Today I went to an Aikikai lesson in Takadababa. The teaching style is a bit different from Roppongi Yoshinkan, but I'm not sure if it's because of the people leading the lesson or because it's Aikikai. There were a lot of experienced older Aikidoka, so finding good instruction wasn't a problem. However the focus, or goal was a bit unclear. There was a lot of standing around, unless you really pushed and found a partner willing to do the same. There's no focus on footwork, which seems a bit strange to me. Techniques start with footwork, don't they.
One thing I felt it did do well was trying to convey a feel for the whole movement. When there's no pausing during the technique, the execution feels a bit more natural. However, for a teaching environment, I felt there was a real lack of formality, something that Yoshinkan really gives. While I'm still learning Yoshinkan, I don't feel it's a good idea to mix the styles. There's a few differences that need to become natural before I would feel comfortable deviating into a different style.
Sunday, September 2
Trying out Aikikai
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1 comment:
Hi! I'm a Singaporean who picked up Yoshinkan for a year in Canada then came home and am deciding if I should switch to Aikikai. I came across your blog while googling for a comparative study of both styles and I agree with what you've noticed too, hence my reluctance to switch styles.
how long have you been doing Yoshinkan?
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