Give Me All Your Money!
This has to have happened when I was a third kyu. Then, my brother, Kong, and I often practiced Aikido together in the evening with the Hong Kong Aikido Association.
This Thursday evening, Ken Cottier Sensei was teaching tanto-dori (disarming attacks with a knife). Who knows what my brother did. He was so lucky -- Sensei chose to use him for uke (attacker) for the entire class! His task was seemingly simple. Sensei handed a flipflop sandal to Kong and said, "Point at my back with this sandal and say "Give me all your money." The moment you feel me move, slash or stab me with the sandal. It is so dirty that it is bound to make a mark on my gi. Then you know I am dead."
They got into position and Kong started saying his line: "Give me all yooooo . . . " Before he could even finish the sentence, Sensei already had disappeared from in front of his "fake knife", and my brother was quickly coming down onto the mat with his face.
"Give me aaaaaa . . . . . ."
WHAM!
"Give me all your mmmm . . . "
THUNK!!
"Givvvvv. . ."
SPLAT!!!
Kong almost never got to finish his line before he was thrown or pinned down, let alone stabbing or slashing Sensei with the sandal. Many of us felt really grateful that we were not the chosen one.
As we always did after Thursday practice, we all went out for dinner with Sensei. On the way to the legendary Peking Restaurant, one young chap went up to Sensei, "Sensei, if someone comes at you with a knife now, which technique would you use on him?" Sensei stopped and looked at him, replied very gently,"Here on the street? I will give him all my money. If he likes it, I will even give him my Seikio watch here," pointing at the scuffed up old Seiko on his wrist.
The young man was not very satisfied by the answer. "Why? Sensei, why? You just showed us all these techniques. Why wouldn't you throw him real hard first and then pin him down and call the police? You can do all of that!"
Sensei smiled, "Yeah, I know, but I will still give him all my money. Yet, if, after I give him everything, he still tries to hurt me, then I will have to do something to protect myself."
"So, why wait? You don't have to give him anything! Which technique will be best in a real life situation like this?" the young man continued to push.
"Look at me!" Sensei, who always dressed very casually, said, "Do I look like I have a lot of money on me? With my busted knees, I walk slower than ladies on high heels. If someone picks me out from the crowd, he must have rather low self-esteem. He does not even dare to pick on a young woman with jewelry and a purse, but chooses to tackle an old man who has nothing. He must be in pretty bad shape. So, let's help him out!"
Just as Sensei was about to continue to walk towards the restaurant, he paused and turned back to this young man, "How many years have you been learning Aikido under me?" "Seven years, Sensei," said proudly the young man. The smile went away from Sensei's face in a flash. He looked down, in a sad, quiet voice, "After seven years, you still have not learned compassion. It must be my fault." Sensei slowly walked away.
This Thursday evening, Ken Cottier Sensei was teaching tanto-dori (disarming attacks with a knife). Who knows what my brother did. He was so lucky -- Sensei chose to use him for uke (attacker) for the entire class! His task was seemingly simple. Sensei handed a flipflop sandal to Kong and said, "Point at my back with this sandal and say "Give me all your money." The moment you feel me move, slash or stab me with the sandal. It is so dirty that it is bound to make a mark on my gi. Then you know I am dead."
They got into position and Kong started saying his line: "Give me all yooooo . . . " Before he could even finish the sentence, Sensei already had disappeared from in front of his "fake knife", and my brother was quickly coming down onto the mat with his face.
"Give me aaaaaa . . . . . ."
WHAM!
"Give me all your mmmm . . . "
THUNK!!
"Givvvvv. . ."
SPLAT!!!
Kong almost never got to finish his line before he was thrown or pinned down, let alone stabbing or slashing Sensei with the sandal. Many of us felt really grateful that we were not the chosen one.
As we always did after Thursday practice, we all went out for dinner with Sensei. On the way to the legendary Peking Restaurant, one young chap went up to Sensei, "Sensei, if someone comes at you with a knife now, which technique would you use on him?" Sensei stopped and looked at him, replied very gently,"Here on the street? I will give him all my money. If he likes it, I will even give him my Seikio watch here," pointing at the scuffed up old Seiko on his wrist.
The young man was not very satisfied by the answer. "Why? Sensei, why? You just showed us all these techniques. Why wouldn't you throw him real hard first and then pin him down and call the police? You can do all of that!"
Sensei smiled, "Yeah, I know, but I will still give him all my money. Yet, if, after I give him everything, he still tries to hurt me, then I will have to do something to protect myself."
"So, why wait? You don't have to give him anything! Which technique will be best in a real life situation like this?" the young man continued to push.
"Look at me!" Sensei, who always dressed very casually, said, "Do I look like I have a lot of money on me? With my busted knees, I walk slower than ladies on high heels. If someone picks me out from the crowd, he must have rather low self-esteem. He does not even dare to pick on a young woman with jewelry and a purse, but chooses to tackle an old man who has nothing. He must be in pretty bad shape. So, let's help him out!"
Just as Sensei was about to continue to walk towards the restaurant, he paused and turned back to this young man, "How many years have you been learning Aikido under me?" "Seven years, Sensei," said proudly the young man. The smile went away from Sensei's face in a flash. He looked down, in a sad, quiet voice, "After seven years, you still have not learned compassion. It must be my fault." Sensei slowly walked away.
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