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Old 08-05-2012, 07:42 AM   #26
Anthony Loeppert
Dojo: Aikido of Del Mar
Location: San Diego, CA
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

Quote:
Dan Harden wrote: View Post
I had a wonderful time training with Anthony and folks from Australia and England
I forget sometimes how this stuff brings people together from I Li quan to Koryu to Aikido....time after time.
Dan
Likewise. Once I have some time this evening and a computer instead of a tablet, I may write more. Or I may wait and process the experience. But I now have some idea what Dan does/teaches I can say unequivocally what he does he does extremely efficiently and his model is empirically driven. I respect the hell out of that.
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Old 08-05-2012, 02:03 PM   #27
mathewjgano
 
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

Quote:
Anthony Loeppert wrote: View Post
Likewise. Once I have some time this evening and a computer instead of a tablet, I may write more. Or I may wait and process the experience. But I now have some idea what Dan does/teaches I can say unequivocally what he does he does extremely efficiently and his model is empirically driven. I respect the hell out of that.
I'm looking forward to your impressions, if you choose to share them! Dan is a very good teacher and has distilled some essential lessons on how to use the body in an interesting way. Like he said earlier, it's pretty cool how so many different groups are getting together to study this stuff. I think a community of learning is essential; to not only learning budo, but everything. It was this sense of community that stood out to me in the seminars at Ledyard sensei's dojo (...partly because I'm still pretty blind to the material being covered).
Glad you had a good time!
Take care,
Matt

Last edited by mathewjgano : 08-05-2012 at 02:06 PM.

Gambarimashyo!
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Old 08-07-2012, 11:55 AM   #28
Anthony Loeppert
Dojo: Aikido of Del Mar
Location: San Diego, CA
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

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Matthew Gano wrote: View Post
I'm looking forward to your impressions, if you choose to share them! Dan is a very good teacher and has distilled some essential lessons on how to use the body in an interesting way. Like he said earlier, it's pretty cool how so many different groups are getting together to study this stuff. I think a community of learning is essential; to not only learning budo, but everything. It was this sense of community that stood out to me in the seminars at Ledyard sensei's dojo (...partly because I'm still pretty blind to the material being covered).
Glad you had a good time!
Take care,
Matt
To the tone of the seminar:
As the first day started we all gathered around at the designated time, Dan asks "Questions?"... silence for about 5-10 seconds... someone: "How old is that shirt?" I understood the urgency and relevance of the question, but I wouldn't be so presumptuous to ask myself.

Teaching method:
He opens himself to scrutiny and observation, allowing - even insisting - attendees to touch the various muscle groups as they fire when he's demonstrating something.
No lazy students! If you ask a question, you will get an answer. Then you WILL be requested to explain said explanation at a later time. If you can't you don't understand the idea well enough and he will explain it again... and you will be quizzed again. If you don't ask too many questions, don't worry he'll call on you.

If you have a difference of opinion, up you come front and center to explain. He will try hit/throw/whatever and you try the same. I don't think any attendee explanation ever bested Dan's.

If you prod and poke him a bit on the internet first, (I got the feeling) you get some special treatment on your first seminar! Leave any shoulder chips at home though, should you have any. Being able to laugh at yourself is required for attendance.

I'm a firm believer that the phrase "practice makes perfect" replaced with "perfect practice makes perfect". Dan constantly challenges all movement. What is the purpose, how is it supported, etc. If the answer doesn't pass the criteria then drop it like a bad habit because it probably is. He tries to equip attendees with this self critical eye because in the end (as he said many times), it is just you and yourself doing (or not) the work post seminar.

I have some ideas to incorporate the feelings and movements from the weekend into my continued exploration of the principals inherent in the Yoshinkan Kihon Dosa.

To those that haven't attended and are curious to the specifics, as I'm a total novice to Dan's methods, it would be folly for me to even attempt to describe or explain any of the specific exercises. I had a hard enough time repeating back what I had just heard the previous 5 minutes in the seminar.

I guess that is about all I have to say about that.
Anthony
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Old 08-07-2012, 12:34 PM   #29
Gary David
 
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

Quote:
Anthony Loeppert wrote: View Post

To those that haven't attended and are curious to the specifics, as I'm a total novice to Dan's methods, it would be folly for me to even attempt to describe or explain any of the specific exercises. I had a hard enough time repeating back what I had just heard the previous 5 minutes in the seminar.

I guess that is about all I have to say about that.
Anthony
I'll add a small bit here..........
- Smallest group I have been involved in......... About 16....... It was the most fun....this being my 4th
-Most information I have retained (for me notes don't help later)
-Drove home the understanding (for me) that if you want to make your Aikido really effective you need to do this work,
-If not (and that is ok) then stick with the timing blending model
- There are others doing this work, Dan is not the only one
-It takes a lot of time and hard work to get any results
-It is not about waza......it. Is not about Dan
-We were give some individual solo practices to help us along........
-if you want them (this is me talking here) then take the time to hook up with Dan....... If not then don't worry about it......
-Dan Is a real real gentleman

Nothing more than that........... Mark Freeman was there....... He is a gentleman also

Gary
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Old 08-07-2012, 01:01 PM   #30
phitruong
Dojo: Charlotte Aikikai Agatsu Dojo
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

you guys out on the beach. anyone wore thong? does that help with the aiki?

"budo is putting on cold, wet, sweat stained gi with a smile and a snarl" - your truly
http://charlotteaikikai.org
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Old 08-07-2012, 01:03 PM   #31
Chris Li
 
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

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Phi Truong wrote: View Post
you guys out on the beach. anyone wore thong? does that help with the aiki?
Trust me - Dan in a thong does not help anybody.

Best,

Chris

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Old 08-07-2012, 03:42 PM   #32
Keith Larman
Dojo: AIA, Los Angeles, CA
Location: California
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

Quote:
Phi Truong wrote: View Post
you guys out on the beach. anyone wore thong? does that help with the aiki?
I was going to post that I was overwhelming depressed that I had to be out of town for the token kai the same weekend. But with that quote... Hmmm, considering the god-like bodies of most of us (Buddha, mostly)... That's not a mental image I need to keep...

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Old 08-07-2012, 05:48 PM   #33
Janet Rosen
 
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

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Christopher Li wrote: View Post
Trust me - Dan in a thong does not help anybody.

Best,

Chris
Well, he DOES use humor effectively as a teaching tool :-)
VERY glad Anthony L and Mark F made it!

Janet Rosen
http://www.zanshinart.com
"peace will enter when hate is gone"--percy mayfield
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Old 08-07-2012, 08:08 PM   #34
Byron Foster
Dojo: Aikikai
Location: Los Angeles
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

This was a great seminar with a great bunch of guys! Everyone had fun and learned a lot.
Since the last time I was at one of these workshops, it seems that Dan’s teaching strategy has evolved. To me it seems that he has put a lot of thought into developing a teaching syllabus that progresses in a logical way. He steadily built up the techniques from simple and kept adding layers to it. It was very good.

On Sunday we had a two hour question and answer period. No matter what we threw at Dan, he managed to explain everything in a detailed way. He would explain the anatomy, the theory, then how to and how not to practice something, and then a practical example. I was very impressed with his detailed understanding of each movement in his body and how it worked. I did not realize that I needed to study anatomy to be a martial artist.

Dan went out of his way to make sure the new students had hands on experience feeling what was happening. Everyone walked away from this seminar with better understanding of his training principles and theory. Plus plenty of homework. I plan to last more than two seconds during the push test next time….

Dan encourages for everyone to bring a notebook and takes notes during class. He even brought out a whiteboard to assist with some of his anatomy explanations with visual aids.

I am not an artist. On one page I have something that looks like a gingerbread man with a bunch of vector arrows radiating out from it with “This is Important” written underneath. On another page I have what looks like a corkscrew with more vector lines and “This is More Important” written underneath.

My wife now thinks I went to a cooking class.
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Old 08-07-2012, 09:50 PM   #35
Mark Freeman
Dojo: Dartington
Location: Devon
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

Quote:
Gary Welborn wrote: View Post
-Dan Is a real real gentleman

Nothing more than that........... Mark Freeman was there....... He is a gentleman also

Gary
Hi Gary,

I think that Dan will agree with me, you are the true gentleman of the weekend. Serving the finest Tequila to have ever passed our lips, as well as feeding, ferrying and putting us up, proves it. Thanks again to you and your lovely wife for the hospitality.

Some great reviews of the seminar already posted.

I am currently decompressing on the beach at San Clemente. By the end of the seminar, I was on aikido/aiki overload, from 12 days of practice every day. I will have things to write in my blog, that will be relevant. I'll make some time, in the next few days, inbetween bodyboarding in warm Pacific waves and reading a damn good book.

regards,

Mark

Success is having what you want. Happiness is wanting what you have.
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Old 08-08-2012, 09:12 AM   #36
chillzATL
Location: ATL
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Re: Dan Harden Returning to Orange County Aug 4-5th

Quote:
Mark Freeman wrote: View Post
Hi Gary,

I think that Dan will agree with me, you are the true gentleman of the weekend. Serving the finest Tequila to have ever passed our lips, as well as feeding, ferrying and putting us up, proves it. Thanks again to you and your lovely wife for the hospitality.

Some great reviews of the seminar already posted.

I am currently decompressing on the beach at San Clemente. By the end of the seminar, I was on aikido/aiki overload, from 12 days of practice every day. I will have things to write in my blog, that will be relevant. I'll make some time, in the next few days, inbetween bodyboarding in warm Pacific waves and reading a damn good book.

regards,

Mark
Looking forward to reading your report on all this voodoo!
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