Thought-provoking Blog

[John J. Montes]

"At some point Stanley wanted to interview Arikawa Sensei. An interview had appeared in Susan Perry's Aikido Today Magazine, but I for one thought that Susan could have asked some harder hitting questions. Like Stan, I knew Arikawa Sensei and at some point suggested that we interview him together. I sent him a list of questions, some of which dealt exactly with the issues Ellis was alluding to: the difference in the technical repertoire between two generations: Morihei Ueshiba vs. Kisshomaru Ueshiba. The result was that we spent six hours in my hotel room interviewing Arikawa Sensei. The interview has never been published. Why? Because Arikawa Sensei refused to allow anything published under his name that could even remotely be interpreted as criticism of the Ueshiba family. Did we ask the wrong questions? Not really, but Arikawa Sensei considered that it was "too early" for publication."
My immediate question is: when is that interview going to see the light of day? Reminds me of the government withholding the release of all of the information surrounding the Kennedy assassination from the NAtional Archives.

[P Goldsbury]

"At some point Stanley wanted to interview Arikawa Sensei. An interview had appeared in Susan Perry's Aikido Today Magazine, but I for one thought that Susan could have asked some harder hitting questions. Like Stan, I knew Arikawa Sensei and at some point suggested that we interview him together. I sent him a list of questions, some of which dealt exactly with the issues Ellis was alluding to: the difference in the technical repertoire between two generations: Morihei Ueshiba vs. Kisshomaru Ueshiba. The result was that we spent six hours in my hotel room interviewing Arikawa Sensei. The interview has never been published. Why? Because Arikawa Sensei refused to allow anything published under his name that could even remotely be interpreted as criticism of the Ueshiba family. Did we ask the wrong questions? Not really, but Arikawa Sensei considered that it was "too early" for publication."
My immediate question is: when is that interview going to see the light of day? Reminds me of the government withholding the release of all of the information surrounding the Kennedy assassination from the NAtional Archives.

Well, in this case there is no government involved, only Mr Pranin, myself and the estate of Arikawa Sensei. So I have no idea if and when this interview will be published.

[Usagi]

Liked that title

One thing that botters me is that sometimes we don't recall how it felt before we reached our present level of skill. Thankfully i have tapes of my gokyu test.

I have something i call "wadda-uuuuuu" concept; enough training can turn anything, don't matter how unreasonable, efficient. Take "Circ de Soleil" for instance; some of the perfomances defy human kynesiology."But still, it moves!"

"There was a time when i believed"...in most efficient form to train. I was a positivist; with the "correct method" i would reach the top. Now i don't believe in that anymore. I believe that enough training will make anything work to a certain degree. Even if kinesyologic (how does it write that damn word???) incorrect.

But i believe most sensei think they know "better ways"(that meaning "if i had being taught this way i would had learned faster and had become a top shihan already!"). But the fact is: there is no way to know that. And if their sensei's "not so good method" allowed them to do this criticism, i am not so sure if it was wrong after all.

I have being experimenting ways to make a distinction betwen the athletic and the "aiki" portions of Aikido's techniques (presently i avoid using my thumbs) in order not to get confused betwen what I can do and what is coherent to Aikido's allegedly goals(as i understand them).

One thing clear to me is that our neuro-muscular programing changes as we train. An experienced Daito ryu/ Aikido practiccioner can do things that a beginner can't. This makes room for the question: is it the "correct form" that makes the technique or is it the repeated practice of the form responsable for the development of new neuro-muscular interactions?(That allow you to be able to do the "correct form"?).

Again, the members of the "Circ de Soleil" are able to do many of the "aiki-tricks", althought none of them studied under Takeda, Ueshiba or Sagawa...

Good to be back

[Brently Keen]

Today's circus acrobat's apparently didn't learn Daito-ryu from Sokaku Takeda, but it's interesting anyway that Sokaku had joined a troupe of acrobats and travelled with them performing stunts for a time in their own "Circus of the Rising Sun". Pun intended.

Respectfully,

Brently Keen

[Ron Tisdale]

Brently! You're still around...good to read you again...

Best,
Ron