The Silk Thread of Gorindo - Ottawa - Canada
Issue 15
Photo cover "Claudio Iedwab at -20°C - Ottawa River" by Roxanne Standefer sensei, 29th December 2011.The Sculpture owned by the NCC is called Boat Sight by John McEwen (1984).
The boat (representing culture) comes in to shore and the wolves (representing Nature) are curious and cautious. The location is the voyageur portage around the Chaudiére Falls in Hull, Quebec.
The Dojo
The dojo rules are not empty formalities, instead they serve to create conditions essential to productive and safe training. At first some rules may seem over exaggerated, superficial, or unnecessary. Yet each point has its origin in a concern for the personal safety of students and the general welfare. Experience has shown the need in our culture for clearly articulated rules, although it would be preferable if natural respect and consideration could govern our behavior. Remember that what we are learning is a very serious endeavor and requires a code of ethics that governs our actions and outlook. Martial Art is much more than a sport or gym class and the dojo more than a health club. Consequently the demands are more rigorous, both physically and mentally.
The dojo is not a democracy and its structure is vertical in experience but horizontal in cooperation. Everybody must provide a good example and must support and reinforce their sensei’s teaching. Good manners are constantly present, there is no excuse for immaturity or petty behavior, no matter how good your technique or your previous experience.
Gorindo training is neither competition nor anything close to that. If you are trying to win in the class you have already lost. Gorindo is a Martial Art, budo, where challenge and sacrifice are present to achieve an independent character and a consolidated spirit. Think that those who train with the idea of rising to their own challenge do not admit to any impossible task, and those who know sacrifice have no weak spirit or selfish ego, and are responsible for their own growth.
Gorindo is a martial discipline, it is not training to win trophies in a tournament. Instead, the student works hard to get the ‘trophies of the life’ without it being necessary to participate in championships. We train to enjoy good health, love, happiness and harmony, that is, sharing with the people that you love and those who also love you, transcending your self instead of the limited you.
Claudio Iedwab Sensei likes good results, and since he doesn’t teach anymore with the idea in mind of participating in tournaments, he has found that the students are more motivated and enthusiastic to learn than before, the training is more intensive and progressive, and the incidence of injury has dropped considerably allowing students to practice more frequently. It is also apparent that the techniques have found no limits with this altered emphasis. They are more able to express different personalities and individual characteristics because they don’t correspond to any particular tournament rules, the only limit being effectiveness and the safety and integrity of all the students. The friendly atmosphere in the dojo is a reality, there is no room for a false or inauthentic spirit of cooperation. The non-competitive environment does not attract ‘big mouths’. Those who choose Gorindo are interested in life’s’ victories and the improvement of character. Gorindo was born as a consequence of many years experience. After having traveled through the personal competition path from non-contact to full contact rules, from traditional kata to open forms, and teaching and coaching many participants in high level competition, there was still much missing. It has been observed that many people give up their training because of the unnecessary tournament or competition pressure, losing the original reason of why the martial art became an Art. Petty politics, commercialization, poor judging and lack of sportsmanship have no place in the world of Martial Art.
Gorindo School offers other possibilities. Training gives results to be used in everyday life by a broad range of people. Regard the training as a challenge to your capacity for more enjoyment and harmony in life. Helping others, growing together (without stepping on other person in order to reach above) and promoting a spirit of cooperation, is a higher level of human interaction to strive for.
The essential elements of the dojo are commitment, cooperation, discipline, order, courtesy, and a faith in the goal toward which the members of the dojo are striving. Seek an attitude of a never-ending self-improvement in every aspect of life. Be happy when you help others to be happy. Be humble, gentle and generous in spirit. If the student studies sincerely, the teacher will teach with sincerity, and the two can mature and progress together. If the student is disrespectful to the teacher or shows interest in learning the techniques yet being empty of spirit, the teacher will know it, and the student will be unable to learn the best that the teacher has to offer. Even when the teacher is completely sincere in the instruction, a student with this kind of attitude is unlikely to learn effectively.
by Claudio Iedwab & Roxanne Standefer
Originallly published in the Gorindo Student Manual by Claudio Iedwab & Roxanne Standefer
©2010 Photo by Claudio Iedwab
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