Thread: PBT question
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Old 02-19-2005, 08:02 PM   #28
csinca
 
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Dojo: Various
Location: Southern California
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Re: PBT question

Daniel,

Thank you for your interest. In this particular case however I have actually made this comment both individually and in group settings with my sensei and with all of the people that happened to be there. You see, for years sensei would work with us on entrances (which were great, no complaints) but would often point out various openings for strikes. However we never practiced the strikes themselves. For instance we might be working on an irimi entrance and sensei would point out that once you are in you might have a kidney, a floating rib, the back of the head and the temple as targets while being relatively safe from the attackers strikes (for a moment). All very sound and true but in the cases I'm thinking of, a light touch or a wave of the hand was not what we were talking about. It was similar to saying, from here I can use a nikkyo lock, but never working on nikkyo.

A couple of years ago I went out and started cross training in an art that gave me the striking skills I was looking for. My sensei knows it and the other students know it. One has even joined me in the cross training, and in fact told me this morning that he was just learning to see the targets. Last week sensei commented that when I bring those skills back into the aikido dojo I bring a different dimension that he appreciates.

Now on occassion I run across folks that don't think they need to dedicate any time to learning and practicing real strikes. The kind that make you want to sink to your knees. For some reason there are folks out there that think they will naturally be able to hit relatively small targets with power and accuracy, in a stressful environment (that whole thing about some stranger trying to hit you), without having to train it.

I wouldn't call it disdain, I simply recognized that there were things in the dojo that were mentioned but not taught. I went and found myself a teacher for those things and everybody on this end is cool with things.

As for personal refinement, well I'll be working on that for a long time and it will be a sad day when I think I have mastered it!

Chris
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