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Old 08-03-2009, 07:08 PM   #41
Lee Salzman
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 406
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Re: "Internal training, Aiki, and empowering Aikido" Seminar w/Dan Harden

I'd echo what everyone said. Dan truly went beyond the call of duty for this seminar to make sure that everyone felt included and everyone was learning.

Without exception, every one of his people that worked with me was very helpful with getting me to absorb the material. Everything was accessible and well explained.

It was a lot of fun seeing some familiar faces and also connecting with a lot of people I had only known by name from aikiweb. I think everyone who attended helped keep the atmosphere laid back, productive, and friendly.

But, I can totally see why Dan, Mark, Rob, and others make some rather impassioned posts about what they do. Once you see relaxed power like this and how it affects people, it is hard to imagine why anyone would not want it, especially as a means of improving at one's expression of aikido. It wasn't muscling through people or trying to impose your will on them, and it wasn't making complicated waza-like movements, but it had a profound effect on people who would push or pull on you and come in contact with it. Seeing and feeling that really clinched it for me and made evident why the work was so important.

Last edited by Lee Salzman : 08-03-2009 at 07:13 PM.
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