11-14-2011, 03:45 PM
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#51
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Dojo: Aikido Arts of Shin Budo Kai/ Bedford Hills, New York
Location: New York
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,302
Offline
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Re: Dan Harden in San Francisco Nov 12-13th, 2011
Quote:
Janet Rosen wrote:
In all seriousness: I wasn't planning to do an actual "seminar review" because I don't have much to add to what others (with way more years and experience in aikido) have said before after having a chance to meet and train w/ Dan. There is one thing I would like to address, which is the often-bandied about phrase "It has to be felt", used on aikiweb so often that it merits its own "IHTBF"
I had always taken this to mean that one has to be on the receiving end of Dan's stuff to truly gauge what it is. Now that is certainly true. But it applies just as much to the learning process.
I am lousy on learning movement in terms of really gross movement like stepping and turning. But I am one of those people who has the mixed blessing/curse of being very very sensitive to changes within my body - I've always been able to feel and relate whether a sensation or pain was coming from an organ or a muscle or something else, for instance.
So usually it is fairly easy for me to follow an instruction whether it's anatomic/physiologic, like engage your lats or do a Valsalva or more energetic, like breathe into your low back or move the heat from your head to your hands.
But there is NO WAY I could have correctly done most of what Dan was asking of us without his hands isolating on my body what to keep still/not engage and what to focus on engaging. A couple of the very basic things I was taught this wkend I still can't do but at least having had them isolated and felt, I can call upon that and focus on learning to isolate and engage.
So...yeah....videos pointless, even talking pointless....IHTBF!
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Janet:
Glad that you finally got some hands on with Dan. Videos and talking may be pointless, but the laughing and good times during the seminar = priceless...
Marc Abrams
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