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Mary Malmros wrote:
Weapons aren't some kind of training tool that were invented to help your aikido training; they predate aikido by centuries, and aikido comes from weapons work.
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True enough weapons weren't invented for aikido training but the fact that aikido comes from weapons makes them an ideal training tool, no?
Quote:
Mary Malmros wrote:
I think it's important for the aikido student to understand that they're dipping a toe into a great big ocean...and that even if all you're doing is dipping in a toe, you still need to treat the ocean with respect
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I regularly use my fellow aikidoka as a training tool (& gladly offer myself up in the same way) but that doesn't mean we treat each other with disrespect.
Quote:
Mary Malmros wrote:
Toward that end, I don't think you really ought to do aikido weapons practice with a constant mindset of "...and how can this help my empty hand practice?"
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I've heard that Saito Sensei used to say 'when training with weapons think of taijutsu & when training taijutsu think of weapons'.
What I take from this is that it's the same, whether holding a bokken, a jo or a person. We train our bodies & our spirit in all these forms of practice.
Quote:
Mary Malmros wrote:
That leads to a failure to understand and respect the weapon for what it is.
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Ultimately, what it is is a piece of wood. It's only our perspective that makes it a weapon, a training tool...or a walking stick. (Sorry, being a little flippant to make a point
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Thanks for making me think
J.