Quote:
Ed Duffy wrote:
Some great points sir. Again, my intent was not to say KI Aikido is better than other styles. I just was wondering how other Styles (Aikikai in General) further enhance and develop KI outside of waza. To me it seems with some of the aggressive/uncalled for responses (Szczepan Janczuk in particular/although doing a bit or research from his 900+ posts he has a history of making fun of KI Aikido and being a smart ass in general), to be a sensitive area for some members under the Aikikai umbrella. Can someone give me a honest answer on the topic I started? I'm always interested in learning different methods of developing KI to make my waza more effective. Is there anything that the Aikikai does different that can help me progress even more? That is all I'm asking.
May God bless.
Ed
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Ed,
I am sorry that I thought your thread was one of those "style vs. style" threads.
The Aikikai is too diverse and organization to give a definite answer to your question. Where you get your ki training (or not) is highly dependent on which shihan or shihan (plural) lead a particular Aikikai group. There's a lot of freedom and diversity within the Aikikai. Sometimes this freedom translates into an Aikikai group taking a dismissive stance against all things "ki" as "magical" or "fairy" non-sense stuff, and in the process become technique-oriented (the membership's reaction to anything "ki" makes it apparent where they belong -- it's just learned group behavior). Some groups within the Aikikai are more open and don't stop at anything when it comes to getting a particular skill-set, and it's common to see some of these groups converge and even seek outside (non-aikido) help if necessary. I'm more partial to the latter group kind, as I don't care where the information comes from as long as it's practical and compatible with Ueshiba's art. I think one should not to limit oneself to any organizational tenets -- "the 4 (or 5) principles", "it's all in the techniques", etc. One of my mottos is "use organizations, don't let them use me."
So there you have it (as far as ki training in the Aikikai): find an Aikikai shihan or teacher who's into this sort of training (some are, some aren't), and better yet who's open to external resources and influence.