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Jon Reading wrote:
First, I think there are many aikido people who share your perspective about training in the dojo. As a point of [rhetorical] dialog, why do you have this notion that training is in the dojo?
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I think this has more to do with wording. I "train" in aikido at the dojo. There is a protocol to follow while "training" in aikido at the dojo: wear a gi (uniform) with the obi (belt), bow in, say certain phrases, bow out, etc. It is quite rigid, fixed, traditional, and not flexible. I choose to incorporate certain aspects of aikido that I find useful into my life, but I do not focus or pay attention to all the individual aikido aspects outside of "training".
My movements are more simply about living my life the way I'd like to. If I happen to "tenkan" to move out of the runner's way on the sidewalk, then I have avoided a collision. I do not think of that as training at all. I guess you could in a way think of it as beyond training, and just living parts of it. You may think of the runner as a training partner, or perhaps a dog, a wasp, a bird, a rock, or branch that just happens to be coming towards me, but regardless, I will most likely "tenkan".
If we're using a baseball analogy, I am equally interested in catching the baseball as well as the environment and the person throwing the baseball to me: i.e. I get to spend time with that person, is that person a friend/family member/stranger/acquaintance? I am not solely focused on just the baseball, there is much more to it than just the baseball, like the air movements/wind, grassy grounds or hard solid ground, other onlookers, etc.
I disagree with you for once; catching a baseball is very different from running the stairs, or lifting in the gym, or nutrition. Based on your answers, your focus is clearly on your own personal development and individual actions, which is great; it's just not my focus. My focus is less about myself because I really like interacting with other things and/or people. The baseball is moving towards or away from me so I can redirect its movement. The stairs do not move, but I run up and down the stairs. I'd much more likely to be lifting at the gym if I had a buddy with me, and nutrition is not just for myself, but for taking care of my family's health too (what i cook affects what they eat too!). If I lifted solo, it'll be for a very short time interval, and you wouldn't see me at the gym solo again afterwards.
I am already well aware of how aikido affects me and is not something I'd like to share publicly on the net, but the aftereffects are generally quite overwhelmingly positive for me.
Taiso can be so rough, and I'm generally not as interested in a hardened/conditioned body. Do 30 minutes of breakfalls with koshinage practice and that's way more than enough for me for a few days. It is useful for sure, but long-term it is not for me. Yes I'm sure there are taiso exercises in aikido that we can do off the mat. I can instantly think of resistance training, but again, I have no interest in solo training of any sort solely for myself anymore.
I think you are getting at a more generalized ("abstract") idea of applying aiki to everything else (outside of the dojo).
Quote:
Jon Reading wrote:
When I played sports, there was always a metric to tell you where you perform compared to others.
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I have absolutely zero interest in comparing myself to others. I simply don't care enough to pay attention to that. You are likely way more fit and athletic than myself, and I accept that. Aikido somewhat has a way to compare yourself to others, and that is the ranking system (i.e. 6th kyu, 1st kyu, 1st dan, 3rd dan, 5th dan, etc.)
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Jon Reading wrote:
As a hobbyist, where do we sit in our culture? Is aikido important enough that it spurs you to live a healthy lifestyle? What about getting fit? What about learning about the philosophy of Oomoto Kyo (or Shinto)? What about learning about Daito ryu and the sister arts?
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This is where individual personal values start to differ. As a hobbyist, I chose to be in aikido for fun. Yes it's a martial art, and yes there are others who are more serious about it than me, but I go at my own pace. I chose aikido to continue a particular healthy lifestyle and to stay somewhat fit. I could have chosen many other things to do but aikido in particular suits my philosophical ideals best. Also, for me personally, there are some very good people in our group that I want to continue interacting with.
I have no interest in Oomoto Kyo or Shinto; it is too abstract for me. I do respect the religions, the people who practice them, and the kami and spirits, but I have no need or desire to follow them.
Daito ryu and the sister arts..... hm.... I may consider aiki jujutsu in the future.
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Jon Reading wrote:
In every movie I ever saw of Chuck Norris, he never stretched prior to fighting the bad guys. Not a single time. If you ever have to fight, you will never have the opportunity to stretch and prepare yourself for spontaneous martial movement (kinda ruins the spontaneous thing). We have had a dumpster fire of a year to sit back and think about these things while our dojos have closed, our friends have lost interest in training, and we have to come to terms with what we are gonna do next.
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I've sadly never seen a movie with Chuck Norris in it, so I can't comment on that. Hopefully I will never have to fight for real, otherwise my back might blowout.
I'd be more than happy to return to aikido "training", or even just casual/spontaneous practice. As for what we will do next, I will try to find good people to play/practice/"train" with when the rules loosen up, casually or formally or hardcore seriously. If I can't, then I will have to very unfortunately move on with the modern world and find something else to do with other good people. That is my "aiki way".