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Old 07-30-2011, 02:26 PM   #11
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
England
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Re: Why the extended fingers in Aikido postures

Quote:
Mike Sigman wrote: View Post
Well, I did do Aikido for 7+ years, so that doesn't make me "non-Aikido", does it? Applying "non-Aikido" to me is simply more of the same attempts at trivialization that were rampant some years back. Interestingly enough, a number of the people who attempted to trivialize me (and others) are now learning what they can about internal strength skills. Some of the people learning these basic skills (to Aikido) are purportedly Shihans.... is a "Shihan" who is just learning basic ki/kokyu movement skills really a Shihan? If he is now just learning these skills, then was what he was doing actually Aikido, before? I could make a good, logical argument that the Aikido I learned for the 7+ years was really only waza and therefore was not real Aikido, so calling me "non-Aikido" could be accurate after all.

Confusing, ain't it? If the basis of Aikido is the ki skills (kokyu, etc.) then someone who has no ki skills or understanding of them would be "non-Aikido" and they shouldn't try to comment about an art that they don't really understand. Could that be you? Don't you love conundrums? True, and as I showed above, it cuts both ways, too. The term "non-Aikido", I would argue (as I did above) applies more to you than to me, but I generally avoid the discussions when comments go off the topic and toward personal characterization.

2 cents.

Mike Sigman
O.K. Mike. That explains your view, and I didn't know you did Aikido for 7 years. So I shall tell you what I mean.

A person who studies and practices Aikido as their main art or only art. It's very simple really.

Someone who gave up football after six years and now plays rugby is now a rugby player and no longer a footballer.

It's not personalizing anything to you, it's a differentiation. You know it too don't you? What do you advertise yourself as? Obviously your area of expertise which is not called Aikido.

So no it's not at all confusing to me.

You did 7 years Aikido so at that time you were doing Aikido. Very simple isn't it?

You did seven years where it was mostly waza, well that's Aikido waza as part of Aikido. Simple isn't it?

A shihan of Aikido is doing Aikido. How can anyone twist that to mean x,y,z.?

Too simple.

Regards.G.
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