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Old 10-04-2005, 10:59 AM   #25
George S. Ledyard
 
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Dojo: Aikido Eastside
Location: Bellevue, WA
Join Date: Jun 2000
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Re: Article: Aikido - What It Is and What It Isn't by George S. Ledyard

Quote:
James Angelo wrote:
George,

You wrote the following in your article:

There is quite a bit of Aikido around which can only really be done by muscular students of large bone structure. Attempts to do these styles by people of smaller stature result in far too much stress on their bodies, especially their backs.

As I am a newbie to Aikido, could you please share some examples of Aikido that are more suitable for those who are muscular with large bone structures? Could you also elaborate on how you arrived at this conclusion since most of the old Japanese masters that I've heard of don't seem to fit the characteristics?

Thanks,

James
I am not crazy enough to open that can of worms thankyou... Keep your eyes open and train around and you'll see what I mean.

I would like to point out, however, that your picture of the old Japanese Masters could use a bit of updating. They may have been short in stature but they were apt to be VERY strong. O-Sensei was around 5 feet tall yet at the age of fifty he weighed around 180 pounds! That's solid. He was, throughout his early life, renowned for his physical strength and use every opportunity to demonstrate that fact by engaging in all sorts of contests etc.

However, that said, most of the teachers who came out of the late twenties and early thirties were highly skilled and their Aikido was very sophisticated. Those guys understood aiki.

George S. Ledyard
Aikido Eastside
Bellevue, WA
Aikido Eastside
AikidoDvds.Com
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