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