Well, for starters, I am not in my book - it is not meant to be about me. I am sure there are others out there that have the same ideas, thus I cannot claim them as my own. What are represented are a particular set of ideas my own unique journey has brought together. As for myself, I am content in that my search has led to continued progress. That is all I can claim, except I like to think that had I had this book way back when, my progress might have been a little faster.
I have practised Aikido and related arts for over twenty years. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, there is no single definitive lineage. Unfortunate, in the sense that I wish I could have found the perfect master and had an easier time of it. Fortunate, in the sense that variety adds spice to life and forces the mind to discern order from an otherwise classical mess.
My martial journey started in the U.K. where all I earned was spent training almost everyday for over ten years in various arts. This was a time spent chasing-the-grade and culminated in several extended trips to Japan totalling three years. By 1991, I held black belts in six arts. Since then, due to getting a life - study / work / family - the grade-oriented focus has vanished. Instead, the journey has become more of a search to make better sense of what has been learned. To be honest, I was never completely sure that I was learning anything useful. The only measure is comparison with others - in some respects I fared well, in others, not so well.
Arriving in the Republic of Korea (the South) in 1994, I found no Japanese arts at all and a Korean psyche dead-set against such. This forced a major rethink and the result was a new discipline of regimented self-training that continues to the present. After a spate of teaching ex-pats here and there, in 1996 I discovered what is now called the Korean Aikido Federation - they had a few dojos but their previous experience was Hapkido and Muai Thai - and it showed. I was immediately invited to be an instructor and have been with them ever since. What with study, work, and family it has been impossible to maintain my previous zeal to search elsewhere. Thus, now, the search is from within.
Korea has recently opened itself up to Japanese culture and one result has been a slight increase of interest in Japanese martial arts. One thing that attracts is the notion of aiki - something that I had never really thought about and was often at a loss to explain. I still cannot explain it, but, since all good Aikido is aiki, I have made concerted attempts to make sure my students have lots of useful exercises to practice. Useful, that is, in the sense that the exercises have something that transfers over to technique. Being somewhat my own island in a bustling country, I am at least free to play with ideas.
I have found that once having a base-set of skills, a program of disciplined self-training can definitely accentuate such to a higher level. At first, I just started going through endless lists of techniques by myself. Later, patterns were discerned and new directions followed - yet many paths led back to standard Aikido shapes. I feel as though on a kind of journey and that I am getting somewhere, although I have to say I still meet people who are way ahead. But one thing that is certain for me - their Way is no longer mine. Only mine is mine and if I am to continue to improve, it will be through my own thought and effort. For good or for worse, there comes a time when you have to carve out your own future - the only difference between success and failure being your own determination. In terms of present direction - I tread my own path - I encourage others to find the discipline to the same.
I sincerely hope my little book will provide the keen reader with several ideas to discern where they stand and where they are headed, therein provoking a little curiosity and self-direction.
RMJ Atkinson
The Academy of Korean Studies, ROK (Lecturer / Assistant Editor)
MA Applied Linguistics, University of Southern Queensland, Australia
MA International Relations (ABD), Seoul National University, ROK
BA Japanese & Korean Studies, University of Sheffield, UK
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