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Old 07-15-2006, 02:19 PM   #40
aikigirl10
Dojo: Aikido of Ashland
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 395
United_States
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Re: Brown Belt Syndrome

Quote:
Lee Salzman wrote:
As a brown belt with about 5 years training, who is a hair's breadth away from giving up on aikido lately (and this from a guy who was until only recently training just about every day of the week):

1. Too much mysticism, too little practical explanation. Whenever I seem to be experiencing problems, the senior student, or perhaps sensei, will just bombard me repeatedly with phrases like: "Use your ki." or "Use your center.", with no further explanation. Bland phrases like that belong on Hallmark greeting cards, not as instruction. The farther I get, the less practical instruction I get, which is increasingly replaced with the equivalent of Zen koans.

2. Doubts about instructors. I see the skill possessed by visiting noteable sensei at the occasional seminar or surprise appearance, and then I see what my instructors are teaching, and in many cases I simply fail to see how what they're teaching could take me to that level, or in other cases, I am starting to become almost certain it won't because the instructors seem to have less commitment to teaching good aikido than I have to learning it. The instructors who can actually inspire me don't seem to be around to teach much.

3. Extreme confusion. I have tried practicing every day of the week for quite a while, even at different dojos to make that happen. But I only get the feeling that I am practicing/experimenting with the wrong things, only more frequently (see #2). No greater understanding appeared as a result. I feel like I lack any proper roadmap of how to get from point A to point B. I have a repetoire of things I have been shown in class, but without any real idea of how to employ them to affect progress (see #1), and many instructors who won't even let me use them in class because they have their own dubious and extremely suspect ideas (see #2).

4. Doubts about the art's method of teaching and imprinting itself in the body. After looking at other arts lately, I am starting to see some of them have a more thoughtful progression and idea of what the student should be learning and when. And it is only by looking at what some of the other arts are teaching and why that I am seeing potential explanations for what's in aikido and why, but stuff I'm not even sure most of the instructors I have available see (see #2).

That's the two cents of a frustrated brown belt.
Well, it seems to me like all of your problems are caused by something a little more obvious. And if you don't mind me saying so i think it's the manner in which you are being taught. In other words, you probably should look for a different dojo. Almost all of those #s refer back to #2 which is "doubts about instructors". That right there should be your first clue.

Even as a struggling brown belt myself, I am able to defend the art of aikido by saying, that aikido is a magnificent martial art and there is very much to be gained by practicing it. I think if you did find another dojo where the instructors were more devoted to teaching you in the correct way, you would be much more satisfied.

Of course, i don't know how your dojo is run, so there isn't alot of input i can give, but just based on how you explained your problem it looks like it all lies with the poor quality of instruction that you are being given.

I hope you work this out.

*Paige*
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