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Old 10-28-2009, 05:49 AM   #4
Ecosamurai
 
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Dojo: Takagashira Dojo
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 570
United Kingdom
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Re: Managing Change in Aikido

I really enjoyed reading that thanks George. One of the things that's happened to me recently has been leaving my teacher's association (mostly for admin and finance reasons). However since leaving I've made efforts to create an open dojo where anyone can bring things they've learned elsewhere to us and we'll work on it. I think this is the most important thing I can do as our most senior teacher.

Doing so also includes recognising the contributions made by people even if I disagree with their technical approach, as an example, a very nice man who has been doing aikido a lot longer than I is planning on moving to the area, he said he'd like to train with us if he can. He's an established instructor and outranks me by several dan grades, but I have no problem giving him a night a week to teach at our dojo if he'd like to. He may do things differently but I still think he has something to offer. I think doing this is a big part of the aiki I'd like to see in my aikido, the other being what has variously been called ki/mind-body coordination/IT/aiki/kokyu/jin etc etc.

At the end of the day, it should be obvious to any student who has the stuff they want, if I haven't got it then I have no problem with them going elsewhere (so long as they tell me where they went so I can get it too!).

Mike

"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men."
-Martin Luther King Jr
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