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Old 07-29-2011, 12:24 AM   #26
dps
 
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Quote:
Mike Sigman wrote: View Post
Wouldn't the obvious next question be "what else am I missing that I didn't/don't know that I'm missing?".
2 cents.

Mike Sigman
I once made a list of all the things I do not know.

Wooden nickel.

dps

Last edited by dps : 07-29-2011 at 12:27 AM.

Go ahead, tread on me.
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Old 07-29-2011, 05:12 AM   #27
rob_liberti
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Quote:
Mike Sigman wrote: View Post
Wouldn't the obvious next question be "what else am I missing that I didn't/don't know that I'm missing?". A related question is "what did Ueshiba know and when did he know it?". Both very valid questions if someone is taking a look at "internal strength" in Aikido.

2 cents.

Mike Sigman
Well Mike, I am open to any pointers you may want to throw out here.

While I honestly believe that you are making a fair and good point, to be completely truthful in my reply I think my personal answer to those questions would be "No." For me, that's not really the _next_ logical step at all.

The next step, if you ask me, is how do I get enough of a foothold of what I have been exposed to to be able to appreciate further information in a more productive way.

I'm actually at the point where I have some stability/structure even while moving around. I can get intent working to some degree through my arms and legs. I can -way too slowly- spin my dantien just a bit.

I want to be able to apply the skills I have (which are not yet automatic enough/fast enough) to striking, throwing, and wrestling against other people who have such skills infused with aiki. Once at that point, I really will have little interest in anything ELSE Dan may want to show me for a long while - until I assimilate to some degree.

Personally, as awful and terrifying as it is, I want to do MMA to some horrible degree with people like Dan and Andy (and other friends with aiki) for a while.

THEN, the next question for me is: what else don't I know?

Can I then appreciate a bit more of the kotodama principles? Can I understand a bit more about healing people with body work? Can I take my training in aiki to a next level, such that I can actually do aikido waza in MMA to some degree? How fun would aikido practice be with people training at that level?

Otherwise, I think you end up spread a bit martially thin.

Asking about what Ueshiba knew, and what aiki greats could do what is totally boring to me personally. I will be at seminars working on AIKI and some of my good friends are sitting on the sidelines NOT working on aiki, but rather discussing which old master could do what. I will never get that. There is enough credibility in what we are actually doing ourselves right now. If I had a time machine, I wouldn't go back in time to work with them, I would go to my younger self and get him/me working with Dan. (Okay, I would make a lot of money first, but THEN...)

Rob
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Old 07-29-2011, 11:12 AM   #28
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

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Dan Harden wrote: View Post
I think posts like David's and Szczepans are vaulable in that they demonstrate where we were at and why no one got it.
Meaningless assignments to things they do not understand, and Szczepans modern day equivalent of Chiba's response to Ueshiba telling them "This is not my Aikido".....
"We couldn't for him to stop talking about all that nonsense so we could train!" (paraphrasing here)
Oh well.
Thus modern day Aikido™ was born.
And Ueshiba's way of aiki was kept small.

You know, after reading that interview and these more educated translations by those better qualified; he may not have been the one who kept the real gold from the run of the mill people...
it just may have been a voluntary opting out process all their own.

Dan
Your post are soooo boring last 10 years, Dan. You repeat yourself wihout mercy. You are coming to Aikiweb to do marketing your business and the same time you spit in the face to all aikido community... what a pity...

Nagababa

ask for divine protection Ame no Murakumo Kuki Samuhara no Ryuo
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Old 07-29-2011, 11:29 AM   #29
hughrbeyer
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Szczepan, Dan was invited into the Aikido community by aikidoka who wanted to learn what he could teach. So quit slagging him. It's rude not just to him, but to your fellow aikidoka.

And quit with the "marketing your business" line. If you knew him at all, you'd know how ignorant that is.

As for spitting in your face... oh, it's an old line but let's trot it out again: "I didn't give them hell. I told them the truth and they thought it was hell."--Harry Truman
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Old 07-29-2011, 11:31 AM   #30
DH
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Quote:
Szczepan Janczuk wrote: View Post
Your post are soooo boring last 10 years, Dan. You repeat yourself wihout mercy. You are coming to Aikiweb to do marketing your business and the same time you spit in the face to all aikido community... what a pity...
Thanks Hugh

Szczepan
New information keeps coming to light, validating previous observations. Spitting in the face of the community? The worst evaluations of the currect state of aikido I have ever heard spoken are from teachers of aikido. Curiously the many letters I receive and heart felt thanks I get in person, seem to defy your characterization.

What did you expect for your post of uninformed sarcasm?
Don't make this about me. I disagree with your position, handle it better and stay on topic.
Dan
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Old 07-29-2011, 12:16 PM   #31
Chris Li
 
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Quote:
Szczepan Janczuk wrote: View Post
Your post are soooo boring last 10 years, Dan. You repeat yourself wihout mercy. You are coming to Aikiweb to do marketing your business and the same time you spit in the face to all aikido community... what a pity...
I don't think that Dan really makes much money out of this stuff, the first time he came here he actually went out of pocket a little bit.

Also, he's always very respectful of Aikido and Ueshiba. However, I did get a little worn out last time - from local Aikido people thanking me for setting up the workshop

Dan may deny it - but what he does is pure 100% Aikido - the Way of Aiki. I recommend it highly.

Best,

Chris

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Old 07-29-2011, 12:52 PM   #32
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

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Szczepan Janczuk wrote: View Post
Your post are soooo boring last 10 years, Dan. You repeat yourself wihout mercy. You are coming to Aikiweb to do marketing your business and the same time you spit in the face to all aikido community... what a pity...
It might help if you asked the "aikido community" before you spoke for them. I'm pretty sure that Bill Gleason and George Ledyard would have a different opinion than yours. Not to mention some other high ranked aikido people that I've been to a workshop with. Or those people outside of aikido, who are still helping the aikido community, like Ellis Amdur or Howard Popkin.

I think it's rather rude that you neglect the history of how Dan first started. It's out there but some people are just too lazy to find it. It was Ellis who dragged Dan out of his closed barn kicking and screaming, not really wanting to go out and meet people.

You know what? It was the quality of character of the budo people that he met that kept him going. It was never the quality of aiki because we didn't have it. After meeting Dan (and Andy) we realized that fact. Business? No. It's a screaming horde of martial artists wanting THE secret to aikido. The aiki that made Ueshiba great as a martial artist.

You know what it was to be a good budo man? When a martial artist heard of someone who had a reputation for being outstanding, the good budo man would go out of his way to meet and train with that outstanding person. Why do you think thousands wanted to train with Takeda, Sagawa, Kodo, and Ueshiba? We hear a good bit about their students because they were good budo men. They went, experienced, and started training. Ever hear about those budo men who stayed home?

Ledyard, Popkin, Amdur, Gleason, Ikeda, and a host of others chasing aiki. How about if you direct your comments of "spit in the face to all aikido community" to us before you speak for us. We certainly don't feel that way. Because it is we of the aikido community who are asking for the workshops and the training.

The pity ... is that people would rather be lazy and remain in ignorance than have to maybe face the fact that they do not have aiki.

There are a lot of people from various martial arts all working and training together because of aiki and *that* as far as I'm concerned is fulfilling one of Ueshiba's visions for his aikido, not to mention actually training for Ueshiba's aiki. The pity ... is that those people supposedly chasing Ueshiba's vision are spitting in the face of this and the the aikido community who are.
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Old 07-29-2011, 01:30 PM   #33
Mike Sigman
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

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Rob Liberti wrote: View Post
Well Mike, I am open to any pointers you may want to throw out here.

While I honestly believe that you are making a fair and good point, to be completely truthful in my reply I think my personal answer to those questions would be "No." For me, that's not really the _next_ logical step at all.
Well, my comment was more in line that missing some fairly important can often happen more than once. If you remember some of the earlier conversations there was a lot of denial that anyone could possible be missing any important information. That sort of thing can happen time and time again, not just once, in my experience.

The comment about what Ueshiba knew and when did he know it is, in my opinion, fairly important. I stated before (a few years back) that there are some important differences between what Shioda, Tohei, Ueshiba, and others actually do in their versions of internal strength. And a lot of these comments about "spiralling" need to be thought out a little further, IMO.

2 cents

Mike Sigman
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Old 07-29-2011, 01:32 PM   #34
gregstec
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Quote:
Szczepan Janczuk wrote: View Post
Your post are soooo boring last 10 years, Dan. You repeat yourself wihout mercy. You are coming to Aikiweb to do marketing your business and the same time you spit in the face to all aikido community... what a pity...
Yeah, Dan is soooo boring and he keeps repeating himself over and over again - how else would he get his message across to those too thick headed to listen and give things a shot. Why should he continue to bother you ask, because he knows what he is saying is right, which is evidenced by those who have gone and seen him, AND because he was that thick headed SOB at one time as well who wished there was someone like him willing to go out of their way to get their message across on what aiki really is.

So, WAKE UP people and start listening if you want to put substance back in your Aiki Do - if not, then please refrain from talking about things you do not truly know about and stop attacking those that do.

Greg
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Old 07-29-2011, 01:42 PM   #35
DH
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Current people and their input (real or imagined) is of little importance. If you have something meaningful to say instead of constantly telling people you have something meaningful to say....say it.
Otherwise, I think we need to stay on track of the OP.
Dan
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Old 07-29-2011, 01:43 PM   #36
Mike Sigman
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Quote:
Ellis Amdur wrote: View Post
For example, you can see many photos where Ueshiba, within aikido technique, replicates this in-yo with his body, in various configurations. On page 45 of HIPS, there is a picture of Hisa Takuma doing a dramatic version of the same thing. Let me suggest the possibility that the assiduous student would try to create this structure in every aikido technique - not primarily between uke and nage, but within oneself.
Hi Ellis:

I'm unclear how Ueshiba is doing anything particularly different than in most other art that use jin/kokyu and qi/ki skills. The important thing is differentiating Open and Close and what people are calling "winding" is really just a variation of the Yin-Yang formation of Open/Close. Maybe people should clarify (go into greater detail) about what it is that they think Ueshiba is doing.

The picture of Ueshiba with the Open-Close (Yin Yang) is interesting, but wouldn't be significantly different than a lot of the common symbolism of the earlier times. For instance, if you take that fist and place it within the flattened other hand, you have the famous and common Sun-Moon symbol (indicating Yin-Yang) that was and is commonly used by martial-artists in China.

My point being that I'm not seeing Ueshiba do anything that makes me think "oh, that's extraordinary and it's being done is a way not explained by common internal-strength theory". Maybe I'm missing something? Or maybe others are missing something. It could be an interesting discussion.

2 cents.

Mike
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Old 07-29-2011, 02:12 PM   #37
gregstec
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Quote:
Dan Harden wrote: View Post
Current people and their input (real or imagined) is of little importance. If you have something meaningful to say instead of constantly telling people you have something meaningful to say....say it.
Otherwise, I think we need to stay on track of the OP.
Dan
Sorry to have appeared to speak for you, but I was tired of hearing the same type of stuff over and over again - I will refrain from talking about you in the future. Actually, I am getting tired of hearing the same stuff bantered about ad nauseam in these forums, so I think I am going to drop out to be a recluse and just go train in my barn.

Greg
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Old 07-29-2011, 02:27 PM   #38
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we need you Szczepan

As someone who has never met Dan, nor anyone who trains with him, I want to say something. Does he have a secret moneymaking scheme that is covered up in an aiki conspiracy? Well I guess I don't know. But let's be reasonable.

His posts and the ensuing discussion have tangibly changed my aikido, for the better. Why? Because of the discussion and the heart that people put into it. It led me to re-examine things. That's really the point of a discussion board, isn't it?

I am almost sure none of that would have happened if no one disagreed and argued. So, we as a community benefit from people arguing. But only real argument can benefit us-- what is the reason for your disagreement, which particular things do you think are BS? What is better in your opinion and what evidence/effects does your opinion produce as fuel for the argument?

Szczepan, humor is good but there is room to be more substantive. If you have a case to make, let's hear it and actually have something to disagree about.

-----------------
sorry for the rant..
Mike, I took the photo to be a message moreso than a demo of usage. As in, "hi can you people please look into 'yin and yang'?"
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Old 07-29-2011, 02:50 PM   #39
graham christian
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Ueshiba giving secret massages now? How significant can you get?
I think the statement of hidden in plain sight has gone into cuckoo land.

Maybe he was a mason from the yin yang order.

Regards.G.
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Old 07-29-2011, 03:03 PM   #40
DH
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

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Greg Steckel wrote: View Post
Sorry to have appeared to speak for you, but I was tired of hearing the same type of stuff over and over again - I will refrain from talking about you in the future. Actually, I am getting tired of hearing the same stuff bantered about ad nauseam in these forums, so I think I am going to drop out to be a recluse and just go train in my barn.

Greg
What???
That wasn't aimed at you buddy. That was aimed squarely on those who continue to do this and are alllowed to do it, instead of debating ideas.
You are wrong is different than you're a jerk
Some people just cant process that.
I was just trying to stop the conversation from going toward me....again!

And thank you for your kind words and comments BTW.
Dan
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Old 07-29-2011, 03:10 PM   #41
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Re: we need you Szczepan

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Jonathan Wong wrote: View Post
Szczepan, humor is good but there is room to be more substantive. If you have a case to make, let's hear it and actually have something to disagree about.
You know Jonathan, this forum was designed to discuss aikido topics. However it became impossible to do it . Every more or less technical discussion quickly is spammed with "aiki" or "IP" off topics and a real topic is not discussed anymore. This spamming is done by pll who even don't practice aikido or by fresh converters who were not happy with their aikido skills. As even between them they can't agree on clear definition of ‘aiki' they create environment where only ‘those chosen" can have real understanding. Like in those famous religious sects.

What they are doing on aikido forum? Why they don't create their own forum to discuss their ideas?

Additionally they quickly diminish you or even direct O sensei students simply by saying "you don't have aiki skills'. How arrogant it is! They never met O sensei personally, but they are putting down ppl who spent with O sensei many years, and who gave all their life to teach aikido over the world. And Dan is the best in such manipulation.

And this topic is really most hilarious -- the discussion is " what O sensei wanted to teach by having on the picture one hand position different that other" !!! It is just goes against simple common sense.

It is not surprising that in such situation almost any long time aikido students write anymore on Aikiweb.

Nagababa

ask for divine protection Ame no Murakumo Kuki Samuhara no Ryuo
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Old 07-29-2011, 03:10 PM   #42
DH
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Quote:
Graham Christian wrote: View Post
Ueshiba giving secret massages now? How significant can you get?
I think the statement of hidden in plain sight has gone into cuckoo land.

Maybe he was a mason from the yin yang order.

Regards.G.
They are not secret, Graham, they're obvious, widespread and known. Your founder decided to talk about some known concepts in plain language... that got mistranslated.
His biographers and translators didn't get it.
He told them they didn't get it,
They admitted they didn't get it,
And several of them admit they just wanted him to shut up!
And no one I know of has said no one in aikido gets it.

Dan

Last edited by DH : 07-29-2011 at 03:23 PM.
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Old 07-29-2011, 03:14 PM   #43
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Re: we need you Szczepan

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Szczepan Janczuk wrote: View Post
It is not surprising that in such situation almost any long time aikido students write anymore on Aikiweb.
And fascinating that so many are now training this way. Including Japanese shihan.
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Old 07-29-2011, 03:14 PM   #44
gregstec
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

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Dan Harden wrote: View Post
What???
That wasn't aimed at you buddy. That was aimed squarely on those who continue to do this and are alllowed to do it, instead of debating ideas.
You are wrong is different than you're a jerk
Some people just cant process that.
I was just trying to stop the conversation from going toward me....again!

And thank you for your kind words and comments BTW.
Dan
Sometimes you too esoteric however, I really am tired of the same old BS going back and forth and I am serious about stepping out of the forum stuff for awhile.

Greg

Last edited by gregstec : 07-29-2011 at 03:18 PM.
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Old 07-29-2011, 03:31 PM   #45
graham christian
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

Quote:
Dan Harden wrote: View Post
They are not secret, Graham, they're obvious. and also widespread.
His biographers and translators.
They didn't get it
He told them they didn't get it,
They admitted they didn't get it,
And several of them admit they just wanted him to shut up!

Which explains so much.
Dan
What? The way he held his hands after a technique? As if to say look at me? Come on now that's significance and implying it's a message.

Statements as above: They didn't, He told them, His biographers and translators, They admitted....... Wow, the mysterious they. Generalisations.

If a person only listens to those who didn't understand then I suppose he can then imagine away nicely. What exactly does that explain?

Regards.G.
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Old 07-29-2011, 03:47 PM   #46
Cady Goldfield
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Re: we need you Szczepan

Aiki isn't an aikido topic?
Aikido people who are training aiki and posting about it here on AikiWeb aren't on topic?
Aikido people who are training aiki and posting about it here on AikiWeb aren't to be believed?
Respected aikido shihan who are now training aiki and incorporating it into their aikido aren't to be trusted as doing real aikido?
The one individual who has been teaching aiki in his home dojo to any sincere seeker FREE OF CHARGE for more than 20 years, and is now giving seminars for a limited time and for minimal tuition that is only break-even (or not even break-even), is a "spammer"?
It's okay to make fun of a photo because you don't understand what's going on in it?

Man, this stuff must be better hidden in plain sight from some folks than I thought!

Quote:
Szczepan Janczuk wrote: View Post
You know Jonathan, this forum was designed to discuss aikido topics. However it became impossible to do it . Every more or less technical discussion quickly is spammed with "aiki" or "IP" off topics and a real topic is not discussed anymore. This spamming is done by pll who even don't practice aikido or by fresh converters who were not happy with their aikido skills. As even between them they can't agree on clear definition of ‘aiki' they create environment where only ‘those chosen" can have real understanding. Like in those famous religious sects.

What they are doing on aikido forum? Why they don't create their own forum to discuss their ideas?

Additionally they quickly diminish you or even direct O sensei students simply by saying "you don't have aiki skills'. How arrogant it is! They never met O sensei personally, but they are putting down ppl who spent with O sensei many years, and who gave all their life to teach aikido over the world. And Dan is the best in such manipulation.

And this topic is really most hilarious -- the discussion is " what O sensei wanted to teach by having on the picture one hand position different that other" !!! It is just goes against simple common sense.

It is not surprising that in such situation almost any long time aikido students write anymore on Aikiweb.
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Old 07-29-2011, 03:52 PM   #47
Mike Sigman
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Re: we need you Szczepan

Quote:
Jonathan Wong wrote: View Post
Mike, I took the photo to be a message moreso than a demo of usage. As in, "hi can you people please look into 'yin and yang'?"
Yeah, I more or less agree, Jonathan. It didn't mean much and the various signals of "yin-yang" are/were pretty widespread in Asian martial-arts (as you already know). Ueshiba would have known that, too, so I'd take it more as a signal that he was in the club, too, rather than a "here's a valuable clue" sort of thing. Same thing with a lot of the references in his douka..... using the correct words was an accepted way of titillating the readers who didn't know, while at the same time being a signal to the cognoscenti that his style adhered to the classical Yin-Yang, internal-strength, etc., dicta.

Mike
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Old 07-29-2011, 04:27 PM   #48
HL1978
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Re: we need you Szczepan

Quote:
Szczepan Janczuk wrote: View Post
You know Jonathan, this forum was designed to discuss aikido topics. However it became impossible to do it . Every more or less technical discussion quickly is spammed with "aiki" or "IP" off topics and a real topic is not discussed anymore. This spamming is done by pll who even don't practice aikido or by fresh converters who were not happy with their aikido skills. As even between them they can't agree on clear definition of ‘aiki' they create environment where only ‘those chosen" can have real understanding. Like in those famous religious sects.

What they are doing on aikido forum? Why they don't create their own forum to discuss their ideas?

Additionally they quickly diminish you or even direct O sensei students simply by saying "you don't have aiki skills'. How arrogant it is! They never met O sensei personally, but they are putting down ppl who spent with O sensei many years, and who gave all their life to teach aikido over the world. And Dan is the best in such manipulation.

And this topic is really most hilarious -- the discussion is " what O sensei wanted to teach by having on the picture one hand position different that other" !!! It is just goes against simple common sense.

It is not surprising that in such situation almost any long time aikido students write anymore on Aikiweb.
I'm not sure.

A good question to ask is why can't my particular teacher replicate the various feats ascribed to the founder of the art on trained athletic people from outside the art. You also might ask why you do all sorts of wacky exercises that seem to have no real purpose or connection to the waza you preform. You can either come to the conclusion that the founder was a super special guy, that it was all fake, or that something is missing. I used to think it was 1/2 for aikido and other arts I studied, now I tend to believe it's #3.

Once upon a time I trained in aikido and I never met anyone who could move me around with essentially zero resistance or repeat the various feats ascribed to the founder. These guys didn't force me to move in particular ways due to pain compliance or moving in a particular way was expected by your partner. Most of what I learned in aikido and various other martial arts was predominantly technique based, yet applying these techniques on IS/IP people simply didn't work. They didn't use better waza nor superior physical strength or timing like many high ranking practioners I had previously trained with.

When you start to get some exposure to the concepts talked about, you start to see how far off you (and possibly your teachers) were in the past because they simply didn't know. The various words and descriptions take on new meanings as if your "eyes were opened to budo". (Who said that? )

As for why aikido? Well its been answered before, but the whole IS/IP fits in rather nicely. Plenty of people have argued that aikido simply doesn't work on resisting opponents. IS powered aikido appears to work according to people that attend seminars by various MA people. A reasonable conclusion is that IS people can make aikido work without using better technique, more strength or better timing, and might have a better understanding of what aiki is.

Or its simply a big money grabbing scam and everyone is a sucker (yet some people can replicate the results.... oops don't pay attention to them)

Last edited by HL1978 : 07-29-2011 at 04:42 PM.
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Old 07-29-2011, 04:48 PM   #49
graham christian
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Re: we need you Szczepan

Quote:
Hunter Lonsberry wrote: View Post
I'm not sure.

A good question to ask is why can't my particular teacher replicate the various feats ascribed to the founder of the art on trained athletic people from outside the art. You also might ask why you do all sorts of wacky exercises that seem to have no real purpose or connection to the waza you preform. You can either come to the conclusion that the founder was a super special guy, that it was all fake, or that something is missing. I used to think it was 1/2 for aikido and other arts I studied, now I tend to believe it's #3.

Once upon a time I trained in aikido and I never met anyone who could move me around with essentially zero resistance or repeat the various feats ascribed to the founder. These guys didn't force me to move in particular ways due to pain compliance or moving in a particular way was expected by your partner. Most of what I learned in aikido and various other martial arts was predominantly technique based, yet applying these techniques on IS/IP people simply didn't work. They didn't use better waza nor superior physical strength or timing like many high ranking practioners I had previously trained with.

When you start to get some exposure to the concepts talked about, you start to see how far off you (and possibly your teachers) were in the past because they simply didn't know. The various words and descriptions take on new meanings as if your "eyes were opened to budo". (Who said that? )

As for why aikido? Well its been answered before, but the whole IS/IP fits in rather nicely. Plenty of people have argued that aikido simply doesn't work on resisting opponents. IS powered aikido appears to work according to people that attend seminars by various MA people. A reasonable conclusion is that IS people can make aikido work, and might have a better understanding of what aiki is.
I asked that question as you proposed in your first paragraph, about some teachers, not mine for he could.

I could also see the founder was a special guy xo comparing other teachers to him was a bit silly no?

Now doing all sorts of wacky exercises that don't connect to waza? That's a false statement I'm afraid.

Your final point in that paragraph says you did various martial arts but couldn't effect them on ip guys. Now that could be an interesting point if you mean that on all other people you could.

Second paragraph says basically you did some Aikido but never met anyone like Ueshiba. Not surprising.

Finally why Aikido? Well the whole ip thing would fit most martial arts, especially ones with holds etc. wouldn't it?

So in conclusion, for those who never found the whys of basic exercises and their relationships to waza etc. then it would be useful up to a point, indeed for those it would be eye opening no doubt.

Regards G.
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Old 07-29-2011, 04:53 PM   #50
JW
 
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Re: Hidden in Plain Sight - Indeed!

[crowd cheers]
It's game 42 of the Traditional Reformists vs the Institutional Purists! The Reformists score a point with "Because you don't understand in and yo" by pointing out that their training is based on these concepts! They pass the ball to Ueshiba in his strange photographic pose and desperate look in his eye. But Szczepan steals the ball and tries to score with "farting" and expression of distaste for the players on the other team. Looks like he didn't make the point! Then Graham fires a shot for the Institutionalists, suggesting that the idea of a Sensei expressing ideas covertly in a world where deshi are expected to "steal the technique" would be preposterous! Opinion stated... but point made? Mike Sigman scores for the Reformists again with the suggestion that yin and yang are the juicy core of many arts throughout history and that Ueshiba's doka match up with those arts' literature... can someone save this game for the purists?

Does anyone have an explanation for how the institution of Aikido does not need help in proving Ueshiba wrong that "we don't understand in and yo?" Where in the lineages of modern aikido can we point to this understanding? Step up the game, folks...

I am going to pull out my internet cable because I am clearly losing it.
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