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Old 12-04-2017, 06:01 AM   #67
Peter Goldsbury
 
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Dojo: Hiroshima Kokusai Dojo
Location: Hiroshima, Japan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,308
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Re: What do you think about the combat orientated styles?

Unlike other discussion forums, Jun leaves AikiWeb relatively unmoderated. I think it is important to remember this sometimes. Like David Valadez, I used to contribute more to the discussions, but I now prefer to focus on my own research, which sometimes appears as columns. However, I check AikiWeb often and have been following this thread with some interest.

When I was younger, we used to discuss these issues in the dojo -- and these discussions also influenced our training. So much so that our instructor, who trained under K Chiba, would invite experts from other martial arts like karate, judo and kendo, in order to keep us out of our comfort zone. We also had the benefit of training under K Chiba's father-in-law, who practiced a softer and gentler version of aikido that was deceptively effective.

It was K Chiba and his father-in-law who promoted my interest in Japan and I have never regretted the decision to come here. However, I came to Hiroshima and my aikido teacher here was a very young A-bomb victim. He was bombed out in WWII, since his house was only about 200 meters from the hypocenter. He had a dislike of foreigners, especially those from the ‘victor' countries, so I had to ‘steal' very much from him. However, he practiced quite rough aikido and training consisted of much free sparring, where any forms of attack were OK. Since my lineage goes back to K Chiba, this was not unexpected.

I eventually became independent, with my Hiroshima teacher's grudging acquiescence. My dojo has a foreign-born yudansha, now 4th dan, who does not believe that much of the postwar aikido he sees really works. But he still keeps coming and brings his son as well.

I agree with the points that Mr Valadez makes, with one exception. I do not have much time or inclination to make videos. We do not advertise very much and if people find the dojo, fine; if they do not, fine. I am quite happy with the students I have, who include whole families. It is very good to see little kids running wild around the dojo and to watch them grow and gradually become more than a match for their parents. They also keep me on my toes.

P A Goldsbury
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Kokusai Dojo,
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