Aikido World

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

Toyoda Sensei  Seminar – Soshinkan Dojo – Nov. 4-6, 2011 in RI

I had the privilege of attending the AAA seminar on November 5^th at Shoshinkan dojo in Providence, RI.  There were many things about the weekend that made it extra special. This was our annual seminar when we host Toyoda Sensei. I always look forward to this particular seminar.  First of all it always falls during the week of my birthday so I get to think of it as an extended party (Twelve hours of shugyo!).  We got to come away with some new tools for our aikido “tool box” thanks to Toyoda Sensei’s fun-filled and vigorous instruction on a mix of basic and advanced techniques.  The Saturday evening dinner was catered by Testa sensei’s very talented father who never fails to impress (and stuff us to the gills). The informal entertainment was an ukemi Olympics of sorts.  There was long distance mae ukemi and human pyramid jumping and a beer tasting.  We also got to host our first dan level exams at the dojo and had four of them in total.   Thankfully, we were all given passing grades on our exams.  The seminar was a great gift not only for me on my birthday, but for everyone in attendance and for our dojo as well.  I stated in my nidan essay that the Aikido community is a great group of people.  That weekend was the perfect example.

Bruce Gillard, nidan

Shoshinkan Dojo
Providence, RI

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Click here for more pictures!

Aiki-Fest: November 18-20, 2011 in Puerto Rico

As always, eagerness is one of the first feelings one has when a seminar comes near (especially one that you have been looking forward to), so it was great to welcome again Stephen Toyoda Sensei to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico on this past November 18 – 20, 2011 for AAA’s Aiki-Fest 2011, hosted by Shushinkan Dojo.  The thrill was even greater because Toyoda Sensei was going to be co-instructing the seminar alongside Roy Goldberg Sensei, East Coast Representative of the North American Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu Kodo Kai (NADRAKK) and the highest-ranking student of Hawayo Kiyama Shihan, President and Chief Instructor of NADRAKK.  This would be Goldberg Sensei’s first time teaching in our area, so the weekend promised to be full of new experiences.

And so it was.  Throughout the seminar, Toyoda Sensei began instruction with his characteristic style:  open, friendly, inviting; showing us that through practice, Aikido is a journey we can all share and learn from, and that it can bring us together.  This, at times, might have been rather hard for him to transmit given that we were sharing the gymnasium facilities Saturday morning with a group having a volleyball tournament as a fundraiser (many moments of intense cheering and loud yelling from their part).  Yet, through action (and some hand gestures), Toyoda Sensei was able to communicate with all of us the intention of the techniques, beyond just the simple execution of them.

Goldberg Sensei then followed instructing.  It was the first time I saw Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu first-hand from such a high-ranking instructor with a traditional lineage.  Goldberg Sensei showed various techniques as they are taught for beginners, more Jujutsu-like, and how they are performed at the more advanced levels where the Aiki concept is ingrained.  I could not help but remark at how similar many of the techniques were, especially as they were shown with more Aiki and less Jujutsu.  It was interesting to see (and feel!) the connection Goldberg Sensei has with uke when being grabbed and how, with that alone, uke’s balance can be compromised.  This connection and sensibility definitely is something that all Aiki Arts should work to develop with the proficiency Goldberg Sensei has through his many years of training.

After Saturday’s seminar training, we had our customary official dinner.  This took place at a nearby restaurant known for its fresh seafood and which has a deck out in front of the sea, much enjoyed by our guests given our tropical climate lasts year-round.  Even though we had yet another day of training to go, it was there where the full experience of the seminar was complete for me.  When you are able to share with wonderful people inside the mat and see that they are just as much so outside, you know that there is a genuine interest in sharing their knowledge and experience, not only about Aikido or Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu, but about life.  In the mat we shared Aiki Arts, at the restaurant we shared great food and laughs. Throughout, we shared experiences, and this is what makes seminars like this invaluable.

Claudio Neves, Nidan

Fukushidoin, Shushinkan Dojo
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

EVERYONE welcome!

Moving from California (population 37,253,956) to Utah (2,763,885) had all kinds of benefits. Countryside, wide open spaces, great snow, etc. No crowds, hardly any traffic. But with the lack of people came a lack of aikidoka. Utah has dojos to be sure, each with a few advanced students, but they belong to different aikido organizations and rarely mingle. I missed Southern California aikido. I didn’t miss much else, except perhaps the food.

An aikido friend in Florida told me that he used to attend workouts open to all organizations. It seemed like a good idea, so I put out some feelers. Rich Sano Sensei, dojocho of Salt Lake Aikikai, was interested. I went with some other AAA members for a trial workout in September hosted by Sano Sensei. Salt Lake Aikikai is in a beautiful sports complex with a really nice mat. We decided on a no-teaching format – no teaching, no ego we hope! The idea is to train in a line and take turns to follow the leader’s technique. Everyone can do the technique in their own way. Pure fun!

Our first official workout on November 5, 2011 was open to anyone who could take the ukemi and keep up a reasonable pace as nage. It was attended by a dozen people, ranked 5th kyu through 5th dan. There were aikidoka from Salt Lake Aikikai (directly affiliated with Hombu Dojo), Yamaji Aikido (California Aikido Association), and four AAA dojos: Utah Aikikai, Aikido Club of UVU, Intermountain Aikido and Mountain Path Aikido. The 90 minute workout went by so quickly. Lots of laughs, making new friends, old friends playing hard… We’re looking forward to the next one.

written by Christine Dyer Sensei

Christine Dyer, Mountain Path Aikido, snags John Mckendrick, Yamaji Aikido

Yoshika Ramanujam, Intermountain Aikido, surprises Michael Saldivar, Mountain Path Aikido

A lot of hard work pays off:

Before…

After…

I’m very proud to announce that last friday we opened a new place for our headquarters for Shodokan dojo. Last month we worked very hard on this project which will be our new place for training.

Grand opening pictures: http://www.shodokan.si/aikido/galerija/2011-11-06/0/
Renovation pictures: http://www.shodokan.si/aikido/galerija/2011-10-10/0/

I must tell you that my dojo members helped me a lot, so I’m very happy to have all these people by my side.

Thanks and welcome to our new dojo

Matjaz Dobravec

Find yourself at a seminar

by Mark Castro:

“Do you like coming to these seminars?” When another Aikido-ka who was attending the Fall Camp asked me this, I gave pause to think about what he had said. After a moment, I said with all honesty, “Yes.” Over the years I have attended many seminars and camps, most of which have been on the west coast, I see the same instructors; Katz sensei, who brings, what seems like endless amounts of energy, Macbeth Sensei (Mr. Smooth) with his leading and connection (“be like Velcro” he says), Nakayama Sensei-focused and direct, and Dyer Sensei who is methodical and precise to details. These people, these instructors of Aikido, are guides on an endless journey. They seem to know what I do not know, and possess what I do not have. They possess this esoteric knowledge of both self and art that I hope to attain one day. To make it more plain and simple, I like to see them because I value and respect them as people. Upon further consideration I see that they are not just teaching us technique and philosophy. They are the living breathing spirit of the art of aikido, just as all of us who take part in this wonderful art. In the course of our daily lives we tend to forget that. We forget that we are all ambassadors of the Way to those outsiders who are not familiar with the art or even why we train and dedicate our lives to the practice of Aikido.

Aikido is a martial art unlike any other. Its main focus is not to simply defend yourself, but through the course of training refine the person you are, like water penetrating a stone. Going to seminars, for me, is another step on the path to personal refinement that leads to a much bigger and broader picture of life. I am sure we could all just go about our daily training at our respectable dojos, seeing those that we love to train with day in and day out, and although this is quite adequate, it could lead to, for some, stagnation. Seminars afford us the opportunity to train with other bodies; other minds that we otherwise would not have the opportunity to train with. It shakes things up a bit, and in doing so we have to adapt to these different personalities and situations in a more intimate setting than say an office or workplace. I trust these like-minded people with the integrity of my body and they trust me in return. Bonds of Friendships are made and strengthened, and although this comes with a price tag, so what? Everything does nowadays.

So again I will ask myself the same question, “do I like coming to seminars?” And I must answer-“hell yes I do”. Not only do I get to workout and sweat and become more proficient at defending my life against unwanted aggression, I am granted the opportunity to practice becoming a better person. I just hope one day that I am able to give back to the art as these magnificent instructors have, or maybe I am already.

Mark Castro, nage

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Tips I remember from the seminar

by Amjidanutpan Ramanujam

Nakayama sensei gave this amazing tip for how to listen:
- Listen to the speaker like you are hearing it the first time. With an open mind.
- Listen to the speaker as if the person is saying this for the last time. There is no do over.
- Listen as if the instructor is talking personally to you. Do NOT dismiss anything as non-applicable to you.

During the last session before the demo, Toyoda sensei gave us some much needed advice on how to make a demo look good.
- Uke starts with a lot of energy, utilize it to show case some of the fast techniques (eg: blending Kokyunage throws).
- Bring the fast-paced Uke’s energy to a stop using a surprise technique (eg: Irimi Attack)
- Now that Uke has slowed a little bit, start to do some pinning techniques (eg: Ikkyo, Kotegaeshi)
- Finish the demo with a final kneeling pin.

Amjidanutpan Ramanujam, nage – during a demo

Hello again.

My name is David M. Gonzalez I am a former student of the Jikishnkan Dojo under Sensei Joseph Jarmon.  I have not studied in quite some time. I had the honor of taking a seminar in Chicago with Sensei Toyoda once.  I would like to share with you what I have learned from you.

Aikido finds itself in places where one would least expect. Once it was taught to me that it was not about learning techniques or what you can read in book, but through practice.  I came across a car accident while driving. Two women were in their cars, and one seemed hurt. I urgently left my car and asked her if she was ok while calling 911 at the same time. She had back pain and I told her not to move; to breathe in and out slowly and try to relax. I asked her to look at my finger and follow it back and forth to make sure she was coherent. She was. Then I told her to stay still and relax until the police and ambulance arrive.

In the meantime there where cars that would not let a school bus pass because they were too busy watching the accident. Agitated, I found myself directing traffic and watching until the ambulance arrived. Is this Aikido, or is this just doing the right thing, or just being human? I think it is a combination of all. I thank everyone I had trained with because you where with me that day, practicing good Aikido.

David M Gonzalez
7th Kyu

TOYODA TENZAN ROKOJI – Rokoji means lay Zen Master.  It is a recognition of Toyoda’s high level of self-realization.  It is the highest honor that can be conferred in Zen to someone who is not a priest.  The only other Rokoji in the Chozen-ji lineage is Soshin Nagamine, head of Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate worldwide.

This title was given to him by Tanouye Tenshin Rotaishi, the Arch Bishop  of Daihonzan Chozen-ji in Hawaii.  Chozen-ji is the only Daihonzan(Great Mountain) or World Headquarter Zen temple of a Japanese Zen lineage outside of Japan.  This means that Toyoda Rokoji received the dharma transmission certifying his level of realization from Tanouye and joined the lineage of acknowledged zen teachers of the Chozen-ji line of Rinzai Zen.  This lineage traces back to Tenryu-ji(Heavenly Dragon Temple) in Kyoto and carries forth an  unbroken tradition 2500 years to the Buddha.

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