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Old 03-02-2007, 07:49 AM   #173
Mike Sigman
Location: Durango, CO
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 4,123
United_States
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Re: Ueshiba taking Ukemi

Quote:
Dan Harden wrote: View Post
Well, Who is the real authority? The man with twenty years of sweat in training? Or the man who can be unmoved by the former's every attempt and yet move -him- around at will with Aiki? Expertise due to relaitionship? or skill?
"I don't look to authority for truth. I look to truth for authority."
I've got good kokyu and ki skills and I can control most people at whim. I don't resist anyone and I can release a lot of power. I have techniques that conform at both low and high levels with the core idea of "aiki" (which is NOT unique to Aikido, BTW). Am I going to go into a dojo and manipulate some sensei who doesn't have my ki and kokyu skills and then claim any authority in Aikido? No.

Having these skills does not make someone expert in Aikido. Personally I think (and this is what Tohei said, too) that you have to have these skills in order to really do Aikido. Having some of these skills (there is a wide spectrum of these skills) may give someone license to talk about the skills but it doesn't necessarily make them an authority in Aikido. I think we need to be clear about that.

Regards,

Mike Sigman
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