Re: Using Aikido Principles in Physical Activities
Mark, your mention of the world outside of sport also strikes a chord with me. [/quote] Not just sport, art, business and just about any human endeavour [is aikido].
I've recently been inspired by the simplicity of my current aikido teacher's teachings. Because of this he always leaves me with the impression that what he demonstrates is achievable, and that his years of experience have enabled him to make complex ideas clear. As a result, I have recently been trying to replicate this experience for my own students (learning English as a second language) and am finding it very satisfying. I've become especially interested in the idea that a conversation is another reflection of aikido. Here we have a situation where there is an 'attack' (what, where, when etc) and a response, often followed by a subsequent 'attack' (is it..? Do you..?) which may continue until there is an appropriate resolution. What has fascinated me most so far, is the difficulty students often find in generating the secondary type of (follow up) questions, preferring instead to disconnect from the conversation and begin again with a new question. This typically makes for rather 'jerky' conversation. Ironically, I have now started to pay more attention to my teacher's advice to me in the dojo that I should 'keep the attack.'
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