Thread: Online Decline?
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Old 01-03-2013, 10:06 AM   #29
Nicholas Eschenbruch
Dojo: TV Denzlingen
Location: Freiburg
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 323
Germany
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Re: Online Decline?

I agree with Chris Li that it is mainly new information that fuels online community discussion, and add that it motivates people to meet up for more community and discussion.

I am part of two communities at the moment where I believe new relevant approaches to aikido are being developed and practiced: one revolving around Dan, and another one around Patrick Cassidy and some other creative "younger" teachers with an Iwama background. I guess the later community is just not interested in the animosity and divisiveness we get here. They share online, but elsewhere. However both (who I guess would not mix well, btw) are looking forward to a future in which what we do ourselves will not be a story of gradual decline dominated by a glorious past.

Maybe that is another reason for the issue addressed in this thread (one being tone): is there really so much positive new material to discuss? Or are people just blaming IS/IP dominance for a dirth of other topics? I would honestly be delighted to hear about aikido communities that are forward looking, sharing new information, developing new ideas and approaches to technique, where young people are trained to equal or surpass their teachers, or already have done so - who would be willing to share their stuff here.

I recently met a yondan from California from another lineage, who told me he had been visiting 30+ dojos looking for the future of aikido (not his words), and not really found much.

I honestly believe that if we had more to say about a positive, inspiring direction for our art, IP/IS would be less of a communication problem.

Last edited by Nicholas Eschenbruch : 01-03-2013 at 10:08 AM. Reason: spelling
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