Re: moving the goal post
I realize this thread is a few months old. I just joined recently, and just now found this. The way I see it, is this. Your Sensei, has instructed the aikidoka to not exploit openings while practicing, yet when he sees one he takes advantage of it and does so in an aggressive manner.
Yes that seems like a double standard, or executive privilege or what have you. However, a class session can get quickly out of control, and turn into a bunch of wrestling matches if you uke and nage struggling back and forth for position. It is beneficial to have a night once a week or twice a month at least for this. In a standard class session, though, you want the technique drilled in sort of a vacuum. The sensei can judge students on individual basis if he thinks he should stop and correct a student who is leaving an opening, or allow him to continue despite the opening for the sake of a different concept that may be unrelated to said opening. I had a sensei who based on each student's ability, set goals for what they should learn for in a week or class.
Then there is your prior experience as a competitor. Could be he is heavy handed with you because you can take it, or he perceives you expect it. I trained Kaj as a kid, and when I go into Aikido I was Sensei's favorite Uke for demonstrations in class, and jiuwaza. Some in the class didn't like those sessions because it did seem Sensei was taking liberties with a new student, but coming from Kaj when he said to strike him, I was really trying to take the man's head off his shoulders. If he threw me, I rolled and popped right back in his face till he said stop, or what usually happened, he pinned me in a lock.
What people are saying is correct, if you have a problem with his method, you are free to find another.I would say though, you should talk to your Sensei, away from other students, about what has been happening. Maybe you come from a tougher background than others and he's trying to give you some realism to your Aikido he thinks you are expecting, so he doesn't lose you as a student? To just leave,leaves the issue unresolved, and someday you see him at a seminar and you have the conversation you should be having now.
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