Tonight Sidney Sensei asked what I wanted to work on but I was tired of requesting stuff and generally beat down by life that I couldn't muster enough gumption to think of anything.
Fortunately for me he worked on many techniques that are part of the 4th kyu test. The downside is that I was so bad at them I am now thinking I will not take the test in November. I really thought I was getting a handle on the Yokomenuchi, but I was totally confused tonight. Will I always be a beginner?.
One interesting point came from Sidney demonstrating the different ways you would deal with Yokomenuchi Nikkyo, or Yonkyo and something else I don't remember. The gist was that everything lead to another and what the thing is depends on what the motion is throughout the attack. And like an infinite possible futures, the Aikido response entirely depends on what is happening at THAT moment. And at THAT moment you respond appropriately.
One thing (whatever that thing is) naturally leads to another. Nothing really complicated about it. BUT it is ever so hard to do, and it is a wonder to see it demonstrated so effortlessly. And all moves can inexplicably turn into each other, like an Escher drawing.
As an aside, maybe one of things I love about Aikdo is when the Sensei demonstrates something and almost without thinking causes you you to collapse to the floor. Tonight Sidney was showing me and my partner the variations on Nikkyo and used me as the example. DAMN it was impressive, and I was thrown down like a boulder. --- It was beautiful!!
2 comments:
Dave,
trust me, you are getting better. Even I, a REAL beginner, had seen your improvement over the last 10 months.
After more than a year and 1/2 of practice I've already seen those who started around my start date drop out, yet they were WAY better at Aikido than I was.
Of course they may come back. After all I made two earlier (and shorter) attempts.
Anyway, what does it mean to be be a beginner? In "life" who is really an expert?
At some level everybody is a beginner, it's just that sometimes we don't know at what "level" we are.
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