Another patch idea

Here's another simpler design. At the last seminar, I noticed many from the Utah Aikikai Dojo were wearing a patch of simple design that incorporated their three turns that they teach.

Seminar with James Nakayama Sensei - Again!

Here are the details for the upcoming seminar hosted by Utah Aikikai:

Dates:
Friday, December 4th - Sunday, December 6th.

Cost:
All Classes - $90
Saturday Only - $55
Friday/Saturday (Or Saturday/Sunday) - $75.
*There is a $5 discount if you register before December 1st.*

Schedule:
12/04: 6:00pm-8:00pm
12/05: 10:00am-12:00pm
12/05: 3:00pm-5:00pm
12/06: 10:00am-12:00pm

If you have any other questions, you can call Utah Aikikai at (801) 272-0707, or you can send an e-mail to: mail@utahaiki.com

Practicing Outside of Club

I've gone through a period of time now when my attendance at club has been sparse. I don't like these kinds of lulls in my attendance because when I come back, I feel I have forgotten so much. The reason for my forgetfulness is, obviously, that I'm not practicing! I'm not going through the motions! I have since come to appreciate the value of practice outside of club. Throughout the past few weeks, I've been running through the footwork of techniques I have on my upcoming test. I find that it's a great opportunity to practice different principles of Aikido. I've been able to go through a technique with a specific principle(such as moving everything at once, weight underside, or maintaining posture) in mind. It's nice to have time when there is nobody else there, as this allows me to have a more clear and focused mind. I would just encourage everyone to try this. Really, it should be done anyway, but try to make a specific effort to practice your techniques at home (or another quiet place). You can learn a lot about what you are doing well, or what just doesn't "feel right." Even weapon katas and suburi can be worked on. I hope you will all have a good experience doing this. At very least, I've become more grateful for our vaulted ceiling (plenty of room to swing a bokken or jo)!

Aikido defense against kicks

Aikido defense against kicks is more of an advanced topic, but if you want to see it in action, check out this YouTube video.

Young Aikidoka

This video shows that Aikido is for everyone. This is a young girl that is really tossing this guy around. She's got some pretty good ukemi, too. Enjoy!

PayPal Problem Solved!

My wish came true and PayPal is now available again!

Aikido Patch design

This is my concept for a club patch design. The patch would be 3 inches in diameter and would cost about $3 each, maybe a little less. The patch could be worn on the sleeve or on the left chest of the gi. See what you think. Mostly UVU green and black on a white background. We can make changes.

James Nakayama Sensei

With the upcoming seminar, I thought it would be appropriate to do a little post on Nakayama Sensei.

Nakayama Sensei is currently the AAA Western Regional Director. He holds the rank of rokudan, or sixth-degree black belt. He also holds a fifth-degree black belt rank in iaido.

I apologize for the quality of the following video. In one, the camera was obviously NOT mounted on a tripod, so it's quite shaky. It's the one of the few clips I could find of Nakayama Sensei.

This clip is of Nakayama Sensei demonstrating shihonage against an uke armed with a bokken.

Normal Schedule this week July 6-10

Normal Schedule this week, let me know if you have questions. Also I will be going up to Logan next Saturday to help my Sensei with a demonstration, and will stay for practice. Anyone interested should come on up there. Let me know. Thanks.

Aikido seminar 14-16 Aug in Logan

There's another AAA affiliated seminar coming up August 14-16 in Logan, Utah featuring Nakayama Sensei on Friday evening, Saturday for two sessions and Sunday morning.

Follow this link to a .pdf file of the flyer for more details and registration.

Jeff

Center and Balance

Here is a great article on connection, center and balance. All critical to aikido
here
Enjoy

Video Clip: Steven Segal

Ok, well, I'm not much of a Steven Segal fan, but I have to say that this is a good clip. This is from the 1993 All-Japan Aikido Demonstration (thanks to Aikido Journal). Steven Segal seems to have a very hard style, not hesitating to give his uke a clothesline reminiscent of professional wrestling. I did really enjoy the randori portion of this clip, though. Enjoy!

Research paper from my English 2020 class this Semester

This semester, I took English 2020 and had to write a research paper. I didn't want to be stuck writing about something like abortion or gun control (yawn!), so I wrote about how martial arts are superior to conventional exercise in terms of reaching overall health. Check it out if you'd like. I will warn you, it is a bit lengthy (about 13-14 pages)!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16587901/The-Superiority-of-Martial-Arts-as-Compared-to-Conventional-Exercise?secret_password=2fiqn98wu6n1cjcli49a

Summer meetings

Don't forget we will be meeting this summer.
Finally we are back in PE 221.
T-Th 3:30-5 and Friday 11-12.
Hope to see you there.
Some people will be getting ready for tests.
Thanks,
Marc

Great article

"Aikido is about expressing who we already are : timeless, immovable, harmonious beings with a limitless capacity to respond with Life. Placing our attention on surrendering to the discovery of that being, trusting the intelligence of that being, and placing all or our faith into the birth of this being in this moment, we are Free. Then the creation of what is known as Takemusu Aikido becomes possible. We can not take credit for it. We are it. We can not improve it. It improves this moment. We can not do it. It does us. We can create space for it to awaken. We can choose to be available to it. We can study and create a language for it to speak with. But we can not control or use it. Finally in the end we disappear into It and we then are It; Free finally to create and contribute to the rest of Life that is who we are as well. No longer looking for permission to live, we move into the space that Life offers without reservation or hesitation. Embracing what arrives in this moment without resistance, we witness our response and relationship being born fresh in the moment again and again without end. We come to rest at the Beginning, a place of innocence and trust, hands open, welcoming the Unknown. As we meet that which is out of balance, that which is unresolved, we meet it with no walls and a clear heart, being open and available for transformation to occur, a transformation of conflict into clarity, an alchemy of energetic opposites that gives birth to an evolution of the event and all who are in it. We do not try to form the event into a preconceived direction but witness a movement beyond concepts speak its Truth in this moment. This movement of this transformation is freshly revealed and always beyond what the mind may think to do." read more

Summer meeting....s

Today I guess just meet outside the activity center....if it rains inside in the hall...
Let me know if you have questions.

Excellent article....maybe too big to handle....

There is an excellent interview with christian tissier it should provide many insights...for years to come...here not the least of which is this little nugget...

"When you are correctly seated in the ideal position, even the rudest person cannot disturb you"

Summer Club Times

For summer, would you rather meet usual time t-th 3:30-5 or M thru F 11-12?
Let me know.
Marc

Upcoming opportunity

Hello All,
There is another opportunity to practice Aikido in May.
Stephen Toyoda Sensei, the head of our organization will be in Salt Lake, May 16-17.
more info
I can't emphasize enough how this kind of sustained practice can improve your aikido. It also gives you a chance to see how it really works.
Please plan on attending.
Thanks,
Marc

President's Message: Aikido off the Mat

Some of you may have noticed that I actually haven't been to club in around a month. It's been difficult, as Aikido is something that I have really grown to enjoy and love doing. Since January, things have gotten really busy for me. I've had quite a homework load with my classes, my children have gotten sick a few times, I've gotten a sinus infection that; things are just crazy. Even though I haven't been able to practice Aikido physically, I've really tried to apply it in my daily life. As things have come up, I've tried to just accept what has happened. Life has been busy, but it has also become more manageable. The reason? I'm not getting angry when I'm given yet another assignment when I already have enough to keep me busy for a week. I'm not tensing up, or fighting. I just have to accept that what I am doing can actually turn to a great benefit. And it does. Instead of fighting, or even giving up, accepting the "conflict" has translated into good grades, and my family has been given greater assurance that I care for them because I've stayed home with them multiple times when they needed me. Aikido isn't just for the mat, or a life and death situation. O-Sensei taught that it was for every aspect of life. I'm really starting to see that, and I hope that you all will try it off the mat and be able to see a positive difference in everyday life.

Video Clip: Going Back to Our Roots

Here are a few interesting video clips of some of the martial art that was practiced by Morihei Ueshiba before he developed Aikido. Ueshiba learned the art of Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu from Takeda Sokaku and became a certified teacher in this art. Ueshiba took a lot from this art in the development of Aikido. You can definitely see some similarity to Aikido, but also some glaring differences in some of the throws and pins. The practicioner in both clips is Katsuyuki Kondo. Enjoy!

Why do you practice Aikido?

The question comes up often, in many forms

Why do you practice Aikido? Is Aikido effective? Is Aikido better that ___, some jutsu or jitsu etc.?
Whenever I hear this I think….bring me a better question. Or maybe you just want to miss the point. In fact this has been going on for time immemorial. Picture some samurai sitting around talking about how this school of swordsmanship is better than that. This jutsu is better than that. At least back then they had a reason, ie. they could die. But asking this question is not really the point.

The Way of a Warrior cannot be encompassed by words or in letters: grasp the essence and move on toward realization!

-O’sensei Morihei Ueshiba


To all of this I say, why do YOU practice Aikido?
Is it to defend yourself?
Kick butt?
Out of fear?
Personal development?

Again the point isn't as much the art as the reason. When the ego is attached to being better, smarter, faster, tougher…none will happen. In fact, usually the opposite will be the result. If you look inside you may find some answers, but asking someone else…means you are afraid to look.

In my case, Aikido provides both the avenue for self-development and self-defense and is congruent with my personal belief on how to get there. If you want to develop confidence, fitness, and self mastery all in a way that is non-destructive and powerful, I believe Aikido is the way. In any art there is no short-cut or quick fix to get you power and self confidence and this is definitely the case in Aikido. It takes many years to refine this vehicle we are given. And it is a constant practice. This works for me, refining the art over time. You don’t have to be athletic, coordinated, good looking…just dedicated. If you show up and work, the art reveals itself to you.

To practice properly Aikido, you must:
Calm the spirit and return to the source.
Cleanse the body and spirit by removing all malice, selfishness, and desire.

-O’sensei Morihei Ueshiba

And it is high time you started. Time is precious and as dogen zenji said….”practice like your hair is on fire”. Being in a rush to be good, or tough etc. just makes you miss the point get on the mat, work out and find out what the art is all about. Be fearless.

Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.

-O’sensei Morihei Ueshiba

Hope to see you on the mat.

Seminar in Logan

Hello Everyone,
It is a new year and time to hone your aikido. There is a fantastic opportunity to participate in a seminar in Logan UT. Sustained Aikido will definitely take you to the next level of understanding. It also helps support my sensei to bring events like this to the state.

SCHEDULE:
February 6 (Friday) 6:30-8:30 pm
February 7 (Saturday) Session 1 10:00 am -1:00 pm
Youth Class w/ adults 12 Noon - 1:00 pm Session 2 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Place: USU - HPER , Room 103.

Here is the information in a flyer.
If you have questions let me know.

Hope to see you there.
Thanks,
Marc

Welcome Back Everyone!

I hope everyone has had an awesome break from studies and work. Welcome back to a new semester! I hope it goes well for everyone. I'm really looking forward to what coming up, as it will give us a good chance to do some recruiting and fundraising. A tentative plan for some upcoming events:

Club Rush is coming up! This will be a great opportunity to showcase our club in the halls of UVU for a couple of days. It also earns money for the club, so if we can get a few volunteers to man the table for even just an hour, that would be great! We'll have a table and a tv for about 4 hours each of the 2 days that we participate. This will take place on Wednesday the 14th, Thursday the 15th.

We really want to do a club fundraiser! The plan (hopefully), is to do the fundraiser immediately following, or in conjunction with Club Rush. That way, we can further encourage participation in club. Don't worry, we're not selling candy or raffle tickets. We'll give further details later.

Again, welcome back! We hope to see you in PE 221!