# Senshusei course



## Mr. President (Feb 24, 2014)

I understand it's open to anybody who wants it, and it's an 11-month intensive program that gets you from a white belt all the way to black. Originally it was only for Tokyo riot police but now it's open to basically anyone in the world.  

The question is - How much of an Aikidoka can someone be in 11 months, even if he trained 6 days a week, 4 hours a day during that time? I understand that on the "practicality scale", Yoshinkan is rated by many as a bit more "gritty" than Aikikai, which puts more emphasis on spirituality, since it is the original Ueshiba style.

Does anyone know about this course? Tried it? Know anyone who did?


----------



## jks9199 (Feb 24, 2014)

For one take on it, check out the book Angry White Pajamas.  As to how much you can learn...  I think its not how much but how deeply ingrained.  

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk


----------



## K-man (Feb 24, 2014)

If you do the sums this training equates to about 5 years of normal training so I would have no question about the validity of the belt. Bear in mind that a belt in not a comparison across styles but just within one organisation. If anything I would expect this type of training to produce a better Shodan than normal training.

On the practicality scale I think you might be surprised at the effectiveness of Aikikai. Personally, and I admit bias, I don't like the tension that is exhibited in Yoshinkan and when it comes to 'working' or not it can fall back to the physicality of the practitioner. To get to a stage of using aikido seemingly without effort in real life would take much more than the 11 month course. But then in the outside world it takes more than five years to get to that level too.
:asian:


----------



## Mr. President (Feb 24, 2014)

K-man said:


> On the practicality scale I think you might be surprised at the effectiveness of Aikikai. Personally, and I admit bias, I don't like the tension that is exhibited in Yoshinkan :asian:



I don't doubt that an Aikikai master is well equipped for self defense. It's just that from what I've read from various online Aikido websites, Yoshinkan is a bit more aimed for urban use, though I am unclear about the difference in the curriculum between the two styles. Maybe you can shed some light on this.


----------



## K-man (Feb 24, 2014)

Mr. President said:


> I don't doubt that an Aikikai master is well equipped for self defense. It's just that from what I've read from various online Aikido websites, Yoshinkan is a bit more aimed for urban use, though I am unclear about the difference in the curriculum between the two styles. Maybe you can shed some light on this.


It's not really the curriculum that is different, it is the difference in principle. The main focus of my training in an offshoot of Aikikai is to avoid tension particularly in my hands, arms and body. If you look at the following clip you will see just the opposite, and performed with robotic precision. I know that whenever I use strength, or allow tension to come into my body, I will be stopped. And yet Yoshinkan practise this rigid extended fingers and timing that is together, not broken. It relies on speed and power to work IMHO.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qNbiiKpuv8k
For contrast, here is a guy called David Brown who is one of Australia's top Aikidoka. Look at the softness he displays and yet compared to the neatness and precision of Yoshinkan this looks a total mess. But, believe me, despite his age and hip problem he is a formidable martial artist.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=54GJF474SSk
:asian:


----------



## hussaf (Mar 31, 2014)

The senshusei course is great training.  It develops the spirit and teaches solid fundamentals.  All too often you find aikido with very poor understanding of fundamentals.  Schools open up with someone whose maybe trained 2-3 times a week for 10 or so years, then open up their school and teach the same way.  At the senshusei course, you will be spending months breaking down the fundamentals of each technique.  Eleven months is quick to promote to shodan, but you will have a solid fundamental understanding of the basics.  Now, a yoshinkan student whose been training for six years to shodan, has done extensive, ind-depth, courses is going to be overall more well-rounded...as they've just had more time on the mat.  But you will progress more in the senshusei course than you would in years training at a regular, part-time dojo.

Yoshinkan is often commented on, and judged by, people from the outside.  As far as 'gritty,' I don't really know how to put that in context.  As far as 'original aikido of Ueshiba," Yoshinkan aikido is much closer to what Ueshiba was originally doing with his training.  Yoshin means 'cultivating the spirit,' which is the primary focus of Yoshinkan training.  This is why you see Yoshinkan classes as having very high levels of energy - really putting themselves out there, and pushing themselves past their limits in order to facilitate "spiritual" growth.  

Let me clarify some of K-mans comments on Yoshinkan movements: 
The video displayed is kihon dosa, which is training of body movements.  This is first done tandoku, by yourself, then sotai dosa, with a partner adding some resistance.  From there they add kanren waza, practical application.  Its a particular set required for shodan testing candidates.  The principle being to learn to control your own body before attempting to manipulate someone else's.  The movements train a student to keep weight underside, maintain one point, extend ki, etc.  In a crawl, walk, run approach the student learns to control his body movements, control his body movements with resistance, execute technique when uke has already grabbed you, then execute technique when they are striking you.  Traits of Yoshinkan aikido are efficient use of movement and energy.  Compromising uke into poor position while nage maintains solid posture.


----------

