We have an exciting new development for our Cut The Cancer class…we are going to stream our next class live on the internet! We hope you will all take a few minutes this next Monday to check out our program. The class will run from 5:15 pm until 6:45 pm (Chicago time) Monday January 23rd. We will have a link up on Facebook at the Cut The Cancer site as well as mine. If you do not have Facebook Log on to www.justin.tv and search Cut The Cancer (capitalize) and that should bring you to our site.

This is the first time that we are trying this so we intend to just have a typical class so you can get an idea what we do. If this format works we may broadcast regular seminars. We hope to get 200 people to log on and see the broadcast so please take a few minutes and check it out. Also, be sure to pass this on to anyone that you think may benefit from our program. When you are done viewing, drop an e-mail and let us know what you think. It would be very helpful for future broadcasts.

As always, thank you for all your support!!!!!

Timothy J. Spies, PE

tim@spiesandassociates.com

Aikido History and Future

O’Sensei studied many martial arts such as judo and jujutsu. One of his most influential teachers was Sokaku Takeda. He was of samurai descent and grew up in a time of violence in Japan towards the end of the time of the samurai when a true martial art was a necessary way of life. O’ Sensei studied daito-ryu with Takeda and eventually became a teaching assistant for him as well as obtaining a license to teach others. It is presumed that O’Sensei learned the meaning of budo and martial spirit from Takeda’s teachings.

O’Sensei later encountered Onisaburo Deguchi who taught him about Oomoto-kyo which is a philosophy based on Shinto religious principles. One of the primary features of Oomoto is its emphasis on the attainment of peace and perfection during one’s life and that all mankind should move forward together in a positive way. Those teachings appear to have had a great influence on O’ Sensei’s martial arts practice and philosophy.

The idea of extending love and compassion to those who seek to harm others is a key point in Aikido training. This is demonstrated by the endings of our defense as compared with other “harder” styles and especially our “sister” art Daito-ryu. Our philosophy and emphasis on mastering our martial art so that we may receive an attack and harmlessly redirect it without harm to either party is very clear. This has been demonstrated to this writer at many Aikido dojos and in various styles.

Toyoda Shihan reestablished his relationship with Aikikai after his training under Tohei Sensei and the Ki Society. His style seemingly became an amalgamation of the Aikikai and Ki Society curriculums. He later developed a teaching system that allows both structure and freedom of expression entwined with a strong focus on shugyo, ki development and flowing technique.

I have heard many instructors say there are different ways to perform a technique as long as its roots are Aikido. Different body styles may require different approaches to technique. Regardless of the size and shape of uke or nage our kihon remains the same. This is the beauty of Aikido and Toyoda Shihan’s methodology. It helps beginning and advanced students maintain structure and focus on the movements yet allows for improvisation and changes in technique when necessary.

I believe I am stating the obvious when I say the world is becoming more violent. Overcrowding, loss of jobs and the shriveling economy have made people in general more anxious or aggressive. We are becoming more and more impersonal and disconnected due to technology, such as computers and cellular telephones. This combination has made our daily lives more dangerous.

Any person has to make the decision to become aggressive either verbally or physically. I have been taught the use of force should be proportional to the force or level of an attack. In Aikido we learn how to control, disable and even injure an attacker so we do not have to unless it becomes absolutely necessary. We should never forget that Aikido has its roots in a true martial philosophy. Through practice we can advance our understanding to the spiritual level. By this I do not mean we will start to practice in the manner of the Oomoto religion. But with daily practice, including shugyo, meisoho and kokyuho, we can achieve a superior physical and mental attitude on and off the mat. This can allow us to project our center in a way which can help an aggressor make the right choice even without physical contact.

I see the future history of Aikido remaining the same way as it was created and as it is today. We tend to draw particular types of people into our art. Some students are more artistic or creative while others are looking for a more humble and spiritual martial arts experience. Aikido is open to everyone and luckily we rarely see arrogant, aggressive or students who join for the wrong reasons remain for very long. The students who do continue to practice are a great group of people who are committed to their individual dojos and the Aikido community at large. I believe that we can and will continue to set an example for people throughout the world for many years to come.

Bruce Gillard

Shoshinkan dojo

The Aikido Association of America is proud to announce the West Coast Instructor’s Seminar hosted by Kenshinkan Dojo in Vista, CA, March 9 – 11, 2012. Aikido instruction will be provided by the AAA Western Region Teaching Committee.

The seminar is open to Aikido students 3rd kyu and above, all Aikido black belts, and other martial artists of black belt rank. The program will consist of AAA/AAI test requirements; Aikido teaching methodology; and specialized applications. Various levels of instructor certification
will be awarded: Jyoshu, Fukushidoin, Shidoin, and Sensei. For further definitions and requirements, please refer to AAA/AAI policy.

Pre-register by February 28, 2012.

For more information, please contact James Nakayama Sensei, Western Region Shibucho at aikido@chushin.com

What is shugyo?

Shugyo is an ironic thing to be writing about considering the clock struck one a.m. of the morning this essay is due not too long ago; but if Aikido taught me anything, it is that no matter the situation I was in, no matter how many mistakes I made or how many obstacles I failed to surmount, no matter how out of control I think my life is, the fraction of existence I inhabit in the immediacy of the moment is a new starting point, one that should not be met with fear or stagnation. So now I find myself starting to understand my own translation of the intangible magic of Aikido and Shugyo into some common vocabulary that words can’t ever adequately describe. A way to summarize the relationship I have with the two concepts is that Aikido taught me to keep moving, Shugyo taught, and is still teaching me to remember that I can move. One is the control I exert on myself; the other is the reminder that I do have control over myself.

Of the many lessons from the Sensei who have had tremendous positive impacts on my life, one idea I keep coming back to is that my technique is not wrong unless I don’t finish. I was taught that worse than making a mistake, was letting that mistake take me out of the moment and allowing it to consume my reality. When a technique doesn’t work, you keep moving until something does. One of the biggest obstacles I faced and still face in life is an inability to start. Whether it’s work, or cleaning, or aikido I begin at the end and live with an assumption of perfection that is never actually met and can’t ever be realized regardless of the effort put in.

This would itself be a non-issue if it didn’t come with paralyzing consequences but a roundabout thing happens when I become obsessed with the ideas of right and wrong and perfect. Through the pursuit of an ideal, I begin to fear the flaws. I can’t start because I’m afraid of the mistakes I will undoubtedly make, and by doing this I make the biggest mistakes of all, putting things off for impractical lengths of time, spending copious amounts of time “learning” instead of doing. Over and over again, I spend countless hours planning an essay only to start hours before it’s due. I make my sacrifice, I give up sleep and health and mental wellbeing and get it done but am left with more of the same mistakes I feared than ever before as a result of exhaustion and a general depravation of wellness.

The same ambition that drives me, stands in my way and this is why its always awakening when half way through a kotegaishi, I realize my footwork is all wrong and move to start over, only to be met with the instruction that I need to finish my technique and “do something”. I’m not in the habit of letting mistakes slide and so have gotten into the habit of avoiding situations where mistakes can happen at all. One of the warmest comments I hear on the mat that resonates with me is that “this is why we train, this is where we make mistakes because out there, we might not get the opportunity to start over.” Facing the reality that failure is not an option, I forget that I am allowed to be comfortable, that people care more about me than what I do wrong, that I am safe and surrounded by a community that is driven by love and compassion. I forget that mistakes are not failures, they are opportunities to learn and catalysts for growth.

So when you ask me what Aikido is, I say it is my imperfection made manifest and tangible, a work in progress. It is the acknowledgement of flaws and the willingness to face them. It is what makes me feel in control of a life that isn’t always so forgiving and doesn’t always remind you that second chances exist. It is what made me human and gave me a voice to understand myself with. It is the way I choose to follow when I remember that harmony exists and that the things that make life terrifying become a whole lot more manageable as long as I keep my energy moving. As for Shugyo, it is the mental discipline needed to keep these things in mind in a way that drives action. It is the need to persist. I float in and out of this understanding and the more I learn about myself, the more I realize that awareness and presence is the cornerstone of change.

I wasn’t expecting to test for all of the reasons I mentioned above but since I am, the declaration I’d like to make to myself is that yes, sometimes I screw up and no, I will not be perfect or complete, but if I have to choose between living a mistake or making a few along the way while remembering to live, I will flaunt my flaws sooner than cage my aspirations.

-Arthur Gutnov

Aikido Philosophy

The philosophy of Aikido is that this martial art aims for nonviolence. It should be a nonviolent way of practice. Hereby stimulating your flexibility, dynamism, and inner strength.

Each training can be seen as a kind of purification (“misogi”) where you work on yourself and others. After a training you often feel refreshed and recovered. If not physically, then certainly mentally. You can put your mind off things together with others and also have a physical workout.

Working out with others implies also that you learn to deal with others. It is not only a physical aspect but also a mental one.

Aikido is not about winning and losing. Although many people may think so concerning martial arts. The word Aikido includes the “do” which means “the road”. This path represents a personal development. Working on yourself and, wider seen, even to a better world. The slogan “improve the world, start with yourself” is thereby beautifully applicable. Thereby introducing here the “aiki” by the art of reconciliation and agreement.

In Aikido, it is not the intention to harm someone else. The gained knowledge should result in a way to avoid this. In training you learn to set yourself mentally. This, together with the physical training will make you realize it is better to use your energy in a positive way. After all, we obtain to seek a harmony between body and mind. If this fails you will get collisions, either physically or mentally. The harmony is gone. Hereby you learn to see that this is less enjoyable. So it is better to avoid a fight than having to bear the consequences.

I have already experienced this myself outside the tatami. It’s nice to see after a confrontation that you are mentally and physically ready to face a situation. If thereby, it was not necessary to use your techniques, just by your preparedness, it is a good situation.

If you nevertheless still consider to use aikido in a martial way, you can neutralize someone without doing too much damage. This will allow them later on to consider whether this was the best option to do. At the same time you got rid of a problem yourself. Knowledge of techniques can therefore help to prevent a worse situation. It is not intended to make the situation worse. The gained knowledge also gives you a certain state of mind by which you already can prevent a worse situation. By having options, you can keep this attitude. If you don’t have this option, it may get out of hand.

Quotes

“It’s an art to live well in harmony with others and at peace with the world.” (John Stevens)

“The true warrior exhibits enlightened wisdom and deep calm.” (O-sensei)

“Master the divine techniques of the art of peace and no enemy will dare you to challenge.” (O-sensei)

So the solution can be peace. With yourself, your surroundings, eventually with the world.

Aikido is an art to know yourself and others. And the interaction between both. By training you go over and over the same points again. You practice them again and again. Yet you always have another insight in it. It is a gradual completion of stages to achieve a higher level. This “higher level”  will eventually result in a peaceful ideology that does not require the practiced techniques.

O-sensei saw aikido as a means to yourself, your environment, and extensively, to the world for achieving world peace.

I thereby hit on a nice expression that nicely reflects the stages one has to go through in order to come to this point.

“Shu-ha-rai”

“Shu” is the stage where copying and obeying the teacher stands central. The teacher is protective and is trusted.

“Ha” is a phase in which the student becomes more liberal, but also may encounter frustration. In here you learn from your own situations.

“Rai” is the advanced stage where the student becomes freer, but begins to understand the art of learning independent from the teacher.

Aikido, thereby is, a fellowship at various levels. You try to strive for harmony. Not only in your techniques but also in terms of spirit. It was through aikido that O-sensei has tried to inspire people to train aikido, to gain knowledge, and eventually, to end up in world peace. It does not matter what you can do or how strong one is. There will always be someone better or faster or stronger than yourself. You get best in a state of non-confrontation. It is better to continue both your way untouched.

At first you do not succeed to imitate a technique. After a while it improves and eventually you can pass on things yourself. Further development teaches you to get in harmony with your opponent. So we are not going to start an attack ourselves. There is no violence and hardcore action pursued  but non-violence and harmony.

The art of aikido is to repel an attack without injuring the attacker. The intention is not to damage the attacker but to let him see the futility of further aggression. Hostile thoughts will only sow destruction and devastation.

If you watch it in a wider range you also can see what one can do in this environment. Not only in a direct way to your fellow man but also in other ways. We finally use all the same raw materials and all want a better life. If we thereby aren’t concerned with petty thoughts and selfish desires, one can live in true freedom.

- Edwin Coenegrachts

The Aikido Association of America is proud to announce an Aikido Seminar hosted by Jyushinkan dojo in Logan, UT, January 27 to January 29, 2012. The training is open to students of any martial art or rank, and from any organization or dojo. Aikido instruction will be provided by Stephen Tatsuo Toyoda Sensei.

Stephen Tatsuo Toyoda, the current President and son of Aikido Association of America founder Fumio Toyoda Shihan, has been studying Aikido since the age of three. After graduating with a degree in Biology from the University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana, Mr. Toyoda has been uchideshi under Y. Kobayashi Shihan in Tokorozawa, Japan. Mr. Toyoda is the dojo cho of Tenshinkan Dojo in Chicago, Illinois and has taught extensively throughout the United States and world.

seminar flier

What a year it has been for my aikido training! 2011! I am so thankful for all of the opportunities and such great people to train with. My schedule was such that I was able to attend a seminar almost every month. Even a quick trip to northern and southern California allowed me to visit other dojos and expand my aikido practice and perspective. So much to do! So much to learn!

1, 2, 3, … 10 seminars total!  It started off with a bang in January, a fun-filled seminar with Stephen Toyoda Sensei. He gave us plenty of material to work with, and to keep us inspired and busy for the year!  From Katz Sensei, I learned that love is getting picked on all the time (from all of his impressions/memories of Fumio Toyoda Shihan), and that you’re not having a good time if you aren’t practicing aikido with vigor, a big smile, and a loud kiai. MacBeth Sensei taught us about the magical qualities of the jo. With the jo, anything in your wildest dreams can come true! It was a delight to watch. Dyer Sensei taught me that with correct technique, anything is possible. If I had a question about big guys bulldozing through me with their attacks, she’d remind me that everyone has a third point. That solved the problem! Nakayama Sensei taught me about the ‘mechanical principles’ of the body. If nage is properly aligned in all movements, it takes minimal effort to get uke off their center and in whatever direction you please. Nage is forbidden from throwing uke unless uke is off balance! I enjoy getting results with little effort. Don’t we all like it when things feel easy and smooth? Toyoda Sensei’s relentless desire to share new things and inspire those around him is always a breath of fresh air.

Though I see myself as a AAA aikidoist, I had the opportunity to meet and train with great Senseis and Shihans from different styles. Yamanae Sensei (an uchideshi of O’sensei), came from Japan as a guest instructor. He opened my eyes to the importance of staying connected with each other. Aikido truly is a two-way martial art! Doran Sensei taught me how simply dropping the elbow is a game-changer. Really, uke can’t do much when you’ve got your center below theirs! I had a great time with Hayashi Sensei practicing the bokken vs. tanto techniques. Learning, laughing, and laying seige – what more can one ask for? Nadeau Sensei always draws me into his aikido world. Some of the things he says go over my head, but I cling onto those ideas and let them settle before letting go or achieving an ‘a-ha’ moment.

The highlight of my year was spending time in southern California, training at Chushinkan Dojo with Nakayama Sensei and all of the wonderful aikidoists there. I attended class and/or practiced every day. Nakayama Sensei figured out why my bokken and jo strikes looked funny (to put it nicely), and also worked on weapons taisakabi. For open hand techniques, I began to realize that subtle movements can make such a big difference. To state an example of this, there is a major difference between stepping out with your toes pointed towards your destination vs. stepping out with your heel pointed towards your destination for certain techniques. “Heel first” maximizes hip rotation; movement from your center. Again, this promotes natural, harmonious, and almost effortless aikido! If that wasn’t enough, I also got my first taste of iaido, which I now also love!

To end the year, we had an AIF seminar, with Bill Bunn Sensei as the guest instructor. He spoke heartily about natural movement in aikido. Picking daisies, scratching your ear, and ‘ropes and rails’ come to mind. There is no movement in aikido that our bodies are not designed to do!

Of course, I have learned much from my local Senseis and fellow aikidoists. From Veera Sensei, I learned the importance of keeping one point (mentally as well as physically). Berardini Sensei, with a genuine smile, is always reminding me to protect myself – essentially, always be in a good hanmi. He also sprinkles tricks from his goodie bag here and there to enhance our techniques! McKendrick Sensei keeps it real by adding his personal experiences and thoughts into his teachings. Neff Sensei has a way of pointing out the many things I need to work on in a serious but amusing manner. Sometimes not really pointing out, but rather, having me figure out why what I’m doing isn’t working with a “hmmmm….”. A shout out to all of my friends on the mat!  You know who you are. Thank you always reminding me that aikido is something to truly enjoy.

Not sure what the future holds, but I can see myself doing aikido for many, many years to come!

by,

Yoshi Ramanujam

A guy who works at Baskin Robbins was held at gun point. Kotegaeshi works!

**Please don’t try this at home.**