Monday, January 31, 2011
Calligraphy for new dojo
This sums up my feelings on the new place. The work says "unbridled creativity". It is written in a square seal script - Heihou Tensho in Japanese, Fang-Zhuanshu in Mandarian.
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Friday, January 28, 2011
Questions to Robertson Sensei
Today's interview comes from Ross Robertson. He is an Austin local who I have trained with quite a few times over the past 7 years. He is one of the more influential teachers in the Austin area, as he has students training all over the city. He comes from the Seidokan lineage, but now calls himself independent. He is a solid aikido thinker and teaches in excellent and insightful metaphor and analogies. He is well known in the Aikido community at large due to his monthly contribution to AikiWeb articles.
Ross and I get along, because we both have a belief in aikido unity. We both try to get as many of the local groups together as possible. He started the branch of Aikido Peace week in Austin, a friendship festival of Austin's dojos.
I like Ross.
Why did you start training?
At the time, I was just looking for something fun and meaningful to
do. I had never been in a fight in my life (still haven't), so I
wasn't really worried about having to protect myself. Still, the self
defense aspect was appealing, and was something that needed to be
taken seriously if it was going to be meaningful as well as just fun.
Why do you continue to?
The world, by which I mean all of us, really needs a better way of
thinking, perceiving, and behaving. We're all motivated by self
interest, but some people are called towards compassion and altruism.
Typically that's presented as a way of privation and sacrifice. I
think aikido and related arts can short circuit the dichotomy and
show that it really is in your self interest to care for others, to
care for society and the environment.
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Walk through doorways, and don't walk through walls.
What do you like to see in a practice?
I really like a group of people that can have fun and be deadly
serious all at the same time. Too often it's one or the other.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
There really is no room nor excuse for abusive behaviors. I don't
like competitive attitudes, and I don't like it when seniors ignore
beginners, or when beginners treat seniors like a utility faucet.
How do you define aiki?
Aiki is the best possible fit under the circumstances. The right fit
also has to be as global or systemic as possible, not merely what is
convenient locally. It's the right thing done in the right way at the
right time.
That's the guiding star, anyway. Aiki is a spectrum, and in our
relative experience, some things are more aiki and some are less.
Things can also be mingled, where there is an admixture of aiki and
what I think of as its opposite, byoki (illness or disease). But if
you look for it, you can almost always find elements of aiki even in
the most byoki situations.
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
If the door is open, I walk through, so it feels like nothing. If the
door is closed but can be opened, it feels like a friendly handshake.
If the door that I must go through is locked, then I must find the
key, so it feels like discovery. If the door is barred and there is
no other way out, then it feels like prison. If the barred door is
unmovable, then it is simply another wall. If the need is urgent,
then I take whatever is at hand and break through the wall. This
feels like violence, and like liberation. If this fails, it feels
like death.
When does a practice become not-aiki?
As I mentioned, it's really misleading to think of aiki as binary,
where something is or something isn't. aiki But I think there are
practices which point away from that which is more aiki. Assuming
we're practicing among people of good will, I think the greatest
pitfall is the overemphasis on form, rather than the discovery of
where form comes from.
Do you have a favored technique right now?
No. Techniques, as they are commonly called, are really instances
that arise in the passing of time. Certain patterns repeat inevitably
because of our anatomy and physics. We see these patterns and begin
to want to reproduce them, because they seemed essential to a
successful encounter. This is what is normally meant by "technique,"
but this is a kind of putting the cart before the horse. It's like
trying to make the car go faster by pushing on the speedometer.
The essential techniques typically don't have names and may be
difficult to place in form. These have to do with the tactics of
perceiving, of evading, of joining, of following/guiding the energy
flow along its ground path, and the timing and method of release.
What is your favorite practice related book?
I asked Rod Kobayashi Sensei this question once, and he immediately
replied "Hasn't been written yet!" I can answer no better than he.
But I think it does us some good to look at Lao Tsu, Takuan, Musashi,
and many of the others.
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
Rank is best understood as a kind of currency. The rank (as opposed
to the certificate) really belongs to the community. It is the
community's way of bestowing, not value, but the recognition of
value. The person receiving the rank should accept it as a
responsibility. Without undue conceit, we can still feel a kind of
privilege of worthiness, that we are ready to declare that we have
something to offer to others. It should be an expression of both the
capacity and willingness to serve.
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
Emptiness. For me it's become all about the interplay between the
solid and the empty.
What is your relationship to kata?
To repeat, kata (or form) is simply the shape or geometry or
structure of an evolving system. Systems that are well integrated
will exhibit certain forms, and systems that are sub-optimal will
show signs of stress, strain, or dis-integration. Learning the
morphology can be instructive, as long as we are really examining the
underlying forces or principles that cause the form. This is to say
that you can learn some things by imitating perfect form, but even
when you succeed, it's still an imitation. Rivers have characteristic
flow patterns that we can observe and give names to, but no two
rivers follow the same path. We are advised to flow like water, and
when we do this we can enter into formlessness, so no two
"techniques" can ever be the same. Identifiable patterns will emerge,
but these are artifacts of the flow.
Now, it's true that the flow of a river is shaped by the form of the
valley and the stones. These things are in perpetual intercourse, and
each shapes the other. However, in budo it is the shape of our bodies
that is analogous to the valley or the rock in the stream. It is not
really anything like kotegaeshi or tenchi nage. These are just names
we give to features of the landscape.
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
Competition is the necessary recognition in budo that some things
work better than others. It is an inescapable truth of the universe
that the more durable things replace the more transitory. Yet there
are constructive ways of achieving durability and there are
destructive ways. Particles form atoms, atoms form molecules, and
molecules create organisms. It's always the ones that fit together
the best that make the most lasting forms, and this is the basis for
aiki. So aiki itself must be understood as being based on this kind
of evolutionary competitiveness. Yet the most advanced forms of aiki
succeed through cooperation, symbiosis, and synergy.
If we examine the history of warfare, we see this is so. However evil
the intent, however horrific the methods, it is almost always the
case that the winning side will be the one that can out-cooperate the
other. This is what I mean by being able to find aiki even in the
most byoki situations.
The point, obviously, is not to use aiki to justify atrocities.
Rather, it's to show the often overlooked power of cooperation.
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
I've become much more pragmatic, much more empirical. The mysterious
and the wondrous hold very little attraction for me these days. I
want what is discoverable, teachable, and demonstrable.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in
martial arts terms and ideas?
Everything is budo. But then, everything is everything...
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the
world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
Of course. Aikido itself is evolving, so it's at a certain stage of
immaturity. There are dojo that are closed to outsiders and closed to
new ideas. There are organizations that are mainly interested in
their own aggrandizement and are not really oriented toward making a
better world. But these are also just like kata. They are forms of
durability, and they can be very successful within certain
definitions of the word. But ultimately rigid forms turn out not to
be so durable, and so to remain vital they must be adaptable and
sexual. By the latter I mean that they cannot forever remain insular
and incestuous, for this is an evolutionary dead end. They must
cooperate, they must court, they must mate, and they must produce
better offspring.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
I'm very impressed with the training I've seen and enjoyed with
Systema. I have reservations about whether it imparts an experience
that leads to the larger kinds of systemic integration that I speak
of. I have a friend who teaches Silat, and I learn a lot whenever we
get together to play. And while it's not a martial art per se, I look
at the dance form Contact Improv, which has its roots in aikido.
Although it seems to have abandoned its budo heritage, I have to
wonder if it didn't take the best of aikido with it. My aikido should
continually reference what's inherent in Contact Improv.
What inspires you?
Beauty and wise compassion.
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
Aikido must seek to exist in the real world and fit with 21st Century
realities. It must engage politically and commercially. Aikido must
find a way to engender more professionals in the field. All worthy
endeavors are sustained by amateurs of all skill levels and
dedication, but mature enterprises must have sufficient full-time
professionals in order to move forward with greater efficiency. For
me personally, this is work still unfinished.
Anything on your mind you would like to add?
On a personal note, I would simply like to thank you, Eric, for your
friendship and spirit. I admire what you are doing with your art, and
I am profoundly grateful for the assistance you have given me in my
own efforts. We are different enough to be able to learn from one
another, but alike enough to be able to cooperate, combine, and make
something greater than ether of us.
I thank you for helping amplify my voice.
Ross
Ross and I get along, because we both have a belief in aikido unity. We both try to get as many of the local groups together as possible. He started the branch of Aikido Peace week in Austin, a friendship festival of Austin's dojos.
I like Ross.
Why did you start training?
At the time, I was just looking for something fun and meaningful to
do. I had never been in a fight in my life (still haven't), so I
wasn't really worried about having to protect myself. Still, the self
defense aspect was appealing, and was something that needed to be
taken seriously if it was going to be meaningful as well as just fun.
Why do you continue to?
The world, by which I mean all of us, really needs a better way of
thinking, perceiving, and behaving. We're all motivated by self
interest, but some people are called towards compassion and altruism.
Typically that's presented as a way of privation and sacrifice. I
think aikido and related arts can short circuit the dichotomy and
show that it really is in your self interest to care for others, to
care for society and the environment.
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Walk through doorways, and don't walk through walls.
What do you like to see in a practice?
I really like a group of people that can have fun and be deadly
serious all at the same time. Too often it's one or the other.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
There really is no room nor excuse for abusive behaviors. I don't
like competitive attitudes, and I don't like it when seniors ignore
beginners, or when beginners treat seniors like a utility faucet.
How do you define aiki?
Aiki is the best possible fit under the circumstances. The right fit
also has to be as global or systemic as possible, not merely what is
convenient locally. It's the right thing done in the right way at the
right time.
That's the guiding star, anyway. Aiki is a spectrum, and in our
relative experience, some things are more aiki and some are less.
Things can also be mingled, where there is an admixture of aiki and
what I think of as its opposite, byoki (illness or disease). But if
you look for it, you can almost always find elements of aiki even in
the most byoki situations.
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
If the door is open, I walk through, so it feels like nothing. If the
door is closed but can be opened, it feels like a friendly handshake.
If the door that I must go through is locked, then I must find the
key, so it feels like discovery. If the door is barred and there is
no other way out, then it feels like prison. If the barred door is
unmovable, then it is simply another wall. If the need is urgent,
then I take whatever is at hand and break through the wall. This
feels like violence, and like liberation. If this fails, it feels
like death.
When does a practice become not-aiki?
As I mentioned, it's really misleading to think of aiki as binary,
where something is or something isn't. aiki But I think there are
practices which point away from that which is more aiki. Assuming
we're practicing among people of good will, I think the greatest
pitfall is the overemphasis on form, rather than the discovery of
where form comes from.
Do you have a favored technique right now?
No. Techniques, as they are commonly called, are really instances
that arise in the passing of time. Certain patterns repeat inevitably
because of our anatomy and physics. We see these patterns and begin
to want to reproduce them, because they seemed essential to a
successful encounter. This is what is normally meant by "technique,"
but this is a kind of putting the cart before the horse. It's like
trying to make the car go faster by pushing on the speedometer.
The essential techniques typically don't have names and may be
difficult to place in form. These have to do with the tactics of
perceiving, of evading, of joining, of following/guiding the energy
flow along its ground path, and the timing and method of release.
What is your favorite practice related book?
I asked Rod Kobayashi Sensei this question once, and he immediately
replied "Hasn't been written yet!" I can answer no better than he.
But I think it does us some good to look at Lao Tsu, Takuan, Musashi,
and many of the others.
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
Rank is best understood as a kind of currency. The rank (as opposed
to the certificate) really belongs to the community. It is the
community's way of bestowing, not value, but the recognition of
value. The person receiving the rank should accept it as a
responsibility. Without undue conceit, we can still feel a kind of
privilege of worthiness, that we are ready to declare that we have
something to offer to others. It should be an expression of both the
capacity and willingness to serve.
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
Emptiness. For me it's become all about the interplay between the
solid and the empty.
What is your relationship to kata?
To repeat, kata (or form) is simply the shape or geometry or
structure of an evolving system. Systems that are well integrated
will exhibit certain forms, and systems that are sub-optimal will
show signs of stress, strain, or dis-integration. Learning the
morphology can be instructive, as long as we are really examining the
underlying forces or principles that cause the form. This is to say
that you can learn some things by imitating perfect form, but even
when you succeed, it's still an imitation. Rivers have characteristic
flow patterns that we can observe and give names to, but no two
rivers follow the same path. We are advised to flow like water, and
when we do this we can enter into formlessness, so no two
"techniques" can ever be the same. Identifiable patterns will emerge,
but these are artifacts of the flow.
Now, it's true that the flow of a river is shaped by the form of the
valley and the stones. These things are in perpetual intercourse, and
each shapes the other. However, in budo it is the shape of our bodies
that is analogous to the valley or the rock in the stream. It is not
really anything like kotegaeshi or tenchi nage. These are just names
we give to features of the landscape.
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
Competition is the necessary recognition in budo that some things
work better than others. It is an inescapable truth of the universe
that the more durable things replace the more transitory. Yet there
are constructive ways of achieving durability and there are
destructive ways. Particles form atoms, atoms form molecules, and
molecules create organisms. It's always the ones that fit together
the best that make the most lasting forms, and this is the basis for
aiki. So aiki itself must be understood as being based on this kind
of evolutionary competitiveness. Yet the most advanced forms of aiki
succeed through cooperation, symbiosis, and synergy.
If we examine the history of warfare, we see this is so. However evil
the intent, however horrific the methods, it is almost always the
case that the winning side will be the one that can out-cooperate the
other. This is what I mean by being able to find aiki even in the
most byoki situations.
The point, obviously, is not to use aiki to justify atrocities.
Rather, it's to show the often overlooked power of cooperation.
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
I've become much more pragmatic, much more empirical. The mysterious
and the wondrous hold very little attraction for me these days. I
want what is discoverable, teachable, and demonstrable.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in
martial arts terms and ideas?
Everything is budo. But then, everything is everything...
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the
world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
Of course. Aikido itself is evolving, so it's at a certain stage of
immaturity. There are dojo that are closed to outsiders and closed to
new ideas. There are organizations that are mainly interested in
their own aggrandizement and are not really oriented toward making a
better world. But these are also just like kata. They are forms of
durability, and they can be very successful within certain
definitions of the word. But ultimately rigid forms turn out not to
be so durable, and so to remain vital they must be adaptable and
sexual. By the latter I mean that they cannot forever remain insular
and incestuous, for this is an evolutionary dead end. They must
cooperate, they must court, they must mate, and they must produce
better offspring.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
I'm very impressed with the training I've seen and enjoyed with
Systema. I have reservations about whether it imparts an experience
that leads to the larger kinds of systemic integration that I speak
of. I have a friend who teaches Silat, and I learn a lot whenever we
get together to play. And while it's not a martial art per se, I look
at the dance form Contact Improv, which has its roots in aikido.
Although it seems to have abandoned its budo heritage, I have to
wonder if it didn't take the best of aikido with it. My aikido should
continually reference what's inherent in Contact Improv.
What inspires you?
Beauty and wise compassion.
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
Aikido must seek to exist in the real world and fit with 21st Century
realities. It must engage politically and commercially. Aikido must
find a way to engender more professionals in the field. All worthy
endeavors are sustained by amateurs of all skill levels and
dedication, but mature enterprises must have sufficient full-time
professionals in order to move forward with greater efficiency. For
me personally, this is work still unfinished.
Anything on your mind you would like to add?
On a personal note, I would simply like to thank you, Eric, for your
friendship and spirit. I admire what you are doing with your art, and
I am profoundly grateful for the assistance you have given me in my
own efforts. We are different enough to be able to learn from one
another, but alike enough to be able to cooperate, combine, and make
something greater than ether of us.
I thank you for helping amplify my voice.
Ross
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Questions to Sloan Sensei
Today's interview comes from Kyle Sloan Sensei. He is one of the active members of the Wind Song dojo in Oklahoma City. He ranks high both in judo and aikido. He is the youngest person I have sent this interview to. Seeing how he has a ton of belts and a whole lot of life left, he is on the path to being a monster in budo someday soon. I had the privilege of tangling with him in December. He is a soft technician with a tool box full of chokes and pins. Like myself, he also brews his own beer, which makes him twice as cool.
The one word I would describe training with him, and really most of the Wind Song crew is "laughter". They discovered something important up there in Oklahoma. They are always laughing. Here is a short clip of him doing a throw, based off the work of my judo teacher, Zdenek Matl. Of course you hear Lowry's laughter in the background.
Why did you start training?
The martial arts were something I wanted to do ever since I was a child. After several months of driving past the dojo every day, I wrote the phone number down and called. I came in and watched a class, watched a class the next night, tried a class the third night and I've been hooked ever since.
Why do you continue to?
After 18 years of study I am still learning new things and expanding how I approach my chosen arts. I love the camaraderie of the guys & gals I train with. I've met lots of great, wonderful people whose training, teaching and stories have enriched my life, and it is my hope that I may enrich the lives of others. My teachers and mentors have given me the great gifts of self-confidence and inner peace. Hopefully I can do the same for someone else.
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Mutual trust and respect. Jita Kyoei -- you, me, shine together. In principles united, in artistry free (Kitty Sullivan).
What do you like to see in a practice?
I really love the atmosphere we have at our dojo and at the seminars we host. We can come together to train, not with an emphasis on winning or losing but one of learning; not of competition, but of cooperation. Lots of sweat & motion is nice.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
Ego. Abuse. Foolish attitudes of "that won't work on me" or "prove it". Too much talking and not enough doing.
How do you define aiki?
It's difficult to describe. Aiki, at least for me right now at this moment, is a feel deal. When you feel nothing, it's right. The "Ju" in Judo is very much like aiki to me. The gentle, yielding quality where one does not resist/fight/struggle with the opponent but becomes soft and goes with the flow.
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
Sloppy. Needs improvement.
When does a practice become not-aiki?
When things descend to the stage where a point must be proven, it is not aiki. It isn't harmonious practice at all.
Do you have a favored technique right now?
In Aikido, not really.... more of a technique of no technique -- trying to be "aiki". In Judo, I'm trying to work on improving my nemesis throws, ouchi-gari and hiza-guruma.
What is your favorite practice related book?
If I can only pick one, I would have to say Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War'. I think there's a lot to be learned in that book, and it can be applied across a very broad spectrum.
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
Really, rank is all quite relative. For example, we have a student with a variant of multiple sclerosis (MS). If we were to judge him compared to a normal, able-bodied male, there is absolutely no way in the world he would look like a black belt. But, if you compare him to every other person in the world with his disability, then you have to admit the guy is definitely a black belt. Systems that are strict and rigid leave no room for this. Rank should not be about creating cookie-cutter clones, where everything must be thus and so. There must be room for flexibility in the standards when it comes to grading. If someone has a disability, are you going to hold them back? What if someone has bad knees and can't perform kata from seiza, do they never progress?
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
I have some new theories about Judo tachi-waza (throwing techniques) that I've been exploring lately. I'm still in the early stages of being able to really articulate the ideas, so I'm going to keep them close to the vest for the time being. If they pan out, I'll be sharing with everyone.
What is your relationship to kata?
Kata is quite interesting. Kata has a lot to offer if we really, truly study it. Some of the Judo kata were created as a historical preservation tool for various Ju-jitsu Ryu who joined up with Kano. We have to question, "What is it that they are preserving?" For example, all Judo throws can be looked at as either sumi-otoshi or uki-otoshi. We see uki-otoshi as the first technique in Nage-no-Kata, which underscores its importance. Yet, sumi-otoshi is absent. Uki-otoshi isn't even seen until the 4th Kyo in the Gokyo-no-waza. Why is that? Why did they choose the techniques they did, as representations of the ideals they were preserving? When you get past the rote mechanics of kata, and get into the why's and how's I think you've crossed into a legitimate study of kata. Kata is not some expressionless piece of choreography. Kata is a useful tool for transmitting information -- it's like learning chords and scales on a guitar. Randori is getting together with other musicians and playing a nice piece of music, and doing some improvisation here and there. Randori is the test lab for the concepts we learn in kata.
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
I like to keep the competitive elements out as much as possible. If we approach training as a competition, that means there is a winner and a loser. And nobody wants to be the loser. The information being passed from teacher to student, from sempai to kohai, becomes a lower quality. However, a competitive element is useful for stimulating the adrenal response, putting people under pressure, building confidence, and learning that your stuff does really work against people who don't want it to work. A little pressure in training is beneficial, once the student is ready.
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
I'm not as eager to take as much crazy ukemi as I used to. Getting older means getting slower, and going up against younger, faster, stronger players really reinforces that you must operate out of principle instead of strength & power.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in martial arts terms and ideas?
Playing guitar is very much like Aikido. In fact, I think learning to play guitar helped me tap into an artistic form of expression which translated into more artistic expression on the mat.
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
I've heard some folks opine that if you aren't doing Ueshiba's Aikido (or insert your favorite organization here), then you aren't doing "real" Aikido. I think this attitude is wrong. Aikido was conceived as a budo expression of love, at least from everything I've read. If there isn't room for loving the way other people approach art, then you forbid yourself from listening to music other than how you play it, or artwork other than how you paint it, or food other than the way you cook it. It's silly. It's like saying, "It's my football, and if I can't be quarterback then I'm going to take my football and go home." Nobody has an exclusive corner on the market on the concept. Let's share and grow as martial artists.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
The Filipino martial arts are interesting. I've had a small amount of exposure to Kali from one of my fellow instructors. One thing about it, they are all business. Very life and death oriented.
What inspires you?
A lot of really great teachers, and their love for teaching and sharing. Nick, Danny, Prentis, JW, Daniel, Eric, Russ, Clif... the list goes on and on. I know a lot of great students who inspire me, who are learning the material faster than I did, who have different, unique, insightful ways of looking at things -- Derek, Brian, Damon, Cameron, Cristian, Jeff, and many, many others.
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
I hope to remain passionate about the arts and transmitting the best information I have to the students.
Anything on your mind you would like to add?
Never be afraid to ask why. Always be open to other ideas and opinions. Leave your ego in your shoes. Leave your emotional baggage at the door. Come together, train honestly and earnestly. Above all, show up and train!
The one word I would describe training with him, and really most of the Wind Song crew is "laughter". They discovered something important up there in Oklahoma. They are always laughing. Here is a short clip of him doing a throw, based off the work of my judo teacher, Zdenek Matl. Of course you hear Lowry's laughter in the background.
Why did you start training?
The martial arts were something I wanted to do ever since I was a child. After several months of driving past the dojo every day, I wrote the phone number down and called. I came in and watched a class, watched a class the next night, tried a class the third night and I've been hooked ever since.
Why do you continue to?
After 18 years of study I am still learning new things and expanding how I approach my chosen arts. I love the camaraderie of the guys & gals I train with. I've met lots of great, wonderful people whose training, teaching and stories have enriched my life, and it is my hope that I may enrich the lives of others. My teachers and mentors have given me the great gifts of self-confidence and inner peace. Hopefully I can do the same for someone else.
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Mutual trust and respect. Jita Kyoei -- you, me, shine together. In principles united, in artistry free (Kitty Sullivan).
What do you like to see in a practice?
I really love the atmosphere we have at our dojo and at the seminars we host. We can come together to train, not with an emphasis on winning or losing but one of learning; not of competition, but of cooperation. Lots of sweat & motion is nice.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
Ego. Abuse. Foolish attitudes of "that won't work on me" or "prove it". Too much talking and not enough doing.
How do you define aiki?
It's difficult to describe. Aiki, at least for me right now at this moment, is a feel deal. When you feel nothing, it's right. The "Ju" in Judo is very much like aiki to me. The gentle, yielding quality where one does not resist/fight/struggle with the opponent but becomes soft and goes with the flow.
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
Sloppy. Needs improvement.
When does a practice become not-aiki?
When things descend to the stage where a point must be proven, it is not aiki. It isn't harmonious practice at all.
Do you have a favored technique right now?
In Aikido, not really.... more of a technique of no technique -- trying to be "aiki". In Judo, I'm trying to work on improving my nemesis throws, ouchi-gari and hiza-guruma.
What is your favorite practice related book?
If I can only pick one, I would have to say Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War'. I think there's a lot to be learned in that book, and it can be applied across a very broad spectrum.
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
Really, rank is all quite relative. For example, we have a student with a variant of multiple sclerosis (MS). If we were to judge him compared to a normal, able-bodied male, there is absolutely no way in the world he would look like a black belt. But, if you compare him to every other person in the world with his disability, then you have to admit the guy is definitely a black belt. Systems that are strict and rigid leave no room for this. Rank should not be about creating cookie-cutter clones, where everything must be thus and so. There must be room for flexibility in the standards when it comes to grading. If someone has a disability, are you going to hold them back? What if someone has bad knees and can't perform kata from seiza, do they never progress?
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
I have some new theories about Judo tachi-waza (throwing techniques) that I've been exploring lately. I'm still in the early stages of being able to really articulate the ideas, so I'm going to keep them close to the vest for the time being. If they pan out, I'll be sharing with everyone.
What is your relationship to kata?
Kata is quite interesting. Kata has a lot to offer if we really, truly study it. Some of the Judo kata were created as a historical preservation tool for various Ju-jitsu Ryu who joined up with Kano. We have to question, "What is it that they are preserving?" For example, all Judo throws can be looked at as either sumi-otoshi or uki-otoshi. We see uki-otoshi as the first technique in Nage-no-Kata, which underscores its importance. Yet, sumi-otoshi is absent. Uki-otoshi isn't even seen until the 4th Kyo in the Gokyo-no-waza. Why is that? Why did they choose the techniques they did, as representations of the ideals they were preserving? When you get past the rote mechanics of kata, and get into the why's and how's I think you've crossed into a legitimate study of kata. Kata is not some expressionless piece of choreography. Kata is a useful tool for transmitting information -- it's like learning chords and scales on a guitar. Randori is getting together with other musicians and playing a nice piece of music, and doing some improvisation here and there. Randori is the test lab for the concepts we learn in kata.
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
I like to keep the competitive elements out as much as possible. If we approach training as a competition, that means there is a winner and a loser. And nobody wants to be the loser. The information being passed from teacher to student, from sempai to kohai, becomes a lower quality. However, a competitive element is useful for stimulating the adrenal response, putting people under pressure, building confidence, and learning that your stuff does really work against people who don't want it to work. A little pressure in training is beneficial, once the student is ready.
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
I'm not as eager to take as much crazy ukemi as I used to. Getting older means getting slower, and going up against younger, faster, stronger players really reinforces that you must operate out of principle instead of strength & power.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in martial arts terms and ideas?
Playing guitar is very much like Aikido. In fact, I think learning to play guitar helped me tap into an artistic form of expression which translated into more artistic expression on the mat.
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
I've heard some folks opine that if you aren't doing Ueshiba's Aikido (or insert your favorite organization here), then you aren't doing "real" Aikido. I think this attitude is wrong. Aikido was conceived as a budo expression of love, at least from everything I've read. If there isn't room for loving the way other people approach art, then you forbid yourself from listening to music other than how you play it, or artwork other than how you paint it, or food other than the way you cook it. It's silly. It's like saying, "It's my football, and if I can't be quarterback then I'm going to take my football and go home." Nobody has an exclusive corner on the market on the concept. Let's share and grow as martial artists.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
The Filipino martial arts are interesting. I've had a small amount of exposure to Kali from one of my fellow instructors. One thing about it, they are all business. Very life and death oriented.
What inspires you?
A lot of really great teachers, and their love for teaching and sharing. Nick, Danny, Prentis, JW, Daniel, Eric, Russ, Clif... the list goes on and on. I know a lot of great students who inspire me, who are learning the material faster than I did, who have different, unique, insightful ways of looking at things -- Derek, Brian, Damon, Cameron, Cristian, Jeff, and many, many others.
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
I hope to remain passionate about the arts and transmitting the best information I have to the students.
Anything on your mind you would like to add?
Never be afraid to ask why. Always be open to other ideas and opinions. Leave your ego in your shoes. Leave your emotional baggage at the door. Come together, train honestly and earnestly. Above all, show up and train!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Questions to Wilkinson Sensei
Todays interview is of a man from the Tomiki lineage. It is from L.F. Wilkinson from the Aikibudokan in Houston, Texas. L.F. is also the author of the Thoughtful Sensei blog from where I first encountered him. I became interested in his work, honestly, because I disagreed with many of the opinions he writes about. However, I am mature enough person and martial artist to know that the most important lessons can be gleamed from people like this - especially when they have a reputation as being a superb teacher and aiki player. I think because of my willingness to listen, L.F. has grown to be one of my favorite internet influences and a person I am eagerly looking forward to training with in the future. He has even changed my stubborn mind on a few things. I will endorse that this man knows his stuff.
When I asked a friend about L.F. they flatly said, "He will put you on your butt all day long," I believe it.
Why did you start training?
I grew up in a small town that had an economy based in ranching and oil field work plus we had a very large military base full of Marine pilots and Naval personnel. As a rule people didn't hesitate to challenge you so conflict on one level or another was a daily fact of life. As I got older and the guys I grew up with got taller and/or more aggressive (for me, like for most people, high school was not the zenith of my teenage years and I was never a BMOC) I got tired of it all and wanted an "equalizer" that would allow me to diffuse the situation non-violently if possible, or other-wise if not.
Why do you continue to?
After discovering that martial arts = self-confidence + the ability to early identify and non-violently diffuse a situation before it gets serious, then that non-violent diffusing of confrontation is the most valuable thing in the world. Once people see that you have confidence and won't hesitate to stand there, they generally back off and the situation calms down. That confidence is invaluable and I love stories from my students about how they calmly stood there while someone freaks out but won't approach them because they stand their ground and ...... just .... smile.
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Continual learning and adaptation to ever higher levels and more sophisticated but subtle martial arts principles; or, looking for that magic moment of "ki" by following what Tomiki, Kogure and Geis preached which was very strict adherence to fundamental principles while keeping one eye firmly on adaptation based on functionality.
What do you like to see in a practice?
Ukemi. We do a throwing art and a take-down art. If I don't hear ukemi on a continual basis every second of the class then people aren't working hard enough. Only a million rep's of a movement will allow you to own it.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
People standing around talking; otherwise known as "koochi-waza" or mouth work. Do the work. If you don't understand then copy what the seniors are doing until you do understand it. The body can do before the mind can see and the mouth can speak.
How do you define aiki?
Control; of yourself, of your uke, of the opponent, of the energies, of the flow, of the moment. It's when you lose control of some aspect that it becomes "not aiki".
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
Continual flow both physically and mentally. I always strive to maintain control of uke's "being" from the moment I enter and take kuzushi until the termination of the waza. If I can control his "being" than I can control and merge perfectly with "the moment". I find this effort to be both physical and emotional and part of understanding ma-ai while "pressing" uke and keeping him off-balance mentally which of course leads to control of his emotions or his "lizard brain". I'm no-where close to being consistent with it but it's the only area I'm working on for the last 2-3 years or so.
When does a practice become not-aiki?
See Prior Answer: Control; of yourself, of your uke, of the opponent, of the energies, of the flow, of the moment. It's when you lose control of some aspect that it becomes "not aiki".
Do you have a favored technique right now?
Technique no. At the level I'm currently working on I'm no longer concerned about waza per se. I only focus on connection to uke (musubi) and the off balances I can put him through. In hand randori I deliberately flow by waza & terminations looking for control and total collapse of uke by using ONLY connection.
What is your favorite practice related book?
None at present although I will say that I find sitting in my easy chair with a hot sake while watching training DVD's by other teachers has become a really good substitute for the moment. Watching someone drive uke across the mat and then talk about the kinesiology and personal ideas behind it is much easier to follow than trying to read it and look at funny photo's in a book. DVD has much more immediacy to it.
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
Rank should reflect hours on the mat doing, hours off the mat thinking, hours sharing with others, and overall knowledge. At some point, probably about 6th Dan, there is no more technical material to absorb. Only subtleties and possibly variants remain for exploration. In my view anything past 6th Dan should indicate that you know absolutely all the kihon, waza, kata and randori in the system and are only working on understanding better by both more practice and by teaching. 7th Dan and up, other than to have a paper on the wall that in essence says, "Hey, I run a dojo or a kai or I'm old and bald", is meaningless and the drive to get that 7th or 8th Dan is simply mental masturbation. 7th and 8th should just show up in the mail one day as a gift from a more experienced teacher as a recognition of your work. Don't ask me what I think about 9th and 10th Dans.
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
See above answer regarding connection and musubi.
What is your relationship to kata?
Very strong. Continual, precise kata practice becomes the foundation for randori and any free style ideas that may come later. It is the foundation that teaches a pure view of principle that can be applied to any situation. Randori and randomized practice simple doesn't allow a sufficient number of reps of a movement to fully internalize the underlying "theme". It is thru' kata that I initially discovered what "connection" was.
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
Extremely destructive. You can enjoy being better than the other person in either randori or kata when considered from the aspect of your having spent more time on the mat and having more understanding which, in randori, will naturally lead to your dominance of the uke. However, that pride in your having trained harder should never lead to the classic American "competitive attitude" as that hinders your learning by producing "winners and losers". I allow no competitive attitudes on my mat and eject those who prove unable to get past it in their learning curve.
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
Yes, greatly. I find myself more and more looking at the subtle energies involved but doing it within the confines of kata. Pat Parker recently posted that one way to look at kata is to consider it to be a story. I think I agree but I also think that the "story" takes more than one read and that (as we gain more seasoning in the art form) each read takes us deeper into that story and allows us to more strongly identify with the emotions of each "character" and each "plot" and "sub-plot". Basically I no longer believe that a "technique" is just a "technique" and that by considering it thus, kata gains more importance because trying to fully explore a very sophisticated "plot" in the contest of the chaos of randori means that you cannot repeat that "plot/sub-plot" a sufficient number of times to understand; thus creating a barrier difficult to move beyond.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in martial arts terms and ideas?
No, not any longer; that is, not a separate area. I can no longer see any difference between martial arts on the mat or life outside the dojo. This is probably why some people on blogs or on Face Book likely think me abrasive at times. If someone sticks their hand in my face in randori then what is the difference between that (on the mat) and the equivalent gesture in a conversation? If Aikido teaches us to see "truth" in uke's intent and the functionality/non-functionality of the waza at hand; then why program ourselves to respond appropriately when on the mat but then suppress our "BS Meter" at work or on a blog or Face Book? After all these years I finally understand my ex-Sensei and many of his actions. Aikido IS life and life IS Aikido and at some point there can be no separation; otherwise you've missed the point.
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
The current competitive Aikido branches have, IMHO, become too rigid and dogmatic in their approach. A well known Tomiki player in the UK recently posted to Face Book that had Kogure become head of the JAA instead of Nariyama then Shodokan Aikido (known as Tomiki Ryu back then by most of us) would look very different by being more adaptive and less inflexible. I got excited when I read that since Kogure was my Sensei's first teacher.
On the other hand, the more "traditional" forms for the most part, are becoming too "soft" and less functional so the issue as I see it is that due to the divergence of the various schools since Ueshiba's death, Aikido is becoming over-specialized, with each kai focusing on one area (competition, kata only, meditation, etc.) and is missing the larger picture. Each generation of teachers knows less and has a more "soda-straw" view of Aikido so it gets worse every few years or so as the older teachers roll out into death or retirement and are replaced by the "young turks".
You can train in Aikido and simultaneously; be both soft AND hard, use kata AND randori as training modalities, focus on non-violent conflict resolution AND on whacking the guy, being humble AND slightly arrogant (at the appropriate times), being realistic AND idealistic concurrent with being down and dirty AND spiritual.
I view Aikido as being a balance of all (and of each) and any Aikido that fails to have that balance has, bottom line, simply become something else. It is no longer Aikido per se' but rather some crude form of jujutsu; the word jujutsu meaning only "technique" and not something larger with a life philosophy underpinning it.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
Pure Gracie Jujutsu; not BJJ or MMA or whatever. I've done a little (not very good at it tho') and have included a basic ne-waza component in our promotional requirements with teaching blocks at Ikkyu, Shodan and Nidan in order to round-out the standing work. I've read a lot of their ideas about training and esp. like the one about how Helio was a little, sickly guy who had to find a way to use principle to make it work against someone much larger. I like a study of principle as opposed to the idea of two steroid monsters pounding on each other. Sounds a little like Ueshiba and Kano doesn't it?
What inspires you?
A student who comes to me as an insecure Casper Milquetoast and who years later walks up one day, not with a story about kicking someone's booty, but instead with a story about how for the first time they stood in front of a screaming maniac (their boss, a store clerk, etc.) and how it just didn't bother them anymore and how the maniac walked off without touching them. Seeing someone build that self-confidence only makes me want to see everyone get it. Grabbing some fool and stomping them like a cockroach is really not that difficult; it's building a person's self-respect, self-confidence and self-belief that's hard and takes work both for the student and for Sensei. Over time, teaching the self-confidence aspect becomes much more enjoyable and important than showing simple self-defense and randori.
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
Please see everything above. I'd just like to see more of the same for all of us.
Anything on your mind you would like to add?
No. Thanks for the opportunity to share and sorry about having tappy-tappy fingers and having such long responses. Your questions have caused me to slow down and think about my current direction at the moment (tomorrow will, I'm certain, be different) and as an FYI; I appreciate your efforts in trying to expand everyone's knowledge and understanding.
When I asked a friend about L.F. they flatly said, "He will put you on your butt all day long," I believe it.
Why did you start training?
I grew up in a small town that had an economy based in ranching and oil field work plus we had a very large military base full of Marine pilots and Naval personnel. As a rule people didn't hesitate to challenge you so conflict on one level or another was a daily fact of life. As I got older and the guys I grew up with got taller and/or more aggressive (for me, like for most people, high school was not the zenith of my teenage years and I was never a BMOC) I got tired of it all and wanted an "equalizer" that would allow me to diffuse the situation non-violently if possible, or other-wise if not.
Why do you continue to?
After discovering that martial arts = self-confidence + the ability to early identify and non-violently diffuse a situation before it gets serious, then that non-violent diffusing of confrontation is the most valuable thing in the world. Once people see that you have confidence and won't hesitate to stand there, they generally back off and the situation calms down. That confidence is invaluable and I love stories from my students about how they calmly stood there while someone freaks out but won't approach them because they stand their ground and ...... just .... smile.
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Continual learning and adaptation to ever higher levels and more sophisticated but subtle martial arts principles; or, looking for that magic moment of "ki" by following what Tomiki, Kogure and Geis preached which was very strict adherence to fundamental principles while keeping one eye firmly on adaptation based on functionality.
What do you like to see in a practice?
Ukemi. We do a throwing art and a take-down art. If I don't hear ukemi on a continual basis every second of the class then people aren't working hard enough. Only a million rep's of a movement will allow you to own it.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
People standing around talking; otherwise known as "koochi-waza" or mouth work. Do the work. If you don't understand then copy what the seniors are doing until you do understand it. The body can do before the mind can see and the mouth can speak.
How do you define aiki?
Control; of yourself, of your uke, of the opponent, of the energies, of the flow, of the moment. It's when you lose control of some aspect that it becomes "not aiki".
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
Continual flow both physically and mentally. I always strive to maintain control of uke's "being" from the moment I enter and take kuzushi until the termination of the waza. If I can control his "being" than I can control and merge perfectly with "the moment". I find this effort to be both physical and emotional and part of understanding ma-ai while "pressing" uke and keeping him off-balance mentally which of course leads to control of his emotions or his "lizard brain". I'm no-where close to being consistent with it but it's the only area I'm working on for the last 2-3 years or so.
When does a practice become not-aiki?
See Prior Answer: Control; of yourself, of your uke, of the opponent, of the energies, of the flow, of the moment. It's when you lose control of some aspect that it becomes "not aiki".
Do you have a favored technique right now?
Technique no. At the level I'm currently working on I'm no longer concerned about waza per se. I only focus on connection to uke (musubi) and the off balances I can put him through. In hand randori I deliberately flow by waza & terminations looking for control and total collapse of uke by using ONLY connection.
What is your favorite practice related book?
None at present although I will say that I find sitting in my easy chair with a hot sake while watching training DVD's by other teachers has become a really good substitute for the moment. Watching someone drive uke across the mat and then talk about the kinesiology and personal ideas behind it is much easier to follow than trying to read it and look at funny photo's in a book. DVD has much more immediacy to it.
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
Rank should reflect hours on the mat doing, hours off the mat thinking, hours sharing with others, and overall knowledge. At some point, probably about 6th Dan, there is no more technical material to absorb. Only subtleties and possibly variants remain for exploration. In my view anything past 6th Dan should indicate that you know absolutely all the kihon, waza, kata and randori in the system and are only working on understanding better by both more practice and by teaching. 7th Dan and up, other than to have a paper on the wall that in essence says, "Hey, I run a dojo or a kai or I'm old and bald", is meaningless and the drive to get that 7th or 8th Dan is simply mental masturbation. 7th and 8th should just show up in the mail one day as a gift from a more experienced teacher as a recognition of your work. Don't ask me what I think about 9th and 10th Dans.
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
See above answer regarding connection and musubi.
What is your relationship to kata?
Very strong. Continual, precise kata practice becomes the foundation for randori and any free style ideas that may come later. It is the foundation that teaches a pure view of principle that can be applied to any situation. Randori and randomized practice simple doesn't allow a sufficient number of reps of a movement to fully internalize the underlying "theme". It is thru' kata that I initially discovered what "connection" was.
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
Extremely destructive. You can enjoy being better than the other person in either randori or kata when considered from the aspect of your having spent more time on the mat and having more understanding which, in randori, will naturally lead to your dominance of the uke. However, that pride in your having trained harder should never lead to the classic American "competitive attitude" as that hinders your learning by producing "winners and losers". I allow no competitive attitudes on my mat and eject those who prove unable to get past it in their learning curve.
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
Yes, greatly. I find myself more and more looking at the subtle energies involved but doing it within the confines of kata. Pat Parker recently posted that one way to look at kata is to consider it to be a story. I think I agree but I also think that the "story" takes more than one read and that (as we gain more seasoning in the art form) each read takes us deeper into that story and allows us to more strongly identify with the emotions of each "character" and each "plot" and "sub-plot". Basically I no longer believe that a "technique" is just a "technique" and that by considering it thus, kata gains more importance because trying to fully explore a very sophisticated "plot" in the contest of the chaos of randori means that you cannot repeat that "plot/sub-plot" a sufficient number of times to understand; thus creating a barrier difficult to move beyond.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in martial arts terms and ideas?
No, not any longer; that is, not a separate area. I can no longer see any difference between martial arts on the mat or life outside the dojo. This is probably why some people on blogs or on Face Book likely think me abrasive at times. If someone sticks their hand in my face in randori then what is the difference between that (on the mat) and the equivalent gesture in a conversation? If Aikido teaches us to see "truth" in uke's intent and the functionality/non-functionality of the waza at hand; then why program ourselves to respond appropriately when on the mat but then suppress our "BS Meter" at work or on a blog or Face Book? After all these years I finally understand my ex-Sensei and many of his actions. Aikido IS life and life IS Aikido and at some point there can be no separation; otherwise you've missed the point.
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
The current competitive Aikido branches have, IMHO, become too rigid and dogmatic in their approach. A well known Tomiki player in the UK recently posted to Face Book that had Kogure become head of the JAA instead of Nariyama then Shodokan Aikido (known as Tomiki Ryu back then by most of us) would look very different by being more adaptive and less inflexible. I got excited when I read that since Kogure was my Sensei's first teacher.
On the other hand, the more "traditional" forms for the most part, are becoming too "soft" and less functional so the issue as I see it is that due to the divergence of the various schools since Ueshiba's death, Aikido is becoming over-specialized, with each kai focusing on one area (competition, kata only, meditation, etc.) and is missing the larger picture. Each generation of teachers knows less and has a more "soda-straw" view of Aikido so it gets worse every few years or so as the older teachers roll out into death or retirement and are replaced by the "young turks".
You can train in Aikido and simultaneously; be both soft AND hard, use kata AND randori as training modalities, focus on non-violent conflict resolution AND on whacking the guy, being humble AND slightly arrogant (at the appropriate times), being realistic AND idealistic concurrent with being down and dirty AND spiritual.
I view Aikido as being a balance of all (and of each) and any Aikido that fails to have that balance has, bottom line, simply become something else. It is no longer Aikido per se' but rather some crude form of jujutsu; the word jujutsu meaning only "technique" and not something larger with a life philosophy underpinning it.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
Pure Gracie Jujutsu; not BJJ or MMA or whatever. I've done a little (not very good at it tho') and have included a basic ne-waza component in our promotional requirements with teaching blocks at Ikkyu, Shodan and Nidan in order to round-out the standing work. I've read a lot of their ideas about training and esp. like the one about how Helio was a little, sickly guy who had to find a way to use principle to make it work against someone much larger. I like a study of principle as opposed to the idea of two steroid monsters pounding on each other. Sounds a little like Ueshiba and Kano doesn't it?
What inspires you?
A student who comes to me as an insecure Casper Milquetoast and who years later walks up one day, not with a story about kicking someone's booty, but instead with a story about how for the first time they stood in front of a screaming maniac (their boss, a store clerk, etc.) and how it just didn't bother them anymore and how the maniac walked off without touching them. Seeing someone build that self-confidence only makes me want to see everyone get it. Grabbing some fool and stomping them like a cockroach is really not that difficult; it's building a person's self-respect, self-confidence and self-belief that's hard and takes work both for the student and for Sensei. Over time, teaching the self-confidence aspect becomes much more enjoyable and important than showing simple self-defense and randori.
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
Please see everything above. I'd just like to see more of the same for all of us.
Anything on your mind you would like to add?
No. Thanks for the opportunity to share and sorry about having tappy-tappy fingers and having such long responses. Your questions have caused me to slow down and think about my current direction at the moment (tomorrow will, I'm certain, be different) and as an FYI; I appreciate your efforts in trying to expand everyone's knowledge and understanding.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Questions to Hussey Sensei
I met Brendan Hussey about two years ago know. He is a talented judo man whose preoccupation has turned to aikido training. Originally he was trained in the Seidokan line, but broke off to form his own dojo-laboratory and methods. He has been an inspirational teacher for many of the dojos in the Austin. His class is a potpourri of students and instructors from many different martial arts and dojos in the area. He has been a great inspiration and friend.
Why did you start training?
Parental pressure and lack of connection to mainstream sports.
(His father was a boxing and judo teacher)
Why do you continue to?
It is my chosen Do.
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Become a servant to the art before trying to be a master of it.
What do you like to see in a practice?
Exploration and enthusiasm.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
Selfishness
How do you define aiki?
To connect to the flow of energy , movement and the moment
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
It has been described as "full"
When does a practice become not-aiki?
When intention is wrong,it changes mind and body.
Do you have a favored technique right now?
Not a conscious one.
What is your favorite practice related book?
"Soul Sword" by Vernon Kitabu Turner
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
It is the measuring of steps . Sometimes it reflects much or at times little.
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
The constant presence of waza when in aiki-movement
What is your relationship to kata?
Not really any.
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
After practicing with it for many years, it's now a distraction mostly.
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
Less externally goal oriented, trying to be less self conscious.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in martial arts terms and ideas?
Work is an area I try it apply aiki to.
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
There is overemphasis on the throw which creates tunnel vision. Showing other possibilities , atemi, controls ,connects to other Arts. O'Sensei was as famous for what people could not do to him as for his throws.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
Yoga as an art of internal balance
What inspires you?
Many things ; people,art , music , travel ,martial arts and any combination of those things.
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
To continue to develop in my practice ,with students and anyone interested in Aiki
Anything on your mind you would like to add?
Thanks for asking for my participation.
Please remember your first teacher is gravity.It taught you balance before you had words. It is still teaching you, even after you have words.
Why did you start training?
Parental pressure and lack of connection to mainstream sports.
(His father was a boxing and judo teacher)
Why do you continue to?
It is my chosen Do.
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Become a servant to the art before trying to be a master of it.
What do you like to see in a practice?
Exploration and enthusiasm.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
Selfishness
How do you define aiki?
To connect to the flow of energy , movement and the moment
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
It has been described as "full"
When does a practice become not-aiki?
When intention is wrong,it changes mind and body.
Do you have a favored technique right now?
Not a conscious one.
What is your favorite practice related book?
"Soul Sword" by Vernon Kitabu Turner
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
It is the measuring of steps . Sometimes it reflects much or at times little.
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
The constant presence of waza when in aiki-movement
What is your relationship to kata?
Not really any.
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
After practicing with it for many years, it's now a distraction mostly.
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
Less externally goal oriented, trying to be less self conscious.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in martial arts terms and ideas?
Work is an area I try it apply aiki to.
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
There is overemphasis on the throw which creates tunnel vision. Showing other possibilities , atemi, controls ,connects to other Arts. O'Sensei was as famous for what people could not do to him as for his throws.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
Yoga as an art of internal balance
What inspires you?
Many things ; people,art , music , travel ,martial arts and any combination of those things.
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
To continue to develop in my practice ,with students and anyone interested in Aiki
Anything on your mind you would like to add?
Thanks for asking for my participation.
Please remember your first teacher is gravity.It taught you balance before you had words. It is still teaching you, even after you have words.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Questions to Parker Sensei
In my continuing effort to have other people fill my blog full of useful information, Patrick Parker from Mokuren dojo and blog was kind enough to respond to my initial batch of questions. If you are at all familiar with the martial arts blog-o-sphere that undoubtedly you have encountered his work. He is a prolific author, thinker and is high ranked in both judo and aikido. I know he also has studied karate for a long time so it would not surprise me if he was high ranked in that as well. I have had the pleasure to work out with him and throw back a few drinks. He is a great guy and a good friend.
Why did you start training?
I started training in taekwando initially. A high-school buddy invited me to his class and I had no clue what TKD was or that martial arts even existed. When he told me that it was like what Bruce Lee did I didn't know who that was. He had to explain ot me that it was like boxing but you kick people. THAT excited me, and i've been hooked since my first exposure to the dojo.
Why do you continue to?
When I went to college there was no TKD in town (believe it or not). So I got into a karate class that emphasized self-defense application. I swallowed their self-defense propaganda hook, line, and sinker, and it wasnt till much later that I started figuring out that dojo self defense and street self defense were different animals. Anyway, even after I got into aikido and judo I have tried to maintain a street-practical self-defense perspective. So, to answer your question, I got into it for the social aspect, continued in it because of the self-defense propaganda they sold me, and even now that I don't feel particularly threatened in my life, I continue to try to focus on the self-defense aspect because I feel that is just about the only somewhat objective criteria to judge martial arts by. Even if you do the art for art's sake, there is no way to judge your progress unless you use competition or street applicability as a sort of criteria.
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Ideal aikido and judo has to be automatic and reliable.
What do you like to see in a practice?
Moderate speed, high repetition, constant motion, and lots of falling down.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
People doing 2-3 reps and chatting for the rest of class. Teachers taking up the entire class lecturing or grandstanding. Ukes resisting to the point of preventing tori from learning. People worshiping pictures of old, dead aikidoka.
How do you define aiki?
My definition changes with time. right now I tend to think aiki means ending a conflict as quickly as possible in the most appropriate manner possible.
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
wave-like
When does a practice become not-aiki?
when you start emphasizing strategy or tactics that require tori to be stronger or faster or more prepared than the opponent - that is, when you are practing things that are not capable of being made automatic and reliable.
Do you have a favored technique right now?
Lately I get a lot of maeotoshi in randori but it's not really my most favored techinique - just something that crops up a lot. I do have anti-tokuiwaza though. I especially suck at gedanate and hikiotoshi. Funny thing is I have a student whose absolute best techniques are gedanate and hikiotoshi.
What is your favorite practice related book?
Nick Lowry's book is probably the best one out there. I also refer to Lee Ah Loi's kata book a lot.
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
Rank is mostly just a measure of time in training, sort of like seniority in a union. If the instructor is ethical in their ranking practices then rank sort of indirectly indicates skill level, but mostly just seniority.
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
I've been mostly preparing a shodan candidate for a test in April, so we've been working on otoshi and guruma timing and on trying to find the float and the drop in all the kihon - not just the ukiwaza.
What is your relationship to kata?
Kata is indispensable and inescapable. You might prefer randori, but it's not possible to teach an art through randori only. As soon as you start saying, "Try this. Do it this way, and you should get a result like this..." then you have kata. As soon as you start drilling something, you have form. If everything is random, nothing is ever repeated in similar form, then there is no learning.
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
I think Tomiki had the right idea - you have to be able to pressure test your technique and strategy. Your system has to be testable and falsifiable. Now, I don't especially like the tanto randori system that they ended up with, but I think they had the right idea. Just like kata is inescapable, so is randori or shiai (at least one or the other).
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
I think it has diversified. Nothing in the system is necessarily set in stone. There are many plausible variations that we can work on. Many ways to get to the top of the mountain. I still like to see lots of falling in practice but i realise that the falling beats up some students worse than others so that guideline is flexible. Suwari is still part of the art, but there are a lot of folks with bum knees, so that guideline is flexible.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in martial arts terms and ideas?
I think martial arts share a lot of their methodology with organized religion, and often I see aspects of Church liturgy that remind me of kata or kihon.
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
I've said before, and been chastized for it, I don't like hippie aikido. I suppose it has a large enough following of folks that do, so more power to them, but I rather view aikido as a practical, pragmatic thing. In fact, lately I have noticed many similarities between old WWII combatives and our aikido. I think a lot of aikidoka would learn a thing or two studying the old WWII combatives stuff.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
Baguazhang and Kichuando
What inspires you?
My students - particularly when I see that dawning of recognition where they not only understand what i'm saying but they are able to bridge the gap to make that idea theirs.
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
Yes. Too many to list right here and now.
Why did you start training?
I started training in taekwando initially. A high-school buddy invited me to his class and I had no clue what TKD was or that martial arts even existed. When he told me that it was like what Bruce Lee did I didn't know who that was. He had to explain ot me that it was like boxing but you kick people. THAT excited me, and i've been hooked since my first exposure to the dojo.
Why do you continue to?
When I went to college there was no TKD in town (believe it or not). So I got into a karate class that emphasized self-defense application. I swallowed their self-defense propaganda hook, line, and sinker, and it wasnt till much later that I started figuring out that dojo self defense and street self defense were different animals. Anyway, even after I got into aikido and judo I have tried to maintain a street-practical self-defense perspective. So, to answer your question, I got into it for the social aspect, continued in it because of the self-defense propaganda they sold me, and even now that I don't feel particularly threatened in my life, I continue to try to focus on the self-defense aspect because I feel that is just about the only somewhat objective criteria to judge martial arts by. Even if you do the art for art's sake, there is no way to judge your progress unless you use competition or street applicability as a sort of criteria.
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Ideal aikido and judo has to be automatic and reliable.
What do you like to see in a practice?
Moderate speed, high repetition, constant motion, and lots of falling down.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
People doing 2-3 reps and chatting for the rest of class. Teachers taking up the entire class lecturing or grandstanding. Ukes resisting to the point of preventing tori from learning. People worshiping pictures of old, dead aikidoka.
How do you define aiki?
My definition changes with time. right now I tend to think aiki means ending a conflict as quickly as possible in the most appropriate manner possible.
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
wave-like
When does a practice become not-aiki?
when you start emphasizing strategy or tactics that require tori to be stronger or faster or more prepared than the opponent - that is, when you are practing things that are not capable of being made automatic and reliable.
Do you have a favored technique right now?
Lately I get a lot of maeotoshi in randori but it's not really my most favored techinique - just something that crops up a lot. I do have anti-tokuiwaza though. I especially suck at gedanate and hikiotoshi. Funny thing is I have a student whose absolute best techniques are gedanate and hikiotoshi.
What is your favorite practice related book?
Nick Lowry's book is probably the best one out there. I also refer to Lee Ah Loi's kata book a lot.
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
Rank is mostly just a measure of time in training, sort of like seniority in a union. If the instructor is ethical in their ranking practices then rank sort of indirectly indicates skill level, but mostly just seniority.
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
I've been mostly preparing a shodan candidate for a test in April, so we've been working on otoshi and guruma timing and on trying to find the float and the drop in all the kihon - not just the ukiwaza.
What is your relationship to kata?
Kata is indispensable and inescapable. You might prefer randori, but it's not possible to teach an art through randori only. As soon as you start saying, "Try this. Do it this way, and you should get a result like this..." then you have kata. As soon as you start drilling something, you have form. If everything is random, nothing is ever repeated in similar form, then there is no learning.
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
I think Tomiki had the right idea - you have to be able to pressure test your technique and strategy. Your system has to be testable and falsifiable. Now, I don't especially like the tanto randori system that they ended up with, but I think they had the right idea. Just like kata is inescapable, so is randori or shiai (at least one or the other).
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
I think it has diversified. Nothing in the system is necessarily set in stone. There are many plausible variations that we can work on. Many ways to get to the top of the mountain. I still like to see lots of falling in practice but i realise that the falling beats up some students worse than others so that guideline is flexible. Suwari is still part of the art, but there are a lot of folks with bum knees, so that guideline is flexible.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in martial arts terms and ideas?
I think martial arts share a lot of their methodology with organized religion, and often I see aspects of Church liturgy that remind me of kata or kihon.
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
I've said before, and been chastized for it, I don't like hippie aikido. I suppose it has a large enough following of folks that do, so more power to them, but I rather view aikido as a practical, pragmatic thing. In fact, lately I have noticed many similarities between old WWII combatives and our aikido. I think a lot of aikidoka would learn a thing or two studying the old WWII combatives stuff.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
Baguazhang and Kichuando
What inspires you?
My students - particularly when I see that dawning of recognition where they not only understand what i'm saying but they are able to bridge the gap to make that idea theirs.
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
Yes. Too many to list right here and now.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Questions to Bode Sensei
Today I sent out a list of questions to a great many teachers of aikido that I have had the pleasure to encounter in my years of practice. J.W. Bode, who has appeared several times in my blog lately was the first to write back. He is a retired police officer that started training in Tomiki aikido in the 1970s. His work is very good and worth at least taking a long think about his words coming from direct experience using his art to survive.
Why did you start training?
Survival
Why do you continue to?
Survival
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Don't take a knife to a gun fight.
What do you like to see in a practice?
Continued thought process.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
Stopping shit before it gets started. Better summed up by Benjamin Franklin "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
How do you define aiki?
Extremely effective
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
A mental fibulation
When does a practice become not-aiki?
No
Do you have a favored technique right now?
Mine
What is your favorite practice related book?
(He previously told me he loves military strategy texts.)
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
Nothing if you don't have the ass to back it.
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
Evasion and off balance.
What is your relationship to kata?
Kata is restrictive and mindless
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
Competitive feelings are normal in Humans, deal with it.
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
I have gotten away from kata and have focused on true tactical correctness.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in martial arts terms and ideas?
I train all law enforcement use of force weapons, firearms, police baton, pepper spray, cuffing, cell extraction just like I do Aikido and I train in Aikido just like l do them.
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
Aikido is practiced with a mindless Uke who does whatever Tori want him to. I never use a trained Uke. I always use the guy who doesn't believe in this stuff and I get a much more realistic feedback and therefore a much more realistic idea of what will happen in a real situation. Remember you will RESPOND IN A REAL SITUATION LIKE YOU PRACTICE. If you are not practicing realistically you are playing house.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
They all have their highs and lows
What inspires you?
People like you George, Daniel, Dallas, Nick, Kyle, Damon and others. (His friends and students)
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
Continuing training people to survive
Anything on your mind you would like to add?
Fire everybody elses god (sensei) and hire your own. To many cooks spoil the broth.
And the most important thing is you cannot hope for peace until you prepare and stay prepared for war.
I hope I do not offend anyone with these statements but you ask the questions. Thanks for allowing me to express some less than popular views.
Why did you start training?
Survival
Why do you continue to?
Survival
Do you have a phrase(s) that sum up your ideal of martial arts practice?
Don't take a knife to a gun fight.
What do you like to see in a practice?
Continued thought process.
What do you not like to see in a practice?
Stopping shit before it gets started. Better summed up by Benjamin Franklin "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
How do you define aiki?
Extremely effective
What adjective would you say your technique 'feels' like?
A mental fibulation
When does a practice become not-aiki?
No
Do you have a favored technique right now?
Mine
What is your favorite practice related book?
(He previously told me he loves military strategy texts.)
What is rank? What does rank reflect?
Nothing if you don't have the ass to back it.
What principle have you been focusing on in your practice lately?
Evasion and off balance.
What is your relationship to kata?
Kata is restrictive and mindless
What is your relationship to a competitive feeling in training?
Competitive feelings are normal in Humans, deal with it.
How has your vision of practice changed as you have gotten older?
I have gotten away from kata and have focused on true tactical correctness.
Do you have another hobby or art form that you think about in martial arts terms and ideas?
I train all law enforcement use of force weapons, firearms, police baton, pepper spray, cuffing, cell extraction just like I do Aikido and I train in Aikido just like l do them.
Do you see any problems with the way aikido is practiced in the world at large, and do you have any recommendations for change?
Aikido is practiced with a mindless Uke who does whatever Tori want him to. I never use a trained Uke. I always use the guy who doesn't believe in this stuff and I get a much more realistic feedback and therefore a much more realistic idea of what will happen in a real situation. Remember you will RESPOND IN A REAL SITUATION LIKE YOU PRACTICE. If you are not practicing realistically you are playing house.
What martial art besides the one you practice do you think is interesting?
They all have their highs and lows
What inspires you?
People like you George, Daniel, Dallas, Nick, Kyle, Damon and others. (His friends and students)
Do you have any aspirations for your art, dojo or organization for the future?
Continuing training people to survive
Anything on your mind you would like to add?
Fire everybody elses god (sensei) and hire your own. To many cooks spoil the broth.
And the most important thing is you cannot hope for peace until you prepare and stay prepared for war.
I hope I do not offend anyone with these statements but you ask the questions. Thanks for allowing me to express some less than popular views.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Austin's new Aikido Judo dojo!
Here is a shot of the room. The doorway that be seen is the toilet. The tea room is to the left of that.
Tea room! It has changing areas just out of camera view. We are setting up a media center in here so people can watch videos and train privatly on the smaller mat.
The mat! Taken at a weird angle as to be artsy. The mat is hard, but works good for now!
Tea room! It has changing areas just out of camera view. We are setting up a media center in here so people can watch videos and train privatly on the smaller mat.
The mat! Taken at a weird angle as to be artsy. The mat is hard, but works good for now!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
J.W. Bode Sensei Quote
"Tradition is only important if there is a valid reason for keeping it that way. Too many people substitute tradition for an excuse not to use their brain"
J.W. Bode
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
J.W. Bode Sensei Sez...
After Christmas I drove up to Oklahoma to work out with J.W. Bode and the Kaze Uta Budo Kai crew. Bode Sensei started the lesson by pulling out a book on strategy. He says all his inspiration for martial arts technical work comes from books on strategy, and of course his impressive felony arrest experience. His aikido strategy is quick and effective and totally overwhelmed me instantly. So I asked him to send me a few of his favorite quotes from his sources of inspiration so I might steal his secrets and defeat him upon our next encounter.
Sun Tzu postulated two forces- The zheng element, which fixes the enemy in place and the qi element, which flanks or encircles the enemy. The two forces are fluid and as factors change and the zheng can be transformed into the qi and the qi transformed into the zheng.
"Rely on the offensive, persue a defeated enemy, trust in speed to economize on time, bring about strategic surprise, concentrate superior force on the battlefield, and until the time of attack, protect forces by a well reasoned defense."
- Napoleon
"He who gets there the firstest with the mostest wins.
A good plan violently executed today is better than a perfect plan executed tomorrow.
You don't win wars by dying for your country. You win wars by making the other poor son of a bitch die for his country."
- General George S. Patton
Professional Training Info-
You will respond in a real situation just like you practice.
If anything can go wrong it will go wrong. Depend on it.
When seconds count, help is only minutes away.
Friday, January 7, 2011
To a new Shodan/Nidan in the Tomiki Lineage.
Hello my friend and congratulations on the great accomplishment. Thus far you have proven that you can successfully accept some conditioning, learn some techniques and play nice with others.
Thus far the kata of the Tomiki system has given you some digestible bites to swallow. They are training wheels to get you going. They are like a coloring book to help you start doing art.
A warning as you progress from here though my friends, the kata system is as much of a trap as it is a way to help. Around the world people are grinding away at the kata, simply copying what their teacher taught them, rather than going ever deeper into the puzzle it is trying to help you comprehend.
The fact is we are trying to move in a way that is free and spontaneous, yet the kata tells us to move in a prescribed manner. Aikido's beauty is expressed creative movement, yet we so often are taught that there is one right way do express technique and train. In aikido the options are great yet through the kata we often learn to continually do the same thing exactly the same way.
The fact is my aikido friends, at this point of your development free thinking and freedom of movement has been trained out of you. You now have a set of rules, that work well until they fail you. You have been programmed to respond in certain ways and fall when you are told to fall. These are all important parts of the learning process.
As I develop further have come to some conclusions that acted as a major catalyst for the change in the way I train.
First, there is not a rule that can't be broken. As a young aikidoka I was bombarded with rules of motion. If you followed the rules you create aiki. if you don't it is something else. It was very eye opening to me once I started traveling around and training with many different teachers, every one of them has a different set of rules. Often one teacher's rules openly violate another teacher's. Rules vary. I highly recommend you challenge every rule you have learned and test it through the scientific method. Rules vary - principles are universal.
Second, overly structured kata gives you a very easy way to practice. It takes out everything really difficult and gives you very clean lines to play with. I urge you to remember the world is not full of pretty lines and enemies starting at correct distances. No opponent is going to give a stylized attack. We do this so the new guys don't kill each other. No longer are you a new guy. I encourage you to break down the structure in your head and find the joy and aiki in the chaos again.
Remember new yudansha something that is a common flaw in aikido training, the opponent does not explode upon hitting the ground. I see people throw a partner and end it there. The trick is that the encounter never ends. It starts the second you bow to each other to train, and never ends until you bow again to end training. The higher level you get, there should be an intensity of interconnection that never fades. Your opponent is playing the role of an aggressor, when they attack, during the technique, when they are on the ground, during the pin, when they are getting up, and when they are preparing for the next attack. They should be seen as dangerous the whole time. Attacks don't end with the person hitting the floor. The training and connection should never stop. Zanshin. Remain active and connected throughout the training. Connection and awareness is not an on and off activity.
The main thing I would like to share with the new yudansha is that aikido is just a system of play. It is a way to experiment with truth, but it is not truth itself. The simple act of training is what is important - uniforms, belts, ranks, systems, and styles are all illusory by their very nature. They are simply a game.
All that really matters is relationships with the people you surround yourself to train with. In my mind the heart of aikido is expressed in the way we treat other people. Period.
Walk In Peace,
Eric
Thus far the kata of the Tomiki system has given you some digestible bites to swallow. They are training wheels to get you going. They are like a coloring book to help you start doing art.
A warning as you progress from here though my friends, the kata system is as much of a trap as it is a way to help. Around the world people are grinding away at the kata, simply copying what their teacher taught them, rather than going ever deeper into the puzzle it is trying to help you comprehend.
The fact is we are trying to move in a way that is free and spontaneous, yet the kata tells us to move in a prescribed manner. Aikido's beauty is expressed creative movement, yet we so often are taught that there is one right way do express technique and train. In aikido the options are great yet through the kata we often learn to continually do the same thing exactly the same way.
The fact is my aikido friends, at this point of your development free thinking and freedom of movement has been trained out of you. You now have a set of rules, that work well until they fail you. You have been programmed to respond in certain ways and fall when you are told to fall. These are all important parts of the learning process.
As I develop further have come to some conclusions that acted as a major catalyst for the change in the way I train.
First, there is not a rule that can't be broken. As a young aikidoka I was bombarded with rules of motion. If you followed the rules you create aiki. if you don't it is something else. It was very eye opening to me once I started traveling around and training with many different teachers, every one of them has a different set of rules. Often one teacher's rules openly violate another teacher's. Rules vary. I highly recommend you challenge every rule you have learned and test it through the scientific method. Rules vary - principles are universal.
Second, overly structured kata gives you a very easy way to practice. It takes out everything really difficult and gives you very clean lines to play with. I urge you to remember the world is not full of pretty lines and enemies starting at correct distances. No opponent is going to give a stylized attack. We do this so the new guys don't kill each other. No longer are you a new guy. I encourage you to break down the structure in your head and find the joy and aiki in the chaos again.
Remember new yudansha something that is a common flaw in aikido training, the opponent does not explode upon hitting the ground. I see people throw a partner and end it there. The trick is that the encounter never ends. It starts the second you bow to each other to train, and never ends until you bow again to end training. The higher level you get, there should be an intensity of interconnection that never fades. Your opponent is playing the role of an aggressor, when they attack, during the technique, when they are on the ground, during the pin, when they are getting up, and when they are preparing for the next attack. They should be seen as dangerous the whole time. Attacks don't end with the person hitting the floor. The training and connection should never stop. Zanshin. Remain active and connected throughout the training. Connection and awareness is not an on and off activity.
The main thing I would like to share with the new yudansha is that aikido is just a system of play. It is a way to experiment with truth, but it is not truth itself. The simple act of training is what is important - uniforms, belts, ranks, systems, and styles are all illusory by their very nature. They are simply a game.
All that really matters is relationships with the people you surround yourself to train with. In my mind the heart of aikido is expressed in the way we treat other people. Period.
Walk In Peace,
Eric
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Shaving off time and space
After Christmas I took off towards Oklahoma to train with the Kaze Uta Budo Kai folks. On the way to Oklahoma City I stopped by Lawton to train with Bode Sensei. I had quite a reality checking lesson from the hardened retired police officer.
I felt he really opened my eyes to the time and space inefficiencies that have been the basis of much of my martial work until this point. Everything was taking too long to perform, with too many steps to accomplish it.
When viewing martial effectiveness I think it is of vital importance to continue to shave off time and space from our application of principles while developing technique. Do we really want conflicts to last longer? Do we want to train in ways that require more space and time to execute?
A aikido teacher I once trained under defined aiki as "instant victory".
During tonight's practice techniques went from three steps down to one. Techniques were changed to be far more time and space efficient.
Things started working like never before. Technique that drags on too long loses a sense of instant victory. A technique that drags on no longer fits into my definition of what aiki truly is. Maximum efficiency demands time and space efficiency as well.
I felt he really opened my eyes to the time and space inefficiencies that have been the basis of much of my martial work until this point. Everything was taking too long to perform, with too many steps to accomplish it.
When viewing martial effectiveness I think it is of vital importance to continue to shave off time and space from our application of principles while developing technique. Do we really want conflicts to last longer? Do we want to train in ways that require more space and time to execute?
A aikido teacher I once trained under defined aiki as "instant victory".
During tonight's practice techniques went from three steps down to one. Techniques were changed to be far more time and space efficient.
Things started working like never before. Technique that drags on too long loses a sense of instant victory. A technique that drags on no longer fits into my definition of what aiki truly is. Maximum efficiency demands time and space efficiency as well.
