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raparigapessego
23rd August 2006, 03:02
After having a big disappointment with my initial aikido teacher, I splited from the dojo after seven years of intense practice under him. Trying to find a teacher to keep up with my career, I travelled to USA and other countries visiting all the senseis that I was always curious about. Finally I travelled to Japan hopping to find it there, but this seems a more difficult task than finding a husband.
I started aikido without knowing what I was doing; just started because my friends were there, so I joined together. I didn’t know anything about styles or teachers; It was so simple, I wanted to study martial arts, so I just tried, liked and started. After some years of practice, I looked down to other styles, only “our” style was good. Then I just forget about styles because I got to the conclusion that’s the person that matters. Do you think it is possible to follow an eclectic aikido path, or do you think that the concept of lineage is more important? I think the devotion to the person that you follow is the one that really inspire you truly, that person will determine your entire career, what do you think? Now I put all knowlodge togheter and some styles complement others, but I feel empty because I can not find "the person".

Carla Valverde

szczepan
23rd August 2006, 03:49
I think you did wonderful thing, not very many ppl can travel around the world in search of The Teacher.
However finding right teacher is the most important thing.Sometimes when you see him there is immediat 'click', sometimes you must pratice with him longer....IMO 'eccletic aikido' leads to nowhere.
Don't give up, search again and again, and when you find Him, move to the town where is his dojo. Other thing, even the best teachers are human, in spite of looking as half-gods. Accept him with all his good and bad qualities.

mamba
23rd August 2006, 14:55
Carla, my best wishes to you in your search, you are on a lonely path. I hope this helps you, because I think you will not give up because it is too hard: look for Akuzawa's classes in Tokyo (I assume you are in Japan now). Robert John (look on Aikiweb for PM) is the person to contact. Internal strength is hard work, and not limited to aikido. This knowledge is what will set you free from the vagaries of lineage based on something other than bodyskills. Mike Sigman is a name to look out for: read his posts on Aikiweb and Aikido Journal and here at e-Budo. He is extremely knowledgeable on how to begin training these skills, and very supportive of people starting on this path.

Regards,
Gernot

powerof0ne
24th August 2006, 18:29
Eccletic Aikido, Karate, Judo, and any other art is fine as long as it doesn't try to present itself as being something it's not. It's up to the individual but I don't think many people have a problem with a eccletic/neo/hybrid/mma style as long as it doesn't have some made up history & lineage.
Good luck on your search of what makes you content.

MarkF
25th August 2006, 08:26
Yoseikan Budo comes to mind when the question of questiionable styles comes to mind. A laundry list of styles under one name is not to be ignored, be it the eclectic stylist or for the person who is looking for the right person to map out a career. Then again, the "whatever sensei sez must be the way" can sometimes leave a person with a slightly sour taste after a while.
*******

As to finding a spouse, I have found 'tis harder to keep one than find one, but losing one can be the best solution when considering one's future. After all, there are those finding love under the singular banner of "Happiness is a Warm Gun."

Fate is a tough customer in budo or personal relationships, eh? If eclectic/esoteric styles are unconfortable right now, walk into your local judo dojo and start the show. If fate is tough, I guarantee time loses all its patients. Warm up a little while thinking on it.

Good luck.

Mark

raparigapessego
25th August 2006, 12:40
There is someone I didn`t visited... yet. Abe Sensei, O`Sensei`s calligraphy teacher.

Ron Tisdale
25th August 2006, 15:04
If you are in Japan now, I would strongly recommend a combination of Abe Sensei and Akuzawa at the Aunkai. Check with Rob John from the Aunkai (he's on this board) and a South African gentleman named Gernot at Abe Sensei's dojo. Mind you, the path they are on is difficult, and immediate results probably won't be great, but long term I'd think they'd make great choices.

Best,
Ron

PRehse
27th August 2006, 08:54
That's a bit tough Ron considering they are in two very seperated cities. I also did not get the impression that the person was particularily looking for what Mike and Rob are into but sure maybe she can find what she wants there. It wont be Aikido of course but maybe its the art she needs to change.

In any case there are a number of top notch Aikido instructors available that are more or less open to non-Japanese. I think if you want to do Aikido lineage is very important but finding a teacher that clicks with you is even more so. The optimum is to have both.

Direct student's of Ueshiba M. are now very old or dead - hard to find and not necessarily the best teachers. You want someone skilled, experienced, physically active, and who will pay you the attention you need. For that reason I would choose Kimura over Abe in Osaka even though one is a first generation student and the other second.

Training at Honbu whatever the style can be counter-productive at least if its all you do. The trick is to find out where Honbu instructors teach when they teach outside of Honbu and become their students. That I think is true of Aikikai and Yoshinkan. Shodokan Honbu may be the exception - just in the way it is set up.

IronMan
27th August 2006, 22:31
After some years of practice, I looked down to other styles, only “our” style was good. Then I just forget about styles because I got to the conclusion that’s the person that matters. Do you think it is possible to follow an eclectic aikido path, or do you think that the concept of lineage is more important? I think the devotion to the person that you follow is the one that really inspire you truly, that person will determine your entire career, what do you think? Now I put all knowlodge togheter and some styles complement others, but I feel empty because I can not find "the person".

This is something that alot of Aikido students, and martial arts students in general, go through.

I think that, and this is only an opinion, all martial arts should be explored, because the individual is what's important. For some people Aikido is their spiritualism and their way of exploring the martial world, but it is not the only way.

I think that finding "the person" is a challenge for many students and I wish you the best of luck in that endeavor.