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Old 12-06-2012, 01:18 PM   #13
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Join Date: Jan 2005
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Re: aiki, aikido, tomato, tomahto

Quote:
Mary Eastland wrote: View Post
Ok, here are my real thoughts about the herd thing. It often comes sideways so I will just say it here and be done with it.

Ron and I teach Aikido. (I will speak for myself here)...The philosophy is very real to me, along with the waza and Ki development.

Ron and I went to a seminar that George taught at Marc's to see what this aiki stuff was all about as George was presenting it. It was ok. We had fun. We like our way better.
Hi Mary. With all due respect to all four of you, I think that it is a great disservice to yourself, Ron, George, and Marc to use them as the role model for IP/aiki at the time that you did. I would encourage you to revisit IP/aiki with Dan.

Quote:
Mary Eastland wrote: View Post
Our ideas about Ki development are changing and growing. Reading here and other places stretches us and makes us think and do different things. All good.

We have invited Dan here several times. He lets the invites wither. I feel it is because it is an invite to explore together and not have him be the expert. Yet, I could be wrong.
I'll let Dan speak for himself. He *sometimes* does so in an eloquent manner here on Aikiweb. (Yes, Mary, that was a dig at Dan. )

As for me, I've lost count of the times I've watched Dan work with someone new and he'll ask the other person, show me what you're doing. They do. Dan shows that person what he's doing. Then he lets them decide which way they think is better.

Quote:
Mary Eastland wrote: View Post
I am not interested in going to his place and this is the real reason, so listen carefully. I am not interested in the culture that I see around the posts on AikiWeb from most of the people that train in IP that post on here.

In my dojo I know how what to expect. I see a lot of old guy network in the posts around IP. I am not interested in putting myself in a place where I am uncomfortable.
I can't say anything to you that will change your mind. How about, I just describe some of what I've experienced and you can take that, compare it to what you read here on Aikiweb, and ask yourself why those two are different for you?

Seminar example #1: As a beginner, I stood in a large room with no mats and probably 40 other people. Those people came from aikido, karate, taiji, etc. They all were curious about what was being said about IP/aiki. Working with them initially, I could see their doubts and reluctances to actually believe what was being said. I watched Dan work with each of them and watched as their doubts/reluctancy changed to hope, smiles, and laughter. I watched them trade back and forth on training their way and Dan's way. People were laughing then working up a sweat, then laughing, then working up a sweat. People from various martial arts were working together to train.

Seminar example #2: Repeat #1, this time with a couple of 6th dans in aikido. All of us having a blast at the seminar, laughing, then working, then laughing. Trading budo stories at dinner. Also, it wasn't just all men. There were women from various martial arts there, too.

Now, this continues through ... well, I lost track around 10. It's quite a sight to go to a seminar, look around at 4th, 5th, 6th degree black belts, koryu people, high ranking people from karate and taiji all working together, at times laughing until they are red in the face, then sweating buckets from training, then gladly swapping stories at dinner, trading contact info, looking to when the next time they can train together again.

I know that Aikiweb forums are tough to use to get a good feel for someone, or a group of people. I know that personally because reading Sigman's posts and then meeting him in person was like talking to two completely different people. After meeting him, I read his posts in a far different manner. All I'm saying is keep an open mind.

Quote:
Mary Eastland wrote: View Post
When Bill Gleason's name comes I feel defensive because of some students that told us that they were not to train with us because we were not the real thing (Aikikai Aikido).
Students are students. I would suggest withholding opinions about teachers until you meet them. Does Bill have very strong opinions? He does. Do I think he'd say something like that? Personally, I can't see him saying it, no. Could I see him talking about the differences between his training in Yamaguchi's dojos to Aikikai training in hombu and it being completely different? Yes. How students translate what he said ... could it have been misconstrued? Sure.

There have been times when I've gone back to Dan and asked to reiterate some point in training only to find that I'd misconstrued what he'd said. It happens.

Quote:
Mary Eastland wrote: View Post
Before you get defensive or sarcastic ...try reading this again. I am not saying anyone is doing anything wrong. I am just talking about what I see and feel.

The philosophy of self-defense without hurting another, without humiliating someone...to truly take care of oneself at the expense of no one is really at core to me. It is what makes Aikido a practice of deep determination and commitment. One can find strong inner strength through this practice.

If you are interested come see us. We would love to train with you.
I really don't think the end results we're looking towards are different.
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