“I first thought of writing something on this theme after realising that contrary to what I thought initially, there were some interesting differences in the way my techniques were performed and intended according to whether I was demonstrating them as a teacher, or performing them as a student. Of course, for the experiment to be meaningful, these techniques had to be applied on the same partners each time. What struck me most is that the sensation was totally different according to the status I was assuming on the tatami.
As the teacher, I was feeling almost invincible. Indeed, in this framework, my partner was called at the centre of the mat in order to be submitted to what I call a mean*. He was already “under control” and I had no difficulty to mobilise him. However, during a seminar where I was merely a student, the same partner did not seem to me as compliant. How could I explain this phenomenon to myself while both of us had the same physical and technical abilities as before? We were doing the same techniques and we had the same body.”
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“How could I explain this phenomenon to myself while both of us had the same physical and technical abilities as before?”
I would conclude that your uke is jumping FOR you to make you look good as the instructor, and then responding somewhat more accurately when you are just trianing together because he no longer feels the need to compensate for your poor technique.
That would have been my first conclusion, rather than the meandering rationalization after the fact you gave above.
Uh … two different platforms? That is … the example of being aware that what you must show the class must be dynamic and completely clean in your example as well as more powerful because you are more focused without being aware of it, as well as your assistant being aware that you will be more dynamic in a demonstration … they adopt a mindset to not resist you the teacher and to protect themselves from pain or injury … perhaps that is why?
Kinda the same thing for lifting something heavy that feels light one day and it feels heavier the next day. Same object, same you, but two different feelings for the same exercise. Or is it live weight and dead weight. LIVE weight that is moving is much easier to move than a dead weight that is not alive. How much slower and less live is your training partner than that person was as your assistant? Is their mind and body giving you the same conditions that existed when you gave your demonstration?
The old exercise of rooting … you feel and think of your roots extending into the ground as well as far and wide which makes you seem immovable to someone, or you are light as a cloud alive and moving lightly so your same weight is easily moved. There are subliminal signals the mind and body receive whether you realize it or not. Sometimes they can be neutralized and overcome, and sometimes you have to adjust your mind, body, and spirit to overcome, but whatever it is … you have to figure it out.
I have lots of ideas, but you being there, you having the questions must decide what happened to cause the difference between being teacher demonstrating and then becoming student practicing.
Excellent. It’s really easy to get over-confident if you spend too much time in front of the class. Some of the problem is simply in the uke/nage relationship. On the one hand uke should make nage’s job hard. On the other uke should learn to effortlessly escape nage’s technique. Too much emphasis on the first can make the second difficult. Too much on the second and nage looks like Superman. In the words of Bob Nadeau, “I’ll tank for you. You tank for me. We’ll call it Harmony!”
Fantastic article. This is something I notice myself whenever I attend my sensei’s classes or fellow aikidokas classes.
For myself, whenever I am a student I am in more of a learning mode and the technique is performed with what I could best describe as, less of a warrior feeling and more of a humble feeling.
This, combined with the uke/nage relationships mentioned in the previous comments gives the results you have noticed.
I have heard second hand from students at the Aikiaki hombu, that in one class a Sensei may appear invincible and in the next, where they are a student they struggle with ikkyo.
I just would like to say that I am not the author of this article. The author is Philippe Gouttard, 6th dan Aikikai from France. Sincere apologies if the layout of the article was somewhat misleading regarding its author. I will try to make it clearer in future.
Thank you very much for your interest
Kind Regards
Guillaume
Note for Lou: I blocked your IP from posting comments on my website. Insults do not serve your argumentation, regardless how many times you post them.