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Old 12-03-2001, 09:27 AM   #12
Creature_of_the_id
 
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Dojo: Alnwick aikido club (UKAU)
Location: Newcastle, England
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 217
England
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"I've noticed that many of the best people who understand the budo of Aikido, lose interest in testing because it means nothing. Don't get me wrong, it's useful (other debate, don't want to get into it here)."

I agree, my sensei describes this as the "having" and the "being" mentality.
he says that many kyu grades have their belts, they HAVE a green belt etc and look towards changing the colour of their belt, they see it as temporary.
but at shodan and above people become their grade. I AM a black belt, rather than having the belt, in this way people have lost interest in grading.
I have found that many people find it difficult to make the transition between the two mentalities and when they get to shodan they quit because the amount of time between gradings (if at all) becomes much greater. they still have their sights set on the grading and the having, rather than the experiencing and the being.

there are also many people who achieve this during the kyu grades but I think the grading system is there to slowly break people into that concept with larger and larger times between gradings.


but anyway....

Kev
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