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Ron Tisdale wrote:
Paul used words such as "sparring", "completely uncooperative uke", and "shiai" (japanese for competition). I don't think it strange that some might think he has a bias toward that format. I also don't think shiai should be a "dirty word" in aikido. But that's just me.
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Why is a 'completely uncooperative uke' a competitive uke? Why is sparring competitive? Neither of those are inherently competitive acts or states. Even a contest can be used as a measure of one's ability rather than as a competitive act. They can be, and they often are, but they don't have to be.
I can be pretty uncooperative as an uke, and competitive, at times
, but at least some of the time when I'm uncooperative it's because what they are doing wouldn't produce the result they think it would. I know that I appreciate that sort of thing, at least some of the time
. You can also spar with someone and use it as a way to expose openings or improve timing.
We tend to paint with a really broad brush when we start using the C-Word and it puts us in a really narrow place regarding what our practice is, or more importantly, isn't.