View Single Post
Old 04-26-2006, 11:57 AM   #39
M. McPherson
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 39
United_States
Offline
Re: Any instructors here ever challenged?

Mr. Sorrentino,

I think your offer of your dojo was both fair and generous, but it seems apparent that Mr. Harden has no interest in either traveling to Virginia, or in teaching a (potentially large...and by that I get the feeling he means more than twenty folks) seminar style one-off session to aiki art practitioners exclusively. So why beat a dead horse by re-stating your offer? If you're honestly interested in whether or not he has the goods to back up what you and others see as passive aggressive internet bluster, why not take him up on his counter offer? If you're willing to pay him an honorarium, why not put the money into traveling to New England, bring some people with you? He even offered to let you film it. In fact, limit the risk financially by making him a stop on an aiki dojo tour of lovely New England, or see if there are any gasshuku/seminars going on up there that you'd like to attend. If he doesn't have the skills he advertises, then at least you got some keiko in at some dojo along the way (hey, make it during fall foliage, and double your money).
As sincere as your offer was, it was still a challenge of the put-up or shut-up variety. And why not, if you're incensed about something, and sincerely want to put yourself out there to see if someone's all that they say they are. But as an earlier poster raised the relevence of etiquette ("protocol" might have been a more accurate term), isn't it tradition that the challenger present his terms on the turf of the challenged, disgrace him in his own house, that sort of thing? Obviously I'm being facetious here, but if you don't want to let this lie (which I'm assuming from your repeated offer), then why not take advantage of the opportunity to determine Mr. Harden's abilities in whatever way possible? Maybe make a new friend, who knows?
Personally, I think it would be great if he took you up on your offer. I'm with Mssrs. Hooker and Clark that it would probably be a lot of fun, pretty informative, and you'd probably all enjoy a beer afterwards. I'm willing to bet that it would just as worthwhile and informative if you were to make the trip north, too.

Sincerely,
Murray McPherson