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Old 02-10-2013, 04:17 PM   #55
Travers Hughes
Dojo: Aikikai
Location: Gold Coast
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 33
Australia
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Re: Perhaps the tide is changing.

Quote:
Dan Richards wrote: View Post
Travers, that's an interesting point. It seems that one thing that's changing is people's concept of time. For one, so many are now living more asynchronously. The intersection of time as a specific space is disappearing.

I read an article, perhaps by Dr. John Painter, about Tai Chi. Saying that this idea that it should take 20 years to learn was not even the original intention of Tai Chi, and that people could be trained to be battle ready and use it within six months.

My teacher, Shoji Nishio, would say that the way aikido is often taught simple takes too long. That there are better pedagogical methods that can, could, and should be put into place to allow for a much more rapid advancement of students.

(SNIP)

Why can't we open the windows.

Just some notes, and me thinking out loud. Cheers...
Hi Dan,

Nice post - agree entirely.
I think a couple of your points here reinforce what I am at a crossroads with my aikido now (and appear to be what Chris was mentioning from the OP - apologies if I'm wrong) :

I think that a lot of how some dojo train new members is almost backwards - learning ukemi first, and then "technique". I'd like to hear from others who have experimented with teaching a first class on say ikkyo prior to learning the ukemi for it.
(Note: Of course I get the importance of ukemi - not saying its not important. I'm trying to put a new members spin on it - if I come in and on the first class I learn how to do something that has practical value in my mind, then I'm more interested that say the other person who comes in and learns how to do a forwards and backward roll).

It almost the difference in TMA and MMA training (broad statement). In aikido, we are learning how to blend and are told that over time we will realise the martial effectiveness (whatever this means). Compare this with an MMA approach - getting in there and having a go at the techniques and over time learning fluidity etc - both get us to the same point, but the MMA approach seems to take less time, which is probably why this approach is more popular these days.

I particularly enjoyed your comment about "opening the windows" - how much of this is a result of us shutting the windows in the first place? (not just in class tiems etc, but also in how we teach / learn).

Thanks for your post.
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