One the worst things Ive ever seen, no idea who influenced them, but Ikeda and Saotome (whom I have no experience of) where said to have solid tech
agreed. i didn't know what to do there. was i supposed to fall? or just stand there? one of my first days there, we were doing something like katatetori shihonage. and i'm like holding this guy's wrist, dan grade btw, and he's like cluelessly going over the technique. kept starting over after only going half-way through, then starting over. i had to seriously fight the temptation to jack him with my free hand.
Ikeda and Saotome do have solid technique. The way they (especially Ikeda) teach often leans too heavily on softer "internal" stuff for my taste, but no one can doubt their technical skill.
If we can't doubt their technical skill then we need to be looking at their motivations and objectives. What is it they are aiming for with this nonsense?
I think Ikeda Sensei is trying to give us a shortcut to the discoveries he has made after 40 years of aikido training. The soft "internal" stuff works for him because he has been refining his aikido for so long that he has an innate grasp of the physics involved in aikido technique. Ikeda Sensei does not teach aikido magic tricks and always encourages students to attack with commitment and resist his techniques. What he is doing works for him in a very real way. The problem, I think, is that he and his students try to teach this stuff to white belts like myself as part of basic training. We need good, sound kihon, not abstract connection exercises. The stuff O Sensei was still working on when he was 70 can come later.
My former teacher used to say similar things about being soft. It was a short cut etc, etc. I've found there are no shortcuts. The key to what appears to be soft but powerful technique is a degree of timing and understanding of body movement, openings and weaknesses in posture (kuzushi?) that can only be perfected through experience. You just can't take a shortcut to experience. It's not possible.
Well for what its worth the person returned tonight and trained. def not the worst Ive had on my Mat. But Im sure there club is more Jujitsu(Aiki) influenced. The black Gi and brown belt over the Hakama gave it a way, but good spirit and funnily enough trained pretty Martial. Other thing was there club uses Brown belts for all beginners until Black. NO WHITE!
Personally i think the belt system going from white to black...but i think its just a preference thing i dont reali think its time for it to go and i dont think it ever will... but obviously...where there are martail arts with belts being worn...they are others without belts so it works both ways and they both are cool
Can you tell me why K Williams left Tohei's org...? And why as a renowned aikidoka he now does this kind of thing? What were your reasons for leaving the KFGB... Just Curious.....
I don't know exactly why Williams split from the Ki Society. Happened before my time and it was not a topic that was openly discussed. So I won't speculate. Why does Ken Williams do these things? I'm guessing it's a bit of theatre designed to add some mystique to what's being taught. When I was a member of the Ki Fed there was a heavy emphasis on the concept of following a technique and on leading uke's mind. Which allows for a very soft practice which is in turn more accessible to the masses. Unfortunately making Aikido accessible to the masses to that extreme dilutes it almost beyond recognition. So why the need for the mystique? It keeps people guessing. Stops them from understanding how the techniques really work. It's a distraction and a fraud. Easy money. Why did I leave the Ki Fed? Primarily because my teacher left. At the time the standard of practice at my local club was still pretty good. There was a warm up at the beginning of every class, uke was only supposed to go down if the techniques were applied correctly and the Jo, Bokken and tanto also featured regularly and in general we had a good solid practice. Everybody broke sweat and every body left with a new collection of bruises. Everybody at the club had noticed a change in the way courses were delivered in the Ki Fed. There was a lot less Aikido and a lot more Ki testing and rolling to standing. In the little Aikido that was being done, higher grades had stopped applying technique and had instead become accustomed to students simply falling over for them. Which caused a bit of controversy at of the last courses I attended when one of our 3rd dans refused to simply fall over. And then as I explained earlier there was the issue with Margaret Williams. I can't actually think of anybody who had a kind word to say about her. There was also some other politics going on. None of which I know the full details of. At the end of the day the Ki Fed was/is a fairly big organisation. And no matter what an organisation of that size does, good or bad. Someone will at some point make a break and go their own way. It's just a matter of time. Hope that all makes some kind of sense.
Thanks for that aikiwolfie..... Interesting to note these things happen in a lot of orgs when the training becomes more woo woo and less martial.... Like you say it does draw the type that are interested in "paranormal" but improvable things. Sadly in the past when these types have come to train in my dojo, they certainly had trouble in applying waza, and made the excuse that we weren't harmonizing or some such crap.... Yet complained bitterly if actually thrown hard!! Beggars belief that such people will not see the error of their ways, but insist that there way is the only true way, what ever that is.....? Keysara.... I truly think it has more to do with ego and money than aikido.... Sad part is most will fall for it hook line and sinker, hence the reason that so called hard dojo's are hard pressed to get students in.... Signs of modern times and the consumer want it now society... Very sad....
In the case of the Ki Fed. It was all about the money. They always had some excuse to hand out the begging bowl.
This is one of the main examples I feel is the difference between Traditional and Modern Aikido. Koyo used to put it Simply saying Ukes role is to simply attack strong. Uke should never blend with Nage, its always Nages job to blend with uke/attacker. When I refer to Modern aikido, Im talking about mainly the changes made by the 1st Doshu and the Ki styles.
Ha ha!! Sounds like catholic mass on a Sunday when I was a kid. I always asked my dear old dad why do we have to pay them for all this hocus pokus!! They should be paying us to come!! I hated it, and the slap around the back of the head to!!
