JO

Bassia, I agree with you to a point. Where I disagree is this; if you criticize the ukes of shihan X at a big demo, you are criticizing shihan X. It is safe to assume he has picked his favorite ukes for a big demo and that what they do is a direct reflection of shihan X's training methodology and philosophy. I for one don't feel anyone was unfairly criticizing ukes and leaving shihans off the hook. I mean the ukes in a demo tend to be fairly unknown and any criticism will have shihan X's name tied to it. As in : "Look what shihan X's ukes are doing!"

So David, I assume just as much about a shihan as his ukes/students when I see things I am unimpressed by, it's just that overacting ukes are one of the more visible oddities found in the aikido world, and because of that they attract a lot of comment. You're the one that started a thread about beautiful ukes ruining the art after all.