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Old 02-22-2006, 06:24 AM   #17
Dirk Hanss
 
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Dojo: Aikidoschule Trier
Location: Merzkirchen
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 470
Germany
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Re: Sunadomari Quote - Opinions Please

Quote:
David Valadez wrote:
These positions all make sense.

However, what if we forget for the moment any notions of Aikido's larger purpose and/or on the martial viability of tenkan, what if we just look at the notion of evolution. How about from that point of view - how does this quote work out? Does Aikido have a sense of evolution, can it, should it, etc.? Or is all Aikido variation a matter of adaptation only? Does Aikido only add things? Should it never drop things? Etc.

Thanks for the replies.
d
As there is no institution that holds the trademark, every single person can do what they want and call it aikido - maybe unfortunately. But they can add and drop whatever they want.

But demanding that aikido - in general - should add or drop anything is cocksure. Each one can do what he/she wants and if it gets commonly used, it is fine.

Nevertheless each single person's aikido is different and each one has to develop his/her own aikido - after having learnt the principles.

I appreciate that there are guys like you out there, who challenge aikido's effectiveness, as it is a "martial" way.
But training for championate is totally different from searching harmony with the universe.

As I am just a lower student, I just give an easy and naive example:
Whatever we study, we train both sides alternately as well as irimi tenkan. And if I lack skills in one i train this one even more. If I was to go for championship, I would try to improve the most effective type, e.g. mostly right hand tirimi. I'ld try to be so good that I can do it in most situation as effective as possible and everything else is only good enough to ensure, that nobody can rely on what I might do. It is not really like that, but most judoka, karateka, boxers have a small set of techniques, which they really win their matches with.
The same is true for pure self defense or battle fighting (maybe old fashioned battles only). If you have a chance to train only one technique and in 99% of the cases you kill your opponent or you train 10 techniques and they work in 80% of the cases and in the remaining cases the opponent has a chance for a countertechnique, what would you choose?

But I train both sides. In the same time of training I am surely not good enough to win against someone, who trains applied fighting, but I do not care. Fortunately in my world I can choose, if there is a need to go into a fight or if I can look for other solutions. So I only fight, when fighting seems to be the better solution and I think my chances are good enough. Yes my fighting skills have to be effective, I would not train dancing only, but if my sensei tells me my moves are not good enough, I train the moves like dancing, and if the technique fails, I feel annoyed in that moment, but I know, that I just have to train harder - to move myself, to feel reaction, to stay stable, or whatever. Even to forget about the goal of victory.

Regards Dirk
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