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Old 08-17-2010, 07:24 PM   #13
Rob Watson
Location: CA
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 697
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Re: Me vs. an oak tree - Strength against ki

Quote:
Chris Covington wrote: View Post
You're right it looks like some sort of pine (?) but I'm no treeologist I don't think its a fundoshi either

You can't practice yotsu-zumo without some cloth!

I think training with the oak tree partners is good for your development. The stronger the opponent the better for you. Grab the monsters and learn to move them and learn to resist them.
I'll have to admit I needed to look real close to even see what appears (or should be) a fundoshi - danmed flesh colored garments.

Also I cheat a bit and wrassel with cork oaks which have a soft spongy bark with much less bite than say a live oak. The trick is to pick one that is on the scrawny side so as not to damage my all too delicate sensibilities. I'll pass on the fundoshi (or whatever it is) but I won't apologize for sporting a kilt.One must not lose sight of the actual objective being to just stimulate the tree to encourage more growth as opposed to ripping it out of the ground (that's just silly and showin' off). The same goes for similarly propertied and proportioned training partners (stimulation for growth on both sides of the equation is the goal).

I think you are right about the piney nature of the tree in question and I retract my commentary about the towel as accommodation for pine sap is a well and fully reasonable allowance.

"In my opinion, the time of spreading aikido to the world is finished; now we have to focus on quality." Yamada Yoshimitsu

Ultracrepidarianism ... don't.
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