Stephen Nichol

This also rings true for me.

When I first started over many years ago in another style there was the core techniques and then the many variations of them that I started to see were very numerous in total. The differences were slight in some cases and rather large in others... but at that time I was thinking about how cool it will be learn all of these variations.

My life situation changed and I had to stop training there... skip ahead over a decade later and I found my current teacher in Iwama style and I was immediately aware that there was just a few techniques taught over and over with only a slight emphasis on variations. The idea being to drill home the principles within a narrow context of a few techniques and how to demonstrate the principles through the variations should you find your situation changing during a technique and therefor you do not get stuck 'trying to make it work'.

After a few years of study now I am more interested in developing this principles further.. solid foundation through all movement while being able to break the foundation of Uke before contact (by correct movement just before it) or on contact should I not be successful before contact. These are the only two things I focus on now.

Movement and shape. Correct 'shape' in myself and correct movement leads to technique.

Generally when I get those two correct I still have to pause and ask Sensei: "OK, I am here now... and Uke is off balance.. how does that technique actually go?"

And if I did not get Uke off balance on contact/entry into 'the technique'... well, the technique hardly matters at all then does it?