Yikes. Talk about beginner's mind. After 6 days of training with Endo Shihan, I feel like I've just had an aikido reboot. My body feels looser, my ukemi better, my feeling more pure. Last year Endo sensei asked us to think about what make a good uke. This year, his theme seemed to be "How do you train." And I really took a lot home from his messages. If you always train in a manner that is stiff and rigid, what are you training your body to be? Definitely not fast and supple. As usual, Endo shihan had very little trouble moving his own body, and trained with virtually everyone who was on the mat. If you didn't get a chance to grab onto him, it was not because he wasn't avaialble. By the end of the day, he was sweating just as much as the rest of us. I can't wait for my next opportunity to grab on to this amazing teacher.
