Senior Students Step Forward Please

I’m in Pittsburgh tonight and practiced at Three Rivers Aikikai at Carnegie Mellon University. The Head Instructor was out of town so another black belt taught the class. There were only three other people plus the instructor, one had practiced for less than two months and the another was there for the 3rd or 4th time. I think the last student was still somewhat new but he looked better than me in his techniques.

The gist was that the instructor kept referring to me as the senior student and I was uke for the instruction almost half the time. After class I commented that I was uncomfortable being a senior student and she said that it was good for a student to be in that role sometimes.

While there are sometimes less experienced people at our dojo I know that my time with them is short and somebody better will be working to correct any errors. I offer help when I can, but I know others will help more.

So, it was a different and an interesting night.

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While traveling I have practiced at 8 other dojos and 1 judo class. I first look for a USAF (US Aikido Federation) and if there is none I check for ASU (Aikido Schools of Ueshiba) and so far that has worked out well.

I'm Rubber, You're Glue

Aikido Article Here --
Former-Self Defense

I'm passing along an article my sister sent me. Some may find something to object to in the article such as the “Vulcan Nerve Pinch” (never seen it in a dojo), or being labeled “bookish” dorks. But it is a humor piece so we can let that go, and of course it applies to me anyway.

One point it alludes to but doesn't address directly is “Why do we practice Aikido?”

I have never been in a fight and probably won't in the future. In the past I've been able to talk my way out of trouble much like the author of the article did I suppose. I wonder if I ever became good at Aikido would I be more likely to not talk and actually fight? This would be ironic since O'Sensei's realization was that Aikido is “not a technique to fight with or defeat the enemy. It is the way to reconcile the worl and make human beings one family.” (The Way of Aikido by George Leonard)

It may be I simply practice because it is so freakin' cool, even when you are bad at it.

Next Stop: Animation Station

I was having a few problems with the animation software and when looking for answers I found this site that offers an online course for only $20 at www.eclecticacademy.com. Here is an excerpt from their website.

Q. What is the length of the classes - How many weeks?

A. A semester runs for six (6) weeks and includes six (6) lessons. A lesson is posted every Sunday and you have the entire week to complete it.

So after a quick trip to PayPal, I signed up and it starts July 8th. Reports will follow.

The UN-Doing of Aikido

Tonight we finished our class with a true exercise, meaning we didn't learn a specific technique.

Two people raise arms and one person slowly presses against the their partner's wrist as if they are aiming for the other person's head. Something like two people crossing swords. The second person should feel the intention and the pressure then remove any “information” and step off the line of attack, yet keep the connection to the other person. The two people switch roles and weave around their space almost like a dance.

Our Sensei made a few comments that I think are worth noting. During the initial instruction he implied that this exercise was not a technique but rather we are just doing “Aikido”. And when dealing with specifics he pointed out that in Aikido the point is to take advantage of any indication of the opponent's intention and use the appropriate technique and here we are trying to respond with no indication of our plans and in fact proceed no further than that.


In this case both people were trying to do NO technique and deliver NO “information” to the other person. Each person in turn presented a small intention toward the other's head but the “opponent” simply removes resistance (while keeping contact) and then the roles were immediately reversed. So with each exercise there was only non-resistance and a lack of technique.

Learning the essence of Aikido by doing no Aikido technique. Even experienced students had trouble adjusting and relaxing. The playing field was level for a few minutes and we were touching the core of Aikido.

I think this also relates to something Brian previously demonstrated, in that each technique has the potential of being reversed. Reversed, because you are giving too much information of your plan to
Uke who takes that and redirects your plan until it become their own.

I'm not sure the image above applies but I felt it presents the idea of contact yet not control.
No Theological implication to be inferred, just looking at a picture.

¡Rosetta Stone está aquí también!

I finally made it back to my Spanish Rosetta Stone long enough to finish Unit 2 or Level 1. It took me a week and a half to get around to completing all 8 lessons. So I'm already behind the schedule I'd hoped, but fortunately for me it was not a binding agreement.

In fact to finish up tonight I had to push the pace so I took the instructions to heart that every exercise was not for everybody. I worked on the listening, reading and the speaking parts. Partly to finish up and partly because I didn't think I was getting much out of typing in Spanish when I knew most of the vocabulary already.

As the material gets harder I will mostly likely work on all of the sections to reinforce the new vocabulary.

I was happy to see two more verb forms in the second half of Unit 2. We had “El niño está sentado encima de la cerca.” (New word for me!! - Cerca, not meaning close but LA cerca for fence)

...and then “El caballo va a saltar”. I think I remember first learning this form in my first Spanish I class way back in the mid 1980's. Back when I thought “Yo voy a aprender Español” .

Anyway, it's good to see some exciting new tenses and new vocabulary.

Really it is.

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Free Rosetta Stone At the Library


Thanks to a tip I now find out that a local library has Rosetta Stone available on-line! I didn't check it out to compare, since my software is past returning. I suspect there would be some inconveniences using an only online version, but I would have tried it before I bought if I know before hand.

I wonder if there are any restrictions or differences?

In any case, I'm committed to this chosen path and paying a few hundred dollars is a real gesture that indicates and reinforces my sincerity.

I hope.

Forget to Remember or Remembering to Forget

I found this comment about learning Aikido on another Aikido blog...

"If a beginner can’t remember the techniques after class is over, he or she should not be concerned or discouraged because with regard to learning techniques, the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba said, “Learn and Forget, learn and forget.”

By this, he meant that the ability to perform Aikido techniques was not based on the power of memory, but by practicing continually. It is through constant training that we will naturally remember and learn Aikido techniques and through steady and regular training, we will someday naturally and spontaneously reproduce the movements of Aikido without having to “memorize” the techniques with our minds."

I don't have much to add except that I hope it true, since remembering Aikido is...well it is just hard.

Found at
http://aikidoforbeginners.blogspot.com/2007/01/learning-aikido-techniques-is-just-too.html#links
which has a wonderful design.

Suwari Waza, another Aikido Hurdle

Suwari Waza is one of the stranger aspects of Aikido and it is also one that on the face of it doesn't seem useful. You practice the techniques while walking on your knees. And it is yet another part of Aikido that is another demarcation between a beginner and an experienced Aikido-ist.

I am still a real beginner in Suwari Waza and today my toes were really hurting. Another reminder how far I have to go.

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After Suwari Waza we practiced standing Irimi Nage today and I had a much better feel for it than Thursday. Today I was able to relax and go with the movement when I was Uke.

It reminded me about a previous comment :

"Being Uke may also mean being composed during a conflict!?!"

Today I was able to relax enough as Uke to turn into Nage's movement and ended up doing a forward roll rather than being forced into a backward roll (Thanks to Brian for his help). My point is that I had to be composed and relax to get to this point.

So I guess it was a good day.