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Old 10-15-2012, 10:04 AM   #49
mathewjgano
 
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Dojo: Tsubaki Kannagara Jinja Aikidojo; Himeji Shodokan Dojo
Location: Renton
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Re: Aiki vs useless waza ?

Quote:
Lee Price wrote: View Post
Hya Matthew

Probably bad wording on my part there..sorry.
What I mean to say is that although a lot is possible with err "aiki", if we are practising "aikido" then it may be better to maintain key fundamentals such as basic waza as practised by everyone too.
I can often do away with waza altogether and take people out, as can others...but it becomes formless, fluid and is not recognised as the aikido we know....and some people do get upset ^^
Some only do kata etc that leads to a certain development but they lack a lot/true aiki...and when they don't have good basic technique..well it just feels bad to be honest.
People with some development can easily forget the huge work it takes though and what is involved...'todays a new day and I'm king' can result if people aren't careful. It's difficult to generalize though as there are so many levels and most people don't/haven't met.
But in the end people can and have had a good time...entirely suitably in todays day and age just practising waza and doing it well. Its not a bad thing imho and can be enough for a lot. Not many will be standing on the battlefield eh ^^
There's something for everyone... but if you don't have good anything..then well that's not so good ^^

Lee
p.s. what I should say about kata etc is that it's good for those that practise a lot...some university students here in Japan that do that are really good..especially the girls. Most are once a week, tired company guys and that just doesn't work very well imho
Hi Lee,
Thank you for the clarification! I doubt you used bad wording...when I get on AikiWeb my brain tends to over think things and sometimes very obvious things just fly right past me. I think I understand your meaning better now though.

When I first trained in Aikido I noticed the fluidity of my movements got a lot better when I started doing solo kata. Now, I'm returning to my training in a more serious way, but I only train about once a week. To augment this I'm practicing solo kata each evening at home. For me right now, still having a very low level of understanding of things, the kata form of practice is a way of exploring how my body feels in different movements and stances, which makes me think of what was said about waza being a paried way of testing the roots of aiki. It does seem to help when I find myself on the mat, but without the checks from people who know better than me I do find myself practicing some bad habits.
...All part of the process I reckon...and it is a fun and frustrating process!
Thanks again!
Take care,
Matt

Gambarimashyo!
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