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Old 07-09-2003, 04:06 PM   #1
opherdonchin
Dojo: Baltimore Aikido
Location: Baltimore
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 586
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Rowing and Aikido (and other sports?)

From a different thread
Quote:
I wrote:
I was on a crew team in college ...
Quote:
Dave Miller wrote:
So does that experience help your aiki in terms of moving with your whole body and such?
That's such a hard question to answer. I think it's amazing that every pattern of movement we engage in stamps itself on our bodies and our movements, and changes us for the rest of our lives. It's been years and years, but you can still tell that I rowed port because my left shoulder is a little higher than my right shoulder when I stand.

I'm sure that rowing helped me with 'whole body movements,' but that's not the one that really sticks out for me. The part that I really notice is the way that rowing teaches you about sensitivity and paying attention to the moment. Balance determines so much in rowing, and with 8 other people in the boat there is a lot to pay attention to, even the slightest shift in awareness can be felt as a tremor through the whole boat.

Our coach was pretty forward-thinking. I was on the team about 15 years ago, and he brought in Jon Cabot-Zinn (then unknown) to teach us to meditate and help us understand the importance of awareness and the moment. I'll carry those particular lessons with me forever.

Anyway, I thought I'd open this up as a topic: does anyone else have stories or thoughts about past experience with other sports and the way they carry into Aikido?

Yours in Aiki
Opher
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