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| Student
Interview with Scott Mier |
| In
this months student Interview,
MI Magazine talks with Scott Mier,
who lives and works in Sydney,
Australia. We discover what Scott
really thinks and why he enjoys
Aikido so much. Scott is student
to Derek Minus Sensei who runs
the Sheldon Forest dojo.
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| MI:
Can I begin by asking you age and rank? |
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| I
am 34 years of age and currently 1st kyu brown
belt. |
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| MI:
Where are you currently training? |
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| Scott:
I am training under Derek Minus Sensei at
Sheldon Forest Dojo, Turramurra, Sydney.) |
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| MI:
How did you become interested in Aikido? |
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Scott:
I did a school assignment on martial arts
at the age of 16. While reading through
several books that I had borrowed, I came
upon some description of Aikido and O'Sensei.
I recall a picture of O'Sensei being attacked
but peering into the distance - this struck
me as quite different to my practice of
intense focus on the object which I was
trying to kick and bash. As I got older
and lost a little interest in the martial
arts that I was practising, I remember saying
to a friend that I would like to find a
martial art "like yoga"...
I'm not sure I had a clear picture what
I was after but 'layers' or 'depth' of practice
and conected, not disjointed technique,
seemed important.
When Nev Sagiba Sensei of the Blue Mountains
recommended an Aikido instructor close to
where I lived, I promptly arranged to watch
a class. During that observation I became
aware that the building blocks of the arts,
which I craved, were in that Dojo.
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| MI:
What does a typical weeks training involve?
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| Scott:
Wednesday evening training session
of suari-waza and general tai-jutsu.
Sunday morning session of bokken, jo
and tai-jutsu. Occasional Monday evening
class. If I'm very organised I can make
it to a Friday evening training in the
city dojo of Takeasu Sensei. |
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| MI:
What additional training do you do? (this
can be both physical training and academic
training) |
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| Scott:
Much of my research is conducted during
my daily activity as a bush regenerator. I'm
not very sophisticated so progress is slow.
A few cut in the morning is also helpful. |
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| MI:
Do you think Aikido is difficult to learn,
if yes why? |
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Scott:
Judging by the amount of times that Derek
Sensei illustrates technique for my benefit,
I must! I find, that the approach angle, body
shape and power delivery of Aikido to be counter
intuitive. My habit is quite different from
the ones I'm being shown, so yes, I find Aikido
quite difficult.
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| MI:
How
does your dojo approach the philosophical
side of Aikido? |
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| Scott:
Quietly.
It seems to me that much of the philosophy
is in the physical practice. Points
that are brought out after a certain
amount of practice seem to be more easily
understood. |
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| MI:
What is your aim in Aikido? |
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| Scott:
Relaxation
under pressure. Extension. To develop a nice
body shape. |
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| MI:
What is your opinion of Morihei Ueshiba? |
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| Scott:
I hold his teaching in very high regard;
I see the product of it in my teachers.
So my opinion is very favourable. My
impression is of a very 'large' character
that struggled tirelessly to pass on
the benefits that he cultivated towards
others. |
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| MI:
What do you enjoy most about Aikido?
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| Scott:
Gaining some insight or developing some
small feeling after persistent practice.
I very much enjoy knowing that no matter
how much I 'think' about the technique
it will not be forthcoming. Sounds strange
but it seems as if I'm rehearsing a
pantomime where the story is the ridicule
of my current habits! |
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