Gaston, thank you for starting this discussion! In the past, a strict dojo hierarchy might have supported growth—or maybe not—but I believe the open approach you suggest is more relevant today.
When choosing uke to demonstrate techniques, I intentionally include a wide range, from 6th kyu to 4th dan, in no particular order. I also often take ukemi for them in front of others.
Sometimes, I pick someone with strong ukemi skills. Other times, I choose someone who is a challenge for me or isn’t able to take ukemi, requiring us to "negotiate" and find a way to demonstrate the technique together. The goal isn’t perfection but exploration—and showing students that they, too, can explore and practice with everybody.
Increasingly, I select uke intending to teach them something or help them expand their physical or psychological space.
However, for the past 3–4 years I have one consistent pattern: I make a conscious effort to alternate between men and women when demonstrating techniques.
The old methods of working from senior to most junior student has some glaring poor outcomes.
*The junior students will normally not be selected in any but the longest classes with the least physical training. Leading them to feel like the are not really getting it. If they feel they are not getting it then the will be more sustainable to leaving the art.
*The senior students are deprived of learning from the senior instructor how to work with junior students, and how to actually teach in a demonstration setting.
*It allows the junior people to tune out of the demo. They know they are not going to be chosen, they know they can't do it as well as the senior people, and are just waiting to start training where they might learn from the other partners.
*By mixing it up the instructor keeps everyone more interested in the demos. Remember no matter what your rank you could be up here next!
This is an interesting question: at our dojo, I usually start by rank but mainly when I feel that higher-graded people can show the ukemi better and will be more relaxed up front at the beginning of the keiko.
I might switch from 2nd dan to 3rd kyu next, though, to get some more variety and to feel everyone appreciated.
Just as we do not sit lined up by rank, we are not too fuzzy about grades when it comes to presentations.
Reading through your article, I feel that I might need to mix it up even more to avoid any such pattern building up. Not because I do not appreciate people's lifetime achievements, but because I consider modesty and humility important qualities in yudansha (see the 7 virtues we defined for our black belts: https://aikido-oberursel.de/en/shodan-meaning-and-requirements).
If I get mad because somebody else was called up first, I let my ego rule my emotions, and somehow I thought that one of the points why we practise martial arts is to overcome our ego.
Some ppl may think what i wrote is "imaginary" situation. But the fact is happening subconscious, when disagreement happens, or poor management handling, did not voice out clearly during with ranks of the students over the years.
Well it can be sensitive outcome on either one:
A) if the fit young and athletic ukes, left (due work) or could not make it then, it just shows, there no one else but now choose the snr (which been going constantly as a secondary options), if this keeps happening every lesson.
B) The Dojo Cho, did it as an punishment not choosing the snr (to show who's boss) due some discussion on technique or teaching habits, could not get an agreement or explanation was not clear how to handle it. Plus gather other lower snrs, gang up to talk down to the 1st Snr, over time of a period.
Gaston, thank you for starting this discussion! In the past, a strict dojo hierarchy might have supported growth—or maybe not—but I believe the open approach you suggest is more relevant today.
When choosing uke to demonstrate techniques, I intentionally include a wide range, from 6th kyu to 4th dan, in no particular order. I also often take ukemi for them in front of others.
Sometimes, I pick someone with strong ukemi skills. Other times, I choose someone who is a challenge for me or isn’t able to take ukemi, requiring us to "negotiate" and find a way to demonstrate the technique together. The goal isn’t perfection but exploration—and showing students that they, too, can explore and practice with everybody.
Increasingly, I select uke intending to teach them something or help them expand their physical or psychological space.
However, for the past 3–4 years I have one consistent pattern: I make a conscious effort to alternate between men and women when demonstrating techniques.
Thank you for your input Klaus.
The old methods of working from senior to most junior student has some glaring poor outcomes.
*The junior students will normally not be selected in any but the longest classes with the least physical training. Leading them to feel like the are not really getting it. If they feel they are not getting it then the will be more sustainable to leaving the art.
*The senior students are deprived of learning from the senior instructor how to work with junior students, and how to actually teach in a demonstration setting.
*It allows the junior people to tune out of the demo. They know they are not going to be chosen, they know they can't do it as well as the senior people, and are just waiting to start training where they might learn from the other partners.
*By mixing it up the instructor keeps everyone more interested in the demos. Remember no matter what your rank you could be up here next!
Thank you Guy, can't agree with you mode!
Thank you Guy, I like your points and I agree completely. You gave a nice structure to the really poor outcomes :)
This explanation is really helpful and helps me understand more about Aikido etiquette. Thanks.
This is an interesting question: at our dojo, I usually start by rank but mainly when I feel that higher-graded people can show the ukemi better and will be more relaxed up front at the beginning of the keiko.
I might switch from 2nd dan to 3rd kyu next, though, to get some more variety and to feel everyone appreciated.
Just as we do not sit lined up by rank, we are not too fuzzy about grades when it comes to presentations.
Reading through your article, I feel that I might need to mix it up even more to avoid any such pattern building up. Not because I do not appreciate people's lifetime achievements, but because I consider modesty and humility important qualities in yudansha (see the 7 virtues we defined for our black belts: https://aikido-oberursel.de/en/shodan-meaning-and-requirements).
If I get mad because somebody else was called up first, I let my ego rule my emotions, and somehow I thought that one of the points why we practise martial arts is to overcome our ego.
Some ppl may think what i wrote is "imaginary" situation. But the fact is happening subconscious, when disagreement happens, or poor management handling, did not voice out clearly during with ranks of the students over the years.
Well it can be sensitive outcome on either one:
A) if the fit young and athletic ukes, left (due work) or could not make it then, it just shows, there no one else but now choose the snr (which been going constantly as a secondary options), if this keeps happening every lesson.
B) The Dojo Cho, did it as an punishment not choosing the snr (to show who's boss) due some discussion on technique or teaching habits, could not get an agreement or explanation was not clear how to handle it. Plus gather other lower snrs, gang up to talk down to the 1st Snr, over time of a period.