Aikido World

Kihon waza are not only techniques for beginners. In Japanese kihon means “original foundation”. These techniques are the foundation for all other aikido techniques.

Kihon, the original foundation, consists of physical, mental, coordination and waza training.

Everyone can benefit from kihon physical training. Your size, sex or current health does not matter, physical training will improve your health and well being.

Your total commitment to training, will develop a mental attitude that will benefit you in all phases of your life. Even if you do not know what aikido is, with complete mental commitment and the help of your sensei, you will experience the principles of aikido. You will see improvement in your awareness, concentration, and relaxation that will benefit you not only in your aikido, but also in your daily life.

Kihon waza are the foundation of all of the aikido techniques you will ever learn. With this foundation you will be able to learn advanced techniques (oyo waza) and be able to increase the depth of your understanding of aikido. you must practice kihon waza daily to be able to develop and improve your aikido. Kihon waza is like breakfast, it give you the nourishment to start the day.

Kihon waza is the fundamental structure of aikido. It is like the operating system in a computer, Windows 98. The computer is useless without an operating system. Also, with a strong fundamental structure or operating system you can “upgrade” to more advanced principles or techniques in the future.

Daily kihon waza practice will produce strong, clear, dynamic aikido that will continue to improve and benefit you physically and mentally in all phases of your life. for isn’t aikido life training?

*Copyright 1999 Chushinkan Dojo, “Hikari”, Vol. 2, Issue 2, June, 1999. All rights reserved.

by Alexandra Wood

I came to kenshusei a week early, and was welcomed by a huge flood in the basement! Sad panda. Toyoda Sensei and I got to scoop water out of the basement for a long, long time.

This was my third year at kenshusei. Unlike the previous two years, the main challenge for me was not so much the physical strain. The physical strain was definitely still there, but I had much more of a challenge with mental strain. There wasn’t as much pressure put on me this year to push myself to do more, so I had to place that pressure there myself. I also worked on making myself more clear and sharp, not just technique-wise, but mentally as well. Oh yeah, and I learned how to drywall! Unfortunately, zen was still just as painful and not enjoyable as before.

I had fun in Chicago again, as well. Getting to see all of the sensei and all of my aiki-friends in Chicago is always refreshing, and I value the friendships I made with my kenshusei buddies. I also enjoyed dance dance revolution. And corn-cob battles. And pandas. Can’t forget the pandas.

Alexandra Wood is a 1st kyu student at Shinjinkan dojo in Houston, TX.

I still don’t know what Aikido is
by Arthur Gutnov

Aikido is the man on the bus
It’s his passive aggressive complexion
It’s the risk in his eye
The clenched fist and heavy breathing
It’s the crank in his breast pocket
And the bible in his bag
It’s you seeing the bible in his bag
Aikido is the man on the bus when you’re on the train.

It’s 20/20 transcendental vision
It’s hindsight and foresight and anti-tunnel vision
It’s knowing
It’s knowing by feeling
And feeling everything before doing anything
And fitting the world in a moment
It’s the choices you make
It’s picking a yonkyo at its prime
And plucking it only when it’s ripe
And soft and tender as the afflicted wrist will be.

It’s choking with disregard
But disregarding with compassion
Because sometimes it’s good to feel unsafe
It’s forgetting about your homework
At the peak of your break fall
And forgetting you’re alive on impact
It’s knowing what alive feels like

It’s endorphins pumping when you cant move
It’s you moving when you shouldn’t
In ways you shouldn’t
It’s taking three more steps where others would kneel
It’s 501 when 500 would suffice
It’s diligence and madness become one
It’s working to hold the intangible
And always having something to work on
Because Aikido is the limit
And I am the polynomial that just can’t reach
But Aikido is trying

Aikido is balance
Its finding life lessons cleaning mirrors
Its gods become men and men become nothing
Before becoming themselves
Sankyo is a reflection of you
Nikkyo is you
Kokyunage is as cognitive as it is motor
And generically speaking mind is body
And mind is Aikido
But body is its tool for expression
And Aikido is the man on the bus
But more importantly
Aikido is the man on the bus
When there is no bus.

Arthur Gutnov is a 3rd kyu and kenshusei student at Tenshinkan Dojo in Chicago, IL    

The Hays Daily News wrote an article on Toyoda Sensei after a recent seminar.

Martial Arts Club Seeks Peace, Positivity

9/17/2007 By MICAH MERTES
Hays Daily News

Aikido, the Japanese martial art, isn’t about hurting people or looking cool — if these are your motives, try drunken boxing or karaoke.

But aikido’s a philosophy, a way of life, a means of preventing violence, said Stephen Toyoda, the Zen master and director of the Aikido Association of America who visited Hays this weekend.

Link to whole article: http://www.hdnews.net/Story/Aikido091707

Some pictures of Toyoda Sensei teaching in Bulgaria this summer:

http://www.aikikai-bg.com/gallery/gallery21/index.html

Toyoda Sensei recently taught a seminar at Shoshinkan Dojo in Rhode Island.

Here are a few pictures from the seminar.

Memories of the 2007 AAA/AAI Japan Trip
by Jordan McClure

Trip pictures available at http://ninjaplatypus.com/photos/travel/Japan2007/

Prologue

The Land of the Rising Sun

I’d heard Japan called that all my life, but never really thought about it or knew why. My first morning in Tokyo, the origin was painfully apparent. By 5:30 am, the sun was already bright and high in the sky, shining right in my window. I’d arrived the night before, experiencing a culture shock unlike anywhere else in my travels. Unbeknownst to me, the express train from Narita airport dropped me off at world’s busiest train station at one of its busiest times. Shinjuku Station is used by 3.3 million people every day. That’s more than the entire city of Chicago.

I’d failed to meet up with my sensei and the rest of my group at the airport, and my cell phone wasn’t working, so I was on my own, with just a hotel name and a small map that didn’t list the hotel. As you might imagine, the world’s busiest train station is not a small place. In fact, the small blue rectangle for Shinjuku Station has more than 200 exits. Donning my giant backpack, I flowed through the swarm of people toward one of the main doors.

Walking through the doors, I left reality and stepped into a science fiction movie. I was in a plaza, packed solid with teenagers and college-aged kids as far as the eye could see in any direction. Off in the distance, the dusk sky glowed with the neon lights that perpetually light Tokyo’s night sky. The kids were well-dressed, just starting their Saturday night out on the town, hanging out in the plaza and talking with their friends. Nobody was moving. I asked a few people where my hotel was and they pointed directions. Miraculously, I was in the right place; the Shinjuku Prince hotel was visible in front of me, about a half mile in the distance. Way off to the left, I finally spotted a single-file line of people winding their way through the stationary crowd. I merged in, quickly flowing down the small incline to the Shinjuku Prince hotel.
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