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Dan Herak · 03-27-2003, 09:34 AM

Although my sensei is only a shodan, I do not think a higher ranked instructor would really be any better. After receiving his shodan from ASU (when it was independent of hombu dojo), my instructor had a great opportunity. Although many martial artists claim to be one of a kind, my instructor met the Real McCoy - the head instructor of the Tokyo Police Department, who had a 6th dan (now 7th) in Judo, an 8th dan in Kendo, and dan rankings in various other martial arts. My sensei recognized a once in a lifetime opportunity and studied with this man several hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week, and received dan rankings in taihojutsu (a police martial art combining judo, jui-jutsu, boxing, kendo, jodo), kendo, iaido and ninjutsu. My instructor then created his own independent school and I am learning both aikido and taihojutsu from him.

My sensei will probably never be promoted above shodan, as he is independent of any affiliation. However, his instruction is more thought out and systematic than any I have seen elsewhere. Also, I do not think of myself necessarily as an aikido practitioner. I practice martial arts, with aikido being one of the main components. With judo, jui-jutsu, etc. in the taihojutsu curriculum, I think I see things more broadly than others who study just aikido. In fact, when I have gone to seminars, I am always taken aback that some aikido practitioners may be better than me at aikido (I am a nikyu), but seem to be totally unaware of how to deal with this or that attack which would be better addressed with a different system. Further, I simply cannot empathize with some aikidokas' difficulty with koshi waza or ukemi in general. Judo is filled with hip techniques and jui-jutsu's ukemi is five times as extensive as aikido's. Finally, there is no real free practice in aikido - tori and uke are clearly defined. Not so in kendo or judo, where those designations lose meaning. The lack of free practice is a downside to aikido that I can work through in other ways.

I do not mean to digress. But if I had simply chosen a dojo based on the rank of the sensei, I believe I would have missed a great opportunity to learn something unique. And I doubt my aikido would have been any better as a result.

03-27-2003, 09:34 AM	#28
Dan Herak Dojo: Florida Aikikai Location: South Florida, USA Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 41 Offline	Sensei's Rank Although my sensei is only a shodan, I do not think a higher ranked instructor would really be any better. After receiving his shodan from ASU (when it was independent of hombu dojo), my instructor had a great opportunity. Although many martial artists claim to be one of a kind, my instructor met the Real McCoy - the head instructor of the Tokyo Police Department, who had a 6th dan (now 7th) in Judo, an 8th dan in Kendo, and dan rankings in various other martial arts. My sensei recognized a once in a lifetime opportunity and studied with this man several hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week, and received dan rankings in taihojutsu (a police martial art combining judo, jui-jutsu, boxing, kendo, jodo), kendo, iaido and ninjutsu. My instructor then created his own independent school and I am learning both aikido and taihojutsu from him. My sensei will probably never be promoted above shodan, as he is independent of any affiliation. However, his instruction is more thought out and systematic than any I have seen elsewhere. Also, I do not think of myself necessarily as an aikido practitioner. I practice martial arts, with aikido being one of the main components. With judo, jui-jutsu, etc. in the taihojutsu curriculum, I think I see things more broadly than others who study just aikido. In fact, when I have gone to seminars, I am always taken aback that some aikido practitioners may be better than me at aikido (I am a nikyu), but seem to be totally unaware of how to deal with this or that attack which would be better addressed with a different system. Further, I simply cannot empathize with some aikidokas' difficulty with koshi waza or ukemi in general. Judo is filled with hip techniques and jui-jutsu's ukemi is five times as extensive as aikido's. Finally, there is no real free practice in aikido - tori and uke are clearly defined. Not so in kendo or judo, where those designations lose meaning. The lack of free practice is a downside to aikido that I can work through in other ways. I do not mean to digress. But if I had simply chosen a dojo based on the rank of the sensei, I believe I would have missed a great opportunity to learn something unique. And I doubt my aikido would have been any better as a result.