Inspired by recent blog post from Arnaud Shihan...

Arnaud Shihan has posted another great blog entry at http://kumafr.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/enter-the-dragon/

 .  What stuck out for me was the line "We also learnt that the dragon was capturing while the tiger was hitting".  This was an "ah-ha!" moment for me as I was pondering the duality of the dragon and tiger so common in martial arts and as the foundational part to the name of our own dojo Ryuu (dragon) Ko (tiger).  In case you are wondering, the last part of our dojo name, Hikan, means secret scroll...

Arnaud Shihan cites Soke as saying the two opposites, dragon and tiger, aren't really in opposition, but in connection or in union with each other.  It's the in/yo or yin/yang, the heaven and earth, etc relationship.  But, tying it to the comment of dragon being about capturing/controlling and tiger about hitting, this gave light to what I see going on today with the way Soke and the Shihan are moving.  When you study the techniques and feeling of what they do, you'll find a duality between controlling or capturing, such as taking the space needed for the uke to rebalance themselves, continue attacking or counter, you'll also find there is a strike involved somewhere.  It's as if the dragon captures and the tiger hits, all as a balanced relationship, so that the two become one.  They are no longer seperate entities.  There is no seperation between capturing/controlling and hitting.  They both are connected to each other.

Anyway, take the time to consider the wisdom being presented in Arnaud's writing and how it relates to the "feel" of what Soke's budo is.  If you look carefully enough, you'll see this duality between dragon and tiger.  Then, find how you can learn from that and evolve your own training.

Gambatte kudasai!