Thread: Ueshiba's Aiki
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Old 11-16-2011, 09:11 AM   #409
Keith Larman
Dojo: AIA, Los Angeles, CA
Location: California
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,604
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Re: Ueshiba's Aiki

Ken:

To stand behind Gary here and say "yeah", you're arguing that what you *think* people are doing is just this or that. I wouldn't argue that what you *think* they're doing isn't all that much different that what most try to do. Not at all. You're absolutely right. The problem is the disconnect between what *you think* people are doing and what they are in fact doing. And *EVERYONE* who has posted, most highly experienced/ranked aikidoka with decades of experience who have actually tried this stuff, are telling you that you're not correctly understanding or describing the phenomena. There have been attempts to explain but it is difficult at best to do in this medium. And yes, that is a serious problem that many are trying to address through attempting to come up with better models, better explanations, etc. Here and in other threads there have been quite a few very good descriptions.

So it's you saying "make me understand" to a whole lot of people who are saying "you don't understand". And since it appears most of us are incapable of making you understand (which requires both very good explanations, models, etc. and an audience willing to consider that their hard won knowledge may in fact not be totally correct and comprehensive) there is little point to continue in flogging with this dead horse.

So feel free to decide that you were right because you weren't moved by the explanation of others. But do consider that there are a large number of highly experienced people here posting on this, many with more experience than either of us, many with more direct experience with higher ranking folk closer to the "source" than either of us saying that it appears the problem is in your understanding of what *they're* doing.

Me, I have a solid science background. Rigorous, boring and very uptight. I would discuss these things on-line from time to time with people. I would often say "well, yeah, but isn't that what we already do?" quite a few times. Then I got more and more hands on with a variety of people. And I still say "Yeah, that's what we already do" sometimes, but it is rare and I also recognize that there is a substantive different in terms of degree when I say that. "Yeah, that's kind of what we already do but here's another view that may take it a whole lot further, expands on it, makes it more obvious, and may make things click a heck of a lot faster." is more what you'd hear me say today. And I came from a group that greatly emphasized the internal aspects of Aikido right from the get-go. So I see it as a fantastic clarification, new tools, new awareness, new focus. And on all those things Gary wrote about.