Quote:
Dan Harden wrote:
It is noteworthy that there are no positive comments from anyone we would consider competent. It seems all the ki guys and all the English guys here walked away from this as well.
Dan
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Hi Dan,
I'm not sure if I count as being considered competent, but I am a ki guy and I am English. I was the first to post a reply in this thread, when I said to Graham:
"Full marks to you for putting it out there for everyone to see. However, if I were you, I would find a hard hat, methinks you may be in for a bumpy ride."
He has taken alot of flak since he posted the vids for all to see.
I am not here to defend him, he can do that for himself. However, I reserve personal judgement until I get to actually feel what he is doing. Which I hope to do, in the not too distant future. Videos are a blessing and a curse in many ways. So much of what we speak of can not be understood by watching alone. You know as well as anyone, that you could not teach what you do, by visual means alone. It needs all the senses engaged, eyes, ears, body and mind, all have to be fully present.
In Graham's favour, I think he has a very good understanding of the philosophy of aikido, and although not everyone gets what he is writing (maybe language style), he does come across as someone who thinks deeply about what the/his true purpose of aikido is.
Maybe we should all concentrate more on improving our own practice, and critiquing others less. Who really cares if someone else is ineffective? the world is full of them, it would be too exhausting
BTW I have recently started Yoga as a supplementary practice to my aikido. In the first lesson the teacher was using very similar language to you, in setting up the body. Could it be that IP/IS skills all originated in India?
regards,
Mark