity Theory, using the triangle to represent the defender, the square to represent the attacker, and the circle to represent the two coming together. In this Triplicity, it is not necessarily important that the Yin is represented by triangle and the Yang by the square, what is more important is the relationships of the two opposite elements of the triplicity to each other, and how they move to form the third element, in the centre. |
 Diagram 6. Attackers and Defenders Roles represented by Triangle, Circle and Square. |
The circle represents the point of contact, and at this point the strong, aggressive attacking energies of the attacker meet the soft, defensive energies of the defender. The defender will then execute various movements with their body to avoid, neutralise and subdue the attacker. To do this, the defender must feel the force of the attacker. This is why it is said the energies meet.
So what we end up seeing in this diagram is a Geometry that shows two opposing elements coming together and meeting mid way, forming a third element which could be seen as a mixture of the other two elements. The two opposing entities converge on a point that is spatially between them both, so it thus termed an Inwardly Converging Geometry. The Geometry is depicting, spatially, a process whereby two forces, one purely aggressive, the other purely defensive, come together in conflict, forming a third force which is a mixture of both aggressive and defensive force. There is a kind of balance at work in the centre, where the defensive force is attempting to balance the aggressive force.
With the use of the "Inwardly Converging Geometry" in any area of study when reducing systems of information to Triplicities, we can refer to the Attacker-Defender scenario as a symbolic representation of how two opposing forces come together, mix, and form something new. It can be shown horizontally as in this article, or vertically as in the Basic Principles section, depending upon the nature of the information system that the Geometry may be being applied to. Either is acceptable.