Dave Goldberg Sensei

Paradoxoliscous v.04

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:37:37 -0700

Personal crisis has taught me many things. At the top of the list is…

Hang in there, let go.

Aikido of San Diego is Moving!

Fri, 07 May 2010 11:48:00 -0700

This entry is originally from the Aikido of San Diego Newsletter:

This summer we will be moving to a new facility very close to our present dojo (6356 Riverdale St, 92120). The new dojo will be in a very nice street-side location walking distance to many of the places our members go to regularly. It’s definitely a more “polished” and visible location, and the facility itself will reflect that. As we approach the transition, I’m noticing what this process has brought up for me. When I made the deal for the new space I felt an enormous sense of relief. It marked the end of year-long process in which I heavily invested myself. During that time I contemplated the risks of change. What would be best for the dojo membership? What might the consequences be for our students, me, and my family? What I discovered was that the nature of risk is much like the way Nage enters into attack—uncertain yet clear, unattached yet committed. I discovered that gut feelings are good, and really knowing where you stand makes them great. I also discovered that I had even more support than I anticipated as I spoke to people about the future of the dojo. That has been very inspiring and motivating. Now, as we move into this final stage of actually moving, my relief has turned to excitement and I look forward to the process of creating a new space for us to train in, grow, and flourish as a community.

Details on the exact transition date and preparations will go out to the membership soon. There will also be some information on our website shortly. For our present members with any of the expected concerns on the change, here’s some vital info: (1) The location will not adversely effect anyone’s commute, (2) our mat space will be about the same, (3) membership fees will not have to go up in the short term, and (4) there’s plenty of parking.

Here’s some spontaneous words on Risk:

The face of risk
unveiling the crux of evolution
whines, shrugs it off, and then invites
Questionable yet uncomfortable
Then a choice, action, maybe inaction
and a moment of loneliness
yielding to singular movement
The kind that doesn’t mind a few more Ukes
No trial offers, no guarantees
Just a few buttons on your control panel
and Trust

Paradoxoliscious v.03

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:52:27 -0700

When we “mind” the Uke-Nage relationship we can say truthfully that each role is set up to be opposite and complementary to the other. When we “body” the Uke-Nage relationship we are truthful in complementing the other, and “opposite” has no meaning. It is pure presence—oneness in a world of twos.

Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:43:00 -0700

Most of us learn the hard way that “controlling” violence starts with yourself. I’m no exception. Aikido, if you’re practicing consciously, teaches us that lesson more exponentially. The more centered You are in engagement, the less force you’ll find need for.

A quick jiyuwaza shoot at the end of a class when Johnathon...

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:38:52 -0700

A quick jiyuwaza shoot at the end of a class when Johnathon Purcell was visiting.

From our last “Aikido In Focus” Workshop on...

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:10:00 -0700

From our last “Aikido In Focus” Workshop on freestyle basics.

Sho-Dan as Rite of Passage

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:24:00 -0700

I just returned from a long weekend in Maine. My cousin’s daughter, Jasmine, had her Bat-Mitzvah and just about everyone from the family was there. It was not as I remember mine or my sister’s, or any others from my generation. This was an actual rite of passage—an opportunity for Jasmine to be presented to the community as a ready and complete participant. I was impressed by the preparation she obviously invested in it, the community service that she did (and continues to do) as part of the process, and the mature words she had to say about Love when she spoke to the congregation. Mine was sterile and empty in comparison, although I’m not sure I would have appreciated it either way when I was thirteen. The weekend got me thinking about Rites of Passage, how it’s expressed in Aikido, and what I can do to improve that element. I know it’s very different from dojo to dojo, so I’ll share the way it’s done at Aikido of San Diego. Like Jasmine’s experience, there is a long preparation period when the candidate works with a senior mentor to sharpen their “vocabulary” of the art so that when it’s presented, it is clear and is delivered with confidence. Here is where we may be different from other dojos. Last year I implemented a new policy where candidates must complete a project of their choice that they relate to aikido before an exam is administered. Jasmine’s community service project at a local senior home clearly added dimensionality to her rite of passage experience, and more importantly, to Her. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish, too—an experience that connects the dots between the formlessness of principle and the form of the manifest world. Yes, this is also expressed (hopefully) in their technique, but the project is there for dimensionality. The way of Aikido should transcend technique just as Jasmine’s passage into the Jewish community should transcend ritual and “vocabulary.” I don’t know what she has to do, if anything, as a follow-up to her Bat-Mitzvah. At Aikido of San Diego, the last part of the rite of passage is unwritten, comes some time after the exam, and is an integral part of the experience. I will approach the new Sho-Dan at some point, present him/her with a key to the dojo, and ask him/her to instruct a class. It doesn’t mean I think they’re a teacher—simply that they have a foundation worthy of guiding others in my absence, that they are trusted with the dojo, and maybe most importantly, that they are expected to continue discovering new levels of themselves. Like any rite of passage, Sho-Dan is not an end, but a new beginning.

Nadeau Shihan at Aikido of San Diego April 9-11

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:51:57 -0800

Please join us for a weekend with Robert Nadeau Shihan as Aikido of San Diego celebrates its ten-year anniversary.

All seminar information, and secure online registration is found on our website at: http://aikidosd.com/nadeau_seminar.htm

Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:18:59 -0800

Your motivations are co-piloting the journey. Check in with co-pilot in order to avoid crashes.

Zen and the Art of Blowing Off "Aikido" Nut Jobs

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:22:00 -0800

This is a message to my friends who fruitlessly engage the online (and offline) martial artists and “Aikido” practitioners who whine about fighting, aikido training, and “street worthiness.” You know who and what I’m talking about:

Despite the tendancy of a true Aikidoka to include, evolving sometimes means distancing yourself from people who wish to challenge growth by dragging you down to their level of dysfunction. The deeper you swim, the louder they’ll get. But eventually you won’t even hear them, because they’re still standing in the shallow water. They can’t swim, and don’t wanna learn. They are, in fact, afraid to swim. Nothing you say or demonstrate will change their delusional perspective. I, personally, choose not to engage them. Life is short. Engage those with hope and interest, because sometimes we have to leave people behind in order to move forward.

Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:29:18 -0800

Being the “Free” in your FREEstyle doesn’t have to mean “turning off the mind.” You just have to BE IN your BODY.

Paradoxoliscious v.02 (more ironical, really)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:11:00 -0800

Ultimately, the idea is to be Aikido’s principle in action. So you’re practicing shihonage. Okay, then. Time to let go of shihonage. Are you practicing nikkyo? Okay, then. Time to let go of nikkyo. The techniques haven’t gone anywhere. You’re just noticing what made them worthwhile, meaningful, and yes, even effective. Yes, you need a vehicle, but don’t trade the journey for it.

Time to Learn Something from the Kids

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:12:46 -0800

In our older kids’ class (8-13) it’s not uncommon for some after-school slack, slop, and goofiness to occasionally visit some of the children during training (imagine that). I have discovered a great line that works almost every time. It goes like this… “That failed to express your greatness.” If you say it right, the child doesn’t hear that they failed. They hear that they’re already great, and they just need to show it. And then they do. They step through their technique with an elevated sense of center, the energy is more intentional and focused, and they are more connected to the ground and their partner. It’s like friggin’ magic. Of course you have to follow up with positive reinforcement and occasionally remind them to bring back “The bigger Johnny (or whoever).” It had been going so well, in fact, that I decided to try it with adults. It didn’t go so well. The first one was with an intermediate-level student who’s temporarily disconnected alignment wasn’t getting her effective outcomes. I tried the line. She nodded and then proceeded to nearly rip the guys arm off. “What are doing?” I asked. “Declaring my greatness,” she said. I reminded her that I didn’t ask her to declare it. I asked her to express it. It took a while, but we got there. The next student I tried it on was a more advanced one (same class). She was dis-integrated in her movement, and for her, applying relatively listlessly. I tried the line, and once again, the student answered with forcefulness. “What are doing?” I asked. “Proclaiming my greatness,” she said. So, I reminded her that I didn’t ask her to proclaim it. I asked her to express it. It took a while, but we got there. It seems that children have an easier time accurately understanding what their “greatness” means. Adults immediately hear that there’s something they need to DO—something harder, faster, stronger. Kids hear that there’s a way they need to BE. How wonderful, and…how scary.

Paradoxoliscious v.01 (more ironical, really)

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:49:00 -0800

In keeping on a path of discovery, and guiding my students on one as best as I can, it seems there is a never-ending pattern of conditioning—deconditioning—conditioning—deconditioning… Learning just to forget down the road.

Aikido of San Diego's Winter 2010 Newsletter...

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:39:00 -0800

…is now out. This issue’s S.O.S. (Subject of the Season) is Ukemi. You can read the newsletter at: http://www.aikidosd.com/wint10.htm

Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:06:37 -0800

FlowTegrity: The high level of function and expression that spontaneously results from the conscious blending of form and energy. It is not the best of two different aspects. It is its own aspect revealing the best of the moment in action.

Remembering Keo

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 09:09:44 -0800

A few days ago I got a phone call with news that my old friend, Keo Power, had committed suicide. I was shocked at first. Less than a day later I was remembering the times he had said that he’d rather put a bullet in his head than…die slowly of some horrible disease or be incapacitated, or whatever condition of perceived hopelessness it was at that moment. It’s hard to say this, but knowing Keo as a man of action—sometimes volatile action—I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked that this is the way in which his life ended. I don’t know the exact conditions that triggered him into killing himself, and I certainly don’t want to play armchair psychologist, but…how hopeless he must have felt. It makes me sad.

Keo loved to create—much of the time for others. He was an extremely generous guy. My world has his handiwork everywhere. I walk in the dojo and there’s not a spot that he hasn’t built or touched in some way—the mat, the weapons racks, the dressing rooms, the frame for the stained glass that he installed as a surprise one night after everyone left the dojo, the old “Aikido of Mission Valley” sign that he carved for me. As I walk through my home I notice tools he gave me before he left for Japan and the stovetop espresso maker he gave me. He was serious about his coffee even when he was living out of his van, and he felt that I should be too. I still use it for camping.

Keo was also an Aikidoist and a student at our dojo for several years. He got his Ni-Dan with us. The fact that he was a close friend before he started training with me was sometimes a challenge, because we didn’t always agree when it came to Aikido. He often had a hard time going in the direction I encouraged while still honoring his previous training, which was the stated reason he came to me. That was a source of both appreciation and frustration for me. With that said, he had his moments of greatness on the mat and he was a model of diligent training. That relationship taught me a lot about being a teacher who’s also a friend, and meeting people where they’re at without compromising my own principles.

It had been a while since I had seen Keo. He left San Diego a few years ago. I would occasionally hear from him, and was under the impression that things were going well for him. I took for granted that I would see him again, and that we’d sit down and share a few beers and talk about aikido, adventures, and women once more. We did that pretty often. Now that I know it won’t happen again, I miss him, and I’m grateful that we were in each other’s lives.

Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:34:47 -0800

In response to a student’s question about beginning their path…

Your path didin’t really have a beginning, and it’s questionable if it ever ends. It’s just that you’re noticing that you’re on it.

A short movie about Aikido of San Diego’s class for...

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:14:50 -0800

A short movie about Aikido of San Diego’s class for children 8 to 13 years old. Jason Lim put this together for us. We also have a rockin’ class for kids 5-7, which I co-instruct with Deanna (my wife).

A short movie I made that explains Aikido in a nutshell, as well...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:34:00 -0800

A short movie I made that explains Aikido in a nutshell, as well as a bit about Aikido of San Diego.