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Old 11-23-2012, 04:03 PM   #95
ChrisHein
 
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Dojo: Aikido of Fresno
Location: Fresno , CA
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Re: Is aiki a clash of forces?

Quote:
Dan Harden wrote: View Post
Hi Chris
Were you to have actually studied internal training -instead of studying the internal arts- you would be abe to answer those questions. Anyone who has...could.
The problem here is, this isn't a true statement. While you are correct that anyone who hasn't done what you call internal training, should know your answers. People who haven't done what you do wouldn't know your answers for those questions.

In order to talk about something we must find common ground. That's what I'm seeking to do. If you're not interested in finding common ground, that's fine, but then we don't need to say anything further to each other.

Quote:

Sadly ten, or even twenty years of training in...the internal arts in China...is about equal to training aikido in Japan for twenty years and thinking you are an expert in.....aiki. There simply is no promise that attendance meant expertise. In both cases you're pretty much going to end up just learning ...jujutsu. Sort of like..."an athlete." Which is why some people think athletes have internal power.
It is worth considering one Chinese grandmaster admitting that...
"There are only Chinese Grandmasters."
Who are they teaching...what?
I watched a Japanese teacher specifically and in detail NOT teach entire rooms what he taught others in private.
Anyway...
There is a kind of cultural hang up here that I'm not comfortable discussing.

Quote:
"relaxing your physical structure so that you have nothing unnecessary (unnecessary tension in the legs, shoulders hips etc) working to support your structure.".....is a bogus admonition offered by so many teachers it has become a standard. It is as useless for gaining a bujutsu body as teachers telling us to "cut from center," or "move your insides." All of which is non-descriptive, unsupported and has no specific value to what relaxing is. You might as well just go to sleep. That's relaxing as well.
I disagree. When standing, only a few muscles need to be working in order to hold the body up. When we get stressed out, we tend to contract unnecessary muscle groups. For example, when someone clinches their fists when they get worried. This is an example of unnecessary tension in the body. When you are flexing your quads when they can relax, or your deltoids when standing upright has nothing to do with these muscle groups. Any time there is unnecessary tension in the body it leads to the body being "out of balance". I think that description is a good one, but I'd be willing to entertain other ones as well.

Quote:
"I wouldn't describe that in the way you do. Can you explain how the duel opposing spirals are used, and what"
I have many times. I have also been told I was full of crap, a snakeoil salesman, a fraud, a con man, marketing expert, and any manner of insult you can possibly think of for trying to show and tell everyone what the old man was really doing. Including jokes thrown my way of
"How do you drive a car..."
"Dual opposing spirals creating shear"...blah blah blah...hah hah hah.
Then....
Chris Li discovers Ueshiba's previously untranslated statement all but quoting me 50 years ago stating that "The mysteries of aiki are revealed in dual opposing spirals....." detail left out
How in the Fecking world...did that happen________________?
Because it is an actual teaching model he was taught and I was taught- that's how.
My response I guess is
"Why am I taking heat...for a teaching that was known..when you guys are the aikido experts?
Why the hell don't you guys know this already?
And why
Why
Do you continually fail when touching someone who uses Ueshiba's detailed models?
Why?
Dan, to use a recent quote "All of which is non-descriptive, unsupported and has no specific value." If you don't want to answer the question that's fine.

Quote:
I think I will leave the debates for one-on-one encounters.
Oh, sorry, that's all you had to say. But then why post on Aikiweb in threads where people are discussing things?

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