Howard Popkin Sensei in Seattle

Howard Popkin Sensei will teach at Aikido Eastside and Two Cranes Aikido this coming weekend, December 10th - 12th.

All are invited to participate:
Seminar Registration and Info

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who attended the seminar this past weekend at Ledyard Sensei's dojo.

There was a fantastic group of very enthusiastic participants from many different states and across many different martial arts styles.

As always, Ledyard Sensei was a wondeful host.

Lots of fun.

Hope to see you all again !

Howard Popkin

P.S. A special thanks to Joe Brogna Sensei for joining us. It was great to have him there as well !

Thanks to Howard and George and Joe,

I had a great time and learned lots.

Best

Jerermy

Thank you Howard and Joe for flying out here and teaching. Thank you George for hosting.

Now comes the work. Integrating and understanding what I can into my regular practice.

I hope to see you in March in Portland.

Mark Kruger wrote: I hope to see you in March in Portland.

No Mark NO!

(Read my post man! http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19049 )

Nothing to see here folks! Just keep moving along! That's it! Just keeeep movin!

(Jeez Mark what are you thinking? I'm tellin yah, the fewer people attend these things the better for us that do. Now here is the plan: Train quietly and get the goods from someone that's really got 'em. Once you can deliver, show the goods off a bit. (Now if your goods aren't that great for heaven's sake don't go anywhere or do anything that might reveal or indicate that you can't do, or know EVERYTHING. That is important! Insulate yourself and build fear in your students!) Claim to teach the "real" stuff, and teach some basics, maybe show a novel technique here or there (if you are less than mediocre technically try selling faith. Then you if anyone questions you, just accuse them of not having faith. Clearly if they had a suffecient amount of (your brand here) faith, they would clearly see what you had! Beautiful! Oh, and tell your students if they train hard enough they'll be good. Even if they never get good, if they train hard and long enough they won't want to admit to themselves that their investment was for little or nothing. Now, this is important again, DON'T teach your students the real stuff if you've really got it because then THEY'LL have it (maybe even better than you at some point ) and THEY might go and teach it too and then EVERYBODY would have it and then you couldn't do what you really ought to do, which is make a pyramid organization! Yeah BABY! If YOU make a pyramid organization than YOU can be at the tippy top and reap all the benefits (whether they be monetary, ego, or . . .heh, heh! ) Just gather up some students, set them up as leaders under you. Make sure they get some sort of benefit, but also have some sort of dependent investment in the structure of the organization (either materially or social/emotionally), and also hold them responsible to grow the organization under them (funneling back up to you). Anyway, that's it! You don't ever have to teach anyone the real stuff. Or you could, but if you grow your organization sufficiently you won't need to. If everything is working properly they won't know what the "real stuff" is, nor will they care . . . and what do you care? You'll have both!!! )

Friends, this is the NON AIKIDO SECTION of the the board. Howard doesn't teach AIKIDO. What could you possibly learn from him? You probably know everything already anyway or your teacher does, or your system does. Even if you DID learn something it MIGHT corrupt you and turn you to the DARK SIDE and we all know YOU DON"T WANT TO GO THERE!!!!

And

He doesn't teach MMA and anything that isn't MMA sucks! So WHY would you want to train with someone that doesn't teach MMA?

And

When Sokaku Takeda got attacked by some construction workers he used a sword to defend himself. Yeah that's right a SWORD. And I think he HURT some of his opponents. So THAT'S what the DARK SIDE will do for you. Ueshiba would never train with anyone like that or do anything like that . . . would he? And CLEARY Takeda's Daito Ryu didn't work in a STREET FIGHT did it? So who want's to learn that? That's all I'm say'n.

Hey! Are you lookin at me??!!!

Yeah I didn't think so!

(So just be cool Mark okay? And tone down the

Mark Kruger wrote: I hope to see you in March in Portland.

stuff or we won't have any room on the mat to train. I think it will be okay. I mean you didn't go nuts and start talking about "internal power" or anything crazy like that!)

mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

I forgot the plan. I blame that on on the concussion I got doing judo.

There, I just admitted to practicing an art that involves competition. That should drive my aikido credibility down to some negative value. If that doesn't work, I'll start talking about competition shooting (guns!!! ).

I see Howard must have been dispensing sake...

again.

Really you two, sober up.

Do you all see this? There's a reason Takeda's so called art was suppressed. They all used to be such nice boys...

Sounds like Allen's on a training high. He might even be addicted. You'll know it if he says he could stop training at any time. Or even worse, that he doesn't want to stop.

I think we should intervene and help the poor soul. The best way to break the addiction is to stop cold turkey.

Yep, that's right Allen, you should just stop training cold turkey until the addiction is gone. Step away from the mats, Allen. It's for your own good.

Doug, I'll get with you guys and we can schedule some excellent training and keep it super secret so that Allen doesn't get tempted.

Mark

Mark Murray wrote: I think we should intervene and help the poor soul. The best way to break the addiction is to stop cold turkey. Mark

no...no...no. the best way to break addiction, at least in allen's case, is to beat him with a cold turkey (not the open face turkey sandwich with gravy), the left over stuffs from thanksgiving.

Well guys I'm most definitely NOT on a training high. In fact, in my own opinion I spent the weekend stinking up the place, getting frustrated with myself for stinking (and therefore more tense), thereby stinking further, etc.

You may have something with the Turkey thing though. The tryptophan could have a relaxing affect and I might get just a little softer. Let's not explore the uses of a frozen Turkey. No need to give the Systema crowd any further "creative" (read painful) ideas.

There were a lot of nice folks there though despite my performance issues. Those that I trained with offered constructive and useful feedback both verbally and physically. And George is always gracious and magnanimous.

Allen

Goma tsuri desu

Thanks for the kind words.

Al, other then the haircut, you were doing just fine.

See you soon,

Howie

Hey! I ain't grindin no goma for nobody that don't deserve it!

And, no offense, but my wife likes my new (old) 70's hairdo and her opinion counts a bit more than yours does in that particular department! Now if I could just get the rest of me to look the way it did in the 70's I'd be in good shape . . . literally!

See you soon, my friend

Hey, Mr. Popkin, any plans to come by Southern California sometime? I'd love to hit a seminar or two. Been on a quest to learn as much as I can...

Keith,

I was just talking to someone about that. Send you a note in a few days. Thanks !

Howie

Looks like a good time was had by all.

By the way Howard, great decision on making Allen your marketing director, it appears he has some talent in that area

Best to all

Greg

Greg Steckel wrote: By the way Howard, great decision on making Allen your marketing director, it appears he has some talent in that area

And I look good in a loud plaid blazer!

Allen Beebe wrote: And I look good in a loud plaid blazer!

Got any used cars?

Howard Popkin wrote: Keith, I was just talking to someone about that. Send you a note in a few days. Thanks ! Howie

Cool, would love to meet up.

Thanks to Howie and Joe for coming out! It was a great seminar, though I wish it could have been longer by, like, a
year! Will continue to get the word out so as many people as possible can experience this level of teaching!

Allen Beebe wrote: Hey! I ain't grindin no goma for nobody that don't deserve it! And, no offense, but my wife likes my new (old) 70's hairdo and her opinion counts a bit more than yours does in that particular department! Now if I could just get the rest of me to look the way it did in the 70's I'd be in good shape . . . literally!

The" 'do " is "retro", Allen. Very forward in a backwards oriented sort of way...Maybe too cool for you, but Genie liked it too, and we sure aren't trying to look good for each other, so go with it...

Um...Ledyard Sensei,

CLEARLY you get the award for looking better than you have in years !!

GREAT seminar, great energy, wonderful people, as always !

Keep up the great work, and thanks !

Happy Holidays to all,

Howie

I just wanted to echo Milton's thanks to Popkin, Brogna and Ledyard senseis for the seminar. A fantastic experience.

Pat

Great to see you Pat, keep up the good work .

Happy Holidays !

Howie