View Single Post
Old 12-13-2011, 07:46 AM   #108
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
England
Offline
Re: The Founder's Teaching Ability

Quote:
Carl Thompson wrote: View Post
I agree that Osensei's location and the timing from the other thread has some relevance here and vice versa. However it is probably better not to use Ruddock Sensei prowess as a gauge for Osensei's transmission: If you do the maths, the statistic I gave you was actually pretty generous and although it is still awesome to have the founder popping round even that often, the bulk of the remaining time would have been under the other teachers whom he described. There is perhaps more value in looking at how Osensei fit himself into the training and what he expected of the regular teaching staff.

What do you think the purpose was in this kind of teaching style? Was Mr L just not very good at teaching this unchallenging material?

Carl
My conclusion? All to do with speed.

O'Sensei was a master of his art. He trained teachers with a world vision of spreading his art.

Now we come to how much time that would take. How long does it take a student of martial arts to learn all the master has to offer? Add to this if he wanted many to do so.

Now add to this that many super sportsmen or athletes or even artists or artisans who then are asked to, or decide to teach enter the field of transmission and have to then learn a whole new art.

Now add to this the following: I don't know your level at Aikido but I am sure many of a high level have come across the phenomena of being able to do something and then when asked what it is they are doing or how to do it don't actually know. More precisely they understand how they do it but they just know they can and demonstrate such. Even an extremely talented child would be an example of this same thing. Then along come experts who can't do it and explain, alas.

Now add to this that so many, ego wise I might add, want to be able to do it 'like him' and want to do it like in two weeks. A craving for fast study. Quicker methods of study, wow. You can even get qualified over here in so many things, be it health and safety, a doormans licence, etc. by doing a few weekend courses. Wow, then you have the label, the piece of paper, so you are. What a load of nonsense, but it makes someone rich.

Speed. It's even inherent in this thread. If those taught by O'Sensei weren't up to his level by the time he died then ........blah, blah, blah.

Then that is equated with teaching ability?

Mmmm. Think I'll stick to study ability and teaching people how to study.

Regards.G.
  Reply With Quote