Michael Hackett

When I read Ledyard Sensei's original post I took one message from him. His follow-up postings have delivered another. From my perspective he is laying out a roadmap to excellence and clearly telling his students how to become better than he is, better than Saotome Sensei, better than they can imagine. I doubt that all of his students, or all of any other teacher's students, could achieve that level of skill, but some can, and some will if they follow his prescription.

In many ways he is merely an aikido teacher and in some ways he is the head of a sort of koryu art. He's offering both paths to his students and those choosing his most demanding track will have the opportunity to achieve great skill. The others will learn damned good aikido, but will likely never achieve greatness. Damned good aikido is goal enough for most of us and a very few desire something more. To his credit, he offers both pathways.

He makes his living from his dojo, his seminars and his DVDs and doubtlessly has to provide damned good aikido instruction in order to eat. Even if he were fabulously wealthy, I suspect he would still have to provide that kind of instruction as a member of a formal orgainization. That he is successful at doing so and still providing something way beyond for those who wish it is amazing.

In his original post and subsequent postings he has given his students clear instructions how to achieve something greater than damned good aikido. Those who elect to follow that path will have the opportunity. But his doors are open to those who don't. How many dojo operate that way? How many instructors think that way? I suspect very few.

Sometimes Ledyard Sensei comes off sounding like that grumpy neighbor who wouldn't return the ball that fell into his yard. I had the opportunity to train with him at the last Aiki Expo as a brand new 6th kyu. We were doing katatori sumi otoshi and he had no problem at all putting me on the mat. I simply couldn't move him. He worked with me and showed me exactly where I was going wrong and demonstrated patience and interest while doing so. When I finally "got it" and could throw him consistently, I got the impression that he was happier about it than I was. He's not a curmedgeon, but he certainly doesn't suffer fools.