Summer 2014 - Aikido Institute

Transcription

photo courtesy of Richard Levitt
S UMMER 2014
2013
Volume XVI, Issue 7
5
Newsletter of the
AIKIDO INSTITUTE
Oakland, CA
THE INTERVIEW ISSUE
Hoa Newens Sensei
knows the martial artist's worst enemy
David DeLong Sensei
wants to train with you
THE KIAI
1
UKEMI MATTERS
Steve Kilmer Sensei
is all there is, you're missing half of
what ukemi is about.
"When the fall is all there is, it
matters."
T
hat line, from James
Goldman's “The Lion
In Winter”, can have
application to ukemi. Once you
are committed to taking a fall,
especially a high fall, the way you
do it matters. Your safety and
perhaps the safety of those around
you depends on how well you fall.
Awareness of your surroundings
and body during a fall is paramount.
But another thing to keep in mind
about ukemi is that when the fall
Ukemi begins the moment you
approach nage. Complete awareness
and focused intent not only improve
your overall aikido skill by helping
you to understand the technique,
it will provide nage with the
opportunity to train with that same
awareness and intent. If your attack
is a grab, grab firmly.
If your attack is a strike, strike and
kiai with all your energy. A firm
grab or energetic strike encourages
nage to move with energy and gives
AIKIDO INSTITUTE | SUMMER 2014
you the opportunity to connect to
that energy and move with nage
in a focused and balanced manner
during the pin or throw.
One way to maintain balance and
connection is to keep your shoulders
over your hips. Striking or grabbing
with your shoulders in front of your
hips sends your energy forward.
This makes it easy for nage to take
your energy in that direction into
a throw or pin. A balanced posture
with shoulders over hips enables
you to move in whatever direction
nage chooses to take you with a
throw or pin. A corollary of this,
THE KIAI
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from nage's perspective, is that nage is trying to shift uke's
shoulders and hips to create an imbalance in uke's posture.
Additionally, when grabbing, grab firmly with the hand
and loosely with your elbow and shoulder. Flexibility in
the joints eases the pressure on them and allows energy to
flow and enables you to smoothly follow the technique.
Once nage starts to redirect your energy and pin or throw
you, stay connected for pins and round for throws. How?
Practice. Nothing helps you do something well better than
practicing it, and nothing helps you practice aikido better
than being in class.
The last point about ukemi that should be mentioned is
tapping. Tapping not only lets nage know that you are
completely pinned, it is your way of letting nage know
when some part of the technique is causing discomfort. Be
prepared to tap at all times and don't be subtle about your
tap. To do its job, a tap has to be seen or heard. Most often
nage will hear a tap rather than see it, but nage can only
hear or see a tap that has some energy in it. Make your tap
like your kiai; make it big enough to fill the dojo.
Half of what you do in aikido is ukemi. Make it matter.
THE KIAI
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IN THE NEWS
HOA SENSEI SEMINAR &
DAVE LEWIN SANDAN TEST
O
n August 16th we had the
most amazing and inspiring
seminar by the inimitable Hoa
Newens Sensei. Many sensei can teach
but few can inspire. The techniques were
clean and so sharp, that it was almost
as if you’re seeing these moves for the
very first time. That’s the mark of a true
artist. It was an inspiring seminar to all
present. And a special thanks to all the
Davis gang that drove such a long distance
to be with us on this super occasion
(read his interview on the next page).
And congratulations to our newest
Sandan Dave Lewin! It was a brilliant test
and one of the best this reporter has ever
seen. Dave initiated the Sunday morning
classes at Aikido Institute. It’s one of the
most popular classes at the dojo. He has
also completed the Fukushidoin course
given by Hoa Sensei. He has become
a first class aikiodist and teacher.
THE KIAI
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INTERVIEW: HOA NEWENS SENSEI
Eduardo Guardarrramas
H
oa Newens Sensei
is a 7th Dan in the
Takemusu Aikido
Association and Aikido World
Headquarters. He has been
training in Aikido since 1967 and
is known for his clean techniques,
beauty of motion and elegance.
We were fortunate to have the
opportunity to interview him after
his seminar at the Aikido Institute
on August 15th.
Kiai: At your level what motivates
and inspires you?
Hoa Sensei: Student dedication
inspires me. Saito Sensei said that
Aikido is Family. That is very true.
When someone drives 40
miles to get to class and then 40
miles back just to train, this makes
me feel that I should be there for
them. I love the serious students,
their dedication to the dojo and
to Aikido. I see them training in
class. Then after a strenuous class,
I sit down and observe the students
just hanging out after class.
Training on the mat on their own;
that’s what warms my heart. Doing
rolls and different techniques,
and weapons work. This gives me
feedback and helps me discover
my inner self. Discovery of inner
self is the essence of life. The more
you give, the more comes back to
you, and the more you find out
about yourself. It keeps me going
because I see that it is worth it.
It’s like a circle of energy. I give
energy to the students, they use
that energy and then they feed
that energy back to me.
K: How does it feel to be a 7th
Dan?
HS: The best thing about being
a 7th Dan was my trip to Japan.
It was with my best friends
Kim, Bill Witt, Bernice Senseis.
Having our spouses along
certainly made it more enjoyable.
It was great to see old friends.
And it was great to train at the
Hombu dojo for the very first
time; in all the previous visits I
THE KIAI
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only went to Iwama. And
then of course, it was
wonderful to return to
Iwama. I had not been
there since 1997.
Meeting the
Doshu was a highlight.
These ranks of 6th and
7th dan make you the
personal representative of
the Doshu, and he has to
know who you are.
As for the
certificate, the students
were more excited about
it than I was. It looks
great and is very beautiful
and different from the
others. But after all is
said and done, it’s still
about the training. You
come back home, things
get back to normal, and
you continue to train,
and that’s where the
excitement is.
I don’t understand. Please
explain.
Do you enjoy training with
beginners?
Yes. I am attracted to
people who are open. Beginners
are open and welcoming. They
are a blank slate. They have to be
protected and you have to be very
careful with what you write on that
slate. I can see their improvement.
It’s feedback for my own growth.
After some time, if I see something
that they are doing that is wrong
and I wonder, where did they get
this from? And the answer would
be, they got it from me. So you
have to be very careful to instruct
them the correct way from the very
beginning. It’s a big responsibility.
It’s different than teaching the
higher ranks. Higher ranks
already come formed. They may
be interested only in showing me
what they know. The energy that
I expend on them is not returned.
You hit a wall. There is no
feedback. There is no echo.
Do you strive to improve your
techniques?
Yes, it’s impossible to continue
enjoying Aikido otherwise.
The worst enemy
of a martial artist is
arrogance.
When you have
arrogance, you shut
yourself out. You are
only projecting and not
receiving.
Let me explain
the cycle of the Martial
Artist: to excel in martial
arts, first, you drill the
basics. Drill, drill and
drill. Then you add
complex techniques.
Then add applied
situations (reversals,
variations).
But to master
martial arts, you reverse
the focus, stick with a
few techniques. Find
the essence of each
technique. Find the
underlying principles
that connect certain
techniques. Simplify
the motion. Reduce the
motion into stillness. Within the
stillness discover your real self.
Wow! That is a lot of information.
Thank you very much Sensei for
granting us this interview. This
certainly gives our readers a better
insight into the world of Hoa Sensei.
We hope to make it out to Davis and
train with you soon.
THE KIAI
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THE THIRD LEVEL
by Dave Lewin
A
month before my sandan
test, I went out to Hoa
Sensei’s dojo for a
Fukushidoin (‘Assistant Instructor’)
course. I think it’s fitting that I
should complete such a course
around the same time as my test,
and I have the following thoughts to
share on the subject:
An ‘Aikido Finishing School’
Somewhere along my aikido path
I feel like I’ve heard someone say
third dan is considered the level at
which, upon obtaining it, a person
can start their own dojo if they
feel so inclined. Supposedly it can
be considered like a professional
level –something like what the term
‘licentiate’ tries to get at.
That being the case, it seems
appropriate that there should be
some kind of special training or
preparation to address the concerns
of those in position to teach and
participate in the further spreading
of the art. To make a comparison,
it always seemed like a good idea to
me for schools of higher education
to have some kind of extra program
dedicated to prepping students for
the in and outs of Real Life™.
This must have been the feeling
I had in mind when, at the start
of the seminar, I remarked to
Eddie that it felt like an Aikido
Finishing School. Eddie got a
chuckle out of it, but I have since
looked up ‘Finishing Schools’ on
Wikipedia and it looks like the
term is specifically linked to places
in the past where rich parents sent
THE KIAI
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their daughters to prepare for being
wives, so I think it would be weird
to try and repurpose it here.
Ownership
In the business world people seem
to be using the term ‘ownership’ a
lot (perhaps because ‘responsibility’
isn’t inspiring us anymore?). While
those who use lingo to look the part
are annoying, the term itself can
be useful as a way of naming the
thing that a person accepts when
they realize that, because of position
or title, they have an obligation.
It’s also a way of saying, I know
this stuff –it is not just in a book
somewhere; it’s not some abstract
thing that I’m simply exposed to 4-5
times a week. No. It is mine. It is in
me. I own it, and I can show it.
Anyway blah blah blah; my
thinking is that if third dan is a
kind of ‘graduation’, it also seems
Teaching as Learning
continue progressing in the art is to
start to understand what it means to
teach others. In this light, the idea
is that, until a person is faced with
the task of re-presenting everything
they know for the purpose of
teaching someone else, they cannot
really be clear on what they know
and don’t know; until they go
through this, they cannot solidify
their knowledge –they cannot take
ownership.
This point has been belabored
in many texts across the span of
human experience, so no need to
beat a dead horse (what a horrible
saying!). However, I thought Hoa
Sensei made a specific point about
this that was really good and that
rang true for me. He said that one
of the main things that calls forth
Aikido students to want to teach it
is the feeling that one’s own Aikido
has hit a wall, and the only way to
I can relate to this notion. Teaching
Sunday morning class has given
me invaluable insight into what I
know and what I don’t; what I’m
good at and what still needs work.
It has forced me to examine my own
Aikido so that I can better know
how to transmit it to others… It’s
a cool thing to look at the Aikido
path I’ve traveled thus far, and see
how far I’ve come and know that I
can help bring others along.
appropriate that the student
should have a thorough review
of the material they purport to
have studied such that they can
teach others. So, for this reason
the seminar was opportune for
me because the ‘review’ aspect of it
was my way of reviewing the basics
that make up the core of Aikido
teaching.
THE KIAI
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IN THE NEWS
TAI SAI 2014
T
ai Sai is a celebration of
O’Sensei’s life. It is also
a celebration to honor all
the teachers who have gone before
us as a result of whose efforts we
can train in Aikido today. Tai Sai
is celebrated all over the world
and particularly in Iwama, where
O’Sensei spent the last years of his
life perfecting Aikido.
Needless to say, it’s a very big
celebration at Aikido Institute,
where dojo cleanup had taken
place for the previous 2 weekends.
The dojo was spotless, the day was
beautiful, the dojo was packed, and
the energy was high.
class, and it’s fun training with kids
(and they’re good).
It was a little different from
other days. Steve Sensei, dojo
cho, would read passages from
O’Sensei’s teachings, and we would
then proceed to train with that
particular passage in mind. It was
quite wonderful and you felt as if
O’Sensei himself were in the room.
But even more excitement was in
the air because it was announced
that there would be two nidan
tests after class. A nidan (2nd
degree black belt) is a very high
rank. And up for the rank were
two of the best: June Melchior
and Damian Kennedy. They did
not disappoint. The tests were
brilliant, balanced, full of energy
and beautiful to watch.
A rare thing was that the kids’ class
was invited to train with the adults.
That was a treat because they
brought even more energy into the
And then, an unannounced
THE KIAI
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AIKIDO TRAINING
Terry Slaman
September 11, 2014
Prologue
It has been three months since my
son, Elias, took his life. And all I
know for certain is that there is
beauty in life just as there is grief in
death. The two stand apart, each
carrying with it a place of profound
aloneness. -TS
(and not all of them at Chicago)
remain vivid in my mind for one
reason: the achievement of rank,
according to Akira Tohei, was
much like climbing a mountain –
each stop along the way (shodan,
nidan, sandan, etc.) – offered
a particular view of the world
and of oneself. This essay is not
about the test itself, but more
about my journey and its view.
May 5, 2013
I
t seems right to me that I am
sitting in my garden in the
early evening writing this nidan
essay because for those people
who know me know that my
garden is an ever changing – even
sometimes consuming – place of
retreat. I start most of my mornings
walking my garden, taking in the
sounds and the sights, and looking
to see nature as it enfolds. And
like my mornings, I usually end
the evenings much in the same
way. It was of a similar vein that I
approached my nidan training; each
day began with an intention, and
all of my training days and evenings
ended with an eye for reflection
and hopefully, understanding.
Most people who know me know
that I started my Aikido training
when I was 17 years old under
Shihan Akira Tohei. I was 23 years
old when I received my shodan,
and at that time, the youngest
female student at Chicago to have
acquired that rank. My memories
of those sixteen years of practice
My son, Eli, was diagnosed with
severe depression a couple of
years ago that manifested itself
in suicidal ideations. He tried to
commit suicide a few times, and
each time I was there to catch him
fall. I’d like to think he planned
it that way, but perhaps it was
just luck or a mother’s intuition
– either way, I remain in a state
of relief and even gratitude to
whatever higher power there is
– he is alive and thriving now. I
haven’t the words to describe the
despair he felt and the helplessness
I felt, but it left an impression on
us all. During those few years,
it was all we could do to make
it through a day. I learned that
depression is a monster, and when
it rears its ugly head there is often
a battle of forces between one’s
perception of reality and one’s self.
When I joined the Oakland dojo in
2010 it was mostly because I needed
something more than myself; I had
hoped my practice would help me
regain my center. Looking back, it
did just that, and more. I took my
nidan test in October 2012, after
having spent a year in an intensive
training period that was very much
like springtime in my garden; each
day something wonderful was
growing and emerging, and with
the aid of the sun and the rain –
and time – a renewed physical,
spiritual, and emotional strength
was building inside me. My training
taught me something incredibly
valuable; that each one of us brings
to the mat an array of experiences
that are cause for change whether
we like it or not. I am particularly
grateful to Sensei Kim for teaching
me the technical aspects of aikido
as well as his support in learning a
style that in many ways is foreign
to me. I also am indebted to Sensei
Steve for his innate ability to take
what’s technical to a deeper level
of understanding. And as many of
you know, I also train with Sensei
Kayla whose aikido style is full of
big movement – the kind of aikido
that I am most familiar with.
Finally, there are two people in
particular for whom I owe a debt
of gratitude: Vu and Fred.
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surprise: Kim Sensei presented Steve Sensei
with his 5th dan certificate. Thunderous
applause followed. What a wonderful feeling.
What a great day.
A huge pot luck followed. And a special thanks
to Lars Eric and Martha Holmes on being
recognized for their 10 years of teaching the kids
class. Super Congrats!
THE KIAI
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PRACTICING AIKIDO
Simona Andrea Yi-Balan
O
ne might think it’s too
early for me to talk about
Aikido as my lifelong
practice. After all, I only just
discovered it seven months ago. But
I will anyway, because ever since
my first class, I’ve had this deep
intuition that Aikido is important
to me, that it is one of the lessons I
want and need to learn well in this
life.
I had a similar realization with
yoga, when I found a good teacher
and started a daily practice six
years ago. Within a year of having
a daily practice I completed a 200hour certification program and
dared to start teaching. To make
room in my schedule for teaching
yoga, I had to give up practicing
Yongmudo, right after my green
belt test. Yongmudo, a Korean
self-defense oriented discipline,
combines several martial arts,
including Taekwondo and Judo,
and uses some of the same wrist
twists and joint locks from Aikido.
I liked the hard training and how
my body felt during and after class.
However, there were elements I
couldn’t resonate with. Yongmudo
emphasizes incapacitating the
opponent and inflicting pain
through punches, kicks, pressure
points and breaking joints.
But perhaps the most intense
system I practiced was called
Close Combat. It also included
elements of Aikido, as well as
of Jujitsu and Ninjutsu, among
others. When I was a teenager,
my sister and I trained for about a
year at home in her bedroom with
an instructor from the Romanian
Secret Services. Only a thin carpet
covered the hardwood floor, but
the instructor still taught us how
to roll. We also practiced with
knives and (toy) guns. Usually
he’d emphasize that the law can
protect us only if we respond with
a similar amount of force as our
opponent’s attack. However, I
clearly remember when he taught
us how to perform a kotegaeshi-
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like technique if someone held us
at gunpoint. He had a joyful glow
in his eyes when he mentioned
that the technique would most
certainly break the attacker’s finger
(the one that was on the trigger),
and would probably cause them to
shoot themselves. Great, so there I
was, a teenager, training my body
to perform a technique that could
actually kill someone!
I never wanted to learn how to
cause harm. There’s plenty of that
already. I thought I’d benefit more
from learning how not to cause
harm. In that sense, practicing
and teaching yoga gave me some
of the most rewarding insights.
The very first principle of yoga
is ahimsa, or non-harming. In a
typical yoga asana practice we
need to learn how not to harm
ourselves, meaning how to refrain
from pushing into stretches,
how to move with the breath,
how to avoid relying on planes of
weakness, how to use less effort
and relax more into challenges.
These lessons spread into our
mental-psychological world, and
we eventually become kinder to
ourselves, and the inner critic loses
its power. Once we accept ourselves
more, we become less judgmental
of others, and cause less harm to
those around us.
In addition to my yoga practice,
about three years ago I learned a
series of 16 qi-gong-like movements
developed by a Vietnamese monk,
practiced with a bamboo stick. One
of the moves is called “Wielding
the Sword.” I’ve been practicing
this about a couple times a week
on average for the past couple of
years, and it awoke in me a desire
to learn how to use a sword. I
started feeling that perhaps I used
to be a samurai in a previous life
or something. But aren’t swords
weapons meant to kill? How could
they teach me to do no harm?
This is where I was coming from
the day I finally decided to enter
the dojo and try out a class. I
had passed by the dojo regularly
for about two years, but felt too
intimidated to walk in. I had too
many expectations based on past
experiences. I thought I knew what
I was looking for and what this
was going to be like. I was wrong.
Instead, I encountered the mystery
of Aikido.
At first, I thought it was weird that
sometimes uke was just expected
to hold on so that nage can do a
specific technique. Who in the
real world would do that? In Close
Combat and Yongmudo, we always
made sure to immobilize our
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of aikido is universal love. But
because we are friends here and
care about one another, we attack
wholeheartedly, with intensity.
This seeming paradox of softness
and strength is what I teach in
yoga, and what I seek to embody.
Aikido is showing me how much
longer I have to learn to truly
master this: a lifetime.
opponent’s hand so that it couldn’t
be removed. But then I just let go
of what I had been taught, and
what I thought I knew, and I began
learning. And I learned that uke
holding on doesn’t just help nage
perform the technique. It helps
uke. There’s so much to learn
through ukemi, through being
on both sides of the attack. This
beautiful dance depends on both
parties participating fully.
I became fascinated with tai no
henko, morote dori kokyu ho and
kokyu dosa – the basic moves that
everyone must show on a 6 kyu
test, yet so complex! Every time, a
new layer of understanding reveals
itself. These basic movements
have taught me that there’s never a
moment when you can claim you
have learned an aikido technique.
If you do, you are stuck. Because
the truth is that learning is a
continuous process, and it flows in
spirals. Sometimes it seems like
you’ve regressed, that it’s harder,
that it makes less sense the more
you do it. And if learning were a
two-dimensional circle, that would
be true. But learning is threedimensional, it’s a spiral, and so it
has directionality. And it has no
end.
More than the complexity of the
techniques and the beauty of the
movements, it’s the underlining
philosophy and the warmth of the
community that keep me coming
back. We don’t try to break our
opponent’s joints. We don’t take
delight in their pain. We are taught
to avoid and mitigate conflicts, and
to care for our opponents, even as
we take control of the situation and
neutralize the violence. As Steve
Sensei said at the beginning of
this year’s Tai Sai class, the secret
I can already see how effective this
practice is. After only a handful of
aikido classes, I’ve lost a fear that
has been with me since surviving
bombings and shootings during
the revolution that overthrew
communism in Romania. One
day I just noticed that the fear had
dissolved away, as if it had never
ever been there. It’s not merely a
strength or self-confidence issue.
It is the connection, the blending
with whatever strikes at me that
dissipates fear.
By removing layers of tension that
have accumulated from unskillful
attempts at passing through life,
Aikido is teaching me a different
way, a way of flowing and blending
that is strengthening my spirit and
allows the universal love within
me to reemerge. For me, practicing
Aikido is a gentle and powerful
reminder to:
Accept and transform old patterns,
Integrate new ways of being,
Keep an open heart to all,
Invite the unknown,
Dare to blend with what attacks,
Offer gratitude and love.
THE KIAI
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IN THE NEWS
NEW NIDANS
Super Congratulations to the new Nidans who passed their tests during Tai Sai
Damian Kennedy
June Melchior
THE KIAI
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IN THE NEWS
APRIL KYU TESTS
Congratulations to the students who passed their Kyu tests in April!
Randy Seifert – 4th Kyu
Kirsten Williams – 3rd Kyu
Nadia Oka – 3rd Kyu
Susan Martinez – 4th Kyu
Vanyel Siegel – 3rd Kyu
Krysia Olszewska – 5th Kyu
THE KIAI
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IN THE NEWS
TED AND MELISSA: THEN COMES MARRIAGE
B
eyond any shadow of doubt,
the social event of the
season was the wedding
of Melissa Siew and Theodore
Rose. Ted, as his friends call him,
stopped his Aikido training for
many years, to pursue the many
other adventures that life gives us.
But in 2010, he showed up for the
dojo's 40th anniversary celebration,
and the Aikido bug hit him again.
This time, he brought with him a
beautiful girl named Melissa. Mel,
as her friends call her, had been
a serious student of wushu in the
past. She loved it but wasn't able
to continue. She thought she'd
never wear a gi again. Well, that
all changed because both of them
come to class regularly and have
become major dojo personalities.
Aikido couples are very rare and
are a very big deal. Oh, and did I
mention, they are both doctors at
Highland hospital in Oakland.
The wedding was phenomenal;
complete with Organ music, Ringbearer dogs, Mariachi players,
and Dragon dance. There was
exceptional food and drink. And a
great DJ. It will be remembered for
a very long time. Congratulations
to both of you!
THE KIAI
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THROUGH THE EYES OF A FIRST TIME GASSHUKUER!
Krysia Olszewska
I
was very lucky to have my
first Gasshuku experience at
the 25th anniversary at Lake
Tahoe. From meeting and training
with people from opposite sides of
the world, to chilling in the jacuzzi
(maybe boiling would be a more
accurate verb to use there), it was
an unforgettable three days.
Kathy Sensei, Damien, Ella, and
I, all drove up together on Friday,
which meant I got to skip school,
so that was of course a great start
to the day. On the way, Ella and
I practiced our parody song of
Blackbird, “Black Belt”, a few
times, but judging from how it
turned out, we probably should
have practiced more!
We got to the house, and my first
impression was, “This place is
huge!!!”. You see, I was expecting
a sort of two or three room shack.
We all rushed upstairs, asserting
our sleeping spots before they were
all taken like black belts on the
mat, within seconds. Soon enough,
nearly everyone that was arriving
that day was at the house, and we
all got ready to leave for the first
lesson.
Although there were not too many
people on Friday day compared to
the other days, it was still a special
class for me, because there were
more trainees in one spot then I
had ever seen before, and it was the
first time I had trained anywhere
other than the Aikido Institute.
I was surprised to see that the
Gasshuku was taking place in a
school gym, and as I walked in, I
spun around a few times, trying to
find where the make-shift Shomen
was located. I bowed, and after
dressing, talking with people from
other dojos, and stretching for half
an hour (we got there really early),
people began assembling in nonrank order lines, which I suppose
made sense judging by how many
THE KIAI
18
people there were, but it was something I didn't expect.
During the training, at first overwhelmed by how many
people there were, I just bowed into people from our dojo,
but soon enough, made it a goal to train with as many
others as possible. It was really interesting to see how
people from various places did techniques differently.
After bowing in to someone and utilizing the classic, “Hi,
What's your name? Where are you from?” questions, I
tried making a mental chart of how people from different
dojos did techniques differently, and how it felt training
with them. For one, most of the other dojos had lighter
grip, and the front foot in their hanmi's was more turned
out then ours.
Over the next few days, more people showed up, and I
still remember the thrill of listening to the teacher, yet at
the same time carefully planning my every move to figure
out which new people to bow into for the next few turns.
Sometimes that would require running across the mat to
the other side when the teacher clapped, which was tricky!
A few times, my plan would not work as well as expected
though, and I would be left without a partner. On the
bright side, that meant I could pick any group to join, like
groups with Bernice Tom Sensei or Hoa Sensei!
Although the class was more solo practice, than partner
practice, one of my favorite parts of the whole Gasshuku
was Bernice Tom Sensei’s outside weapons class.
Although I didn't really know the 13 Jo kata then, and
had to keep looking at Eddie, practicing it with the wind
through my hair and the sunshine on my skin, I swear I
felt like Avatar the Last Airbender.
It wasn't just the training that was super fun though. I
loved it all, from Simona's mini partner yoga demo outside
(Ella and I are still obsessed with attempting to do those
poses), to eating boysenberry pie at midnight (whoever
brought those is a god), to listening to the “wonderful
rendition” of the Octopus Song at the dinner, and
performing Black Belt with Michelle, Ella, and Richard!
Overall, there was only one problem with the Gasshuku
this year. I plan to go for years to come, and now, thanks
to my first Gasshuku having been the 25th anniversary,
the expectations are set very high!
THE KIAI
19
DAVID DELONG SENSEI: AN INTERVIEW
Damian Kennedy
Dave DeLong Sensei is a precious
Natural Resource. He is available
over Facebook and seems always up
for a chat.
We have had quite a few of these
exchanges. Or one long one that
has spanned a period of months,
depending on your point of view.
Anyway, what follows is an excerpt
from one of these conversations
where he made a very interesting
and beautiful point about Aikido
and its relationship to the world,
about connections, partners, and
competition. He seems very open to
any kind of question you might ask.
So I may have pushed the envelope a
little, but he blends and throws very
elegantly.
Note from David DeLong:
I’m flattered that Damian
thought enough of my remarks
to share them. This started
out as a personal chat, so some
ideas expressed are truncated,
incomplete. I hope nothing offends.
If anyone has any questions they
should feel free to contact me.
I
D
ave DeLong Sensei: Here's
the deal about the video
[commenting on posting
the video of his 5th Dan demo].
First, although there's plenty to
critique, it was done as a "Thank
You" to Kim Sensei and all my
other teachers and training
partners. So I'd like to offer it up
on that level.
Second, it would be great to have
something to post to the dojo
page beside pictures of flowers, or
shares from elsewhere.
On the other hand, it's not a
spectacular demo on the level of
Saito Sensei, Tissier Sensei, or
Toutain Sensei, and posting it
would subject it to comparison on
that level. So, I don't know.
THE KIAI
20
Damian Kennedy: True victory is
victory over oneself, right? I don't
know how long those other folks take
to prepare for a demo they're giving,
but it's probably longer than you
took.
DDL: Well, they get to train every
day, teaching class, too. How
wonderful that is. I'm one who will
never take for granted my time
on the mat with other aikidoka.
Anyway, I've had class by myself
for 3 days running now (suiting up,
bowing in, rolls, 2 step, techniques,
and lots of sweat) so I feel good
about that. But having a training
partner would be nice.
DK: Do you feel like you "deserve"
your promotion? Can I ask? Is that a
rude question?
DDL: Yes, I do. Very few people
would persevere thru considerable
adversity for purposes of "selfforging" (supposedly the actual
"point" of training) as much as I
have, especially if they didn't have
the social perks that come with
a dojo. Also I've been constant in
my support of Kim Sensei and the
Oakland dojo although I've had
limitations on my capacity to show
it. I always try to leave a piece of
myself on the mat when I come to
Oakland, (well, not a bloody piece,
hopefully) a spiritual piece. Beyond
the advancement, I'm interested
in technical improvement and
growth, and a "re-sharpening" that
an intensive such as preparing
for the demo brings, and that is a
source of frustration which I just
have to deal with sometimes. I
would continue training as I am
able regardless of whether I was
promoted or not.
I'm interested in the advancement
of Aikido for cultural reasons,
too. I think it fulfills something
that American culture is lacking. I
think American society is deficient
in certain ways, and I'd like to see
Aikido expand its horizons.
Uh. yes, that was a rude
question (just kidding).
DK: What is lacking in American
Culture that Aikido can fulfill?
DDL: Well there are social forces
that are xenophobic, culturally
arrogant, and ahistorical. There
is an over-emphasis on winning
and material acquisition. There's
an emphasis on a dominance/
submission, sociobiological
instinct-driven sense of worth. Us
vs. Them. Aikido is transcendent.
The fact that the birth of Aikido
came at the end of the Japanese
Empire and was born in the
crucible of near starvation and
subjugation of the Japanese at
the end of the war is not a small
matter.
Aikido as an institution
is prone to the same forces and
problems of all institutions, and
it can theoretically become as
corrupt as American football.
Right now it's a breath of fresh
air into the American experience;
the right kind at the right time.
Eventually we are going to be
a global community of people
rubbing elbows every which way
we turn. We're not going to be able
to afford tribalistic or nationalistic
paradigms of superiority and
dominance and raw aggression.
Aikido and O'Sensei give us a
model for moving beyond that.
That's one reason I don't like to
think of Aikido as a religion.
Anyway, I got to mop
the floors. I'll be around, though.
Thanks for the questions.
II
But O'Sensei himself was extremely
religious. Do you think it's necessary
to understand Shinto to have a better
understanding of Aikido?
O'Sensei was very religious and
very "spiritual". I arbitrarily define
"spiritual" as pertaining to all those
questions we have about life and
the meaning of existence, etc. and
religion as the answers to those
questions. So we pretty much
all share the same spirituality,
but religion tends to divide us,
especially when its role as a sociopolitical force tends to drown out
its more personal aspects. This is
a long topic, so I'll try to cut to the
chase. "State Shinto" took Japan
down the path of destruction.
Likewise, Hitler fanned the flames
of "passion" (no pun intended) of
Christians in Germany before
he took total power. Christian
Nationalism seeks to do the same
now in this country.
I suppose you see that more in TX
than I do in my comfortable Bay
Area Bubble. How does Aikido
give us the model for transcending
national barriers? Do you mean by
traveling to places to train? Learning
from international teachers?
THE KIAI
21
Japanese spirituality is pretty
much an amalgam of Shinto
and Buddhism. Omoto kyo was
a modern sect, with a funny
relationship to "state Shinto". The
point I'm getting at is context.
O'Sensei was religious but he
didn't necessarily expect his
students to share his religion. He
did expect them to get the sense
of the spirituality, though, or
he wouldn't have lectured them.
That's my take. I think it is a good
idea if aikidoka study Japanese
culture broadly. That includes
Shinto, the language and history.
I would have worked harder at
the language and would have tried
harder to go sooner for a longer
period of time if I had known then
what I know now.
As for the Kami, and
the bowing, etc., I put a secular
"mindfulness" interpretation on
those things.
So, anyway, no I don't
think it's necessary to understand
Shinto beyond a certain level.
About transcending
national barriers. You're right.
That started early on, and Saito
Sensei encouraged it further
by inviting students to Iwama.
People of all beliefs and races can
train as long as they obey dojo
rules. Anyway, it still gets back
to "true victory over oneself ". So
I'm going to the dojo. Thanks
for the questions. It gets lonely
around here, as you can tell by my
answers. I never get to talk.
If you could go to Iwama to train
at one of the dojos there without
political conflict, which one would
you choose?
That's a fiendish question. I wish
the answer was "both". Right now
I'd probably go to the original dojo
because I have a lot of respect for
Inagaki Sensei based on what I've
seen of him so far. You are a fiend,
Damian.
I know; the Saito Sensei connection
is strong in our dojo, so obviously I
had to ask.
I know. Curtis [Mitchell; his
former student] visited Hitohira
Saito Sensei [Morihiro Saito
Sensei’s son]. I like him. I liked
his teaching in Iwama when I was
there.
What would you advise a student
from our dojo to do, if it were up to
you?
I think Inagaki Sensei is a sincere
"preservationist" of Saito Sensei's
teaching and if it were my first trip
I'd want to be in the birthplace of
Aikido, walk in O'Sensei's literal
footsteps. Have meals in the
original shokudo, etc.
That makes sense.
III
So. July 18. That, turns out, is the
day of my Nidan test. Any thoughts
on kaeshi waza?
The shiho nage progression and
the irimi nage progression are
THE KIAI
22
fairly accessible.
[On irimi nage] First
opportunity, you grab the hand as
for sankyo and turn out, put your
other hand behind their knee,
drop them.
Second, you lift their arm
as they start to throw and reverse
it on them and do irimi nage.
Third, you grab their hand
again as for sankyo as they start to
go over, lift it and do sankyo, or do
koshi nage.
Last one is a sutemi (if I
remember correctly, where you fall
and take them over).
Shiho [nage kaeshi waza]
I think we do from Yokomen.
There's a kokyu nage, a kote
gaeshi, and a shiho nage. I'm a
little fuzzy on them. I can picture
them.
First, you extend down and
keep your elbow under, then you
swing around and airplane your
fingers down to access the kote
gaeshi grip, then you swing around
and back for the shiho nage. I
think, something like that. Pretty
easy to pick up.
Nikkyo, elbow to stomach,
do irimi nage, rotate thumb down,
catch the sankyo, then there's one
where you go all the way down and
turn their knee out, I forget how
that goes.
I find the nikkyo reverses
to be the most difficult. Timing
is critical, on the nikkyo reverses.
You have to catch them before they
tighten up the connection, then
you have to catch them just as they
try to pull your elbow in and direct
it where you want it.
Is that to say that there's always an
opening, or am I supposed to create
one?
Theoretically speaking, one of the
main tenets of Iwama style is that
we are doing the technique in such
a way as to eliminate the openings
for counters, and O'Sensei said
something similar about budo in
general
The kaeshi waza are supposed to
teach where the openings are so we
can further refine our technique
where the techniques tend to break
apart?
Some openings may be brief,
like when someone's about to do
nikkyo but they don't have the
base of your thumb tight enough
on their shoulder.
Strong people can always
resist weaker people, but you're
really only supposed to resist to
help them get better. A beginner
who's strong needs to suppress
his strength somewhat so he can
learn technique, because he will
eventually run into someone
stronger.
So, for kaeshi waza, it's
more important to learn the
openings and the timing than
it is to force a counter through
strength alone.
"Strength" seems to be a tricky
concept!
That's true. There's a fine line to
be followed. If strength is totally
eschewed, then a lot of sloppy
technique follows. If strength
is overemphasized, then the
strong prove they’re stronger
than everyone else and no one
learns and progresses. Everyone
is supposed to progress. I'm
supposed to help my partner
progress.
That just helped me to understand
something else! Thanks! “I'm
supposed to help my partner
progress." is how aikido is supposed
to help "heal the world" or whatever.
You're welcome. That spirit; that
idea! We are all supposed to help
our "partners" progress.
Right. Something we can make
tangible and actually do. And
(beyond a "martial" practice)
competition is opposed to that
idea.
Well, "good sportsmanship" can
manage that in a competitive
sport, but that's an antique idea.
Now it's just "Just win, Baby." To
go Oakland on you.
Well I read an interesting bit on
Pranin Sensei's site [aikidojournal.
com]; one of the chief reasons
O'Sensei eschewed competition was
a practical budo reason: once it's a
rules-based competition, it isn't budo.
It's no co-incidence that Aikido
was fully realized at the end of
WWII by the "losers".
Also, if you don't have
rules, then you run out of partners,
if you're the last one standing.
And, outside the dojo, there are no
THE KIAI
23
IN THE NEWS
rules and so aikido may give you the
perspective that all connections are
from partners.
FUKUSHIDOIN
CERTIFICATION SEMINAR
Exactly. You can just rip someone's
throat out if you need to.
Well that’s...darker than I was
thinking but yeah I suppose.
Ha. There's a lot to consider.
Hopefully we're learning about
space, and relative distance and
how to enter into someone's space
and how to receive people into our
space. And focus and alignment,
relative to the other.
In the dojo, the spiritual
element is pretty much completely
covered under the word
"Gratitude". An attack is a gift,
and we are grateful to our training
partners. We reinforce that over
and over and over.
So hopefully we can
be aware and receptive at the
same time outside the dojo.
Theoretically.
Man, that takes some doing, though.
That's true. So much more than
just physical training. And we
all get stressed out or bent out of
shape sometimes. Or most people
do. Getting in our own way. I
should know.
Do you get in your own way a lot?
Not necessarily a lot, but there
have been some times when I could
"have done things differently".
T
he Seminar took place
on July 11-13 at Aikido
Institute Davis and was
given by Hoa Sensei. This is a
comprehensive, intense, crash
course on everything about Iwama
Style Aikido as recognized by the
Takemusu Aikido Association. It
is intended for Aikido instructors
and assistant instructors. It
was a review of all the tai jitsu
techniques, weapons, history,
customs, relationships, and more.
It was not just a review, it was how
to teach these techniques. Four
members of the Aikido Institute
attended the class. They were
Ted Rose, Dave Lewin, Eduardo
Guardarramas, and Lily Kelsey.
With surprise visits from Kim
Sensei and Dave DeLong Sensei.
But nobody's perfect.
As Dave Lewin said, “It’s like a
finishing school for Aikido”. 3
hours on Friday night, 9 straight
hours on Saturday, and then
another 3 hours on Sunday
morning. Plus the drive from
Oakland to Davis.
It was exhausting. Every muscle
and joint hurt. It was so much
information that the head
exploded. Would I do it again?
Was it worth it?
You bet. I have never learned so
much. It solidified Aikido. It gave
it shape. There is a difference
between training and teaching.
Thanks to the Aikido Institute
for letting us register, and thanks
to Hoa Sensei who did such a
phenomenal job. (Dave Lewin
mentions the seminar in his
Sandan Essay. page 6).
THE KIAI
24
IN THE NEWS
2014 MEMORIAL DAY GASSHUKU
T
his year marked the
25th Anniversary of the
Memorial Day Weekend
Gasshuku in Lake Tahoe. Over 200
aikidoists attended. The Aikido
Institute was very well represented
with 35 of our members attending.
We rented a big house and almost
all of us fit into it. (see Jim’s article,
White Belt City on page 26).
The big news was that Inagaki
Sensei was coming from Japan
to train with us. That’s a very big
deal. He is an 8th Dan and general
manager and instructor at the
Ibaraki Shibu Dojo. Born and raised
in Iwama, he became O-Sensei’s
student in 1958.
Sensei is in his late 60’s. Very soft
spoken. His aikido was flawless,
effortless and graceful. But what
impressed this reporter the most
was his flexibility. “You have to be
like an octopus” he said (in Japanese
of course). What did he mean?
Then he proceeded to do a perfect
split on the mat, put his complete
torso flat on the mat, including
shoulders and arms, while still
holding the split, and wiggle his
whole body like an octopus. It was
incredible.
Highlights were: Dave DeLong
Sensei (5th Dan) giving his demo,
with Vu, Damian, and Jacob as
ukes; Kim Sensei teaching on
Friday night; discovering that people
actually eat bananas and peanut
butter; and discovering that Toby
had an identical twin.
And then there was the Saturday
night dinner: Steve Sensei and Craig
clean up really well. We were by far
the rowdiest group in the dinner.
We all sat in one big long table.
We’d start a toast at the front, and a
wave would form all the way down
the table, and by the time it got back
to the front, it was a different toast.
Actually, Deborah Sensei started it.
We toasted everyone. We were loud
and wonderful.
Another thing I discovered was
that the Japanese take their singing
and dancing very seriously. Inagaki
Sensei did his famous Octopus
dance and sang. Very dramatic.
All in all, it was the best Gasshuku
this reporter had ever attended. And
Oakland Rocked!
THE KIAI
25
THE KIAI
26
WHITE BELT CITY
Jim Beno
W
hen I saw the long
list of names on
the 2014 Memorial
Day Gasshuku sign-up sheet,
I thought “there’s no way
all those people will fit in
the house!” Also, sleeping
arrangements are based on
rank. The higher your rank,
the better your chances of
having a room, a bed, or at least
something soft. Last year, I
slept on the f loor in a corner of
“the dorm” (earplugs required).
After class one night, we were
talking about how it might be
nice to camp outside under the
stars – we’re in Tahoe, after
all. So Randy Seifert, Susan
Martinez and I decided to
bring our camping gear. With
each of us bringing a tent,
sleeping bag, and sleeping pad,
my Jeep was bursting at the
seams. We almost had to dump
Susan’s salad, but it fit once we
removed the hermetically sealed
Styrofoam cube.
When we arrived in Tahoe,
the weather was beautiful. We
setup our tents right away, as it
might be a bit more challenging
after the evening party. We
picked a spot on the far edge
of the backyard, hoping Dave
DeLong Sensei had enough
room to throw his ukes around
without crashing them into our
tents.
This is when we started hearing
references to our tents as
“bear feeders.” As we all know,
there was a bear sighting at
last year’s Gasshuku (see the
Summer 2013 issue of the Kiai
for irrefutable photographic
evidence). I noticed the
backyard was partially fenced
in, so took some small comfort
in that.
You might have a romantic
notion about sleeping under
the stars, but here’s the
THE KIAI
27
IN THE NEWS
THE SWIM
reality. I was breaking in some
lightweight gear that I bought
for a backpacking trip. While
Randy had a palace with a
foyer entrance, I basically had
a tube. I crawled in head first,
and backed out feet first. It
was steaming hot when we
setup our tents in the sun,
and freezing cold at night.
Luckily, my down sleeping bag
kept me warm, but it was too
warm! I spent most of the night
alternating between sweating
in my sleeping bag, or freezing
after I unzipped it.
When I finally managed to
pass out, I remember dreaming
about a grassy field, when
suddenly there was an explosion
with dirt f lying everywhere.
I was startled awake by
something, even though I was
sleeping with earplugs. I pulled
them out, heard a dog barking
in the distance, and went back
to sleep. The next morning
over breakfast, I found out that
some people heard a gunshot in
the woods.
The next night, we were all
thinking of that gunshot as we
crawled into our “bear feeders.”
I finally figured out the right
amount of clothing to wear
in my down sleeping bag, and
slept much better. I can’t say
the same for Randy though.
Apparently Vu Ma crashed his
tent in the middle of the night,
and slept in his foyer. He’s
lucky he wasn’t mistaken for a
bear!
S
eptember 21st marked
the annual Swim Across
America SF. It is a 1.5
mile swim from the Golden
Gate Bridge to Marina Green
to fight cancer. This year they
raised over $500,000.00 for
pediatric cancer research in our
own community.
There were 277 swimmers, and
our very own Susan Martinez
was one of them. Susan is one
of those gals that, upon reading
her entries on facebook, this
reporter gets exhausted.
Swimming, bike riding, rock
climbing, hiking, you name it,
she does it. Add to that her full
time job at Children’s Hospital
and her aikido training
schedule, and you get a real
first class athlete. Where
she gets all that energy and
enthusiasm, nobody knows.
She is just awesome.
Congratulations Susan!
THE KIAI
28
CHILDREN'S DAY
Jacob Clapsadle
F
ive weeks in, I may have
gotten a little crazy about
raking the Aiki Jinja. There
were always plenty of chores to do
around the Iwama dojo- cleaning
the kitchen and bathrooms,
tidying up the uchi deshi space,
washing the mat and floors of
the dojo itself, and tending to
the garden, just to name a few.
Caring for the Jinja, the shrine
to Aikido and O'Sensei, seemed
most important, a really special
privilege, and something I wanted
to do right.
Cleaning the Jinja grounds was
listed on the uchi deshi schedule
as a daily chore, to be done each
morning before 6am class. When I
first arrived, there were seven others
staying at the compound, with
Mark, who had been there almost
a year, leading the way. The temple
building which houses the shrine is
not large, and we only cleaned inside
it two or three times per month, but
the surrounding grounds covered a
good four acres of land, including a
wide plot of sand about half the size
of a football field. Raking the sand
was the most time-consuming job
we had to do.
It didn't seem like a big deal at
first, just a matter of cleaning
up some leaves, but a tidy,
systematic approach was needed,
so that we ended up with even
rake lines across the width of the
sand and not just messy chickenscratch. Right away I messed
it all up. Logically, it seemed
like I could just start at one
side and walk across, dragging
a rake behind me, but this just
THE KIAI
29
choked the rake with a mushy mix
of sand and leaves, and plowed a
furrow into the ground. It didn't
help that the rakes we had to use
were made of thin bamboo, often
toothless, and seemed to be at least
a century old. A better method
employed short, precise strokes,
hard enough to catch the leaves
but light enough to leave the sand
behind, and always in the same
horizontal direction. This left
the sand looking nice and clean,
but it took practice, and it was
maddeningly slow. Once the sand
was finished, we would rake the
stones around O'Sensei's statue,
and the little ceremonial fountain,
then load all the leaves into a large
handcart, and wheel them over to
a massive pile at the edge of the
grounds. Even with eight of us
working together, the process took
over an hour.
The leaves never stopped falling.
I'm still not sure what kind of
trees were lining the park, or why
they dropped so many leaves in
the middle of the spring, but they
were large and healthy and seemed
to have an endless abundance of
foliage. The sand would be all
nice and clean and orderly every
morning when we finished, but
come mid-afternoon, without
fail, a little breeze would sweep
down from the mountain, over
the rice paddies and into the
branches, shaking loose another
day's litter. Visitors would come
to pay their respects to O'Sensei
and leave their footprints on our
blank canvas. Sometimes, a pair
of little boys would ride their
bikes across the sand on their
way to school. They would shout
"Helloooo! Hiiiiiiiii!" when they
saw us. Sometimes I shouted back,
but they didn't know how to say
anything else in English.
As time went on I got better at
raking, but I was getting less help
as the other deshi began to head
back to their respective homes.
First the big group from Brazil
was gone, then the two guys from
Italy departed. One day, Mark
heard the joyful news that his baby
daughter was being born, and I
was on my own. Still, I tried to
keep up with the falling leaves as
THE KIAI
30
best as I could, waking up earlier
each morning, and sometimes
going back out after lunch.
One afternoon in early May, there
was a rare holiday for the dojo,
during Japan’s “Golden Week”.
I was taking the opportunity to
finish up my raking and get the
front of the Jinja nice and clean.
Enjoying the sunshine and sweet
spring breeze, I was still feeling a
bit depressed. There was just so
much work. Despite all my efforts,
there were too many details to
attend to, and not enough time
in the day. I supposed this was
normal, that an uchi deshi’s
work was always frustrating,
but it was starting to seem like
a metaphor for Aikido itself. As
I put in more and more hours of
practice, I noticed more flaws in
my technique, more lapses and
openings in my awareness. Was
I really getting any better? Like
the leaf covered sand beneath my
rake, the work of budo was never
finished.
My contemplation was interrupted
by a small, enthusiastic voice:
“Heloooo! Howareyooouu!” It was
the little schoolboys, joking and
laughing with each other. They
must have been only eight or nine
years old, and they weren’t on
their bikes today, bringing a wideeyed little brother in tow instead.
He couldn’t have been more
than five. “I’m good!” I chuckled,
“How are you today?” They didn’t
understand, but little brother
wanted to help- he picked up an
extra rake and started scratching
around in the small stones in
front of the jinja. He couldn’t have
chosen a trickier place to start. I
had been trying to get all the little
stuck leaves into a pile for the last
half hour, and his efforts were just
making things worse.
The older boys were getting
nervous “Stop that!” they scolded,
“You’re not allowed! Give him back
the rake!” Actually I have no idea
what they said, but it sounded
something like that. I just laughed,
patting the soft pile of leaves in
my pushcart. “Tell you what, I
need a break anyway, why don’t we
take a little ride?” My proposition
was met with blank stares. “Don’t
be shy,” I put one foot up on the
cart. “It’ll be fun!” The tallest boy,
sporting a baseball cap, finally
took my meaning and consulted
excitedly with his friends. Little
brother was all for it, and they
agreed that baseball cap should go
first.
The pushcart was large, wooden,
with soft rubber tires and a rusty
metal bar to pull it around. I
grabbed hold of it, dug in my heels
like a Clydesdale horse, and we
were off. My passenger screamed
with glee as the cart clattered over
the stones, across the sand, and
bounced high over the protruding
tree roots. His buddies ran along
behind us, and when I paused by
the leaf pile to catch my breath,
they both climbed aboard.
“So much for taking turns,” I
muttered, and threw my weight
against the bar to get us rolling
again. I ran the cart in a wide circle
around the property, past the
jinja and the tanren tire, beyond
the knuckle-pushup log and the
yokomen-strike tree trunks, and
back through the baby bamboo
shoots. The boys were shouting
something like “Faster, faster!” and
little brother almost fell off the
back of the cart in his excitement.
At the time, I was in pretty good
shape from training so much,
but after a few go-rounds I was
huffing and puffing pretty hard.
“Okay guys, you win,” I let the
bar drop to the ground. “You’ve
got me beat!” They jumped back
to the ground, and not sure what
to do next, became suddenly shy.
Baseball cap shouted “Thank you
very much!” and the three of them
abruptly ran from the premises,
with little brother struggling to
keep up. Just that quickly I was
alone again with my thoughts, my
rake, and the gentle wind brushing
the leaves across the sand. It was
a mess. There were tire tracks
everywhere, and half the leaves
I had gathered in the cart had
spilled out again all over the
place. I looked up at the statue of
O’Sensei, still keeping a stiff, stern
watch over the Aiki shrine, and I
wondered if I should be ashamed
to act so childishly. I started
raking again. Somehow, I don’t
believe he would care.
THE KIAI
31
IN THE NEWS
JUNE 13TH
J
une 13th was the final kid's class of the
season. It’s a tradition that on this day, the
kids are allowed to train with the adults
and then pizza and a movie round off the rest
of the day. Lars Eric and Martha do such a
great job with these kids, that they always kick
the adults’ butts during class. This year was no
exception. These kids are remarkable and don’t
realize how good they are. And their energy
lasts forever. Way to go gang. See you next
season. See Martha’s article on working with
the kids, next page.
THE KIAI
32
CHILDREN'S DAY
Martha Holmes
I
don’t know why people are
afraid of teaching kids. So
what if sometimes they have
weapons in their hands!
I find it so much easier teaching
children Aikido then adults. But
I think that has to do with how
much I’m still a kid; I just happen
to have a birth certificate that says
I’m much older than them. I can
relate to them in so many ways,
too. I can say stupid things, make
jokes and belch louder than any of
them.
I also think that’s why they
are attracted to me. I might be
stretching in the corner before
class and when I look up they are
all sitting around me and staring at
me. It’s like what particles of iron
do when there is a magnet nearby.
I could say words of wisdom but
only jokes seem to come out of my
mouth.
I find working with them fun and
fulfilling too. They really aren’t
scary at all. You only have to think
of them as real people. They might
look smaller to you (for me they
are taller than me) but hey they all
have feelings like you and me. I find
if you treat them with respect, they
treat you with respect. It worked
on my own kids so why not with
them (very proud mother)? I never
talk down to the kids, too. That
just makes them angry and their
eyes glow red.
There are several groupings or
categories of kids. There are ones
that are smarter than you, and
ones that don’t hear a thing you
say, and ones that cannot wait
to go eat pizza. But you should
never let it get to you. Next class
it could be ice cream instead!
You also cannot be squeamish.
The stories they come up with
from their little twisted minds
can be alarming at times.
Nothing gets to me too much
but if it does I’ll either agree with
THE KIAI
33
them or just say how gross it is and put my hands
up to my ears so they cannot elaborate more details.
Icky is in the mind of the beholder.
My last bit of advice is repetition, repetition,
repetition and more repetition. Just because you say
something and they nod their heads doesn’t mean it
went all the way through to their brains. So the more
you say something to them the deeper the concept
goes and soon by the time they’re a lot older it has
reached their brains. There are a few you have to
work harder with at that, but it really is worth it in
the end. I call that magic!
THE KIAI
34
FROM THE ARCHIVES
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT
AIKIDO FROM CARTOONS
Richard Levitt
S
ensei speaks frequently about energy flowing
in multiple dimensions, that Aikido does
not happen on a single plane, but rather uses
space in every direction. Sometimes I see it as a
sine wave, that ebbs and flows like the tide. Irime
nage is like that, so is kote gaeshi. Sometimes it’s
more like a hurricane, swirling outward, like shiho
nage or some of the turning koku nage variations.
Clearly the power in Aikido comes from continuity
of motion rather than sudden movement. Techniques
begin before an attack is presented, and continue
past a throw or pin. A “technique” starts with
energy roiling in the universe, manifesting itself as
the Earth, as life. It surges through an “attacker,”
through us and back out into the cosmos.
The way we integrate ourselves with that energy
is through motion, constantly expanding and
contracting, advancing and yielding. I’ve been
trying to figure out a great way to illustrate that,
when of course I fell back on the most significant
influences of my life: cartoons. There’s a basic
animation technique they call “stretch and squash.”
It’s the idea that motion happens in multiple
dimensions, and in animation, it’s exaggerated. So
when a character contracts, he contracts completely,
widening, flattening, expanding. Then when he
expands, he stretches beyond the limits of physical
reality, lengthening, narrowing, extending.
I looked for a more martial example, like
Batman or Samurai Jack, but Sylvester
and Tweety was the best I could do.
But just look. Sylvester demonstrates the best
THE KIAI
35
fig 1
fig 2
possible form: First, he compacts all his strength and
energy by bending his knees and drawing inward.
An Aikidoist might do something like that during a
morote dori blend or just about any throw, like shiho
nage, irime nage or kote gaeshi. A great example
is the parry between the second and third move in
the 31 jo kata. You start fully extended, blocking
overhead. Then you contract back to tsuki kamai,
and in the process, smack the attacker’s jo away.
Now see Sylvester as he extends fully, holding
nothing back. In Aikido, that might look like the
third ken suburi, kaitenage, or hasso gaeshi.
Just like Sensei tells it. Sylvester waza.
Here are a couple of other images. You can see Sensei
doing irime nage [fig. 1]. Notice the source and direction
of his motion. It begins in the Earth and swirls up
through his body, curling over like a breaking wave,
and crashing down. At this point in the technique, he
is squashed, just like Sylvester in his squashed form.
The only difference, of course, is that if Sylvester
knew Aikido, he and Tweety would work out their
differences on the mat, then go out for Sushi.
In the second image [fig. 2], see how Hoa Sensei
is all stretched out. You can see how his body is
fully extended, sort of the wave as it is cresting,
fully expressing the power and potential of the
technique, or to be more esoteric, of cosmic
force. Again, notice the similarity in the cartoon
series. When Sylvester is reaching high to try and
snatch Tweety, his whole body is stretched.
Now, Hoa Sensei is not nearly as wacky as Sylvester,
nor is he animated, so the movement is not so
exaggerated. But the beauty of animation is that it
magnifies principles of physical reality for the sake of
communication. We can apply those same principles
in our own, limited physical reality. The benefits are
numerous – more facile movement, more power with
less strength, smoother movement, easier blending. It’s
also good to know that you can enjoy such movement
without fear of being hit in the head with an anvil.
So what does all this mean, besides an evident need
for a crazy soundtrack to accompany training? It
means (IMHO) that we all have an opportunity
to exploit forces much bigger than ourselves when
we train. By fully extending and fully contracting,
stretching and squashing, we are becoming closer to
the natural movement in nature. The greatest cosmic
forces are spiral, and by moving that way ourselves,
we will naturally find our movement more powerful,
more intuitive, easier and probably more fun.
I’m certainly going to try.
That’s all, Folks.
THE KIAI
36
IN THE NEWS
JULY KYU TESTS
Congratulations to the students who passed their Kyu tests in July!
Carlos Assaf – 5th Kyu
Ella Garcia – 5th Kyu
Simona Yi-Balan 5th Kyu
James Regulinski – 5th Kyu & Michelle Mai – 5th Kyu
THE KIAI
37
MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES
Josh Langenthal
T
his is from, I believe,
some American Express
ad campaign from
decades age. “Membership has
its privileges.” And, at least to
me, membership in the Aikido
Institute has privileges - and
responsibilities.
Dojo membership is something
unto itself. We are public and
open to everyone who wants to give
Aikido a try. We are an affirmative organization,
a “house of yes” in many ways. Yes, join us.
Yes, I’ll train with you
Yes, I’ll train more with you
Yes, let’s get some food after class
Yes, let’s become friendly or even
friends
Yes, there’s plenty more to learn
Yes, you can teach a beginner now
Yes, we need your help with regular
cleaning
Yes, we need your help for special
cleaning
Yes, we need your help for a
demonstration
It starts when you pay your
dues and you show up (and keep
showing up) and people help you
out with your gi and the terms and
the etiquette and how to do basic
things (like standing in Hanmi or
holding a bokken correctly). Then
one day you’ve been here a while
and you are needing less basic
help for yourself and you are in a
position to offer basic help to other
new people.
But training during class is only
part of the Aikido practice. Aikido
is a partner art. The practice
of Aikido, in a full sense, is a
community practice. As a community we come to
class. As a community we clean
up after class. As a community we
clean up for special occasions, like
Tai Sai. Not everybody can help at
every time and with every need, but
it’s still a community thing.
When I realized how much I loved
Aikido, I vowed to myself that I
would stay until I earned Shodan
rank. And maybe a year after that,
when I’d made it to 4th Kyu or
so, I realized that if I really cared
about Aikido, I needed to stay
until I helped train someone else
for a dan test and take Ukemi for
them.
But I also realized that I was
compelled to help in other ways. Some of these things come with
time and practice, like bowing in
with a new student even if I might
want to train with a senior student
for my own practice. Or like
understanding the spacing on the
mat during class to make sure
people didn’t knock into each
other and maybe get hurt.
Some ways to help came from
my personal circumstances, like
helping with the kids’ class years
ago, when Hoa Sensei taught
them, because I had the time and
the skills and the interest.
Some of these things come from
being an adult. Always paying
dues on time. Taking care of
commitments, like teaching,
driving others, doing dojo tasks.
It’s a basic truth of our dojo
that people come and go. Few
of the new students stay a year,
fewer for 5, still fewer for 10
or more. The community is
marked by transitions - hello and
goodbye. Which means those of
us who stay, we need to take care
of our connections - between
each other, between ourselves
and the physical dojo and also
the organizational dojo.
So I am very happy to be a
member of the dojo. I am
delighted to personally benefit
from what my teachers and
fellow students provide me and
I am delighted to personally
benefit from serving the dojo.
THE KIAI
38
DOJO HOPPING
Manuel Garcia, Jr.
O
ur family of Gretchen,
Manuel and fourteenyear-old daughter Ella,
joined the Aikido Institute of
Oakland (AIO) in January 2014.
For Ella it was the beginning of
a new adventure, for Gretchen
(shodan) and Manuel (1st kyu) it
was a return after a twenty year
hiatus. Ella instantly discovered
the consuming fascination of
aikido: it is excellent physical
exercise with simultaneous
mental stimulation that elevates
it far above the usual boring
and repetitive workouts, and its
enthusiastic practitioners form
an eclectic community of people
who are “weird in a good way,”
just like us!
Gretchen and Manuel wanted to
expose Ella to the widest range
of aikido that they themselves
had enjoyed previously in the
Bay Area, and for that purpose
embarked on a dojo hopping
summer vacation over a thirteen
week period within May to
August. We were lucky to
have this free time as a family,
without the confinements of jobs
and school (ah, too, too short a
time).
I retain two general impressions
from this summer’s dojo
hopping: all paths lead to the
mountaintop, and aikidoists are
overwhelmingly introverts the
majority of whom tend to be
xenophobic about visitors.
“All paths lead to the
mountaintop” is an epigram for
the fact that all styles of aikido
lead in their perfection to the
same aikido. Styles are really
varied forms of pedagogical
conception and explanation,
mastery of performance is
ultimately an advancement
beyond style. In dojo hopping we
had opportunities to “hear the
same things in different ways”
and to “do things differently to
get to the same results.”
THE KIAI
39
The other edge of the blade
with dojo hopping is that
our group (sometimes other
AIO people accompanied us)
introduced a strange new and
uncertain element into the
training nights at other dojos
- “stranger danger!” While
we might have a few rough
moments adjusting to the pace
and choreography of training
at other dojos, the students
there would be challenged
to blend their routines and
preconceptions with our
unknown energy and dynamics.
Some of these students relished
such variations from their
routines (the xenophiles), while
more seemed anxious about the
uncertainties (the xenophobes).
Whenever Gretchen and I
found ourselves bowing into
each other at a foreign dojo,
we knew the xenophobes were
in the majority. The yudansha
were often braver in this regard,
so we did get to meet and train
with some excellent aikidoists
and instructors. Still, it seems
to be human nature that
familiarity is comforting, and it
was interesting to me to see the
various ways in which people
reacted to the unfamiliar.
I would propose a “rule” or
attitude for our home dojo
that we each make an effort
to train with any visitor who
appears (be a xenophile), and
if a group of visitors appears
we should ensure they train
with the variety of us and are
never neglected to the point
of training with each other in
our dojo. Similarly, I think it
best if we also ensure that kin
never train together, because
they are overwhelmed with so
many other choices of training
partners. Believe me, husbands
and wives, and parents and
children are training with each
other often enough outside the
dojo!
The first of our nine dojo hops
this summer was to Aikido
of Berkeley, to experience the
aikido of Kayla Feder (6th dan).
I have wonderful memories of
training with Kayla in the late
1980s, most vividly in koshi
nage. It was truly joyous for
Gretchen and me to once again
be in a class led by Kayla, to be
used as one of her ukes (feets,
don’t fail me now!), to socialize
THE KIAI
40
with her afterward during one of
her dojo’s monthly potlucks, and
especially to present Ella. I can
easily rhapsodize about Kayla
because I have always admired
the f luidity of her elegant
and graceful aikido that is so
infused with power. Gretchen
and I visited Aikido of Berkeley
again later in May, when Ella
was whisked away to the Tahoe
Gasshuku. Our family visited
Aikido of Berkeley a third
time, in late June, with Krysia
(she and Ella are pals), and
learned about “soft high falls.”
Ella learned how to do these
nicely (maybe Ella’s parents
will eventually learn from her).
A soft high fall is basically
an air drop into a continuous
sequence of rolling motions to
dissipate the stress of landing
with minimal jarring impact.
This is an excellent technique
for ukemi, and could put off hip
and knee replacements much
farther into the future for those
who master soft high falls early
in their aikido careers.
Krysia, Gretchen, Ella, and
MG,Jr. went to Aikido West
(Redwood City) on July 30 to
experience the classes led by
Cyndy Hayashi (6th dan). We
had a great time. Cyndy was the
first aikido instructor MG,Jr.
experienced (at AIO in 1986).
She's still a kick! Cyndy was very
warm in welcoming us to their
classes (basics and regular, in
sequence). Ella and Krysia made
good impressions (maintaining
the luster of the AIO brand),
while Gretchen and MG,Jr.
spread fear and loathing among
the faint of heart (xenophobes),
and also managed to hold up
through the night without
breaking down like old jalopies
trying to pretend they're new
Ferraris. It is interesting to note
that there are hints of Saotome/
Ikeda in the aikido expressed
by both Cyndy Hayashi (Aikido
West’s most senior instructor
after Frank Doran, and dojo cho
at Stanford Aikido) and Kayla
Feder (Aikido of Berkeley).
Perhaps women aikido
instructors are more sensitive
to seeking advantages of force
projection indirectly through
linkages of body mechanics,
than in a more direct linear
fashion reliant on firm grip and
muscular exertion. Another
interesting feature of Cyndy's
THE KIAI
41
class was that she pointed out
many atemi opportunities (some
very un-nice) during the course
of each particular technique in
partner practices. Cyndy says
explicitly that “aikido should
be fun,” and her class was both
cheerily upbeat and physically
spirited. We all had fun. Cyndy
is an extravagant extrovert and
was abundantly warm in seeing
us again (and Ella and Krysia
for the first time). We all went
out to dinner after training and
caught up on decades.
Krysia, Ella, Gretchen and
MG,Jr visited Aikido West on
the 5th of August to experience
the aikido instruction of
Frank Doran, a 7th dan and
shihan since 2001. We made
haste to see Frank Doran on
the 5th because he was going
on tour a few days later. This
was our ninth dojo hop of the
summer. Two classes were held
that night, first a basics class
led by Bruce Wonnacott (4th
dan) and then the class led by
Aikido West’s founder and
chief instructor, Frank Doran.
I noted with interest that
besides the usual picture of O
Sensei on the shomen, framed
photographs of Morihiro Saito
and Mitsugi Saotome (the latter
autographed) are displayed on
a side wall of the dojo. There
are also portraits of O Sensei’s
son (Kisshomaru Ueshiba) and
grandson (Moriteru Ueshiba),
the prior and current Doshu.
The aikido expressed by Frank
Doran involves well-defined
postures, steps, triangulations
and extensions sequenced in
large circular motions. The
total effect is of crisp unforced
movement. Adept students
of Frank Doran style aikido
guide their ukes from attack
to the mat surface with elegant
effectiveness and without strain.
Some of the students, who are
still muddled or just lazy, rely
on their ukes to “know the
script” and comply with the
intent of the technique, without
being motivated as a matter of
necessity by it. This is probably
true to some extent in every
dojo. Frank Doran style ikkyo is
quite different from Iwama style
ikkyo; there is a semicircular
fade-back followed by a
semicircular reentry, regardless
of whether the subsequent
technique is performed omote or
ura. The next and most effective
part is that nage advances (steps)
into uke along a triangulation
line from front to back (to
take uke’s balance) and then
completes the take-down by
stepping out along the same line
(taking the arm out into a pin).
Frank Doran is 82 years old,
lean, spry, and moves gracefully.
His aikido relies on precision
to avoid clashes that can lead
people to resort to muscularity
- a bad choice for most of us.
Frank Doran remembered
Gretchen and chatted with her
before we began training. He
also gave us personal instruction
during class, in my case probably
because I was definitely fuzzy
about whatever dance was being
done. Throughout the evening,
Doran was cheerful and witty,
both when addressing the class
and in our one-on-one exchanges
(“Tell me who put all that sweat
on you and I’ll have a word
with them!”). During training
that night I had a f lashback
to a Frank Doran led class at
the 1988 aikido retreat in San
Rafael, thinking “this is exactly
the same thing that confused
me so much in ’88, and I am
confused in exactly the same
way right now!” Frank Doran
is another original, a great
aikidoist and a great guy.
Clearly, I recommend AIO
people visit any of the dojos and
aikido instructors described
here. All paths lead to the
mountaintop. For Ella and
Krysia the value of this aikido
peregrination was in broadening
their view of aikido and its
possibilities. For Gretchen and
me the continuing value of our
dojo hops this summer was
in accentuating concepts and
instructional suggestions that we
have probably heard thousands
of times, and continue to receive
at AIO, but which we now see
in a fresh light because we were
reminded of them in a manner
outside the routines we have
become accustomed to. The next
time you and I train I will likely
groove with it.
See the much longer article on
Manuel's blog: bit.ly/dojohop
THE KIAI
42
TRAINING IN ROMANIA
Simona Andreea Yi-Balan
T
oday I had my regular 6:30-8 p.m. aikido
practice. Only that it wasn't Kim Sensei's class.
It was at what is probably the only Iwama style
dojo in Bucharest, Romania, with Sensei Iulian Stanescu.
The classes take place Mondays and Wednesdays in the
dance room you can see in the picture, located inside the
large building that houses the Romanian Ministry of
Transportation (we set up some hard tatami mats on the
floor). After an individual warmup we bowed in (with 4
claps!), practiced our rolls, then the 7 ken suburi, the 31
jo kata, tai no henko, morote dori kokyu ho, shomen uchi
ikkyo, shomen uchi shihonage, and kokyu dosa.
I brought my absolute beginner sister along, and she
had a hard time with all the Japanese words - the class
wasn't very beginner friendly overall. Except for the two
of us, there were only three men in the class. The Sensei
showed a lot of interest in me. He wanted to hear all
about my dojo and whom I've practice with, and corrected
everything I did (they do some things quite differently
than at our dojo - for instance, they swing the jo back
before a tsuki, and practice the "new" version of ikkyo ura
waza that doesn't include a full tenkan). He also didn't
want to charge my sister and me anything for the class,
and said he hopes we come back before I leave. Overall, a
very interesting experience.
During the week I explored more of the aikido offerings
here and went to five classes at three different dojos. I
got to experience very different styles, with different, and
sometimes contradictory instructions. But the essence was
the same everywhere, and all classes were fun.
One evening's class was jo waza in the park next to the
Romanian National Opera House, with Serban Derlogea
Shihan (8 dan). There were six other students present
(including two who are Senseis in that school). To my
surprise, after the warmup, I was asked to entertain
everyone with stories from our dojo while demonstrating
and leading the 20 jo suburi and the 13 and 31 jo
kata (because they wanted to see the similarities and
differences between our styles). I was basically left to lead
for half of the class time and received comments on my
technique. Very intimidating, to say the least! I tried my
best to represent our dojo well.
THE KIAI
43
ON GETTING STARTED
June Melchior
A
few weeks ago, very shortly
before my nidan test, I
had a striking experience:
a class in which my technique
didn’t work. I don’t mean it didn’t
work in some small way, Sensei
corrected it and we moved on from
there -I mean it really didn’t work
at all. I was working with a less
experienced partner, I couldn’t even
begin to give her the experience of
the technique. Perhaps worst of
all, I couldn’t blame uke. She was
giving a good attack and I couldn’t
complain of being overpowered,
rushed or preached at. Instead,
each time I did the technique
badly, she apologized.
“You need to get lower,” Sensei
advised. I tried to get lower and it
just made my knee hurt.
I had a feeling of despair, because if
I was training like that two weeks
before a nidan test maybe I was
hopeless. I also had a sense of déjà
vu, because when I was a beginner,
every class was like that. So, when
I got over the despair and figured
out I wasn’t going to quit (it was
a near thing), I decided to write
about how we learn Aikido and
especially how we learn when it
seems unlearnable.
As a teacher I’m familiar with the
theory of multiple intelligences,
developed in the 1980s by the
psychologist Howard Gardner.
This is an understanding that
people have different intelligences
or distinct skill areas, and each
person has a unique pattern of
strengths and weaknesses. At
times I’ve found this theory useful
when I need to have patience with
myself as a learner.
The Founder surely didn’t know
of this theory, and I have no
reason to think Saito Sensei did
either; yet the culture of Aikido
instruction seems to draw on the
same truths about human nature.
Teaching to multiple intelligences
is one way we make sure that
THE KIAI
44
Aikido really is accessible to
everyone, not only to those
who are naturally gifted
athletes. Our training
gets transmitted by several
different avenues, not only
by doing a movement, but
also by watching someone
do it, visualizing the shape
of it, measuring the angle,
trying to describe it in words.
There are various analogies
(ever been in a class where
you had to reach for the
cookies on the shelf, play the
cello, or go after a twentydollar bill?) We train with
other people, and create
a joyful atmosphere with
encouragement and humor.
These aspects of Aikido
training aren’t distractions or
side issues. It’s fundamental
to teach the whole person. We use
all our strengths to shed light on
our training, and to make sure our
training is connected to the rest of
our world.
I don’t believe I can do koshinage,
but I can read Shakespeare
(Taming of the Shrew,
II.i.201b-203)
A third implication is that you
don’t have to avoid your weak
areas; you can use the intelligences
that are strong to support what
is weak and get stronger. We
learn in Aikido that if someone
grabs your arm, you don’t have to
panic because you can still move
your legs, hips and torso. So if
ignorance seems to have tight hold
on one of your intelligences, you
don’t have to panic because you can
So, the other week I got a
vivid reminder of what it felt
like to be a beginner, and
I worked on the problem
like a beginner. Given that
I couldn’t do koshinage, I
could still do lots of other
things. I could read books,
look at videos, draw pictures,
and find connections in
unexpected places.
I don’t get why koshinage is
important, but I love how
this arch is shaped like our
circle that we make after
class.
I can’t get my hips into a 45 degree
angle with a flat back, then shift
my weight to throw my partner.
But I can watch a baseball game.
In the end, I found
something I could change,
a subtle difference in
alignment and a big jump in
understanding, that I wanted
to bring to the dojo. I found it
made the difference between a
technique that had seemed both
pointless and very difficult, and a
technique I wanted to learn and
was ready to get started.
I have had the experience of
working all around a technique,
sometimes for weeks or months,
or (in the case of koshinage) for
years; knowing that I wasn’t really
getting it, but then one day there
was a change. The amazing thing
is that you may be learning even if
you don’t feel like you are getting it.
I don’t know how this works but it
does. When you finally get it right,
you will know it. That is when
the Aikido really starts to happen.
You can practice more effectively
and learn a lot faster.
A class like that – a moment of
newness, after years of training
– is a little miracle. Our ability
to encourage each other and to
learn from everyone at the dojo;
the ability to translate from one
intelligence to another – from
verbal or visual to kinesthetic,
and then back again (even if
awkwardly) into words; the ability
of the body to strengthen and heal
itself – these things are miracles. I
am deeply grateful to God, to our
instructors and fellow students for
making that happen and keeping it
going.
still use all the others.
COMING SOON! DO NOT MISS
EL PRESIDENTE
BILL WITT SHIHAN, TAA PRESIDENT, AIKIDO PIONEER
FOR ONE DAY • SATURDAY DECEMBER 13 • ONLY $10
Aikido Silicon Valley Master Instructor returns
to Oakland for a special seminar!
10am ‘til Noon

Summer 2014 - Aikido Institute

Transcription

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