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A while back, years ago,when ...I think I was a gokyu..maybe yonkyu...I was training with a young man, very young. He was training for the first time and was attempting to do shomenuchi ikyo omote waza. While performing the technique, he was preoccupied with inflicting pain, unless he saw me wince, or recoil, he would keep trying to torque my elbow. This was no problem for me on my left side, it never hurt. My right elbow however had been dislocated multiple times as a child, so it had a lot more extension than most, and was more vulnerable.
So when he pinned me, he would push down on the elbow and pull up on the wrist as hard as he could. Twice I pulled back and rolled away. "Please don't torque the pin like that, it isn't necessary. Really, you can pin without inflicting pain."
He just looked really confused, said, 'okay' and did the technique the same way. At that point one of the sempai, a nidan came over and bowed to him to train. The kid looked a little intimidated, but was determined to succeed in performing what he thought was the right way to do the technique.
This nidan, as uke, just slowed his efforts, and softly glided to the ground. Then they switched, and he performed the technique gently, without strength, the kid resisted but it was to no avail. Then sensei called out 'Katate dori nikyo' and they went again, sempai performing softly, slowly, and gently. By this time the kid had worked up a sweat, and was out of breath. Now it was the youngster's turn to be nage. He yanked out, then ('made the z') and tried his best to drop uke in nikyo. It didn't happen. This kid was jumping up and down, really trying. Just then sensei walked by and said "In this case, if he doesn't want you to take him in nikyo, it won't happen. I can't even get him in nikyo if he doesn't want it."
After this, the kid was easier on the less advanced students, avoided that nidan, and looked for the most rough aikidoka to work with.
My guess was that he was trying to work something out. I know he came from a really bad neighborhood, and a very chaotic environment. He didn't stay for long. Maybe he wasn't satisfied with the slow learning process in aikido, maybe that it wasn't hard-core enough for him. I don't know.
Now, when new students try to plow through someone, technique or no, I try to consider that they may know no other way, but it's still no excuse. Now, I try to bow to them and take it slow and easy.
Just a couple weeks ago, I bowed to a young man with a body like a pitbull. We did tae no henko. He tried to dominate with his grasp. I did the technique nice and slow. Still, with the vice-grip he couldn't resist. After a few times he said "Wow, you are much stronger than I would've guessed." I smiled and said "It's not strength, but technique." He was still out of breath in line-up.
03-12-2003 09:31 AM 