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Robert Rumpf wrote:
A lot of heartache that I've had in Aikido class in the past has been cured by the idea that I should figure out what an instructor (or sempai, or kohai) is trying to say (or do) instead of taking it at face value.
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Good ideas, Rob. I got pretty frustrated with this idea of "kokyu force" when I was doing pretty comprehensive Aikido practice because few instructors knew much about it, some knew bits, some had some skills but wouldn't even talk about it, etc. This carries over into other arts as well.
Even though Ushiro Sensei obviously knows his Kokyu (I'm saying this from the little while I observed him in Glenwood Springs recently at the Aikido Summer Camp in the Rockies), his take on it involves variations and focuses. As I mentioned, in Aikido, there are variations and permutations, but the core is the same. The core in Ushiro's power is the same... but his take on it and his emphases, complexities, etc., are somewhat different. What it boils down to (other than just the difficulty in getting information) is the problem of finding a roughly singular source on how to do these things. As an art disseminates, changes creep in and it's difficult to put your finger back on the "original Aikido" or art of choice. It gets back, once again, to understanding the core principles, not just following any one teacher, I think. Of course, that's only an opinion.
Regards,
Mike Sigman