Quote:
Conrad Gustafson wrote:
The question that pops into my head is always: "Would this style of aikido work with a non-compliant uke?"
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This question reduces to an interesting one, that I think illustrates one of the challenges Aikido has that is particular.
"Would this style of Aikido training look the same with unfamiliar ukes who were not used to it?"
(Show me a non-compliant uke, I will show you someone who just needs to be hit and cranked a bit to encourage them to relax.)
We all
know we're practicing the same martial art. We are pretty sure there are different levels of understanding and focus on the principles between styles, groups, and dojos. But people seem shocked, at times, to realize how diverse training methods and attitudes toward budo are out there.
I think this goes back to Takeda's travelling seminar style of transmission. The shihan demonstrates, the students attempt to imitate. If the shihan were teaching each individual student hands-on, there would be no question that if you stepped into a different dojo you'd have a completely different experience.