The BAB can help to improve aiki in the UK

 

In this country we seem to be stuck in the past when it comes to aikido. Most people will be aware in some way of the disputes there have been over lineage and how long people have been training and who was friends with who and so on, I'm not interested in that. But there does seem to be a feeling that the aikido heritage left for us by those teachers who first came to England in the fifties and sixties is something that needs to immortalised and returned to as the golden age of aiki in this country. Maybe this isn't true, but this is the sense I get. Instead of looking to the future, there is a focus on the past, and a sense that our best days are behind us.

 

I am talking in the sense of the UK as a whole because the BAB represents aikido from all around the country, and it is in a unique position to spearhead some action. We all know that the first generation of British aikido teachers is beginning to pass away, so who will drive forward the next generation of aikidoka in the future?

 

Aikido needs to evolve. Osensei didn't make something which was set in stone, and which has been decaying over these last forty years as the teachings have been diluted and people understand less and lessn and don't train as hard etc etc. Osensei only started the process, kickstarted the evolution of something which I think is valuable and beneficial, and which is worth trying to spread around.

 

I don't feel that aikido is evolving in the UK. I am well aware that there are a few teachers who regularly travel to the UK for summer schools etc, and I am not questioning their skills. But what I am getting at is that they have already added to the UK aikido mixing pot as it were, and I think that we are severely lacking more outside influence. There is a great danger in becoming too insular, and once again I say, maybe this is the case in many other countries as well, but just because it happens everywhere else as well that doesn't make it right.

 

A year ago Christian Tissier Sensei conducted what I believe was his first seminar in the UK. This is not a question of distance. The course was hosted by a gentleman who has been a student of Tissier Sensei ( I apologise I don't know his name), and also this year Yamada Sensei and Waite Sensei taught on a course. I know that they are slightly more regular visitors, but I would like to see more courses like this. I believe that Tissier Sensei is returning to Brighton next year, or in the next few years, and I urge everyone to go and see him. These teachers only seem to travel to the UK when invited by an association affiliated to them, but why should this be the case?  There are so many excellent teachers out there who have no direct connection to the UK, so who could invite these teachers?

 

Could this not be one of the jobs of the BAB? I personally would love to see the Doshu visit the UK. I believe Kisshomaru did visit at some point (maybe someone can clarify that), but why not invite the Doshu to come? A number of associations within the BAB are directly affiliated with the hombu dojo, and we are even privileged to have a few hombu-appointed Shihan in our midst, so is this so out of the question? Even if it takes a few years, at least the effort has been made. Sometimes it feels like the UK has become a little aikido island, somewhat isolated from the cutting edge of aikido.

 

I understand that such national courses are costly and difficult to organise, but if the BAB is not the organisation to do that then who is? As I have said before the BAB is in a unique position of being able to coordinate aikido in this country. The fact that we are such a small country means that we have to been even more careful about being insular and only learning from each other, because in that way we will stagnate and fail to evolve. It may seem that I'm saying that there are no good aikido teachers in the UK. I'm not saying that at all, all I am saying is that there is a such a plethora of knowledge out there which I feel we should be taking advantage of if we possibly can. 

 

Thanks for reading. Comments are of course, welcomed.

 

Adam.

 

There are some great teachers out there and the more people get out there and mix it up, the better it will become for us all.  We have to keep battering down the walls between Associations and encourage an attitude amongst students that there is no one way of doing aikido and that literally everyone from the student who steps on the mat for the first time to the grandest master has something to offer. 

 

In short, there is plenty of inspiration out there and my own experience is that there comes a point in your development when rather than looking outside you have to look within.  If you do that then the journey never ends, (ask any great teacher and I am certain that they will tell you the same).

 

That being said, bringing in known masters from outisde of our shores can never be a bad thing.  I suggest that you look at Sensei Frank Burlingham in Lowestoft (Institute of Aikido)

who organises fanatstic courses each year.  This w/e he has Sensei Obata from Toronto taking a w/e course.  If you haven't seen him, he is a master and has ability second to none that I have seen.  His English isnt so good, but if you learn nothing else, you will at least see how aikido can be done.  Frank regular brings fantastic teachers  to his mat and from all the posters I get, there are plenty of others doing the same.  That being said, I would like to see the BAB doing more than one event a year and maybe looking outside of the UK.  But I agree with Steve, unless you have looked closely at what the EXecutive do, you have no conception of the pile of work they do on our behalf.  They are already somewhat overwhelmed and in need of support.  So if people truly want this to happen, then they have to step up and be counted.  I think you will find that your help will be welcomed with open arms.

 

For my part, I am trying to do my bit via Aiki Extensions, (see info. posted on the front page of the BAB website) and then read the thread that I am just about to start, which in many ways I feel is very in tune with some of Adam's comments.