Don Angier Seminar Review: Sunday April 30th 2006
Today, (Monday 05/01/06), I sit here at the computer with my back aching, muscles I haven’t worked in a long while sore from overuse, and a neck so tight moving it in any direction causes some rather sharp spasms that are quite indescribable. To say this has been a Motrin day would be an understatement. I’m sore, I have a major headache, and basically I feel just plain lousy. But, with all that said, I know what I’m going through right now was worth it, and the price one has to pay from time to time in order to improve one’s skills as a martial artist.
I had debated long and hard whether to go to this seminar in the first place. Basically because I knew I was nursing, or should I say babying, some injuries that have plagued me during the last year. I wasn’t sure how my body would hold up, or if I would be able to handle the physical activity required to be an active participant of a martial arts seminar. I know myself, and I always tend to push myself to far, even when my body is telling me to take a break. After all, I don’t go to a martial arts seminar to sit on the sidelines and watch, and if it weren’t for my tendency to be stubborn and persevere through physical pain I most likely would have quit doing martial arts years ago.
Most of all, my hesitation was based on my fear about how I would I wake up the next day. Would I feel sore and achy, like I do, or would my mobility be affected to the point where I couldn’t walk again. That was a very scary thought, since no one can really imagine how we take the act of walking for granted until we can’t do it anymore. I know I never ever gave it a thought until it happened to me. Now I think about it all the time. Maybe too much, and these thoughts have sidelined me for to long. The jury is still out on this topic.
Whether my medical concerns were unwarranted, or I was just lucky to not re-injure myself will never be known, but the knowledge I gained yesterday clearly outweighs the discomfort I feel at the moment. I know deep inside that while I may feel bad for a few days now, what I learned will last me a lifetime.
Anyone who knows me knows I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Don Angier, and rarely if ever miss a seminar he gives in my area. I truly believe he is one of the most talented and knowledgeable martial art practitioners in the world. I like what he teaches, how he teaches it, and his no “secrets” approach to sharing complex technical information.
Clearly, Mr. Angier has had a profound impact on how I teach, how I examine the sciences of techniques, and how I teach at my school--not to mention how I evaluate other instructors before deciding to attend their seminars or not.
Of course, like I’ve also always said, I never go to a Don Angier seminar to learn techniques. The truth is that often what he teaches is just too difficult to learn in a day or even a weekend. I’m not sure if that is intentional on Mr. Angier’s part, or just because of how technical and precise the martial art system he teaches happens to be.
What I’m certain of however is that Mr. Angier has exacting standards and demands meticulousness attention to details from his students. It is this attention to details that make his students such skillful practitioners, and distinguish them from so many other Budo related martial art practitioners I have seen.
This fastidiousness is also what makes Mr. Angier and the Shidare Yanagi Ryu he teaches so unique, and in my opinion are the justifications for all the accolades I give him.
Further more, these standards and his commitment to them are one of the major reasons I truly appreciate Mr. Angier’s seminars. Mr. Angier doesn’t water down a thing or make things simple in order to cater to those that attend his seminars. He teaches the way he teaches his own students, and expects those who come to his seminar to not only do things his way, but to his level of expectations.
Listening to Mr. Angier make corrections it is clear he has no desire, or patience, to see anyone do things halfway, or to modify what he is teaching based on their physical comfort zone, previous style experience, or how they interpret what he say needs to be done in the order it has to be done. In fact he made it clear to several people during the day that what he was teaching has been tested, and retested enough times to show the scientific principles behind them work optimally when preformed as he says they should be.
Anyone who has managed to gain some proficiency with the techniques Mr. Angier teaches will confirm there is no arguing with his assertion. When done correctly the techniques Mr. Angier teaches are effortless, and require no power or force. In fact they work so well when done correctly the only “feedback” one gets is that the other person is on the ground, or locked up in a painful submission hold. Of course this lack of “feedback” is frustrating since one is never sure what they did right when it works, making it hard to repeat one’s actions.
Of course speaking for myself, I feel everything I do wrong when the techniques don’t work, which is frustrating since I know what Mr. Angier wants me to do. However, for some unknown reason I find myself trying so hard to please Mr. Angier, especially when he is watching me at these seminars I actually perform worse, to the point I sometimes wonder if he thinks I possess any real skills at all. If nothing else at least he knows I try and do things his way, and see the true value of what he is teaching.
In total four techniques were taught on Sunday. Two were defenses against grabs; front and rear, one was against a forward punch, and the last a defense was against a mounted pin.
This was the first time I had ever seen Mr. Angier teach any grappling on the ground, and I have to say the form he taught was very pretty to watch, effective to apply, and painful to endure.
While I was able to manage to do the upright techniques, even taking a few falls when things were done correctly, I had to take a break and sit on the sidelines while others were practicing the groundwork. It was really frustrating, since I really was interested in the technique and getting a better understanding of what was going on.
However, for a change that inner voice inside me won out and I sat there and just observed. Which, in many respects was better since I could watch others and listen to all the corrections Mr. Angier and his assistants made to others.
Of course I often learn more watching Mr. Angier demonstrate techniques and correcting others, than by actually frustrating myself trying to do them. Watching and listening afford me the opportunity to discover new concepts, ways of moving, and most importantly ways of thinking about how things have to be done to be more effective.
Two of the techniques, rear grab and front punch defense, were ones Mr. Angier had done before several years ago so for a change I felt fairly comfortable, doing them. I wont say I did them 100% to Mr. Angier’s expectations, but I did them better than I ever had before. Improvement that, if you don’t mind me stroking my ego for a moment, didn’t go unnoticed.
The final technique, a defense against a front double arm grab, was one I had seen Mr. Angier demonstrate before, but had never been taught. It was interesting, and helped me understand a few movements from my own style better. It is corrections, or should I say these slight modifications on what I already do, that make Mr. Angier’s seminars invaluable to me.
Despite the fact I didn’t participate during most of the afternoon I had a really good time. It was painful, but even with all the physical limitations I still benefited a lot by attending this seminar. Several necessary corrections were made, and I now have many new concepts to consider and explore. I’ve also come to realize that by acknowledging my physical limitations it has made doing the techniques Mr. Angier’s teaches easier. Less Movement, Less Effort has definitely equaled More Result.
I’ve said this over and over again, and will keep saying this as long as Mr. Angier offers seminars; if you are serious about martial arts, and you want to see and learn from a true master you should make every effort to attend at least one of Mr. Angier’s seminars. His knowledge, both technical and historical is amazing, and anyone at any skill level can benefit from what he is willing to share.
In fact, there have been plenty of participants at his seminars who have been astounded how openly he shares the “secrets.” Secrets they paid hundreds if not thousands of dollars to learn from others.
I had debated long and hard whether to go to this seminar in the first place. Basically because I knew I was nursing, or should I say babying, some injuries that have plagued me during the last year. I wasn’t sure how my body would hold up, or if I would be able to handle the physical activity required to be an active participant of a martial arts seminar. I know myself, and I always tend to push myself to far, even when my body is telling me to take a break. After all, I don’t go to a martial arts seminar to sit on the sidelines and watch, and if it weren’t for my tendency to be stubborn and persevere through physical pain I most likely would have quit doing martial arts years ago.
Most of all, my hesitation was based on my fear about how I would I wake up the next day. Would I feel sore and achy, like I do, or would my mobility be affected to the point where I couldn’t walk again. That was a very scary thought, since no one can really imagine how we take the act of walking for granted until we can’t do it anymore. I know I never ever gave it a thought until it happened to me. Now I think about it all the time. Maybe too much, and these thoughts have sidelined me for to long. The jury is still out on this topic.
Whether my medical concerns were unwarranted, or I was just lucky to not re-injure myself will never be known, but the knowledge I gained yesterday clearly outweighs the discomfort I feel at the moment. I know deep inside that while I may feel bad for a few days now, what I learned will last me a lifetime.
Anyone who knows me knows I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Don Angier, and rarely if ever miss a seminar he gives in my area. I truly believe he is one of the most talented and knowledgeable martial art practitioners in the world. I like what he teaches, how he teaches it, and his no “secrets” approach to sharing complex technical information.
Clearly, Mr. Angier has had a profound impact on how I teach, how I examine the sciences of techniques, and how I teach at my school--not to mention how I evaluate other instructors before deciding to attend their seminars or not.
Of course, like I’ve also always said, I never go to a Don Angier seminar to learn techniques. The truth is that often what he teaches is just too difficult to learn in a day or even a weekend. I’m not sure if that is intentional on Mr. Angier’s part, or just because of how technical and precise the martial art system he teaches happens to be.
What I’m certain of however is that Mr. Angier has exacting standards and demands meticulousness attention to details from his students. It is this attention to details that make his students such skillful practitioners, and distinguish them from so many other Budo related martial art practitioners I have seen.
This fastidiousness is also what makes Mr. Angier and the Shidare Yanagi Ryu he teaches so unique, and in my opinion are the justifications for all the accolades I give him.
Further more, these standards and his commitment to them are one of the major reasons I truly appreciate Mr. Angier’s seminars. Mr. Angier doesn’t water down a thing or make things simple in order to cater to those that attend his seminars. He teaches the way he teaches his own students, and expects those who come to his seminar to not only do things his way, but to his level of expectations.
Listening to Mr. Angier make corrections it is clear he has no desire, or patience, to see anyone do things halfway, or to modify what he is teaching based on their physical comfort zone, previous style experience, or how they interpret what he say needs to be done in the order it has to be done. In fact he made it clear to several people during the day that what he was teaching has been tested, and retested enough times to show the scientific principles behind them work optimally when preformed as he says they should be.
Anyone who has managed to gain some proficiency with the techniques Mr. Angier teaches will confirm there is no arguing with his assertion. When done correctly the techniques Mr. Angier teaches are effortless, and require no power or force. In fact they work so well when done correctly the only “feedback” one gets is that the other person is on the ground, or locked up in a painful submission hold. Of course this lack of “feedback” is frustrating since one is never sure what they did right when it works, making it hard to repeat one’s actions.
Of course speaking for myself, I feel everything I do wrong when the techniques don’t work, which is frustrating since I know what Mr. Angier wants me to do. However, for some unknown reason I find myself trying so hard to please Mr. Angier, especially when he is watching me at these seminars I actually perform worse, to the point I sometimes wonder if he thinks I possess any real skills at all. If nothing else at least he knows I try and do things his way, and see the true value of what he is teaching.
In total four techniques were taught on Sunday. Two were defenses against grabs; front and rear, one was against a forward punch, and the last a defense was against a mounted pin.
This was the first time I had ever seen Mr. Angier teach any grappling on the ground, and I have to say the form he taught was very pretty to watch, effective to apply, and painful to endure.
While I was able to manage to do the upright techniques, even taking a few falls when things were done correctly, I had to take a break and sit on the sidelines while others were practicing the groundwork. It was really frustrating, since I really was interested in the technique and getting a better understanding of what was going on.
However, for a change that inner voice inside me won out and I sat there and just observed. Which, in many respects was better since I could watch others and listen to all the corrections Mr. Angier and his assistants made to others.
Of course I often learn more watching Mr. Angier demonstrate techniques and correcting others, than by actually frustrating myself trying to do them. Watching and listening afford me the opportunity to discover new concepts, ways of moving, and most importantly ways of thinking about how things have to be done to be more effective.
Two of the techniques, rear grab and front punch defense, were ones Mr. Angier had done before several years ago so for a change I felt fairly comfortable, doing them. I wont say I did them 100% to Mr. Angier’s expectations, but I did them better than I ever had before. Improvement that, if you don’t mind me stroking my ego for a moment, didn’t go unnoticed.
The final technique, a defense against a front double arm grab, was one I had seen Mr. Angier demonstrate before, but had never been taught. It was interesting, and helped me understand a few movements from my own style better. It is corrections, or should I say these slight modifications on what I already do, that make Mr. Angier’s seminars invaluable to me.
Despite the fact I didn’t participate during most of the afternoon I had a really good time. It was painful, but even with all the physical limitations I still benefited a lot by attending this seminar. Several necessary corrections were made, and I now have many new concepts to consider and explore. I’ve also come to realize that by acknowledging my physical limitations it has made doing the techniques Mr. Angier’s teaches easier. Less Movement, Less Effort has definitely equaled More Result.
I’ve said this over and over again, and will keep saying this as long as Mr. Angier offers seminars; if you are serious about martial arts, and you want to see and learn from a true master you should make every effort to attend at least one of Mr. Angier’s seminars. His knowledge, both technical and historical is amazing, and anyone at any skill level can benefit from what he is willing to share.
In fact, there have been plenty of participants at his seminars who have been astounded how openly he shares the “secrets.” Secrets they paid hundreds if not thousands of dollars to learn from others.
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