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-   -   Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)? (http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7212)

AikiWeb System 12-26-2004 12:30 AM

Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
AikiWeb Poll for the week of December 26, 2004:

Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
  • I don't do aikido
  • Yes
  • No
Here are the current results.

DaveO 12-26-2004 03:31 PM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
Good question.
Ours would; I think; though it wouldn't nearly be as fun a place as it is.
We'd be able to muddle through until someone else capable (and of the appropriate rank) came along; though at the moment there's no-one else immediately available (rank wise) to step into the breach. :)

MaryKaye 12-27-2004 12:49 AM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
I know we could, because we are....(health issues).

We have a strong "learning to teach" emphasis so there are a lot of people who can teach at various levels--that hasn't been a big problem. Strategic decision-making is a much bigger one. It's tempting to put decisions off but that only works for so long.

I think it helps a lot if responsibility is already shared before the crisis hits; if an organization is run by one person, his/her absence is likely to destroy it. If an organization plans to last a long time it's important to have at least two people (ideally more) who can carry out any given task--do the budget, pay the taxes/bills/rent, plan the schedule, set the syllabus, whatever.

Mary Kaye

PeterR 12-27-2004 12:54 AM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)
 
For Honbu no problem. A strong core and a coveted position.

For my group - that depends on Honbu.

Don't want either to happen.

Neil Mick 12-27-2004 05:27 PM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
It would be a different place without Sensei; but yes--I believe the dojo would carry on, in her absence.

seank 12-27-2004 06:00 PM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
I hope so. We are facing losing our chief instructor at present (he has decided to move on to other things (and inter-state)). Our Sempai is working hard to prepare for the inevitable hole this will leave, but it will still be a lot of work for everyone.

I do think that a change like this tests the mettle of the dojo and the quality of the students; it is by everyone accepting responsibility that I believe we have a good chance of continuing and surviving.

Qatana 12-27-2004 07:42 PM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure that those of us who have chosen our dojo did so because we chose Sensei., not a location or a pedigree- the other sensei in this town has exactly the same lineage.

SeiserL 12-28-2004 08:30 AM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
Phong Sensei (Tenshinkai Aikido) would be an impossible act to follow. To honor him, many of us would so our best. It would not be the same.

Charles Hill 12-28-2004 09:31 AM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
I think that this is a difference between most Japanese and American dojo. (I don't know about other countries.) In my experience, every Japanese dojo is strongly centered around a specific individual. We don't study Aikido, we (ideally) study the instructor. In contrast, in the States, I often hear things like, students should learn from a variety of sources, go to other dojo and seminars and come back and share what you learned, you have to discover "your" Aikido, etc. I think that this is a huge difference that doesn't get a lot of attention. In my dojo, the answer is a 100% no.

Charles Hill

BC 12-28-2004 11:45 AM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)
 
Quote:

AikiWeb System wrote:
AikiWeb Poll for the week of December 26, 2004:

Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?

Mine has

Bronson 12-28-2004 02:02 PM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
If we lost both senior instructors at my sensei's dojo I think it would struggle for a while but eventually fold. One or two of the senior students might start their own clubs/classes but those would be their own entities.

If I was no longer available to teach at the dojo I'm at I have no doubt it would continue in some fashion.

Bronson

MaryKaye 12-28-2004 06:02 PM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
I come from definitely an "American-style" dojo in that regard. For my first year I wondered if I was anyone's student in particular. Then I visited another school of our style; they looked at me and said "You're Grigsby sensei's student!" and I decided that was probably true.... No idea what they were looking at, though.

Mary Kaye

Lan Powers 12-28-2004 06:51 PM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)?
 
>If we lost both senior instructors at my sensei's dojo I think it would struggle for a while but eventually fold<
Pretty much the same thoughts here. It would stagger, and eventually stop (in it's current incarnation)
but the "core" folk would still train somewhere .
I would hate to see that.
Lan

PeterR 12-28-2004 07:22 PM

Re: Poll: Do you think your aikido dojo would survive without its chief instructor(s)
 
Quote:

Charles Hill wrote:
I think that this is a difference between most Japanese and American dojo. (I don't know about other countries.) In my experience, every Japanese dojo is strongly centered around a specific individual. We don't study Aikido, we (ideally) study the instructor. In contrast, in the States, I often hear things like, students should learn from a variety of sources, go to other dojo and seminars and come back and share what you learned, you have to discover "your" Aikido, etc. I think that this is a huge difference that doesn't get a lot of attention. In my dojo, the answer is a 100% no.
Charles Hill

Hi Charles - very good point about the difference. However, numerous examples of a student or group of students taking the place of a dead sensei in Japan. Often, with advancing old age, there is an effort to designate successor.


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