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Old 01-17-2010, 04:46 PM   #119
yankeechick
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 17
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Cool Re: non-Japanese cannot become shihan anymore?

Well,

Ledyard Sensei is accurate. Titles do matter, even if we don't want them to, it's a fact of life. At the very least they get one in the door. Are they an accurate barometer of skill and ability? No..experience is closer to that..but it is what it is.

This comes from someone who is a third kyu and I had to stay on my sensei for that. My ability is there, but he hemmed and hawed for months before acknowledging my former experience. For six months I had to deal with students who couldn't make their own technique work, tell me how to perform technique. but enough complaining LOL...

I would have found it strange if Hombu Dojo did not confer the Shihan title to Saotome Sensei, particularly given that he is an Uchi-deshi of O-Sensei..I don't think I would be alone in that type of surprise.

I suspect that there are quite a bit of politics and maybe an old fashioned Samari (LOL) fight going on within the upper ranks of Aikido, for international recognition and the "right" to claim authenticity in Aikido. So many styles, so many senior practitioners, so many non-japanese, etc...

I further suspect that many of the "traditional" techniques of the Japanese have not been taught to westerners.

One can never prove a negative, so it may not be proven that there is an unspoken policy of who gets Shihan ranking and who doesn't. If I really wanted to start some stuff, I'd ask why there aren't any female Shihan and why are the women still relegated to the lower levels of Aikido? BUT, I won't do that LMAO...

But such is life and human nature. Just let me train seriously and exchange/interact with someone who wants to train and interact as well. The rest will come...
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