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Old 04-14-2007, 01:06 PM   #1
msorses
Join Date: Mar 2007
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There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Now I know this has your attention and I know it will get a lot of views but I just want to pose and ask something to all who read:

The way I see it (and this is my opinion only so please no bite-backs on this one) there is only one style of Aikido, regardless of teacher, sensei, attacker, school etc, the only style is that of YOUR OWN. No one (or at least 99.9% can't) can emulate exactly what O'Sensei did, not everyone can fall the same, not all of us apply ikkyo/ikajo, kote gaeshi, shiho nage the same, but surely, if you get out of Aikido what you want, then is that not the true style? If you don't get what you want then you either change it, look for other guidance or move on, but is Aikido not just simply Aikido? The effectiveness etc is only really down to the individual (disregarding poor instruction/miscommunication on learning etc), the goals are down to the individual, the progression is down to the individual, so is not the style down to the individual also? Until you are at the level of the heiho sha (where I guess you develop your own art in some ways) are you not just doing your own thing (guided of course in different directions).

Aikido is Aikido - simple!

I hope I have got this across in as simplistic a way as possible and not ruffled anyone's feather as that was not the intention of the post, I have also tried to negate any/some backlashes with what lies in the brackets etc.

Just curious to see what people think on this one.

Chris

Last edited by msorses : 04-14-2007 at 01:08 PM.
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Old 04-14-2007, 02:48 PM   #2
Mark Uttech
Dojo: Yoshin-ji Aikido of Marshall
Location: Wisconsin
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

This is just a clever way of saying nothing.

In gassho,

Mark
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Old 04-14-2007, 04:48 PM   #3
Qatana
 
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

nothing is everything

Q
http://www.aikidopetaluma.com/
www.knot-working.com

"It is not wise to be incautious when confronting a little smiling bald man"'- Rule #1
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Old 04-14-2007, 05:07 PM   #4
Roman Kremianski
Dojo: Toronto Aikikai
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Quote:
Aikido is Aikido - simple!
Shuffling around the mat clumsily is also Aikido? Great!...who here wants me to teach them this special style? Hm?
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Old 04-14-2007, 05:52 PM   #5
Aikibu
Dojo: West Wind Dojo Santa Monica California
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Quote:
Jo Adell wrote: View Post
nothing is everything
Form is Emptiness and emptiness is form?

William Hazen
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Old 04-14-2007, 05:57 PM   #6
crbateman
 
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

The statement is, IMHO, pure rhetoric. It can be neither fully rebuked nor defended, any more than the statements "There is NO true style of Aikido" or "There are 20 million true styles of Aikido". Pointless.
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Old 04-14-2007, 06:10 PM   #7
Gernot Hassenpflug
Dojo: Aunkai, Tokyo
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

CM wrote: "No one (or at least 99.9% can't) can emulate exactly what O'Sensei did"

The simplest expedient is to say that what we are doing is not aikido. To save face we say instead, "we're TRYING to do aikido (the way O'Sensei did it)" even if we have no clue whatsoever how to go about getting to where he and others like him got to. Some of the threads in the Non-Aikido Martial Art discussion forum may be of interest to you in that regard.
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Old 04-15-2007, 03:26 AM   #8
KamiKaze_Evolution
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

O Sensei has claimed that it is the only one real Aikido

KamiKaze
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Old 04-15-2007, 08:03 PM   #9
mwible
Dojo: Aikido of Suenaka-Ha in Greater Richmond
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

my sensei has told me that when you teach you can only impart upon your students the way that you see the elements of waza coming together and how they apply to the given technique. so if this is truth (which i believe it to be) then we all study aikido through our teachers eyes and our teacher through his teachers and so on and so forth. so yes there is only one aikido, and yet we all do it a different way. one is infinit in this case. it doesnt cut out the possibility of difference it just states that they all revolove around the same principles and techniques.

or thats how i see it

-morgan
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Old 04-15-2007, 08:35 PM   #10
stan baker
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

the reason why we are not doing o sensei 's aikido , his level is higher
end of story.

stan
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Old 04-15-2007, 09:19 PM   #11
Russell Pearse
Dojo: Takemusu Aiki Association
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Hi:

The way we train is that we learn the kihon or fundamental forms up to nidan. It is only above this level that we can branch out and start to develop our "own" aikido. But sensei insists that while we can explore our own aikido in training, we must teach kihon to junior students.

It is like a tree - we must develop a strong root structure and trunk before we branch out into the variations of techniques.

Russell
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Old 04-15-2007, 09:33 PM   #12
kironin
 
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Don't confuse waza with Aikido.

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Old 04-15-2007, 09:56 PM   #13
Russell Pearse
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Hi:

You have to start somewhere. And waza teaches principles.

Russell
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Old 04-15-2007, 10:13 PM   #14
Keith Larman
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Quote:
Craig Hocker wrote: View Post
Don't confuse waza with Aikido.
Amen.

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Old 04-15-2007, 10:15 PM   #15
Keith Larman
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Besides, everyone knows exactly how many forms of Aikido there are... 42. There. Now, on to other productive discussions...

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Old 04-15-2007, 10:52 PM   #16
xuzen
 
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

There is only T3H R34L Yoshinkan (TM).... Yeah, Y0SH1N|<4N 4EV4!!!!!! The rest are just well, er... just... aikido.

Boon.

SHOMEN-ATE (TM), the solution to 90% of aikido and life's problems.
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Old 04-24-2007, 05:54 PM   #17
Dorisu
Dojo: Ban Sen Juku Brussels
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Quote:
the reason why we are not doing o sensei 's aikido , his level is higher
end of story.

stan
Hmm, I would rather say, we don't do o'sensei's aikido because we're simply not o'sensei

Aikido is not something exact. It is a system that needs to be adapted to the person doing aikido.

For example: I'm a student of Tomita Sensei. He's rather small.
I'm rather tall. That's not the same, is it ?

If I just copy his "style", off coarse it doesn't work.
This is why we need to understand the principles, and adapt those to our own body and situation.

So there's only one "style"? I don't think so ...
There's a set of basic principles (the laws of nature), that are the same for everything. But as long as we don't adapt these principles to our own situation, they don't work. Which is quite logic I think ...
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Old 04-24-2007, 09:02 PM   #18
crbateman
 
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Quote:
Dries Cappon wrote: View Post
For example: I'm a student of Tomita Sensei. He's rather small. I'm rather tall. That's not the same, is it ?
This reminds me of watching Lynn Seiser Sensei (6'3") and Dang Thong Phong Sensei (5'nothin') train together. Each does adapt similar technique to suit their specific body type, but it works. And the main reason is that they LOVE to train together. Start with joy, end with joy, and everything in between takes care of itself.

By the way, you are very fortunate to train with Tomita Sensei. I have seen videos of his Aikido, and he is truly remarkable. Make the best of your time together.
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Old 04-26-2007, 09:09 AM   #19
Edward
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Re: There is only one *TRUE* style of Aikido. . .

Quote:
Keith Larman wrote: View Post
Besides, everyone knows exactly how many forms of Aikido there are... 42. There. Now, on to other productive discussions...
What happened to the remaining 9,958 techniques?
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