|
Concept I.S.T.A. What
signifies I.S.T.A.? Literally
: International School of Traditional Aïkido In
short, I.S.T.A. is an organization which is remained faithful to what must be
aikido. I.S.T.A
is a model of organization which avoids the sportive, commercial and administrative
drifts which underlies many aikido groups. The
traditional concept: One master - One dojo
A traditional discipline is founded on a long experimentation over the time.
Arts answering this definition are transmitted individuals to individuals, from
master to student. This teaching requests the genius of each one, it aims
to freedom, to train autonomous people. Aikido
as a traditional art lie within this scope; the professor is the Master:
- Of his discipline aikido is an art, and like such, it is adapted
by the Master who practises and teaches his aikido. The way is like the wire of
the sabre: a step on side, and one is not any more in the way. No compromise is
possible, it is necessary that each one continues its research until the end.
- Of his practice Each teacher adapts his practice to his age, his
experiment, his physique, his research. The technique is a tool, a language, a
mean and not a finality. -Of his teaching He teaches his art with
apprentices put to the test (uchi deshi), according to personal principles for
which he is the only responsible for. He evaluates his own work, the
delivery of ranks is his responsibility (who else could do it?) His quality,
the quality of its pupils, are the only witnesses of his competence.
It is important that one chooses his professor carefully, the traditional spirit
not being alone systematically pledge of quality. This system is certainly
not perfect, the yin which cannot exist without the yang, but it remains according
to us the most intelligent and adapted model for aikido. From
this model, joined with a right understanding of the
principles and bases of aikido, rises logically a certain type of practice,
which insists on the essential and and proscribes any contradictory things.
| For
exemple: | -
Maitre Ueshiba used to say : "To say I will work ikkyo or shiho nage denounces
a rupture with the true direction of the practice. The technique must be born
from MA-AI at the time of the attack and generate adequate displacement."
Which is essential is what is common to all the techniques: the bases. However,
this concept of bases is not understood correctly by all. The bases
of aikido do not correspond to the training of displacements. Often
the courses for beginners are reduced to teach some displacements without any
partner. But it is a very bad way to teach. It's teaching particularities rather
than the globality. Exactly what O' sensei was against. Detached from the technique,
these movements correspond to nothing. In the beginning they have not been invented
before use; it is only afterwards that the masters realized that such displacement
and such posture is more effective. It is thus important to make carry out the
techniques in a global way, especially with the beginners.
|
| |
- We think that the famous "ranking tests"
is incoherent, because is to evaluate the accessory. In fact it is not the same
motivations which push a consumer to require a rank to satisfy its ego (lthough
the ranks kyu and dan were invented in this direction) and an apprentice to know
what is his place in the dojo, what is his function in the artisanal company,
the house of the Master. The true evaluation depends on the constant frequentation
with the student, and on the demonstration of his engagement for promotion of
aikido, not on a 20 minutes test following a training, for example. The student
is evaluated constantly by the professor who gives the ranks his own way, according
to technical progress certainly, but especially of the implication of the student
in the life of the dojo.
|
| |
- To avoid, in accordance with the desire of Me Ueshiba,
to mix aikido with other martial disciplines which have their own history, their
particular framework, and which do not require that one transposes an Aïkido
point of view of to them. It is thus necessary to proscribe the mixing of Iaido
and Aikido like that is often done, because it is contradictory and not productive.
In aikido, one practises Aikiken, since the objective of the work with the weapons
is not to make us "small samurais" or to learn how to fight with weapons,
but to highlight the principles of the aikido. Aikido has a posture which is not
that of Iaido, and the body cannot make natural two different positions.
(Don't
confuse this criticism with a critic of Iaido as such or other martial arts. Any
martial arts has its value, its own culture. The aikido is neither better nor
worse than the others, it is simply different. With each one to choose the art
which is appropriate to him, but while avoiding all the same mixing.) |
| |
- To proscribe, in the same vein, the sporting, aerobic
or muscular practice, such the "push-ups" in a course. Because if any
presentation on the aikido stresses the fact that the aikido does not require
any physical force, why then put such an amount of energy in the muscles? Logically,
if aikido does not require any physical force and is known to be practicable by
people of all physical conditions, then one must remove any "sporting"
aspect of the practice. Aerobic and muscular working are valuable disciplines
for health, but nevertheless needs to be kept distinct from aikido.
|
| |
- To avoid finally dojos which offers schedules for
beginners, intermediaries and advanced students. Similarity is synonym to death
according to an Eastern proverb. To divide the courses between various categories
of practitionners constitutes the best manner of not progressing. Only the difference
makes it possible to us to improve and what could be better than perfect beginner
in order to judge our aptitude to transmit our practice! However the beginners
annoy, it is more comfortable to practise with the old ones.
This is why
course for beginners should not exist, but mixed classes where advanced and beginners
work together. The more advanced, when attacked, will guide the neophyte in the
good direction and, when he carries out the technique, control his gestures in
order to preserve the physical integrity of his partner. |
|