Thanks again Jeff!

Here's another comment from Jeff that I wanted to make sure everyone sees. Probably something good to look into if you're in the market for a gi!

Jeff Cold said...

Another sale from e-bogu. White Aikido gi tops for size 6, 7 for as little as $7 on clearance.
http://www.e-bogu.com/Clearance_s/334.htm

Thanks Jeff!

Here's a post from Jeff about a Christmas Sale.  Maybe a good chance to snag a bokken at a good price:

Ebogu.com has a sale on Aikido white oak bokken and white oak jo. See http://www.e-bogu.com/NEW_ITEM_s/326.htm Also: For a limited time, 10% OFF everything on our website!
You must use the coupon code "XMAS08" at checkout. It may not apply to the boken and jo since they're already on sale.

Jeff Cold

President's Message: Ki

There has been a lot of speculation and guesses made as to what Ki is exactly. Some people have made some pretty tall claims as to what it can do, while others totally disbelieve it even exists. First of all, what is it? Ki can be described as many things, but from the name Aikido, we can take it as simply "life energy". Does a life energy exist?? You bet! Look at you hand. You skin, hair, nails, everything pertaining to your hand is made of of molecules. Those molecules are made up of atoms. Atoms, so far as we can determine, are made up of submolecular particles called quarks. What causes these elements to interact and create things? The levels of energy present in them. You could say that, under the skin, bones, and other tissue, we ARE energy. The interesting arguments come when we ask "can we project that energy"? There is something to this. If you have ever watched videos of O-Sensei, you may have seen him holding a bokken straight out as a student pushes on it from the side. The thing doesn't move! It appears impossible because of how the student really leans into the bokken. Even though Ki may not be able to kill someone, as was believed by the samurai years ago, we may be able to harness that energy enough to give a little extra strength to a punch, or resistance to an attack if we are able to focus enough. I can't be sure of all of it's applications, but we should realize that we do possess this life energy. This may seem a sort of austere posting, but if we are going to harmonize life-energy (that's what Aikido is), then it might be good to have a better understanding of it. Please feel free to comment on this posting, as well as any other. I'd like to get some opinions from all of you about this subject.

Biography: Fumio Toyoda

Fumio Toyoda Shihan is actually the founder of our association. He began training at age 10 with his first teacher, Koichi Tohei Sensei. He recieved the rank of shodan (first-degree black belt) at the age of 17 after a test administered by Morihiro Saito Sensei. When Koichi Tohei broke off from Hombu Dojo to form his own branch of Aikido, Toyoda Sensei went with. He earned the rank of godan (5th degree black belt) by age 27 and eventually recieved the rank of rokudan (6th degree black belt). After some disagreements between him and Tohei Sensei, Toyoda broke off to form his own association. This is the Aikido Association of America that we have today!

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumio_Toyoda

This is a bit of a long clip (around 4 minutes), but it's one of the few that I could find of Toyoda Sensei. Does the uke with the beard look like Rip Torn?? Or is it just me?

Video Clip: Squirrel Aikido!

Alright, I'll admit it's a stretch, but it's funny! Ah, the randomness of it.

Terminology Time!!!

Today, we'll look at some of the terminology for the aikitaiso, or aikido warm-up exercises. Please note that this is not a complete list:


aikitaiso: aiki (blending, uniting one's ki with that of the partner) taiso (exercises): blending exercises, or warm-up exercises.

funakogi undo: fune (small boat) kogi (row) undo (exercise): boat-rowing exercise

shomenuchi ikkyo undo: shomen (front of the head) uchi (hit) ikkyo (first-teaching) undo (exercise): exercise of the basic ikkyo movement from a head strike

zengo undo: zengo (around, forward/back, front/rear) undo (exercise): shomenuchi ikkyo undo done forward, then back

hapo undo irimi: happo (8 directions) undo (exercise) irimi (inwards, enter): shomenuchi ikkyo undo done in 8 directions

udefuri undo: ude (arm) furi (swing) undo (exercise): arm swinging exercise

tenkan undo: tenkan (turning) undo (exercise): turning exercise

soto tenkan: soto (outside) tenkan (turning): outside turning exercise

uchi tenkan: uchi (inside) tenkan (turning): inside turning exercise

hapo undo tenkan: hapo (8 directions) undo (exercise) tenkan (turning): turning in 8 directions exercise

ushirotori undo: ushiro (behind, backwards) dori (grab) undo (exercise): grab from behind exercise (defense against a bearhug)

ushiro tekubitori undo: ushiro (behind, backwards) tekubi (wrist) dori (grab) undo (exercise): wrist grab from behind exercise

ushiro tekubitori koutai undo: ushiro (behind, backwards) tekubi (wrist) dori (grab) koutai (change) undo (exercise): variation on wrist grab from behind exercise

Apologies

I was on vacation last week, and so was unable to update the blog for this week. My apologies!

Biography: Koichi Tohei

Koichi Tohei was a huge contributor to the spreading of Aikido. He was Morihei Ueshiba's right-hand man. He also, like Ueshiba, studied martial arts as a youth. He is the only person to have received the rank of 10th Dan from Ueshiba himself. He went on to found his own branch of Aikido that emphasizes the development and use of Ki.

Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koichi_Tohei

This video clip shows Tohei Sensei doing some great basic demonstrations of unbendable arm, unliftable body, and some shihonage.

Video Clip: Awesome Aikido Clip

This clip still stands as one of my absolute favorites to watch. It's short, but it really shows what we all are working up to. The practitioners in the clip have great blending and speed. Awesome clip! I believe the nage (person throwing) in this clip is Anthony Yeates.

President's Message: Learning Techniques and Proper Resistance

Often times, Aikido is criticized for the reason that, in a situation when Aikido would need to be used, a person will encounter way more resistance from an attacker than he/she would in the dojo. This is very true. There is a reason for this, however. When we see a technique for the first time, how can we reasonably be expected (or even expect ourselves) to execute that technique perfectly the first time with our uke acting with 100% resistance? Answer: you can't, and shouldn't.

It doesn't matter how much resistance is being given to you when you're being attacked (by an uke, or by someone on the street) if you can't do the technique! When one begins training in Aikido (and I am no exception), we feel hurried because we want to do it right the first time. And if not the first, then the second for sure! If we have this attitude, however, we run the risk of learning to do a technique incorrectly.

Have you ever been driving to work, school, or somewhere else that you frequently drive to, and, on arriving, you don't really remember the drive? A situation where you've done something so many times that you almost do it subconsciously? That is how our brains work! When we respond to a certain situation with a certain action repeatedly, our brain starts to create a sort of path. Every time we are presented with that same situation, our brain already knows how to respond and will respond with the action that we have programmed it to respond with. This is what we want in Aikido. To program our minds with the responses to multiple situations. If we see a shomenuchi coming at us, if we have programmed our minds to respond in a way that doesn't work, we're in trouble! We have to program it correctly first. We must slow down, take our time, and realize that it takes about 10 years to become a shodan (1st degree black belt), not 10 minutes. Our uke, therefore, must understand what level we are on in order to give proper resistance.

By proper, I mean that it is never a good idea to apply 100% resistance to someone in their first session of training. However, at the same time it is not a good idea to offer 0% resistance, often called "giving" the technique. As skill increases, so does resistance. Ideally, we will all reach a level of technical capability that will allow us to deal with someone offering 100% resistance, whether an uke or a real life attacker.

Everything, in the beginning, is static, slow, and broken up. However, with continuous practice, we will all be able to learn the proper way to respond to any amount of resistance.

Dojo Etiquette: Bowing

Bowing is done as a type of salute. It is an action that conveys respect and gratitude. There are many instances where it is proper to bow during a practice session. When entering or leaving the dojo, you should bow to the Shomen, or the front of the dojo. Normally, you would direct your bow to the image of O-Sensei, though we do not have one in our club room. When asked to assist in demonstrating for the class, it is also proper to bow to Sensei. When partnering up for technique practice, you should bow to your partner both before and after you practice with him. If Sensei gives you some individual instruction, or instruction to you and your partner, a bow and a verbal "thank you" are appropriate. At the end of practice, the class should bow to Sensei, and bow as they leave the mat or dojo.

What would you like to see on this site?

Please give us some feedback on what kinds of things you'd like to see on this site, or any other suggestions for how we could improve it. Send comments to:

uvuaikidoclub@gmail.com

Cool Aikido Video

This is a video made by a few amateurs (meaning that they're not well known instructors). However, I think that they did really well with it. They do some advanced techniques with some good speed, so they must be fairly high in rank. They sometimes freeze a shot and will give the name of the technique, so I thought it would also be helpful in trying to recognize a technique when you see it. I'm not to fond of their music choice, though :)

Biography: Morihei Ueshiba

This is the wikipedia link to the biography of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido. It's a good summary of his life that talks about the martial arts influences and religious influences in his life. It also has some stories (some may be a bit sensational) of personal experiences he had. A great read!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morihei_Ueshiba

Here's a pretty cool video of O-Sensei taking ukemi for a little kid!

Terminology Time!!!

Today, we'll look at other attack terminology.


These are the basic empty-hand strikes, or suburi (basic exercises normally with sword and staff):

Munetsuki: Mune (chest) tsuki (punch/lunge): Punch to the chest

Shomenuchi: Shomen (front of the head) uchi (hit): Hit to the center of the head

Yokomenuchi: Yoko (side, sideways, or horizontal) men (head) uchi (hit): Strike to the side of the head

Terminology Time!!!

In an effort to help all of us learn the many Japanese terms in Aikido, I'll be posting periodic terminology translations.

For this posting, we'll look at some of the various attacks that begin with kata. Please note that "tori" and "dori" are sometimes used interchangeably. For these postings, "dori" will be used.

Kata- In this context, it means "shoulder." It also refers to a form, or pre-decided movements; i.e. bokken/jo kata.

Katate- One hand technique

Katadori- Kata (shoulder) dori (grab); lapel/shoulder grab

Katatedori- Katate (one hand technique) dori (grab); one hand grab (same side)

Katatekosadori- Katate (one hand technique) kosa (cross over) dori (grab); cross-hand grab

Katate ryotedori- Katate (one hand technique) ryote (both) dori (grab); two-hand grab

Awesome Christian Tissier Video Clip

Here's a SWEET video of Christian Tissier that I found while checking out YouTube. It's from a martial arts festival in Bercy (the eastern part of Paris, France), but I'm not sure of the year. Enjoy!

President's Message: How is Aikido Different From Other Martial Arts?

A lot of people wonder what makes Aikido so different from other martial arts. What many people that are new to the martial arts world do not realize is that the spectrum of arts is HUGE! There are arts that emphasize ground fighting, such as jiu jitsu. There are arts that appear to be more of a dance, like capoeira. Arts that emphasize a certain part of the body, like Tae Kwon Do's emphasis on kicking. Arts that have an emphasis on a certain weapon, like kendo. So, where does Aikido fit in this wide spectrum?

Aikido is, in my opinion, a bit of a collection of many arts. We find joint locks that remind us of jiu jitsu, throws that remind us judo, and use of the sword as in kendo. However, what truly sets Aikido apart, in my view, is it's emphasis on peace. This emphasis is reflected in the techniques themselves. As an aikidoka, you can't truly execute an effective technique unless someone is attacking you. The techniques were not meant for attack! I had an experience with an uke that wasn't really committed to attacking me. She would flinch at any movement I made and would pull away. I would still try to apply the technique, but it simply WOULD NOT work. This was very enlightening to me, as I realized that there is no technique without a genuine attack. This reflects the emphasis that Aikido places on peace.

Truly, peace is the goal of Aikido. We do not have the goal of putting an "opponent out of commission" (usually meaning "in the hospital") as quickly as possible by whatever means necessary. This is not so in Aikido, and this is contrary to the nature of the art. Injury is to be avoided wherever possible; to ourselves, first and foremost, and then to our attacker. No other martial art, to me, comes close to this view of harmony. Please don't misunderstand me by assuming that I'm saying Aikido is better than other arts. I have been a believer that each art has something good to offer. What I am saying, however, is that Aikido teaches peace as its core, and that is what sets it apart from most other arts.