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Old 03-29-2007, 06:49 AM   #1
DH
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,394
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Ueshiba on the future of Aikido

As I begin to once again -do- Aikido I wonder.
There is an old adage about the life of a corporation having to renew itself.
1. The company begins with an entrepreneurial spirit and vision
2. It succeeds and sets a new standard
3. It becomes well known and begins to rest on it laurels
4. It struggles to keep up in new burgeoning markets and wonders why the market is no longer looking to it, as it continually looks backwards.
5. It fades against a backdrop of a new company with an entrepreneurial spirit and vision who.......

Ueshiba Morihei was both an internal Artist and a supreme MMA'er of his culture, of his time... his whole life. If we look, he left the traditional arts and went full-bore into MMA.
In his old age showing up at the Kodakan. Aikido against Judo folks!! of an era still talked about today with the then judo “greats.” What on earth was he thinking?
I can only imagine where he would train were he to come back today, say as a thirty year old. I'd venture a guess that Aikido, as it is commonly practiced today would probably not entice him in the least. I say he would be doing MMA.... with internal skills, and perhaps reading the Non-Aikido Martial traditions section of his own arts forums.

I re-read a whole lot these past weeks to help a friends research. Part of it was to reread a series of interviews regrading Ueshiba. Everywhere he was pointing to MMA, Martial research and internal power. THAT....was his AIki way, and he both demonstrably and verbally kept talking about personal Aikido....your Aikido. Never corporate, company aikido. Odd that so many slaved away under him, while -HE- pointed outside of his own "company" and said "They or he or she are doing -real- Aikido!" And then he went to his own corporate Headquarters, walked in the door and shouted "This is not my AIkido!!" and preceded to lecture.
He, as the CEO, was scoffed at then and there. Taken lightly or dissmissed as being a cranky old guy when he boomed!. Today, more so. Maybe the company founder knew exactly what he was talking about and was pointing to the right path all along.

I wonder if George, and Ikeda are not on to something profound by looking outside too. I wonder what following Ueshiba's vision really means to begin with?
Who would Morihei say was doing "real Aikido" today? Place that MMA mindset, and internal training in todays dojo's. Where would that mind be looking and heading toward?
1. He would be in BJJ dojo's, Judo dojo's (as he actually WAS)
2. Sword schools
3. Then solo internal training that was NOT aikido technique based at all.
4. Then bringing in guest instructors from outside arts (as he actually DID) 5. Then back to those dojo's, researching, testing, proving his research.
6. Then back to his own dojo testing, researching proving his work.
Now imagine he's you.
You are the future of Aikido.

Last edited by DH : 03-29-2007 at 07:03 AM.
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