Quote:
Michael Varin wrote:
George,
For some time now your posts have appeared somewhat disjointed, like a person with A LOT of information, but who hasn't quite put it together yet.
I think Mike Sigman was correct; you have more than enough information. I think a big breakthrough is coming.
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Michael, The breakthrough is happening right now. On the forums I am careful about what I write about. I generally stay away from the internal power material for a number of reasons... The main one is that there are several guys who post here who can do a better job of it. You'll notice that when someone less knowledgeable about the subject posts on the subject, it's as if they are submitting their thesis for review and the experts chime in. Since I have already conceded that, on this subject they know more than i do, I don't see the point. It only serves to make me look stupid and the other guys look even more like experts, which is already a given.
I am a professional instructor... I am willing to take a lot of risks. More than many of my peers I think. But it's a hard world out there. I have been nothing but supportive of the guys doing this work and have, at every opportunity, recommended that folks in Aikido find a way to work with one of them.
But any number of times recently, I have heard through the grapevine that someone's going around telling people "I felt George, he doesn't have it." Well, the reason whoever said that had the chance to feel me was that I made myself available and took the risk. So, exposing myself further to critique from people who are not even from within the Aikido community and to the extent that they had any Aikido background are far junior to me, when I have reason to expect that it may come back to me through the back door, well, I think it's not something I want to do.
I think that you'd find that, if you were in a class with me, it would not seem disjointed. I have a fairly integrated system which from the functional standpoint of teaching seems to get good results in terms of helping folks make big changes in their level fairly rapidly. Since I continue to train myself, I am adding to that all the time. But I think what I am doing is certainly more coherent and a tighter presentation than what i do on the subject here.
People being what they are, you have to protect yourself. I am a second tier teacher. When the uchi deshi have passed, we will be the first tier folks. I have tried hard to develop myself as a recognized and respected teacher. Now that internal power work is becoming a hot topic, partly through my own recommendations, I don't need it to become something that comes back to bite me. So I will continue to let the folks who already have the expertise keep posting. They do a fine job; I support them in the effort.