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"Why Shun Poo Kan Aikido?" I am often asked what Aikido is. One simple answer is that “it’s the martial art done by Steven Seagal”. Thinking about how I have answered that question over time I realized that more often than not, I respond by discussing the philosophy of Aikido. The first time I saw Aikido being taught was when I walked into the Bridgnorth dojo in the United Kingdom looking for a Thai Kick-Boxing club. There happened to be an Aikido class going on so I figured I would watch for a few minutes. I watched the full two hour session that day. The class was unique in my experience with various martial arts. Two people were working together. They were taking turns practicing techniques that were obviously effective (usually ending with one or the other person flying through the air). I winced every time I saw a body slam into the mat, but they didn’t mind. The Uke would calmly get up, bow to the Nage, and then return the favor. Little of what I saw related to what I have experienced in other martial arts. No colored belts, no yelling, punching, kicking, drills, kata, board breaking or sparring. It was obviously a formal martial art with the highest level of respect and care being displayed with every technique, but a relaxed one as well. The two people discussed each technique, making minor adjustments and trying variations to ensure that it was working correctly. For a while I had trouble figuring out who was the instructor, and who was the student. They worked together and learned from each other as they practiced. Deciding to give it a try I showed up at the next class, I was one of the more difficult students as I had many habits based on earlier styles that had to be ‘unlearned’. As I attended more classes, took part in discussions, and read about Aikido my techniques improved. I credit more of this improvement to the discussions and research than the physical practice in the dojo. When you realize the purpose is to blend and redirect the attack, while protecting both yourself and the Uke, you approach the techniques differently than you would if you were trying to ‘win’. Having the right mind-set made the practical work more effective and progress more rapid. Aikido requires respect, respect for yourself, your Uke, the art, and the instructor. Without this you are not really practicing Aikido, but simply memorizing techniques that may or may not work based on the level of cooperation of the Uke. You cannot truly blend with and absorb an attack while you are worrying about where your feet should go. I was very impressed with the philosophical approach I encountered with all the instructors at the Shun Poo Kan dojos, they each taught slightly differently and I learned valuable lessons from all of them. I did not appreciate how unique the school was, until I attended some of the open seminars and saw some of the behavior that can give martial arts a bad name. All styles have good and bad practitioners. I felt very lucky with the mix of students and instructors I found in the Shun Poo Kan dojos. In my opinion, bad behavior is driven by a lack of respect, and a lack of self-confidence. I have never run into a Shun Poo Kan instructor that felt he or she had to prove anything, they were interested in helping you learn the art, period. They shared their ideas, philosophies, tips that helped them make a technique work, but I can honestly say that I never got the impression that they felt that they had to prove a superior skill or level of knowledge. (Though it was abundantly obvious that I had a very long way to go.) I learned from people both senior and junior to me every time I attended class. Mr. Burrows never sat me down and explained his philosophy of teaching Aikido. He and his instructors demonstrated his approach in every class, and it clearly affected the personality of the club. Starting out as an instructor here in North Carolina, my success is defined by the personality of the Gaston Day School Aikido club. Success is having students that display the same approach to Aikido and respect for themselves and the art that I saw every day I took part in lessons with Shun Poo Kan students and instructors in the United Kingdom. Sensei Dan Gilbert, North Carolina Dojo, U.S.A. | |||||||||||||||