Spring Seminar w/ Ikeda Sensei

Aikido Summit 2012

Cindy Hayashi Sensei from Aikido West started off with tenkan, moved to an ikkyo, nikyo, sankyo, yonkyo series, followed first with a jiwaza, moving to two person jiwaza, ending with a three perso jiwaza. Seiji Tanaka Sensei of Hyland Hill Tomiki Aikido, bokken variation of Tomiki Aikido started exercise, with a demo and explanation of their tanto-based competitive bouts Kei Izawa Sensei, Aikikai Tanshinjuku Kaizen Taki, Systema NW /I-90, started with different up-and-down movements varing each movement up, work up to three times while holding breath, relaxing muscles under threat, held down by two ukes, relax from the feet on up to get out of hold.. Toby Threadgill Sensei, Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu, Threadgill Sensei bokken takeaway, etc. Budo is about taking your opponents center without them find your own. Hiroshi Ikeda Sensei breaking balance, lines

Aikido for 03/29/2012

Tonight Tip taught and after warm-ups, we worked on yokomenuchi shihonage, yokomenuchi kotegashi, yokomenuchi iriminage, and then we did some tsuki jo-tori techniques to finish class. After class a group of us went over to OC for beer and food. A good Aikido practice.

Aikido for 03/22/2012

Tip emailed the dojo instructors late yesterday afternoon asking for someone to cover class, I volunteered and arrived a few minutes early to open the dojo. Five people eventually showed up for class, including Ken and Garry. Due to the last-minute nature of teaching this class, I didn't have an idea what I would be teaching but sometimes a lack of a plan enables a more spontaneous and free-flowing class. During warm-ups, instead of doing our usually slide and step tenkan exercises, I had us do a "Simon says" variation where I would call out either step or slide and everyone attempted to that tenkan variation. I liked this exercise when Knut first did many years ago in Illinois and it was fun do. When we got to the first technique in class, our katatetori tenkan kokyunage we usually do for every class, I decided the central focus of the night's class was thinking about the rotational nature of the hip joint. So, for the kokyunage I emphasized how the rotating the hip into uke as nage turn creates the movement instead of trying to muscle through the technique. We then worked on the following techniques:

• Yokomenuchi kotegashi omote
• Yokomenuchi shihonage omote
• Yokomenuchi

Aikido for 03/15/2012

Tip taught class last night and he decided to do an all weapons class. After warm-ups, we started off with basic jo tsuki strike, followed by an overhead block, and then moving towards the paired jo practice where uke and nage mirror each other with a combination of tsuki, overhead block, a yokomen strike to both sides, finish with a back tsuki strike. We then moved onto practicing jo katas one-five for the rest of the class.

Aikido for 03/03/2012

Nate taught the first class as Garry was out of town. I enjoyed the techniques we worked on including a variety of kokyunages, sankyo, and gokyu. Since Nate was covering for Gerry, I offered to teach the last Aikido class so Nate could go home. There was one new beginner, so we started off with an extended warm-up including an half-hour of ukemi introduction and practice before finishing off with a sumitoshi technique.

Aikido for 03/01/2012

I taught class, covering for Tip as he is visiting family, and although there was only three beginner students, I focused on katatetori ikkyo omote; I started off the standard Aikikai style that we test on with nage stepping up with an Atemi to the face and then stepping diagonally across with the forward foot and out of the way, with the forward hand coming over the top for the ikkyo. I then had us practice an alternate variation where nage steps immediately back with the forward foot. Both ikkyos end up the stand, it is just this opening that is different, what I first learned from Tohei Sensei and which Central Illinois Aikikai taught as the most basic ikkyo, that you are trying as nage to get out of way first and accept and redirecting uke's aggressive energy instead of initially reacting with aggressive atemi to the face. I then had us practice stepping back initially from a katatetori attack for a shihonage omote to illustrate the same opening is always available from any of our techniques. I finished class with a modified randori practice where nage is being attacked by the other two students using whatever attack they want but with added restriction that nage closes his eyes. We did two rounds of randoir, I went first for both and in this practice, you will get hit. It forces you to not get attached to any single point but to move, respond, and start trusting your other senses and ki connections with uke. I still got in the face, and occasionally I became too attached to my current uke while throwing them with a kokyunage or doing a modified sankyo. I suggested after both randori that everyone was too caught-up in their current space and need to move and trust their themselves.

Aikido for 02/29/2012

For the leap-year class, Ken started off with variations on tenkan kokyunage following the body position that Tissier Sensei does (Ken received the DVDs from the San Diego Bridge Seminar and has been studying them) for moving uke in a single movement, connected to nage's body. This was a good class and a one that worked well with some of the newer students.

Aikido for 02/21/2012

With Ken's class, we worked on the following techniques after warm-ups:

• katatetori kokyunages (three variations)
• katatetori katenage

The focus tonight was on uke maintaining a strong and realistic attack while nage worked on being sensitive the variation of the attack and responding accordingly, either a quick throw or more of blending, all dependent on uke's intention.

Aikido for 02/18/2012

Garry taught class and we went straight into techniques without a warm-up. More than half of the class we worked on various ukemi, including break falls before switching over to a couple of techniques.  Starting from static and working up to a faster and more dynamic attacks, all with the focus on uke's intention.

Aikido for 02/16/2012

Tip taught class and after warm-ups we worked on a the following ushiro techniques:

• ryokatatetori kokyunage
• ryokatatetori ikkyo
• rear-choke kotegashi

We finished class with a randori practice, the first for a couple of the new students. I enjoyed Tip's class as always.

Aikido for 02/14/2012

Ken taught class and after warm-ups, we worked on a couple of different techniques from Saturday's seminar with Sabo Sensei. The first technique was a tsuki kotegashi modified with our style of tsuki (Sabo Sensei had us tsuki with a very formalized and light swing up style while we practice with a much more realistic straight and hard punch) where nage steps up and performs the kotegashi on uke's elbow. The class was a good review of some of the things we were exposed to on Saturday.

Aikido for 02/11/2012

On Saturday the dojo co-sponsored an all-day seminar for John Sabo Sensei from San Diego with another dojo in Colorado Springs that ran from 9 until after 5. For the morning classes Sabo Sensei taught a number of techniques and although his approach was slightly different, the techniques and underlying techniques were still Aikido although one thing was very clear, that he was very opinionated. Right off, Sabo Sensei asked if I was a ninja because my forward ukemi was too quiet and I wasn't slapping the mat. We worked on a number of different techniques including an iriminage that involved grabbing uke's head that I found very interesting. At the end of the morning classes, he showed us four of Ki Society's exercises that I found interesting that we don't practice in our dojo.

In the afternoon class, we worked on a number of other techniques and then we had a nidan test for another student, which was interesting to see. Overall, the experience was positive and I hope that the spirit of expanding Aikido in Colorado Springs was reflective on such a cold day with John Sabo Sensei.

Aikido for 02/07/2012

Last night I walked from my hotel room to the Emerald City Aikido for the Adult class. I arrived early and talked with Joanne Veneziano Sensei who normally would have taught class but had tweaked her back and so was having another senior student teach. Kelly Koerner Sensei arrived and would be teaching.

Koerner Senei's class was vigorous and we practiced a number of different types of iriminages, kokyunages, and other techniques with a real enjoyable spirit with a nice size class. I enjoyed myself and experienced a good shift from the library conference before my conference talk the next day.

Aikido for 01/26/2012

Tip emailed and asked if anyone could cover his class so I offered and taught class. After warm-ups, we worked kosadori ikkyo and iriminage and then we practiced first the Aiki-jiujitsu movement that George Ledyard Sensei showed us at San Diego Bridge Seminar. I then had us practice a couple of Ikeda Sensei's internal aiki exercises before finishing up this good class to teach.

Aikido for 01/24/2012

Ken taught class and although there was only three of us, we worked on shomen static techniques including ikkyo and the beginning of the first jo katas.

Aikido Bridge Friendship Seminar Day Five

Today was the last day of the Aikido Bridge Friendship Seminar in San Diego and like all of these events, somewhat bittersweet because I had such an enjoyable time. A time goes by and I get older, I learn more and feel my own practice, understanding, and conception of Aikido deepens and is enriched. 

The first class was taught by Tissier Sensei who after warm-ups, started off with a katatetori ikkyo technique where nage slides off the line bringing the grabbed hand diagonally across the body while doing an atemi to the face before coming over the top of the hand and completing the ikkyo throw and pin. He then showed if the nage position is too wide, then nikkyo is the natural option because of the flow into throw and pin. We then worked on a sankyo pin from the same opening and pin. Tissier Sensei then had us practice a shomenuchi ikkyo opening from ai hamni with nage getting off the line about 45 degrees either to uke's open or closed side. Nage's hand position with the forward hand absorbs the strike while the inside hand grabs uke's elbow and then can either throw uke for an omote or ura throw.

Doran Sensei taught the second class and after katatetori tenkan, irimi, and opening exercise, we worked on the

The final class was taught by Ikeda Sensei and he continued with

This seminar I had series of small, but significant breakthroughs that are hard to verbalize and write about but are a function of the internal structures of my own body and energy flows through it. I feel that I so fortunate and privileged to have been able to receive such instruction and to reconnect with old friends and make some great new friends as well.

Aikido for 01/21/2012

I arrived early at the dojo because we had youth testing at 9:30. After the youth warmed up, three of them tested and looked acceptable for the level they are training at; when finished, the class continued with ukemi practice and then the open Aikido class started with large class of 12 people. Garry taught the open class and since we decided to have one adult test, after reviewing three or four of the techniques on the 4th kyu test, Ty tested for 4th kyu without knowing that he would be testing when he arrived! He did great although he should of known some of the names and movements but I attribute that to test anxiety. He easily passed onto to the next kyu rank.

Aikido for 01/19/2012

Tip taught class and after warm-ups we worked on a number of different kokyunages, ikkyos from different attacks including katatetori and shomenuchi. We also worked on sankyo and at the end of class we worked on three different bokken-tori techniques were nage does a bokken takeway.  Good class although I bruised my left hip early in class and had to hobble through the rest of class (it didn't last past that night)

Aikido for 01/17/2012

For Tuesday night class Ken taught class we review some of the techniques and principles from the Aikido Bridge seminar the both of us attended over the weekend. After warming up, we worked on Doran Sensei's opening movement that we practiced multiple times that involved nage stepping back and solidifying into a stance that prevented uke from attacking and then following through with the rest of the technique. For Tissier Sensei, Ken had me show the shomen opening that Tissier Sensei had us practice with the emphasis on how to prepare for if uke is ready for a counter and how to be in position to go to the next step in the technique. For the final technique, Ken worked on Ikeda Sensei katatetori internal unity exercises with a focus on irimi and connecting to uke's center and breaking balance with uke.

Good class even though I was operating on a few hours of sleep from getting into the Springs from early in the morning.

Aikido Bridge Friendship Seminar Day Four

The first class was taught by

Aikido Bridge Friendship Seminar Day Three

Last night involved too much beer so I missed the 8:15 class.

Doran Sensei taught the second class of the day. After warming up and working on tenkan and irimi exercise Doran Sensei had us work on ryokatatetori techniques when uke grabs both nage's hands. From these grabs, uke's intention is not to just stop but to follow through with a kick so nage must be prepared for the kick and get out of the way or be prepared in some other way for that follow-up attack. We started with the ikkyo and then went to a nikkyo followed by a sankyo technique.

Ikeda Sensei taught the third class of the day and his emphasize of nage maintaining unity with uke was the focus of the different katatetori. Ikeda Sensei said something interesting (at least to me) in that in Aikido we often hear and talk about nage needing to breaking uke's "balance" all of the time, but what does "breaking balance" really mean? Ikeda Sensei stated that breaking balance is really about weakening uke, or making uke weak and not allowing uke to assert power but by moving oneself and by achieving unity with uke, it doesn't matter the size of uke, you can throw or control the movement of uke (the ideal of Aikido).

Tissier Sensei was the instructor for the forth class and we worked on a series of kaitenages from a variety of different attacks including katateori, shomenuchi, and ryokatetotori. We continued working on the same themes from earlier classes where nage knows what are the next steps in the progression of the technique, one can anticipate and be ready to respond if uke counters the movement of the application of the technique.

George Ledyard Sensei was the guest instructor for the final class of the day. Ledyard Sensei wanted to expand on what may of the different sensei were talking about in their classes so he started off by talking about how physicists conceptualize the nature of light and matter being both particles and waves. He stated that O'Sensei saw everything as waves and that what Ikeda Sensei in particular was trying to impart in his internal Aikido teaching was more wave based and not particle based.  We first worked on an exercise from Daito-Ryu Aiki-jujitsu, where nage is against a wall and uke grabs both hands, nage first moves the pelvis, then lower back, followed by the shoulders and bends forward all which create a wave that breaks-down the structure of uke and we all practiced this before moving off the wall and practiced it free-standing. We worked on a number of related exercises and techniques with Ledyard Sensei explaining its relationships to energy as waves and not solid as particles. This class was very interesting and helpful in the context of the other instructors and sensei at the seminars. 

Aikido Bridge Friendship Seminar Day Two

This morning's first class was taught by Troy Farrow Sensei from Boulder and after a good warm-up, he called me up to be uke for tenkan practice both from katatetori and from kosadori. During his class we focused on keeping your posture while stepping around and moving uke while doing the technique.

The second class was taught by Ikeda Sensei who continued his instruction from last night, talking about how uke and nage keep the alignment of their center before moving. Nage needs to break uke's balance when the point of contact is made, even if uke is coming at full speed and power. Ikeda Sensei showed how this starts from the brain with a vivid live demonstration by having his uke run at him at full speed push him across the mat. Ikeda Sensei then said ukemi practice is not just learning the basic front, back, and break-falls but learning how to protect yourself from any attack and not getting harmed. He then had his uke do the same attack and easily redirected and threw his uke or performed an ikkyo pin.

Tissier Sensei taught the third class of the morning and we started off with shomenuchi ikkyo. Tissier Sensei spent some time showing and demonstrating how at any point an experienced uke can stop nage's technique if nage does not anticipate and move onto to the next step in the technique before uke can set or prepare for the counter. We then moved onto and worked on a couple of shihonage variations where I think Tissier Sensei could explain this concept of anticipation and step and follow through.

Doran Sensei taught the 3:00 class and following up from his comments from last night, he started us off with doing aiki movements to warm-up without doing the full throws. He emphasized that we should be looking for three things when doing our Aikido; aiki, kosushi or breaking balance, and shisei or posture when doing techniques. We then started from a high jodan tsuki to the face opening where nage slides in and brings up the inside hand and rests it on top of uke's bicep followed up with a quick atemi to uke's face. From there, when uke block's the atemi, we worked on a number of different ikkyo techniques moves towards a nikkyo and sankyo. We finished with switching feet and having nage use a different hand to move into the technique.

The final class of the was taught by Greg O'Connor Sensei from New Jersey. His emphasis from a multiple different attacks was a variation of diagonal sword cut across uke's center-line while nage keeps loose and balanced. For some reason (likely because I was tired, stupid or both :-) I felt very much a beginner and sometimes couldn't even accomplish the most basic movement of the demonstrated movement.

Aikido Bridge Friendship Seminar Day One

Last night was the first class of the 2012 San Diego Aikido Bride Seminar with Ikeda Sensei, Tissier Sensei, and Doran Sensei.

Ikeda Sensei started off the night with katatetori tenkan and katetori irimi exercise. He then had us work on variations of these techniques with the emphasis on irimi with irimi being understood as nage's center connecting through a line through uke's center and then achieving unity and moving uke. I worked with a number of different ukes, some I recognized from years past, and it helped that I have been attending Ikeda Sensei's classes over the past few years and I am start to understand some of what he is explaining in his classes.

Doran Sensei taught the second class and his main point of focus for the class was finishing the conflict with the first point of contact between uke and nage. We worked on a couple of different techniques that were similar to the ones he demonstrated at summer camp where nage switches feet position and brings the hand in front of the center prevent uke from a follow-up strike or kick. He then showed us and a couple of more irimi variations I haven't seen before that the first involved nage getting underneath uke are for the irimi. I always like how Doran Sensei always brings out the relationship between the sword and our open-hand techniques and he ended class with the point from a 16th century Japanesse samuri sword master, that there are two ways to master the sword; study through technique and study through principles, and Doran Sensei wants us to think about both during this seminar.

Tissier Sensei taught the final class for the evening and although we only worked on a few techniques (katatetori kokyunage tenkan, katatetori shihonage, katatetori kotegashi) his main point was that as we advanced uke learns to anticipate where the attack is coming and can prevent nage but nage needs to move not just faster but be able to adjust the position in a slightly different manner that prevents that anticipation, in doing so also prevents this stoppage by uke.    

Aikido for 01/07/2012

I taught both the open and fundamental Aikido classes for Garry on Saturday. For the open class we had 12 students so it was the largest Aikido class I have ever taught. After warm-ups, and our standard katatetori tenkan and irimi kokyunages, we worked on yokomenuchi kotegashi omote and ura, yokomenuchi shihonage omote and ura, and yokomenuchi kokyunage.

For the fundamental class, after warm-ups, where I introduced happo-undo exercise to the beginners, we spent a significant amount of time on forward and backward ukemi practice on the nice blue mats before working on shomenuchi iriminage and shomenuchi ikkyo from a static start. 

Aikido for 01/05/2012

Last night Tip taught and most of the dojo attended class. We worked on moretori techniques including some interesting kokyunages and shihonages. After class Ken and I went to OC for a couple of beers.

Aikido for 01/04/2012

Garry taught class and covered for Ken. After warm-ups, we started class with the usual katatetori tenkan kokyunage and katatetori irimi kokyunage.  We then worked on the shomen kihowaza or static style nikkyo omote and ura because we a newer students in class. We finished class with seated kokyu-ho tanden-ho exercise. I always like working on these basic, fundamental Aikido techniques because I can always improve.

Thinking about 2012

So, the shift from resolution to one of impulse control in 2011 was largely a success for me. I lost over 30 pounds. I definitely lead a more active social life, also reconnecting with my old friend Greg. I became an active member of the Colorado Spring Monthly Meeting. I earned my shodan in Aikido and adopted my sister (by way of my brother) dog, Casie.

I'll continue working on my impulse control; avoiding all tobacco products this year, also increasing sensitivity of the what and why of my speech and actions. Balancing life choices between the good and the necessary; accepting and learning from the failures, the bad with the success.

Happy 2012 everyone!