Tohei is the head instructor of the Shin Shin Toitsu style of Aikido, this passage is from his blog:

"I teach students to “train in earnest” even though they may get physically tense at the beginning. Subsequently I teach them how to “relax”. For those who are already training in earnest, such as top athletes, I teach “relaxing” from the beginning and they get the point. The way of teaching differs depending on the students.

The other misunderstanding is the idea that “physical power itself” is bad. We use some physical power when just sitting. We cannot even sit without any physical power. The greater power we have, the heavier the objects we can move. What is bad is not the “physical power”, but the “tension”. If we have tension in our body, we will lose the state of mind and body unification, posture will become unstable, and as a result we will not be able to move our body in the ways that we want.

For engaging in sports, it is necessary to train the muscles required to perform each kind of sport and to have greater physical power. However, adding extra power in each motion beyond what is necessary to complete the movement is not needed. In such a case, “relaxing” should be learned."

Thanks!

Very much like Rickson, "...no strength, if there was no strength there would be nothing."

Im not surprised that i agree with the master. Us masters think alike after all.