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Old 02-02-2007, 06:44 PM   #345
Erick Mead
 
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Dojo: Big Green Drum (W. Florida Aikikai)
Location: West Florida
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,619
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Re: Baseline skillset

Quote:
Mike Sigman wrote:
Hmmmm.... how many people do you envision in this group that you've banished across the road, Erick?
I didn't suggest any sort of fence. It was a voluntary migration all around.

I simply point out that the thing you are looking for outside of aikido (and for whatever reason you did not find it here) -- is in fact -- also here. Sanchin is merely the nmost recent example of things you keep saying we're missing, that I end up showing you are actually here in the traditional modes, and in the physcial action that thesearts do share. You just missed out on finding it here, and therefore looked elsewhere -- perhaps not unreasonably, given your experience -- but perhaps judging the situation a bit unfairly, if your experience was not necessarily representative.

If you read Ushiro's comments for the summer camp in conjunction wiht those of Ikeda and Doran you will see that it represents a coming together and recognition of mutual need to deal with trends (institutional entropy essentially) in these arts toward their respective poles of emphasis, whereas their common ground is the root from which they all spring. I don't deny that there is that common ground. I just don't see any evidence there is anything wrong or deficient with aikido. There may be a lot wrong or defeicient with various people's aikido. And the rest of us should not be so parochial as to reject other experiences out of hand. But that does not mean we accept just anything uncritically as being appropriate to aikido training either
Quote:
Mike Sigman wrote:
You realize that the number of people who understand the ki/kokyu/jin/etc paradigm is not just one or two readers of this list, don't you? Your views are quite a bit more singular and unique than those of the people you're figuratively banishing.
I willl admit that I seem to be alone here in seeking a comprehensive mechnical description of the physical actions involved in aikido. A fact which I continue to find quite astonishing, actually. There certainly must be people in aikido with mechanical backgrounds deeper than mine who ought to be able to do better. That none have come to light in my research or turned up as referecnes from any of the people contesting (legitimately) technical points I have made here is nothing short of shocking to me.

This effort I see as part of what Doran Sensei and Ikeda Sensei are talking about. Points of view that take us away from preoccupation with airy metaphor (which I love as much as the next guy) and get some concrete description and rigorous physicality into the mix of understanding.

Cordially,

Erick Mead
一隻狗可久里馬房但他也不是馬的.
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