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Old 06-13-2008, 05:43 PM   #3
Keith Larman
Dojo: AIA, Los Angeles, CA
Location: California
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,604
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Re: Am I turning to the dark side?

As a guy who has been jokingly referred to as Anakin on occasion, I say explore. I've gotten out on the mat with folk doing daito-ryu as well as various other styles. For myself I hope to understand aikido better by better understanding its roots and influences. So I look to the weapons, I look to the originating arts, and I try to understand how what we do today came from those things. People like O-sensei did not develop his skills in one day from nothing. And many of his first generation of deshi themselves have considerable backgrounds prior to devoting themselves to aikido. So I see no reason why one shouldn't expand horizons in order to better understand what we do now.

YMMV, but I say explore and keep an open mind.

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