View Single Post
Old 09-19-2014, 06:39 AM   #117
phitruong
Dojo: Charlotte Aikikai Agatsu Dojo
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,944
United_States
Offline
Re: Refining my view of aiki

Quote:
Katherine Derbyshire wrote: View Post
I finally figured out what's wrong with this thread.

Every dojo I've ever visited practiced the rowing exercise, irimi-tenkan footwork, and a variety of breathing exercises. Other exercises, too, depending on the dojo.

And yet people are saying that there is no solo training in aikido.

Look closer. Why do you suppose we all do those specific exercises? Are they just warmups, or is there something more interesting going on?

Katherine
i went to seminars with different schools and organizations. although, we do those things similarly, we don't emphasize the same. It's because the old transmission which i mentioned in this post http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=465 .

i remembered attending sessions at Saotome's dojo in FL. we did furitama and he corrected us a few times, explaining that it's not shaking your arms or flexing your leggs, but to "move inside" while pointing at his hara. and how many times have you heard Ikeda sensei said to move your "inside" at his seminars? Saotome sensei told a story of him and O Sensei, who made him do furitama. Saotome sensei was young and wanted to go throwing folks around, so he did furitama but not paying much attention to it. he said O Sensei would yell at him and shown him how to do it right. so Saotome sensei said that it was his duty and obligation to O Sensei that he would pass on the teaching to us. so to say O Sensei didn't teach would be ignoring a lot of information. as i mentioned in my post before, O Sensei was a product of another time and another culture where knowledge transmission was very different. but he also live in a period of change where western education influenced as well. so the old cadre of students ended up with a mixture of eastern and western type of education in term of this time of training. over time, the western education became more dominant. however, the IP training is IHTBF, which worked best with the eastern approach. and it's (IP) not for everyone, just like aikido isn't for everyone. the old teachers knew that, so they only taught to those who had the inclination to it. and this would be true for other arts too.

if one wondered why not all of O Sensei students got the same stuffs, then one can draw some parallel with the current situation in ASU. of all the direct students of Saotome and Ikeda sensei, how many came close to their levels? and why so many variety in levels of those students (i have crossed hands with a few of them)? and the ones with skill level closer to Saotome and Ikeda sensei, how many of them went outside to get it? then you got to ask, why that is? why they couldn't learn that from Saotome and Ikeda sensei?

those thoughts just boggled the mind sometimes.

ps. i didn't get the stuffs from Saotome and Ikeda sensei either. i had to go to outside sources. sort of out sourcing my IP education from some of dark lords of IP sith. i am lost to the dark side. so you can call me Darth Foo (ask Ledyard about the name )

"budo is putting on cold, wet, sweat stained gi with a smile and a snarl" - your truly
http://charlotteaikikai.org
  Reply With Quote