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Old 08-28-2005, 12:30 AM   #1
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Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

AikiWeb Poll for the week of August 28, 2005:

How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?
  • I don't do aikido
  • Critically important
  • Very important
  • Somewhat important
  • Not very important
  • Not at all important
Here are the current results.
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Old 08-28-2005, 06:10 AM   #2
Celaeno
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

In O-Sensei's dissertation "Takemusu Aiki" the two primary purposes of aikido are to loosen the joints of the body to create a vessel which can harbour an enlightened spirit. The second purpose is to destroy our own egotisms which prevent us from being in touch with the divine. Aggression being one of those egotisms, I think it's critically important to face our own aggression during training..

Just my opinion though :-)
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Old 08-28-2005, 03:17 PM   #3
Adam Alexander
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

From a technical perspective, I think my experience has been that if I feel aggressive--chronic or acute--I'm less likely to let the technique happen...more importantly, I'm more likely to not allow the right technique to happen.
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Old 08-28-2005, 06:18 PM   #4
Rupert Atkinson
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

When I started AIkido I was quite passive. I think I started to develop some aggression!

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Old 08-28-2005, 07:51 PM   #5
Joe Bowen
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

Quote:
Jean de Rochefort wrote:
...if I feel aggressive--chronic or acute--I'm less likely...
I was not aware that aggression was a degenerative disorder, like arthritis. Nor was I aware that aggression solely stems from Egotism. Wait! This makes everything so clear, aggression is either an acute or chronic degenerative disorder of the Ego!
Silly me! I had always thought aggression was either an aspect of physical action or a particular behavior or outlook. Perhaps stem cell research can help us cure aggression.

Seriously, folks, aggression is not a bad thing. There are times when you need to be aggressive. Think of it this way, Irimi is aggressive, while Tenkan is not. But, both are critically important aspects of Aikido. Equally so, your aggressive and passive natures are equally important in your balanced psyche. Can you let your aggression rule you? No, but you cannot survive without it. Most people live in denial of their own aggressive selves. When you delude yourself into thinking you have "destroyed" your aggression, you devolve into the proverbial "passive-aggressive" behavior which in many ways is more heinous that straight forward aggression.
Aggression is an inherent part of our animal natures. Do we need to face it and understand it? Absolutely. Do we need to destroy it or cure ourselves of it? Not just no, but HELL no!
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Old 08-29-2005, 01:18 AM   #6
sullivanw
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

There is a difference between a movement which is aggressive and a mindset which is aggressive.
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Old 08-29-2005, 04:51 AM   #7
Pauliina Lievonen
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

Quote:
Joseph Bowen wrote:
Seriously, folks, aggression is not a bad thing. There are times when you need to be aggressive.
Yup.
Quote:
Think of it this way, Irimi is aggressive, while Tenkan is not. [
What is tenkan then, passive? Sorry...passive tenkan is one of my pet peeves.
Quote:
Aggression is an inherent part of our animal natures. Do we need to face it and understand it? Absolutely. Do we need to destroy it or cure ourselves of it? Not just no, but HELL no!
That's how I understood this question as well. The question wasn't do we need to be aggressive to improve, but do we need to face our own aggression to improve. I think everybody has some aggression and if you try to just push that away, you're kidding yourself.

kvaak
Pauliina
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Old 08-29-2005, 09:57 AM   #8
Paul Kerr
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

Aggression? Understand it and utilise it as appropriate. Like any other natural state of being.

I voted 'very important', my assumption being that 'facing' was not being equated with eliminating.
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Old 08-29-2005, 10:00 AM   #9
MaryKaye
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

I spend a little time wrestling with aggression, but the desire to show off is a lot more acute, and a lot worse for my aikido. That's the one I really need to face and come to some resolution with.

Mary Kaye
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Old 08-30-2005, 10:49 AM   #10
jryanruch
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

As a beginner, I've felt that aggression (in the sense of martially taking the initiative) has been critically important. My worst bad habit is waiting too long to engage -- I've noticed that our instructor is already moving before I've made physical contact with him/her -- by doing this I am physically manipulated before I've even completed an attack...

Hold Fast,

J. Ryan Ruch
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Old 08-30-2005, 11:00 AM   #11
rcoit
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

Facing and understanding it is always appropriate. However what do you then do?
Again, it comes down to the definition of the term. In this question - aggression.
If "active hostility" is meant, then it should be transformed to "active compassion" (entering) through understanding (centering).
If "energized action" is meant, then it should be channeled and encouraged through centering & entering.
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Old 08-30-2005, 06:57 PM   #12
Joe Bowen
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

Quote:
Pauliina Lievonen wrote:
What is tenkan then, passive? Sorry...passive tenkan is one of my pet peeves.
Pauliina, I almost started to right passive, but decided that that was not the right word, so I left it at not. I would have to say that Tenkan is "maybe" less aggressive then irimi, but I would agree with you that it is not passive. Kind of hard to put into words. But, in the end, if we are doing away with our aggression, then how can we aggressively pursue world peace, our own training or anything else?
Robert raises a few good points. But, I think if you face and understand where your angst, aggression, anger, etc comes from you put yourself in the position to choose to transform or channel that energy that comes from that part of our psyche, to change the aggression to compassion, the angst to love. And, it is never a one time deal. It happens every day over and over again. Just because you are successful at doing it today at the dojo, doesn't mean you will do it tomorrow at the office. It will increase your ability to do it, but doesn't mean that you necessarily will. It's a natural part of who we are....
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Old 08-30-2005, 11:52 PM   #13
Rupert Atkinson
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

After some pondering, I think that if you are aggressive then you need to get rid of it. If you are not aggressive then training to develop some is in order. Either way, if aggression is called for, it should be under your control.

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Old 08-31-2005, 06:30 AM   #14
Amelia Smith
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

Uncontrolled agression can make for a very dangerous training environment.

--Amelia
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Old 09-01-2005, 02:25 PM   #15
billybob
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

Joseph Bowen's last post "But, I think if you face and understand where your angst, aggression, anger, etc comes from you put yourself in the position to choose to transform or channel that energy that comes from that part of our psyche, to change the aggression to compassion, the angst to love. And, it is never a one time deal. It happens every day over and over again."

Well said sir, and i was just about to give you an intercontinental tongue lashing for rationalizing your way out of self improvement!

Got burglarized last week. Rather than getting out and getting help - i got a weapon and checked the house myself - nine tenths ready to kill. Old feelings not welcome back. I train for personal growth. I guess I have improved in that I did not 'see red', and part of me was willing to negotiate and not kill on sight.

Tough world sometimes.

peace
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Old 09-02-2005, 09:05 AM   #16
ian
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

Also support some of the previous views - I feel that aggression makes you short sighted and unable to adapt, and thus blending is impossible.

---understanding aikido is understanding the training method---
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Old 09-02-2005, 12:50 PM   #17
billybob
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

I will add something:

Irimi is not necessarily aggressive. Just as tenkan can be devastating (koshi anyone?)

A good irimi encounters no resistance from uke - you put your strongest through their weakest.

hahahha - so easy to say on the web!

peace
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Old 09-03-2005, 03:57 PM   #18
SeiserL
 
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Re: Poll: How important is facing your own aggression in improving your aikido?

IMHO, if you want to improve at anything you have to face yourself.

Since aggression by definition is an unprovoked action or hostile destructive attack intended to dominate or master (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary), I would say its a pretty important concept to face since it appears IMHO in opposition to the philosophical basis of O'Sensei's Aikido.

Lynn Seiser PhD
Yondan Aikido & FMA/JKD
We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training. Train well. KWATZ!
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