Thanks for the reply, Mark!
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Mark Murray wrote:
How many of Ueshiba's students had some very good foundations in jujutsu/judo of some sort? And yet, when they met Ueshiba, they were undone - completely.
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I don't doubt it plays a huge factor. All other things being more or less equal, understanding of aiki should give a very decisive advantage. I'm just saying I look forward to a litmus test of sorts I will pretty much have to enjoy vicariously. I have a lot of faith in aiki as a powerful and dynamic skill set...something that would give a little guy an advantage over much bigger people.
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If you knew that the current practice of funakogi undo didn't train aiki in the least bit, then how does that make it valid in an art with the name of aikido?
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I don't know that, but assuming it necessarily didn't, i would just think it was a valid way to warm up. If aiki is as ultimately "formless" as I think I've been told it is, then the whole variety of these rowing practices should at least be
able to serve as a vehicle for learning "it," right? Maybe a better question would be: why then did O Sensei ever practice a rowing exercise? Because it does absolutely nothing at developing aiki? Seems counter-intuitive for the way of aiki.