Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido Forums
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > General

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 10-04-2002, 10:21 AM   #1
eugene_lo
Dojo: Tidewater Aikikai
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 12
Offline
What are we seeking?

I am glad for the oppurtunity to post my opinions for others to see, to read about other's experiences and opinions, as well as to share in discussion about aikido.
When I read through some of these posts, I wonder what motivates us to bring up some of the topics that come up. The question of how well an aikidoist would fare in the "Octagon" or related competitions. The question of what techniques are useless in a fight. The question as to whether it is a good idea to separate the sexes in training.
I ask myself, "Why do people think of these things?"
I have come up with one answer (to which I expect some very angry responses), which I also grapple with (no pun intended) daily:
We seek to validate our practice in aikido. It is infinitely easier to "do" aikido on the mat or on the street vs. in our hearts and minds, and so we choose to find comfort in knowing that our technique can "work", or that aikido can "work." We seek proof of this, or the possibility of proof, by wondering how aikido will fare in the ring/cage, how we as individual aikidoka will fare in the real world, how our technique fares against big strong men, little tiny women, big strong women, little tiny men, etc, etc.
As I said before, I battle with myself in seeking this validation. On a different level, I wish I could have been alive to have been uke for O'Sensei. I wish I could have been witness to his many superhuman feats that I read about. I wish that I could take ukemi for all the shihans (alas, but I am just a lowly nobody.) This is my search for validation, for proof that the hours I spend on the mat are really "doing something" for me. And, the idea of "false sense of security" is always in the back of my mind. This is all part of the same argument.
How can I (we?) overcome this?
In aikido, we must strike a balance between technical effectiveness and spiritual learning. Without one, the other is somehow lacking. Granted, technical effectiveness can come in the absence of spiritual training (or can it???) but what would it mean? Why not study simple self-defence tactics then, and concentrate on the physical aspect?
Although I believe this, I still can't even answer my own question: how to overcome?
Because at the end of the day, asking this question is nothing more than the desire to feed our egos.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2002, 11:58 AM   #2
Roy Dean
 
Roy Dean's Avatar
Dojo: Roy Dean Academy
Location: Palm Desert, California
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 166
United_States
Offline
What a great post. Introspective and honest.

We all seek validation for what we invest ourselves in. The training method in Aikido allows for a lot of questions: Could I really blend if I needed to on the street? What if he resisted? Etc, etc...

One way to answer your questions is to cross-train. Taste the truth of other arts. Experience their training methods, philosophies, and tactics. Many martial artists refuse to do this, insisting that their style is the best, that they know THE TRUTH, etc. If they know they truth then, there should be nothing to fear in experiencing other perspectives. Cross-training will show you the respective strengths and weaknesses of Aikido. All arts have them. It does not indicate "deficiency", it simply points out their emphasis.

The fact that these questions are coming up is healthy. I wrestled with these issues strenuously for quite some time, and still do, although considerably less these days.

You see, I was a "true believer" in the invincibility of Aikido. Disillusionment was the next major stage (this was a long and painful process, in my case). Now, I believe I'm achieving acceptance of what Aikido is... and what it isn't.

Aikido has changed my life. From the aesthetic beauty of techniques, to the philosophy of non-violence and the friends I've made within the dojo... I am a different person for having trained. It also continues to shape my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu "game". Aikido is not an art to be underestimated in its transformative power. It is more heavily weighted towards moral education and spiritual development than martial techniques (the techniques are physical metaphors for Ueshiba's philosophy). Of course, schools vary, so what I've stated is surely not definitive...

In short, don't try to overcome. Work with your curiosity, work with your uncertainty. Questioning is not necessarily egoic, it's rational.

Good training to you,

Roy

Discover Who You Are

www.roydean.tv
  Reply With Quote

Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
A Shinobi seeking a new path. Lone Shinobi Introductions 3 05-25-2006 01:22 PM
Seeking Peru Aikido Info Jorge Anton General 1 03-28-2006 09:15 AM
Seeking opinions on SF YMCA aikido class Tim Gilbert General 8 10-28-2005 09:52 PM
Seeking Ki from Texas, USA dxnguyen Introductions 5 06-05-2005 10:39 AM
Seeking Korindo Aikido Info senseimike General 2 08-31-2004 01:50 AM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:46 AM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate