Quote:
Bill Danosky wrote:
My belief is that the mental constructs merely inform our physical training. Take Tai Chi as an example, when they envision smoke or fog moving through their body and into the ground.
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No different from visualization in aikido and equally useful and yes it DOES "merely" inform our physical training. It also, in any art, has its limits as I've noted in that it is still up to the individual to figure out how to translate the construct into a physical action.
Quote:
Bill Danosky wrote:
People have said moving in six directions has to precede some physical movement. That would just have to slow down reaction time.
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Difference between learning and having it integrated. If I am learning Spanish I have a slowed reaction time when formulating a reply to my patient's question. Once I'm more fluent, my answer just pops out, no delay. Same in martial arts or anything.
Quote:
Bill Danosky wrote:
When I am executing waza, I know where uke's center is. I can feel it. Ukes don't outrun my ikka jo. They float in Shiho Nage. I'm not bragging- I'm just saying those effects are available through other training methods.
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Bill, I wouldn't disbelieve you. I agree there are many paths to the same set of abilities. I have felt what I consider to be my own goal, "devastating softness", from a few different people, in and out of aikido, and within aikido, from different backgrounds/styles.
My own personal take on it is that for some people in aikido, myself included, it seems developing the skill set they/we want, which is not explicitly technique-based, is not being taught consistently in many mainstream dojos and we have found a variety of alternate models that for us work well alongside our aikido. In addition to the folks mentioned in various threads here, I've picked up morsels of specific tips or exercises from brief encounters with folks in koryu arts, Systema and yes some mainstream aikido dojo too
then again I'm pretty much an aiki-mutt.