Quote:
James Barros wrote:
My Dojo has classes 2 times a week, but Aikido is in my head all the time. I'm trying to learn to slow down and let my learning happen on the mat, but it's easier said than done.
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That must be very frustrating. When I first started training in martial arts, I was lucky enough to be able to train seven days a week if I wanted to. It was very good to be able to just be a dojo rat and immerse myself in it.
I don't mean to say that your ideas are wrong, or that thinking about this stuff is wrong. I just don't think you have to do it. Is there a connection between maai and extension? Yes? No? Yes and no? Maybe? I don't know, but you don't have to figure it out in order to do it. And I think there is a danger in becoming too invested in a concept that seems internally consistent but whose anchoring in the real world is more tenuous. In one of my favorite books, the Supreme Being says, "They[humans] write books that contradict the rocks, then say that I wrote the books and the rocks are lies." The practice of aikido is the rocks; we can write our books about it, we just need to be careful that our books don't contradict the rocks.
About writing books (or anything): have you tried keeping a journal? I have a practice of writing down what we did in each class after class. I use a blogger client on my smartphone, but the tool isn't important -- the important part is to do it consistently and soon after training. I find that even if I start off thinking there's nothing to say, and I begin with a simple listing of the techniques we did, thoughts and reflections bubble up. Sometimes nothing much is produced, but sometimes I work through something that's been bothering me and make my peace with it, or think of something I need to ask Sensei next time I train...whatever. I recommend keeping a journal if you're not already doing so.