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Old 01-21-2013, 12:52 PM   #32
Robert Cowham
Dojo: East Sheen Aikido and Kashima No Tachi
Location: London, UK
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 289
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Re: easily accessible videos of Internal Training in Aikido?

Quote:
Alex Megann wrote: View Post
I think this applies particularly to one old teacher of yours: Kanetsuka Sensei. I believe he has a high level of this kind of skill himself, but - will all due respect to him - I think he struggles constantly to explain what he is doing: he uses a whole arsenal of metaphors, as well as many explanations in terms of physics (for which I feel I am a perpetual disappointment to him in my failure to clarify them), but the class is often more confused than edified.
It's been quite a while since I last had a class with Kanetsuka sensei - maybe I should have another look!

It's a classic problem and one that all teachers fall in to: doing one thing and explaining something else - and (most of the time!) without meaning to. I try to listen to explanations as well as watch and feel, but pretty much always give precedence to what I see and feel!

There are advantages of learning from senior westerners for example (if you are western yourself of course) - they can explain things differently which might help with common culture/language etc - at least there are fewer barriers for transmission. This assumes they have properly understood things of course but I believe there are increasing numbers who have, or at least have very significant knowledge.
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