sdargie

Read "Effortless Mastery" by Kenny Werner if you want to see some aikido philosophy applied to music. I don't know if Mr. Werner is an aikidoka but he does make mention to parallels he has noticed in some martial arts.

Necessary for what? I've found that by staying healthy and clear headed with martial arts, my musical ability with composing/arranging/performing/directing/etc is freer and richer. I use musical terminology to express martial arts ideas sometimes because everyone in our dojo are musicians. However, practicing a phrygian scale in thirds doesn't make my tiger strikes better and vice versa.

I've also heard/read that the sai was the top part of a pitchfork, was the piece of metal that kept wells attached to carts, and was derived from the weapon the Okinawan police carried. I think the last origin has the most merit but it doesn't seem like anyone decisively knows. I also read somewhere that the nunchucks were used to plant seeds. Poke holes with the handles and use the rope/chain to pull dirt over the top. Quoted for emphasis since I want to know too.

I find that to be a blanket statement of personal preference applied to everyone with a broad brush. Part of learning karate is teaching _for you_, but not necessarily for everyone else. I personally don't feel like I've learned something until I am prepared to explain it comprehensively and concisely seventeen different ways to someone else. Ever try telling someone about a book that you didn't remember the main plot twist?

It would be great to see an analysis like this for other religions as well. *hint hint to anyone with the experience*

Definitely the sabre. It feels better in my hand and the target area is about the same as Kendo. Everything above the waist.

we train with sword disarms with the mentality that it might be any long range weapon on the street. There are a number of aikido feelings that cause them to either land on the sword or throw it away because of the spinning. The timing is pretty suicidal since you need to be as close as possible. It's actually a wonderful feeling to be disarmed if nage can blend well. The same goes for disarming if you can blend well.

yay!

I'm not too old to play games. Sometimes games are needed to distract students from the actual techniques because they analyizing to the point of paralysis.

I think two MASTER swordsmen might decide who won before a single cut was made. I've read it in numerous places that to attack first is to show that you don't control your spirit and that you aren't really in the moment. As I understand it, if both swordsmen had adequate mushin, neither one would draw their sword until the other drew first. (Reflecting the danger rather than instigating it.) http://www.bujindesign.com/gall_rising.html

learning to spin them is in no way useful for fighting but it definately increased the flexibility of my wrists as well as cultivating indenpendence between the two sides.

In our art we get animal names after our first test that represent something of our technique or our approach. My sensei's sifu recomended that we do it as a way to make the art even more special for the kids and by calling them by their "given" name you develop a special relationship in the dojo. This extends to the adult classes as well. My name is Leopard. It reflects my quick reflexes and the way that I will be calm and defensive while sparring until I sense that moment then I explode like I'm chasing dinner. Of course how my reflexes respond and my success at getting dinner have greatly improved since my first test...

Each age group has their own personality to them but I find that for the high school level and below the best approach is to be their friend first. This isn't saying that you should be really laidback and let anything slide by but you should keep in mind at all times that they already have parents. If you take this position then the 13-16 year olds will smell it a mile away and resist you just for the sake of resisting you even if they love the art/activity/subject/whatever. Don't put on an act for them. The more honest you are and the less you put yourself on a pedastal, the more they'll do it for you. As for teaching your elders, it can be extremely uncomfortable since they'll sometime try to poke holes in your authority just to prove that they're still your senior. This isn't true of everyone but when I was a 14 year old lifeguard teaching 14-30somethings aquatics skills it was mostly true for me. I got around the constant competition of "I know more than you do" by playing dumb. I would go days only asking questions of my students and allowing the hotshots to be hotshots if they wanted, but if the answer was wrong I would ask more questions and lead the responses until they were right. That way they were still learning and noones ego got bruised. This is also a lifesaver if you honestly don't remember the answer yourself. If the class is used to you playing the fool, they'll think it's part of the act and won't doubt that you really know what you're talking about anyway. One of the great Greek philosophers (I don't remember if it was Socrates, Plato or Aristotle) said that learning is just remembering what you already know.

White Warlock, that was an outstanding synopsis of teaching pedagogy and child behaviour. Thank you for your words.

The new one is, from what I remember, actually closer to the book than the one with Gene Wilder. There are even times when Grampa Joe looks exactly like a Rohl Dahl sketch in the books! I liked them both for different reasons but it's not fair to compare them to each other because they are trying to achieve different things.