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Old 10-09-2004, 04:14 PM   #2
senseimike
 
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Dojo: Rising Star Aikido
Location: South Bend, Nebraska
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 81
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Re: More than the sum of its parts

Quote:
Rob Cunningham wrote:
Let me start by stating that I am a beginner. I have been told, and I believe wholly, that there are a few big steps in Aikido. When you first walk into the dojo and complete your first lesson, you have proven that you're willing to show up. Once.

When you take your first test (In my case, the 5th kyu test), you've demonstrated that you're willing to keep showing up and working.

Only at the rank of Shodan have you demonstrated that you are ready to actually begin the learning process. Only at the rank of Shodan does the real learning begin.

What I am doing right now, as a kyu, is exercise. Training my body to memorize moves and distances by repeating them over and over again. Do I think that I'm going to be able to execute iriminage on an attacker that gives me plenty of warning before he strikes? Of course not.
After achieving a dan ranking several years ago I finally understood what this meant. The way that I relate this point to students is that the kyu rankings are like an elementary and high school education. Dan rankings are the equivalent of college degrees. It takes some willpower and dedication to achieve these ranks, as it does to achieve a bachelors, masters, etc. The kyu rankings are to build your basics, dan rankings to expand your knowledge and specialize.

In using this statement to tell students about the difference, I also like to remind them that there is no GED in Aikido.

Mike Taylor
Godan
Chief Instructor, Rising Star Aikido
South Bend, Nebraska, USA
www.risingstaraikido.com
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