The Great Secret of Martial Arts

Toyoda Sensei Seminar- Logan, Utah – Jan. 27-29, 2012

When Toyoda Sensei came to Logan, Utah, he brought with him the “great secret of martial arts,” which is . . . but perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself.  Before learning such an important secret, it is necessary to get back to basics with tai sabaki.

On Friday Toyoda Sensei taught the beginner’s Aikido class at Utah State University, followed by the first official seminar session.  Beginners and experienced aikidoka alike practiced a variety of techniques that all had one thing in common- an irimi entry.  Whether the attack was katatetori, katatori ganmenuchi, or shomenuchi, nage’s initial response was still the same simple entry.  This approach made it easy for students to explore a variety of techniques without wasting time trying to remember which foot went where, or whether to turn or step.  By the end of the evening, students were less concerned with the attack, and more focused on simply getting out of the way, and then calmly applying their technique.  As Toyoda Sensei said, this tai sabaki works, “whether it be a punch, or a kick, or a bus.”

Saturday morning was a tenkan-fest.  The session followed the same pattern of first becoming comfortable with the initial steps.   “This one simple tai sabaki gives options for many different techniques,” explained Toyoda Sensei as he began to apply the tenkan to various attacks and potential techniques.  Aikidoka were also taught to keep physical contact with their partner, so that if uke did anything unexpected, nage would be able to quickly respond.  These same principles were later applied to the afternoon weapons session.  After reviewing basic bokken strikes, everyone worked on partner exercises, with an emphasis on the tai sabaki, a good attack, and maintaining energy and contact between the two bokken.

After spending so much time on basic tai sabaki, Toyoda Sensei decided to share with us this all important secret:  “Do you want to know the great secret of martial arts?  Step or turn.  Shhhhh!!!!  Don’t tell!”

By Michelle Stevens
Mountain Path Aikido

Pinch Me!

Remaining hydrated is important during seminars, especially if there was a party the previous night… I learned this trick from my cat’s vet, and it works for humans, too. Pinch the skin on your forearm. If it jumps back instantly, you’re OK. If it takes its time to return, drink more water.

by Christine Dyer
Mountain Path Aikido

Jyushinkan Dojo in Logan, Utah recently had the privilege of hosting a seminar taught by Stephen Toyoda Sensei. All of our senseis highly recommended attending this seminar, but I wasn’t certain I wanted to participate. I was a little bit apprehensive because I had only attended one other seminar in my life, which I did not enjoy much. But my reservations were unfounded, and I had a lot fun this past weekend. It was wonderful to meet and work with other aikidoka who are as enthusiastic about aikido as I am!

One of the things that really resonated with me was how Toyoda Sensei used one simple principle in physics to describe all of our motions in aikido. He said that in physics, there is no such thing as pulling; you can only push. He then demonstrated with some taisobaki to illustrate this point. I’ve heard similar things throughout my aikido training, but this was the first time it really hit home and I actually understood it. Although I didn’t always remember this key concept throughout the weekend, it definitely helped me to see everything about aikido in a whole new way.

I was also struck by how helpful and encouraging all the other aikidoka were to me when I didn’t do a technique very well or didn’t understand something. We had a really good mix of aikidoka, people of all levels from 8^th kyu to 6^th dan.

One time when I complained about working with people better than me, saying that I was intimidated by them, a wise person told me that I should always try to work with people better than me; when you work with someone better than yourself, you will always learn something and improve your technique. This is so true! I learned so much this weekend, about aikido and about myself, by constantly working with people who had more experience than me.

After the Saturday morning session ended, as I looked around at people cleaning up, folding hakama,  and talking about aikido,  it struck me that we are truly blessed to be able to come together and enjoy this art that we love so much. I hope to enjoy aikido with all of you for a long time to come.  :)

by Emma Wright
Jyushinkan Dojo

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

AIF Seminar in Utah with Bill Bunn Sensei

The Aikido International Foundation presented a seminar in Utah led by Bill Bunn Sensei, Southeast U.S. Regional Director and rokudan over the first weekend in December, 2011, extending from December 1 through 3.  The theme for the training was “Aikido Fundamentals.”  Bunn Sensei taught Aikitaiso at Jyushinkan Dojo, Logan, Utah, Thursday evening.   Aikitaiso and their applications were the topics taught Friday evening at Utah State University for students who were enrolled in the Aikido physical education course.  USU students were joined by members of Jyushinkan dojo and Mountain Path Aikido in Logan, and Utah Aikikai and Intermountain Aikido in Salt Lake City for training at the Health and Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) facility on the USU campus.  Saturday training emphasized Taisabaki and applications, and was hosted by Utah Aikikai in Salt Lake City.  Students from Logan and the Salt Lake City area, including Mark Hugentobler Sensei’s Aikido Club of Utah Valley University in Orem, attended morning and afternoon sessions that emphasized Aikitaiso and Taisabaki fundamentals and applications, including weapons (jo nage) training.  Students attending the weekend training included those who had less than one month of Aikido to godan yudansha with many years of experience.  Throughout the weekend Bunn Sensei emphasized that Aikido fundamentals, including posture, balance, ki extension, and movements from the center, all related to Aikitaiso and Taisabaki, are critical building blocks for developing strong and consistent Aikido techniques.

Bill Bunn Sensei began training in Aikido in September of 1975 in Raleigh. NC. Ron Sims Sensei, Dojocho of Jyushinkan dojo, met Bunn Sensei in NC, and trained with him there in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  Bunn Sensei began his relationship with Fumio Toyoda Shihan, founder of the Aikido Association of America, in 1977.  He became pat of the A.A.A. Teaching Committee at its inception in 1994, and conducts workshops regionally and nationally.

The Aikido International Foundation’s purpose is to promote the art of Aikido around the world, and to foster quality, professional Aikido instruction.  AIF is a non-profit organization, and the seminar was a charitable event.

The Utah Aikido community extends a heartfelt gratitude to AIF and Bunn Sensei for the training, the positive energy, and the inspiration.

By Ronald Sims Sensei

(left: Bunn Sensei, right: Sims Sensei)

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

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