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Old 07-21-2011, 10:59 AM   #89
JW
 
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Location: San Diego CA USA
Join Date: Aug 2000
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Re: Moving with your center

Quote:
Dan Harden wrote: View Post
Thank goodness there are tests -separate from waza- to blow up the imposters with little actual skill, if only to save others from years of work following them. ...
Similar things are probably going to happen with the recent IP/aiki training; no doubt that people claiming to know it, are going to muck it up like everything else we do to the martial arts.
I think this is very important. Imagine, some guy showing as credentials how many Sigman seminars he's been to, or some guy saying "my teacher trained with Dan for years."
OK that's nice to know, but there should be a "show me the money" kind of evaluation. I'm a little worried about what the etiquette would be for that. But it is a near certainty that history will repeat itself. The community just needs to keep getting smarter.

Tests/demos could be part of that. Then even if one guy thinks he can replicate Ueshiba's demos, we don't have to take his word for it, we evaluate it ourselves.

What tests are there? I mean, things that really can't be BSed using other means? Delivering "short power," receiving pushes to the chest with the pusher being free to try to trick you.. are those good? How about, being able to take balance right away upon being grabbed (no matter what the grabber is doing)?
Being "unthrowable?"

We need tests that can't be BSed easily and can't easily be misrepresented.
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