Quote:
Jackie Adams wrote:
Hello Mr. Li,
The Founder had an uncharitable and hospitable teacher, who by all standards was an ineffective teacher. He was someone who wasn't effective at all in teaching. For example, he offered no explanation when demonstrating a technique once. Also unlike the Founder, he was not committed to teaching. He didn't pen any books for his students. He didn't have a dojo, traveling and periodically teaching on an infrequent base though out Japan. Instruction was limited and in frequent with large gaps of time between sessions. Yet, the Founder was a bright student, with a good work ethic and determination, who could figure things out on his own.
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Jackie:
I think that the bulk of the historical work that is out there does not concur with your position. I would suggest that you read Stanley Pranin's works regarding the interviews with Daito-ryu and Aikido teachers. O'Sensei modified what he learned from Sokaku Takeda. He did not figure things out on his own and became enlightened after learning directly from Takeda.
Teachers are frequently assessed by their ability to transfer information. This ability is typically assessed by the degree to which their students can demonstrate the knowledge/abilities/information learned. Using that as a measure, O'Sensei did not have good teaching abilities. His own students frequently commented on how difficult it was to learn from him. This pattern appeared to be made worse by a significantly lessened involvement in teaching Aikido after WWII. He appeared to be following his own unique path and shared what he did when others were around him. This is very different than someone who is simply dedicated to teaching others. In my opinion, you seem to be idolizing O'Sensei.
Marc Abrams