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Old 02-01-2012, 07:39 AM   #365
Mark Freeman
Dojo: Dartington
Location: Devon
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,220
United Kingdom
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Re: "The goal is not to throw"

Quote:
Graham Christian wrote: View Post
In my experience with any person from say a 'resistive' style of Aikido who get's stuck with doing technique on me it doesn't equal their way is wrong to me. It equals this particular person is lacking discipline somewhere. That's my thought process and it in no way equals they are wrong. It doesn't reflect on their teacher or their way either.

There are only two things I have to consider, are they trying to do it my way, according to my principles, or are they trying to do it their way, according to their teachers principles.
Hi Graham,

on my recent holiday in India, I came across just this scenario, and I must say that you have a more benevolent view than me (maybe you are right to have?). When the teacher there ( a very lovely and generous gentleman ) attempted to apply nikkyo to my colleague and myself, it had absolutely no effect. It was pretty clear that their way of doing it, must only be effective against an unco-ordinated uke (they managed to get the technique to work on each other). In my way of thinking, their right way, was pretty wrong to me. When I showed them how effective they could be if they if they used relaxation (particularly of the shoulders), extension and delivering everything from centre. They all agreed that they would try and incorporate this into all of their future training. Maybe their teacher (who had not long passed away) had it and they hadn't got it, maybe he didn't, I'll never know.

They were all good people practicing there and were all sincere about what they were doing. They enjoyed their practice immensely. So from that point of view it is all good. However, although it may be wrong to label what they were doing as 'wrong'. It was only 'right' within certain limited parameters.

regards,

Mark

Success is having what you want. Happiness is wanting what you have.
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