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Old 10-02-2007, 11:43 AM   #51
MM
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Re: Have a sensei that is to verbose .

LOL! Hmmm ... so if I listen long enough, will it start to make sense? Or am I just senseless in thinking that? If I had enough cents(pun), I could actually pay attention. Maybe I'd learn more that way. It'd be sensible. Wonder if that's why they're called sense-a? and the big kahuna is O-sense-a? You'd think by now, I'd be sensing that I'd used enough variations, but then again, I'm not much for common sense. Although I have a tingling sensation that I'd probably get thwacked by now if someone were here to stop my senseless ramblings.

Sense-rely,
Mark
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Old 10-30-2007, 09:23 AM   #52
Pierre Kewcharoen
 
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Re: Have a sensei that is to verbose .

YES! Less talky and more ronduri!

Don't forget the time added to put on/takeoff a gi. And the extra time to put on/fold a hakama!
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Old 11-01-2007, 08:26 AM   #53
Shannon Frye
Dojo: Aikido Fellowship of VA / Chesapeake Va
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Re: Have a sensei that is to verbose .

Quote:
Michael Riehle wrote: View Post

I've had teachers over the years who never explained anything. ...

A little explanation would have gone a long way toward keeping me in Judo.
I agree. Before leaving a yahoo group, hosted by Fuyura, I caused him to get his "hakama in a bunch" when I suggested that teaching styles from older historical Japan might not be compatible with modern day American students. My goodness, he went off. He posted that he hates the internet, cause anyone can say whatever sh*t they want to - and that type of sh*t should be flushed away, as should the people saying it. He went a bit extreme with it.

I think a saying I heard once holds true "Be friendly, not social." Wanting something explained is a characteristic of the American culture. I think it's ok to explain, just not to talk it to death. Ya gotta find that balance.

Shannon

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Old 11-01-2007, 10:27 AM   #54
Avery Jenkins
 
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Re: Have a sensei that is to verbose .

You guys are reminding me of how lucky I've got it. My first sensei talked very little, and would generally correct you by grinding you into the mat until you discovered your error. Effective, but painful.

My current sensei will wander over, watch a few throws, and give me some instruction about what I'm doing wrong, watch me do it, then wander off. Never too much, never too little. I find this approach to be the most effective, and when teaching a class, I try to replicate it.

As far as talking goes, for the most part, I try to keep my mouth shut. But there is another student at the dojo who started about the same time as I. He and I have trained together for, literally, hundreds of hours. I can throw the guy with my eyes closed, and he me. So, naturally, when we end up paired up with one another, there's a certain amount of yapping that goes on, ranging from how's your wife to a little friendly trash-talking. We shut up when Sensei wanders around, though.

Avery Jenkins
Author of Dark River, to be released in Oct. 2020
www.averyjenkinsauthor.com
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Old 11-01-2007, 11:03 AM   #55
Nick P.
 
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Dojo: Sukagawa Aikido Club of Montreal
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Re: Have a sensei that is to verbose .

Izumi Sensei,

With all due respect, the obvious challenges to training while not in the presence of one's sensei are, for most of us, space (padded floor or not), scheduling and finding like-minded students to train with.

I for one am about to build a 10-tatami "dojo" in my basement, for all the reasons you listed (this project has been in the works for nearly a year, so am I quite delighted to read I am not all that far off-base in my thinking of having extra time/space to train), but I suspect the vast majority of students will not have the same resources (space, money, partners or time or all of those). Even with my home dojo project I might find difficult to get my fellow students to join me as scheduling is always a challenge. In that case I will be focusing on ukemi and shikko.

Perhaps it is a cultural issue? I suspect your average north-american student thinks the only truely worthwhile learning is to be done while in the presence of one's (martial arts or other) teacher, for fear of making grave mistakes and keeping those as habits (not a view I support, just saying...)? Equally, your average north-american sensei clings too closely to controlling what their students do.

I do know what I have been taught, however:
Mat/dojo time is practice time. Talking can be any other time, and though I value everything every teacher I have had, and still have, I value training under them even more.

Thank you.

Last edited by Nick P. : 11-01-2007 at 11:14 AM.

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Old 11-01-2007, 12:53 PM   #56
Rocky Izumi
Dojo: GUST Aikido Club
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Re: Have a sensei that is to verbose .

Nick,

On the web, I am just the Rock. I am not your Sensei so don't call me that. Be relaxed. On the web, we are all equal and our opinions are all equal.

My opinion, however, is that what you say is true only if you are into practicing techniques rather than principles and only those techniques listed in the testing syllabii. If you see the other techniques such as Tsuki, Shomen Uchi, Morote Tori, etc. as Aikido techniques that should be practiced, they don't all have to be practiced on another person. Second, one can practice in the mind only and in form only to fix certain parts of one's techniques. I remember our present Doshu once saying that we should be doing at least 500 Furikaburi each day. Kawahara Shihan often says we don't do enough Tai No Henka and Shikko practice by ourselves. These practices do not involve the need for another person.

If you go beyond the practice of techniques to the practice of principles, you can practice anywhere at any time with anyone or no one. You can practice extension opening swinging doors. You can practice posture in walking. You can practice Suri Ashi anywhere but especially on Montreal's icy sidewalks in winter while wearing slippery dress shoes.

I remember walking behind Tohei Akira Shihan one day during one of his seminars in Texas. I called the other Yudansha to me as we walked to lunch to look at the bottom of Sensei's leather bottom dress shoes while he walked. You could see the full imprint of his feet in the thick leather of the sole. Most amazing was how you could see each toe was grabbing the ground with each step he took. And, you could see how there were two circular patches on the bottom, one at the ball of the feet and one at the heel where he would be spinning to turn. Every step that Tohei Shihan took was a step in his practice of Aikido.

I like to think each time a take a swig from the bottle of beer, I am practicing the pronation motion of my arm in Aikido practice.

Maybe I will be able to get out your way some time.

Rock
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Old 11-02-2007, 09:11 AM   #57
Nick P.
 
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Re: Have a sensei that is to verbose .

Rock,

Thank you for the clarification on the sensei title; I chose to use it in this context as I have learned much by reading your posts, and would one day like to learn more from you directly.

On that note...

I see what you mean concerning the difference between techniques and principles; in the examples you gave of your own outside-of-class practicing, which were you practicing? Personaly, at this stage of my training ( 10 yrs), I guess I am gradually shifting from techniques to exploring the principles behind them. I suspect the home-work changes in focus as time goes by.

As for Montreal streets in winter: If you want to look good, wear dress shoes. If you don't want to suffer frostbite and fall on your butt, wear winter boots!

I have been taught that kokyuho is like kampai (sp?); somehow the wider grip on a pint seems more natural than a narrow grip on a bottle. Hah! Technique vs. principles once again!

If ever you get to Montreal, please do look me up.
Best,
-Nick

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Old 11-03-2007, 11:54 AM   #58
Rocky Izumi
Dojo: GUST Aikido Club
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Re: Have a sensei that is to verbose .

Still practice all that I can, even the ones that look stupid at times when done in public. Try and do Sankaku Irimi, Tenshin, Tenkai, Tenkan exercises every day and do to some point. Always use Sankaku Irimi movement when moving through crowds quickly so I can slip between people and keep moving. Still open doors with extension but am more careful now after smashing a few doors with fast hinges. Still practice certain motions to pick up things that I drop on the floor. Still use the wrist flexibility exercises to keep myself awake when driving for long distances (no I don't take both hands off the steering wheel but use the roof of the car or the door. Still practice Shin Kokyu a to increase blood flow when getting tired when writing. Still practice Suri Ashi on icy Regina streets with cowboy boots. Still go around hitting trees or walls with Tsuki and breaking rocks with Shuto when I am bored while waiting for people.

One of the best exercises I liked was to use a 70 lb heavy bag suspended from about 2.5 metres at body height and get it swinging before practicing Sankaku Irimi, Tenshin, Tenkai, Tenkan on the bag as if it were a person moving towards me. Good aerobic exercise and teaches you to move real quickly and with little wasted movement. No place to hang the bag where I am presently living. It is good to use as a punching bag as well.

For exercise for holding centre and staying connected with centre of opponent, get a 1 inch hemp rope and hang it from about 2.5 metres. Make a knot at the bottom about same height as your throat. Get the rope swinging. Take Bokuto and stand in Chudan No Kamae. Do Tsuki on the knot by moving your whole body forward, not just your arms and sword. As you get better, increase the distance from the knot to where you are standing at fighting distance from the knot. Then, increase your fighting distance (Maai). You should not cut the rope to make it the right height since you will want to have another knot at about hip height. Do the same exercise with Tsuki of a Jo. You can also do this like me where I just use pine cones hanging from trees on a very windy day.

Another good centering exercise I like to do is to take those bamboo gardening stakes that are about 1/8 inch in diametre stick it in the ground, then split it lengthwise using a Bokuto. It is better with live green bamboo like we used to use in Hong Kong and Barbados but I don't think you will find those here in Canada. I just use gardening stakes now. If you get good, you can split an 1/8 inch stake four ways. I even succeeded doing one into seven splits once in Hong Kong.

I also go over a lot of techniques in my head as I lie down and try to sleep. I'm an insomniac so I get a lot of mental boxing practice. I make up my own imaginary partner and work out some of the movement in my mind and test out theories and principles in my mind this way. Then, when I go to the Dojo, I get to test out my mental boxing findings out on a real person.

Lot more exercises available. Come up with some yourself, then tell us about it.

Rock
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