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Old 08-01-2011, 09:02 PM   #121
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Quote:
Ellis Amdur wrote: View Post
Rather, I wanted to point out an example of Ueshiba perhaps lifting the veil a little, in a rather charming way. And how it relates to teaching styles - the latter a fruitful area of discussion when we try to figure out why this stuff dies, why it was so rare, and how it hopefully can survive and flourish.

EA

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Just my thoughts ...

Why it dies?

There's the story about the person from the Takumakai who went to Tokimune for information and came back with boring solo exercises. No one wanted to do them.

Takeda saying only to teach the secrets to one or two people.

The repetitive, boring exercises that take years for results versus quicker, technique based training.

"Spoon-feeding" training. There is a major problem with looking at internal training as the same as all other martial arts. You can get off track very easily with internal training as opposed to technique based arts, so there should have been a different training paradigm for internal training but I think only Takeda had that. Most other teachers just went ahead with the same old training paradigm that typical martial arts used and that would have hindered students progressing in internal training.

Teachers actually not teaching what they knew for whatever reason (Sagawa is a good example).

I would venture a guess that between those who spent the long torturous years building aiki/IP that they didn't want to teach basics again, to finding students who will put in the time, to the more flashy technique based systems that lured most students, to teachers not "spoon feeding" students, and teachers holding back, it wouldn't take much more to have internal skills die out in the martial arts.

rare?

Looking at current trends, I think one could apply it to history to see why it was so rare. How many *want* to get exposure to the internal skills when their normal martial training provides them a comfort level or a social environment or a challenging environment that suits them? Of those that get the exposure, how many find it worth pursuing? Repetitive, boring solo exercises that are a challenge to do. Paired exercises that seem to have little to do with martial validity. Until years go by. How many keep going?

Then toss in that those who had IT didn't teach many people as a general rule.

Of the three areas, I think the last one is the important one. Especially for "aikido". I have said and still believe that there really is no way for aiki to be put back into Modern Aikido. I'm not saying that is a bad thing. Modern Aikido stands on its own for what it is. But Modern Aikido is nowhere near Morihei Ueshiba's aikido. People will not want to believe that and try to put a square peg in a round hole. Some will just go into denial that their Modern Aikido is Ueshiba's aikido.

It will take some translations, some correlations, and some in depth research to get information out there that shows the truth. Whether that actually happens ... I don't know.

Modern Aikido's "ukemi" model of training is a road block to getting very good at aiki. Modern Aikido's base training methodology (hanmi for example) is a road block to getting very good at aiki. The manner in which the body is trained to execute the techniques (hips generate movement for example) is a road block to getting very good at aiki. Lack of internal power (IP) driving techniques (breaking judoka's hip as an example) in an IP atemi manner. The entire "blending" and harmonizing" in Modern Aikido is opposite the aiki "blending" and "harmonizing". And let's not even get into the weapons training.

Survive and flourish? I think (and I could be wrong) people are going to have to choose whether they want to train in Modern Aikido or in Ueshiba's aikido. Neither good nor bad, depending on what kind of training a person is looking for. As I said, Modern Aikido stands on its own and doesn't need anyone to defend it. Millions worldwide have given Modern Aikido a shape, a form, and a spiritual ideal.

Both will end up looking similar. It will only be when people take them out for a test drive will they find major differences. I guess there will be one outward, major difference. Modern Aikido will have millions of students. Morhei Ueshiba's aikido will have hundreds. As it was, as it is now, as it will ever be.
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