Quote:
Tom Verhoeven wrote:
First time I saw Aiki was in a game my father showed me. Then I saw it in handball and in football. I found it in nature. And in working with animals. I found it in western boxing, fencing and in kempo. I saw it in Aiki weapons. But it took a long time before I saw anyone do Aiki in Aikido !
All the best!
Tom
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I am happy for you that you
think you see aiki everywhere. When and if I ever see
"aiki in weapons" in aikido I will be the first to say where and with who. All I ever see is
aikido movement with a weapon in their hand.
This isn't play time in the sand box. There is a very real truth here. When it comes to weapons; sword, spear, twin sticks and knives...things get very real and very defined and it is over very quickly.
I continue to take accomplished budoka (some who are weapons experts) apart...with aiki. So far as I have seen and felt; expert level teachers have never truly felt aiki in a weapon and really do not know what the hell they are talking about in using the term, student level budoka are only demonstrating incredible ignorance in entering into a conversation about it and only embarrass themselves in person.
As one of your Shihan said to a couple of us in an open room
"I don't get it.
If I cut first...I'm dead.
If you cut first...I'm dead
If we meet...I'm dead.
What do I do?"
My buddy said
"Die well."
I don't have much patience for B.S., hand holding of sensitive feelings, and sugar coating very real and repeatable results. The truth continues to stare your teachers in the face as they stand all but defenseless and get cut down.
The only thing left for Aikido teachers to do is to actually learn power and aiki so that you do know what you're talking about. That's it and that's all.
Keep in mind a closed meeting of Shihan that took place in Japan with Doshu. A shihan stood up and said
"We have to stop demonstrating weapons in public in Japan. There are educated budoka watching and they are laughing at us."
Another shihan privately thanked him for having the courage to finally say it.
And nothing changed. And consider what he said ...as I repeat that
nothing has changed.
Dan