Re: Golden Center Aikido for your pleasure
 

He was indeed very dynamic. Very friendly, humble man with a bite :D

Re: Golden Center Aikido for your pleasure
 

Hello Nail
Before I begin, I would like to address this;
Who is giving A's here or anywhere? If you treat people with respect you can be constructive without being derogatory.
To be clear, Graham has participated in calling me a fraud, a snake oil salesman and con man. He has also told senior budoka they don't understand aikido. Can you point me to where you have corrected Graham on his comments? Where you have commented on the nature of them? I see this knee jerk defense- lacking equal treatment- by respondants over and over.

Budo
We agree on what Budo says.
We do not agree on what Budo does.
We could review the creation of a Morihei Ueshiba myth created partly in fact, part in obfuscation of fact and part made up out of whole cloth; that attempted to erase distinctly un-kami like behavior and action, then the attempts to silence all who called them on it that followed. I don't think the behavior exhibited, expressed the moral standard called for.
We could review modern actions being taken to circle the wagons, and the way they have treated their dues paying hopeful "shihans in waiting" who are being swept aside due to political affiliation. Or Koryu who still favor Japanese adepts over foreigners. Or cross the shore to review how their Chinese counter parts are openly teaching and openly keeping the real skills out of the hands of foreigners.
Anyone who thinks that budo is an open umbrella that treats everyone as an equal has not only drunk the Kool-Aid; they are crunching on the dry powder hoping for water.
This modern attempt is a rehash of an earlier Tokugawa attempt at creating an image of the warrior Bushi as refined men of letters. The pen and the Sword. It was an artifice, mostly meant as an attempt to occupy the time of bored warriors and keep them out of trouble. I have no problem with that. Yet to be clear, it was a self-correcting model; as in a time of war, not everyone received an "A." Those who could not walk the talk were simply done away with. Then, as now, there were treatises given on bushi code and the ways of the warrior that went from the practical, to romanticized versions of the warrior life, to pieces that soared to heights of utter nonsense on bushi life. Fortunately for them, there were hundreds of years of peace so we saw a gradual Edo-fying of the warrior arts.

It is no small wonder that various upstarts continued to appear (as if by some cosmic order to seek balance), to remind people of a requirement for delivery. It's also no small wonder that it continues today. These wannabe's that were treading on dangerous ice when they tried to borrow budo's reputation of competency...unearned, continue to be put to the test when they make undeserved claims of effectiveness. It has always been this way. Budo by its very nature demands competence; not just in theory, but in practice and delivery.

The softer styles ruining the reputation of aikido?? I never said that…you said I said that.
I suspect we totally disagree on what soft aikido is, and what soft budo is. Soft aikido should be the most effective and damaging aikido there is. In fact Aiki-do means, by definition to be soft. From what I see and feel in person- most of you have it wrong. And the difference between me and some of the recent posters here, is that I continue to discuss these things in person; standing in rooms with your teachers unaided by my own cooperative ukes. Yet, I have had shihan after shihan who stand in front of me and later basically agree to that very thing; that they think most in the art have missed what soft really means. It happened to me again….yesterday. I see no reason to apologize for knowing and for showing that, and helping teachers correct it. In person it is building a new community, within the community that is comprised of respect, friendship and sharing.
Many videos posted here of soft aikido are simply not soft as would defined by any cultures understanding. They are a corruption. For thousands of years....soft.... killed or controlled. It had a defined meaning and actually worked.
Takeda killed and controlled and accepted challenges to his theories
Sagawa could not be touched and accepted challenges to his theories
Ueshiba could not be moved and defeated all comers and accepted challenges to his theories
Tohei could not be thrown and accepted challenges to his theories
There are many excellent examples of Chinese artists who display soft…as powerfully effective handling of real resistance.
Many of these modern attempts seek to borrow on the hard earned, painfully learned; skills of those who truly understood what "soft" actually meant and still does today. I am not surprised when I hear the objections of those who want to borrow on that reputation for what they do. They need to. For they themselves possess nothing that could ever create that reputation for themselves.
Nothing has really changed;
There are people here who deliver in every context. They are truly capable. They teach in open rooms, and like their predecessors have stress tested their theories.
The words, actions, videos, and advice of those who haven't a clue, echo in empty halls, occasionally visited by directionless souls who've lost their way. In Budo, not everyone gets an "A." Not everyone deserves one. I would only add that once we refuse critical review and the demands of effective results, we stagnate.

It should be noted that Shihan (many of whom are well known here)-including friends of Doshu-are pursuing this direction. I suspect that in time, those who had attempted to re-define what "Soft aikido" was are going to be sidelined into practicing in out of the way places among themselves or with newbies. They won't be able to deliver in front of an educated audience.
What soft actually means is being applauded and welcomed as a positive-even necessary move for the art, and is building and growing in Dojo's all over the world.

Dan

Re: Golden Center Aikido for your pleasure
 

Dan. To be clear I have neither called you a fraud, a snake oil salesman or a conman.

Regards.G.