Ray wrote:Bravo Dan! Great to see you posting on this forum again. Couldn't agree more with your points, but this is the internet and we're talking about Tai Chi, so there will bound to be naysayers. Haven't forgotten or given up on what I learned from your seminar last summer, but you were correct that the aiki exercises may be too vague and ethereal for most, esp. fighters. Hopping to come out to your barn again. Ray
Ray!! Dude!! How is it going?
I will be doing a seminar in Calif. (Santa Anna) the first weekend in Nov. is that near you? I would love to hook up and see what you did with it.
It is tough to get people to "see" without a first hand experience with IP/aiki taking them apart. I just did a seminar in Boston to help an AIkido shihan bring that point home to his crew. He had a mixed bag of straight aikido people...to MMA people. He couldn't pull it off yet, and wanted me to let them all feel it so that they would pursue it ...with... him. I think it's always been that way. I dismissed it out of hand till I felt it full speed as well. As you know, I ain't one for rote kata. But there is the point of the thread; just because the majority of people smell up the traditional arts, it doesn't make the arts bad...they are the ones who are bad.
The problem (or benefit) is that MMA is a faster means to effectiveness and so even if those same guys are never-the less stinking up the joint with their superficial understanding (now of MMA) it is potent enough to be effective.
All that said their level of stinkiness and superficial understanding of the material (albiet it MMA or Traditional)... still prevails.
Taiji is no different than most of the other arts;
Millions who don't have a fecking clue...redefining what it is...not what it is truly capable of.
Thats how I see IP/aiki ; so many talking about it who can't do shit, so why not make fun of it...and them. They really have no business representing anybody.
Thanks Derik
Still looking forward to hooking up again...cool evenings in the park? I am in Brookine a lot these days.
Dan
Last edited by Bodywork on Fri Sep 10, 2010 9:23 am, edited 1 time in total.