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Old 07-15-2008, 09:49 PM   #89
Fred Little
Dojo: NJIT Budokai
Location: State Line NJ/NY
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 641
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Re: Seiseki Abe Sensei video....whats going on here?

Quote:
Ignatius Teo wrote: View Post
I don't think that is the issue here. As Dan pointed out, it's not a question of Abe's skills or abilities, but rather what purpose does this sort of ukemi response serve? Martially? Practically?.... Which I think is a valid question and pertinent to the topic.
Ignatius, good fellow:

The argument Dan is making is actually quite silly and really not worth the validation of the many responses it has gotten. Abe Sensei and his several uke knew quite well that they were putting on a show for a comedy/variety show. The following discussion makes about as much sense as drawing conclusions about Yip Man's Wing Chun training by reviewing Bruce Lee's fight scenes as Kato in the Green Hornet.

In fact, it is quite likely that the reason Dan won't post any video of himself doing anything is precisely because of his inner certainty that he will be mocked and called a transparent fraud who is teaching nonsense of dubious value and hounded about the subject to no good purpose by people who neither have eyes to see what he is showing nor ears to hear his sincere explanation.

That some individuals of good reputation might chime in and insist that he is an diligent martial artist of great skill and sensitivity whose jocular presentation of deep principles has been thoroughly misunderstood will make no difference. Even if they are right regarding the broad strokes of the matter, one or another of them will introduce one or another unfortunate particular phrase that stands at some variance from what he's really doing, and that will lead to a whole other line of idiotic wrangling. And it will go on and on.

So Dan chooses to let no one see what he is doing unless they are working with him one-on-one in circumstances over which he has complete control, and that's quite understandable.

Just what the irony is in this I will leave it to others to unpack, but I will say that it would be outrageously funny if it weren't so deeply sad.

Best regards,

FL
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