Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1999 20:06:15 -0500
From: Paul Gowder
Subject: a paul's-eye view of the seminar
Well, now that I've slightly recovered from extreme lack of sleep, it's
time to chat about the seminar! Probably the most fun ever had in a
weekend.
Highlights on the mat:
There were a number of very unusual techniques the various sensei's did.
George's kokyu-ish throw (a.k.a. "Tanukinage") is memorable mostly for the
fact that it leads to the softest falls in human history. Could take that
all day without a break. Nice way to wake up in the morning. Also, though
he didn't mention it as such, seemed to be very weight-underside heavy (pun
intended) all through his session. On the Tanukinage, one of the people
from the harder versions (the red patch on front of shirt people) called my
fall "graceful" while she was throwing me. Which made me realize -- not
all of aikido is this soft!
Philip .... poor uke. Poor poor uke. Also found a great way to get
people to not use force -- the one finger tenchinage. "If you use
strength, you'll break your fingers." As far as I know, no fingers were
broken.
Alan let us do randori. I think there were techniques too, but there was
also randori, And it was Good. Tiring, but good. It was alleged that I
threw one uke into a second uke with shihonage, but I don't really believe
it. Recall noticing that I was doing shihonage halfway through the throw,
but don't think I stuck around long enough to see whether anyone had
fallen. Fun fun silly willy! It's surprising how little you actually have
time to think.
Then there was Jim "Duck Sensei of the 24th and a half century!" Baker.
Refusing to let the furby teach, he proceeded to do a whole bunch of
techniques that are, quite frankly, impossible. Like, this thing from
shomenuchi... like, ok, so, huh? It's like, Jim quacks and uke falls down.
Daffy-waza.
And last but certainly not least, Chuck. Also known as the Lord of
Exquisite Death. That was not soft!! He commanded us to eschew formality,
less bowing and stuff, but we were all so well programmed that we bowed
anyway. Good thing too, because otherwise he might have hurt us worse. =)
Mowed through many, many, many ukes. Including me, for some weird
thing... sat in sezia, taking the kokyudosa position. All of a sudden, I
was wildly off balance and preparing to fall. But instead of falling,
there was an exquisite nikkyo! Where'd that come from?! Mommy!! Very
cool. Also something that looked and started like sankyo, but felt like
nikkyo (and would have been nikkyo if at a different angle). Everyone else
thinks it was sankyo, but I shall call it Chuckyo, if only because it
sounds almost as cool as Tankuinage. If I weren't already planning to look
for jobs in D.C. just for the dojo, I'd start looking for jobs in Indiana.
Also very fun playing with pointy wooden sticks stuff.
Note to self: never piss off Peter or mle. That bamboo did. Poor bamboo,
it will be missed.
Off the mat highlights:
No blueberry beer. Scotch. Lots of scotch. Also, a bunch of us were in
Chuck's room watching tapes from Peter when he mentioned that in all those
mean koryus in Japan, the sensei is always uke. Wouldn't that be fun?
Couldn't get Chuck to join me in a trip to japan for that, sadly. =) Got
to see Wendy hurt people. Got to get koshi'ed by Kjartan the
Unpronounceable. Got to buy official VKS sweatshirts, Alan's book (yet
another autographed aikido book by a cool person) and a big mean looking
stick from Peter that the airline people made me check.
Cool.
Exquisitely cool.
And painful.
But only in a good way.
-Paul
Subject: another seminar addendum
Mle has the best taste in music on the list, I'm quite certain. I almost
(*almost*) feel sorry for our Sunday night dinner parties.
Andrea was much more hyper than expected.
Chuck... I told him that he's much nicer in person than over e-mail. He
expressed surprise, but he's really nice (when not inflicting Exquisite
Pain) in person! Over email, though... remember this?
The budo concept of harmony: If a nail sticks up, hammer it down ...
Peace love and harmony are wonderful goals, but never forget that
peace is usually bought and paid for by those capable of wielding great
violence at need ...
Fortunately, he didn't hammer anyone at the seminar =)
I would expect Jim to howl like the wolves, not quack like the ducks.
Practicing nikkyo in total silence with Jun was a unique experience.
That bamboo will whisper the names of Peter and Mle for generations.
The Chinese restaurant we went to on Friday, considering that George brings
them a crowd of people every week... do you think they have a shrine for
him in back somewhere?
And finally, there seems to be a strong tendency for aikido-l people to be
extremely silly. This is a good thing.
****
Big dudes in black skirts
"Come here and get on your knees!"
Feel exquisite pain
****
-pAUL "ok, my haiku talents
need a bit of work" gOWDER
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