From: kjones@src.dec.com (Kevin Jones)
Subject: Aikido teaching styles
Organization: DEC Systems Research Center
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 92 11:56:31 PDT

Ted Camus writes: 

  By this, I meant to criticize what would appear to be the attempt of 
  some Aikido schools to teach this ultimate stage ("new age touchy-feely")
  without really understanding the origin and foundations of the art.
  [My own instructor is a student of Chiba Sensei, and teaches very real
  aikido, but still with a spiritual component, like that found in O'Sensei's 
  1936 manual "Budo".]

[This comment pushes a "yes, I know I could just ignore it but that's just not
right" kind of button 8->.]

You are making the assumption that Aikido schools that choose to teach in this
way are doing so "without really understanding the origin and foundations of
the art". Since many of the schools that try to teach the principles of Aikido
and practice them in a form that certainly differs from O'Sensei's Budo days
are associated with Tohei Sensei, I claim very strongly that your assumption is
not true in these cases. I find the connotations of the term "new age
touchy-feely" mildly insulting and think that it suggests you don't properly
understand what is involved in this kind of practice. If you comments are not
directed at Ki Society schools, then I don't know if my comments apply. If they
are directed in this direction, then I believe they come from a lack of
information and I'll try to correct that. You are entitled to your opinion, of
course, but given more information you may choose to phrase it differently.

Tohei Sensei was uchi deshi ("apprentice") to O'Sensei from before the war and
stayed with him up to his death. He was officially Chief Instructor for most of
O'Sensei's later years. He was one of the very few people awarded the rank of
10th Dan by O'Sensei. I think it true to say that he understands Aikido as well
as anyone else still living. He genuinely believes that understanding Ki
principles and practicing Aikido along this path is a better way of learning
than what he went through himself. Others, who also have the experience to
judge, agree with him. Some people of equal stature do not. This seems to be
very much a matter of personal predilection. There are, of course, undoubtedly
people who don't understand what Tohei Sensei teaches and get it wrong, in just
the same way as there are students of Chiba Sensei who teach nothing but a
rather brutal form of "wrestling". That doesn't mean that there's no truth in
the source, just that the reflection is warped.

If your comments were directed at some specific schools you have knowledge of,
then I have no doubt that you may be right in your claim of their lack of
understanding - there's a lot of that out there 8->. If you are claiming that
anyone who doesn't practice "hard style" for the first 30 years doesn't
understand Aikido, then I disagree with you most strongly.

I practiced in that fashion for my first few years, with some very skilled
people including contemporaries of Chiba Sensei. Then I became involved in the
study of Shin-shin Toitsu Aikido, and have studied Tohei Sensei's Aikido for
about 15 years now. I think that the style of teaching offered in this art is
superior in some ways. I, personally, believe that *for some people* they
become stronger, more complete Aikido-ka if they don't have to go through a
stage that tends to lead to dependence on physical strength for a number of
years. I see nothing wrong with people practicing in a "hard style" if they
wish; I do observe that many people never grow past the "strength" stage; some
of course do.

There are many teachers and practitioner of traditional Aikido that I have a
great deal of respect for. There are many teachers and practitioners of
Shin-shin Toitsu Aikido that I have a great deal of respect for. They offer two
alternative paths for development and some will do better with one than with
the other. There are undoubtably strengths and weaknesses to the teaching
methods of all schools.

Some people have practiced both, as I have myself, and feel that they prefer
one to the other - but that doesn't mean that they feel the need to decry the
other approach.

You are quite free to say that you don't choose to practice in a certain style;
when you post what I perceive as an uninformed criticism of what I do, I feel
it's appropriate to try to correct the uniformed part of that at least 8->.


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