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Allen Beebe wrote:
....This was a follow up for two of our guys that attended the recent California seminar and it was the first time to meet and learn from Dan for a few others and me.
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Hey there bud
Well actually more like four if you include Jeremy and Steve.I know they're not your group, but they were part of my goal of supporting previous attendees in their progress.
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First off, it should be pretty clear that Dan isn't in this for fame or fortune because we have neither to offer. Secondly, yeah, we all got our prides punched, thrown, and verbally prodded. That wasn't the remarkable thing for us though. That's just the normal way of show'n love around here and Dan has a LOT of love to share ;-) The remarkable thing for us was the degree to which he was obviously and continuously focused on sharing that love and wouldn't be satisfied until he began to see a return on his, and our, investment.
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Well wait up. Don't sell yourself short. Trust me. I would not have offered that to just anyone.
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That focus and desire, it strikes me, is evidenced by the recent exchanges here on Aiki Web. I don't recall ever reading a critical review of a seminar; much less one where the instructor publicly welcomes feedback, apologizes for any misunderstandings, and suggests a continuance of communication and interaction for the sake of clarification and understanding. If this were to become the norm for instructional seminars, it would, I believe, significantly change Aikido for the better.
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Oh I cannot TELL you the coments I am getting from other teachers; texts, emails, phone calls...oy!
The most common "Can you imagine if people wrote what they really thought about attending some of the big guns seminars...and what they did and didn't get out of them." We certainly know what they say in private.
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Perhaps I will improve, and discover whole new vistas in which I can suck further. I hope so.
...I have hope, and that hope is supported by the fact of progress made in a short period of time (just a weekend) and by someone that cares enough to cross the country and back so that we "get it."
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Well remember, this is not new for me, I have been teaching people for a very long time and producing actuall results. No one who
actually does the work... does not
actually improve
IF you continue to see me you will continue to improve. We will both draw it out of you..guaranteed.
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....to my mind, without the human element, without relationship, all the rest is of no value at all.
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Funny to hear you bring that up. While it gets poo pooed here everytime it is brought up, almost like it's a swear...it is amazing me to how many times I keep hearing that issue raised. And mostly from other teachers.
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For the sake of transparency and balance I will say this: Dan made my 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son cry.
They didn't want him to leave.
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Well we all take back memories of seminars. The most enduring for me will not be you guys, will not be your successes or failures..the long talks and so forth...it will be the sound of your little boy calling from the stairs "Da..aan" and enjoying the dinner your daughter prepared for us!
Ellis has a wonderful story, best told by him..of a lovely Aikido teacher who once said to him.
"Ellis you are tough and strong but let me tell you about my budo. When I was sick I had people to look after my things, feed my cat and come to visit me and see me well. Who do you have?" Of course Ellis has plenty of friends too but it stands as a powerful statement that in the end...budo can deliver more than just a better way to fight, in this thing we call life.
Otake, one of worlds finest Koryu experts says
"Budo is about living well."
All the best
Dan