Daniel G. Linden

http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?p=63418#post63418
02-20-2004, 08:02 AM

How about Demonstration Competition ? I have always wanted to sponser a kind of competition, something that would spice up seminars and bring a lot of fun to annual gatherings. Why not Demonstration Competition? Think of it as Gymnastics or Figure Skating on an aikido level. You have a panel of judges. You have different dojos bring a practiced team to put on a demonstration. There are rules which require certain technique be included. There is latitude for creativity. If people can judge figure skating, gymnastics, et al then I have to believe Aikido demonstraion competition would bring a whole new excitement to seminars. Limit top people to sandan, weapons division, open dividion, etc. Women's teams, Junior teams, anything... Most important, it would be fun and still be Aikido. And for a change you might get to win something. I'd put up a Champion's Cup that could be presented and passed arround. Who knows, maybe it could eventually cross association lines. The Super Bowl of Aikido Competition IV ASU Vrs The Federation. Have fun.

Daniel G. Linden Author of ON MASTERING AIKIDO (c) 2004 Founder Shoshin Aikido Dojos www.shoshindojo.com

Yann Golanski

Hum.... Shodokan Aikido has that already. Competition is not just randori with tanto. There's toshu, there's embu, there's free style. At the last world championships, the winers were doing some very traditional stuff. http://www.wakefield-aikido.co.uk/multimedia.htm?

The people who understand, understand prefectly. yann@york-aikido.org York Shodokan Aikido

Ian Hurst

Daniel, you may want to look at xma "contests" to see what can happen to a martial art when winning is based primarily on demonstrations rather than combat.

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