Re: Shobu Aikido:Aiki Hippies or Practical Martial Art?
Originally posted by stanley neptune
I recently observed a class at Shobu Aikido in Boston Mass. Sensei William Gleason appears to be an excellent teacher drawing upon a very extensive and impressive background.
Their system appears very soft however. Almost dance like. One of the senior students explained to me that "Often the focus in our classes is on feeling. Both sempai and beginner students are focusing on the same concepts. Other dojo’s typically spend the first few years on technique, which tends to be the Aikido roots (Jui Jitsu, manipulations?) and start training “Aikido? when the students reach black belt levels." I never thought along these lines. Very interesting that Aikido was more than just throws and manipulations. A bit eye opening for me I must admit. That there was a bigger concept at work here.
Feeling vs. the ju jitsu aspect? I think the all-feeling-concept is what I was seeing. It appeared they were training without any resistance. It did not look practical at all. However it did sound related to what is commonly espoused in Systema circles.
Does anyone have any thoughts on Shobu and Sensei Gleason specifically and this type of training in general?
Stanley Neptune
A few general comments.
Mr Gleason left Japan the year I myself arrived, but his teacher was Seigo Yamaguchi Shihan and I was able to take classes with Yamaguchi Sensei and get to know him quite well, well enough to discuss with him issues such as you raise here.
According to the black belt you quoted, I suppose my own training would be technique, but it is interesting that when I came to Japan, my own previous teacher in the UK (K Chiba Shihan) advised me to train under three teachers in the Aikikai Hombu, specifically, H Tada, S Arikawa--and S Yamaguchi.
My own view is that things are more complicated. There is a difference between form (kata in Japanese), technique (waza in Japanese) and feeling, which encompasses both of these. In my opinion, Yamaguchi Sensei's aikido was relatively formless (compared with that of, say, M Saito Shihan), but full of technique and feeling. In fact he was a master technician, but never communicated this in terms of a structured teaching syllabus with a view to 'practical' applications.
Thus, students came to Yamaguchi Sensei's classes later on in their aikido careers (and training in his dojo in Shibuya--no tatami--was by invitation only and for those of 3rd dan and above). His students have had to work out for themselves how to replicate his genius in their own aikido and I suspect Mr Gleason has formed his own priorities. As I have myself. For me, form comes first and technique is added sparingly. But both involve feeling.
Unless I have misunderstood you...
Best regards,
Peter Goldsbury,
Forum Administrator,
Hiroshima, Japan