Discipline at the Core, Creativity at the Edge

I came across this quote some time ago while watching a business presentation hosted by the University of Washington. It featured Robert Herbold, a former Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft Corporation, who discussed how profitability and agility can be achieved when businesses balance discipline with creativity.

The quote stayed with me more than what the presenter had to say in that it perfectly described the use of Kamae, Kihon Dosa and Kihon Waza as the basis for one's ability to study and further reveal a deeper understanding of the Aikido techniques in the Yoshinkan style.

It also struck a cord as to why a musician plays the scales to warm up or a painter starts with a color wheel, each using a core discipline to create their works of art. A solid foundation provides the basis for one to grow.

Often times I find returning to the core reveals the excitement of why I continue my study and training in Aikido; I realize I'll never fully know everything about Aikido or life, but that is the fun and challenge of enjoying what you do and continuing to learn and grow. As Carlos Castaneda said "you need to know if it is a path with heart. If it is, follow it."

Irene Hixson Whitney Bridge and John Ashbery

One of the neatest places to visit is the bridge crossing over Hennepin Avenue, between Loring Park and the Sculpture Garden.

A commissioned poem for the bridge was written by John Ashbery.

"And now I cannot remember how I would have had it.
It is not a conduit (confluence?) but a place.
The place, of movement and an order.
The place of old order.
But the tail end of the movement is new.
Driving us to say what we are thinking.
It is so much like a beach after all,
where you stand and think of going no further.
And it is good when you get to no further.
It is like a reason that picks you up and places you
where you always wanted to be.
This far, it is fair to be crossing, to
have crossed.
Then there is no promise in the other.
Here it is. Steel and air, a
mottled presence, small panacea and lucky for us.
And then it got very cool."

Whenever I see the bridge, walk across it, or read the poem, it takes me back to when I first started training in Aikido; as I lived in Uptown and would often ride my bike to the dojo.

Many of the lines stir thoughts of Aikido training such as "The place, of movement and an order" remind me of the structure of class, the lining up, warm-ups, basic movements and training.

It also reminds me of the seasonal cycles we experience so well in Minnesota, as well as the cycles we go through in our individual lives.

Look for connections in the many experiences of your life and there will always be a poem or stanza that evokes wonderful thoughts and memories.

shi wa deshi nari, deshi wa ni nari

Gordie Sensei recently wrote an article "Who's the Teacher? Who's the Student?" as a following piece to Ando Sensei's July 2009 newsletter Yoshinkan Aikido Ryu. In it he noted Ando Sensei quoted Shioda Sensei as frequently using the proverb 'shi wa deshi nari, deshi wa ni nari' or 'The teacher becomes the student; the student becomes the teacher.' Ando indicated that Shioda often told his students, "You must become teachers!"

This brought back wonderful memories of my time staying with Fred Haynes Sensei and his family and training for my San Dan (3rd Degree) exam in Georgetown, Ontario. Fred Sensei noted his job is to share the art and train people to become teachers.

A lineage or passing of tradition from O'Sensei to Shioda Sensei, Ando Sensei and Fred Sensei has been passed and onto the instructors at the Shuharikan and continues with us sharing the art and training people to become teachers.

The May 1999 edition of Utne included an article titled "The 20th Century: What's Worth Saving?" listed Aikido as one to take into the 21st century.
Another highlight was in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where the security chief, Tasha Yar (played by Denise Crosby), gave an exhibition of the "ancient Earth art called Aikido." This in the 24th century! I hope this story becomes reality.

I owe a great deal to my Aikido Sensei (teachers); the first being Kris Nelson and then Kathy and Alvin McClure, and in the last 15 years, Alistair Thompson, Fred Haynes and Jim Stewart, as they've all helped me start and continue my training.
The Shuharikan is proud to continue the tradition and has promoted multiple individuals to Black Belt and Instructor rankings.

I will always be a student of the art and will continue my training and have the opportunity, responsibility and privilege of teaching and sharing the art with those who will carry on the tradition.

A wonderful friend and mentor, Mary Texer, shared with me an insightful article by Chris Luebkeman, Director of the Foresight and Innovation Group at Arup Group, which perfectly captures the idea of tradition and lineage.

He said, "'A hundred years after we're gone and forgotten, those who have never heard of us will be living with the results of our actions.' It is extremely important for us to remember...that we decisions every day that are going to impact so many others."

ADDIE for Kid's Fall 2009 Session

Summer is nearly done and it is time to finalize the Kid’s Class format.

In preparation for the session, I elected to use the ADDIE model. It is process traditionally used by Organizational Effectiveness developers and trainers.

I first used the model when I created training materials as an Innovation Analyst and found it to be easy to implement and flexible for a variety of projects.

The five phases are: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation.

Analysis

The class focuses on children between the ages of 5 to 14 and be conducted using the one (1) hour class format, eight (8) week program cycle, as used in the past.

The outcomes will be on increasing and expanding an individuals spatial awareness and physical dexterity capabilities.

The second outcome will focus on increasing the individuals sense of confidence in the mastery of new material and be able to execute the technique or movement, as called.

The class time will be supplemented and reinforced with take home hand-outs highlighting concepts performed in class.

Design

The classes will be designed as single, stand-alone sessions, as well as be integrated into the larger, comprehensive Shuharikan Dojo's Yoshinkan Aikido program curriculum, to expand the student's exposure to a variety of principles, concepts and techniques.

Focus will be on physical and behavioral understandings of the Yoshinkan Aikido style and Japanese etiquette structure as it relates to martial arts training.

The physical class content will utilize the Aikido Basic Stance (Kamae), Basic Movements (Kihon Dosa), Basic Techniques (Kihon Waza) and safe/controlled falling (Ukemi Waza).

The behavioral class content will focus on group work and protocols as they relate to dojo (school or training hall) trainings and include, but not limited to, dogi (training uniform), belt tying, lining up and bowing.

Development

The eight week training progression will be built as a single storyboard and then be expanded into the individual class session hand-outs and other supplemental information pieces.

The storyboard will highlight and focus on the key concepts or learning deliverables for each class. A detailed walk-through of the eight week cycle will be performed with all of the instructors two weeks before the start of the session.

Following the walk-through, the lead-time will provide the individual instructors time to research and plan additional techniques or supplements. The lead-time will also provide a period for questions or clarifications for those new to the instructor role.

Implementation

The instructors engaged for the Fall session have taught with this plan in the past and are all familiar with the overall teaching protocols. All of the Shuharikan Instructors hold Black Belt rankings and are internationally certified and licensed instructors in Yoshinkan Aikido.

Course corrections or supplements will be made to the existing curriculum if the students are progressing faster or slower, depending on the students mastery of the material.

Based on the individual students participating and their current ranks, a Kyu (colored belt) test may be administered at the end of the eight week cycle.

If a determination is made by instructors that additional time is needed to show proficiency in the material, a test will be held in a future cycle.

Exams are held on a quarterly basis and follow the required components as noted in the Children's Class Handbook.

Evaluation

An end of session demonstration of material learned will be performed during the last two class sessions.

Individuals and pairs will be called on to present the Basic Movements and Techniques.

If a Kyu exam is held, the grading will follow the Kyu rank material found in the Children's Class Handbook and each component will be graded on a 1 to 5 basis with passing being at 70%.

Two additional components will be required of the testing candidates. They are: Aikido Attitude and an Aikido Project.

The Aikido Attitude component is the acknowledgement by a parent or guardian that the student is ready and deserving of testing for their next rank. Ideals around Aikido Attitude include: listening to your parents, helping with household chores, doing your homework and doing the best you can in all endeavors.

The Aikido Project balances the physical techniques with the ideal that a Samurai needed balance between studying the "Sword and the Brush." The student is asked to create a piece of art, a poem, story, or other creative piece and present it to the other class members.

Following each cycle, a review is made with the instructors and takes into account feedback from the students and parents. New ideas and activities are added to successive class cycles based on how the students master the material and what generates the most interest.

See you all on the 12th of September!

Practice

Malcolm Gladwell's newest book Outliers cites research finding the "magic number for true expertise" is 10,000 hours of practice.

He notes "Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good, it's the thing you do that makes you good."

An excellent quote and idea - a true reflection on the things you do in life that are either your profession, passion or pursuits!

Some definitions of practice on the Internet include:

• drill: learn by repetition; "Pianists practice scales"


• exercise: systematic training by multiple repetitions; "practice makes
  perfect"


• rehearse: engage in a rehearsal (of)


• translating an idea into action; " a hard theory to put into
  practice"

Aikido Practice
It has been said that traditionally it took 1,200 to 1,500 hours of practice and training to be ready to test for a Shodan (1st Degree) Black Belt.

This can be broken out approximately with an individual training in two to three classes per week, with an average class running 60 to 90 minutes. Resulting in an annual training time of 225 hours; placing the individual ready to test for Shodan in four to five years.


Questions

• How do you define practice?


• Does your definition take into account the 10,000 hour rule for true expertise?


• What have you practiced for 10,000 hours?

Enjoy all your passions and pursuits with Practice!

Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA in St. Paul

Last evening I attended the Cirque du Soleil show, KOOZA, in St. Paul! It was fantastic and as good as the previous Cirque shows I've attended.

The Cirque du Soleil website states "KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world.

KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful melange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

The Innocent's journey brings him into contact with a panoply of comic characters such as the King, the Trickster, the Pickpocket, and the Obnoxious Tourist and his Bad Dog.

Between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement."

Over the past couple of weeks, as the show drew closer, and my anticipation and excitement grew, I reread the book Spark - Igniting the Creative Fire that Lives within Us All by John U. Bacon and Lyn Heward.

Some highlights that remind me of the magic Cirque performs comes about by diligent planning, attention to details and having fun:

"Every journey inward begins with technique, but it can only progress if you allow yourself to move beyond the mechanics and into the moment."

"In a Cirque show, anything you can imagine, you can do. But this incredible freedom is both the problem and the solution. It requires you to think differently, and that can be difficult."

"To truly enter the world of the imagination, you must first humor these tricksters, but ultimately, you must find your own way in."

"Most of our life we're put in a cage, where we sing the same song day in and day out. But life is not about being caged, life is about flying."

After I see a show, my creative energies are super recharged and my thoughts gravitate to how I can apply the ideas into my personal life, my work life and projects, to teaching the Adult classes as well as in the creation of the Kid's Class format.

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend attending one of the Cirque shows and be swept up in the magic!