I just got back from a weekend seminar with Kevin Choate sensei (6th dan, Chicago Aikikai) in San Bernardino, CA, and I thought I'd write a review.

Well, I found out this weekend that these reviews that I write actually do get read by people and that at least one instructor, Choate sensei, has heard about them. Choate sensei seemed amused that I spent some time writing about the last seminar of his I attended and mentioned that I seemed to have taken some special pleasure in mentioning the bloody nose I gave him last October.

The seminar took place from Friday evening until Sunday morning at Aikikai of San Bernardino on the campus of Cal State University at San Bernardino, instructed by Chetan Prakash sensei. The mat space was quite plentiful for the number of people who attended the seminar (about 25), and the mirrors on the walls gave an impression of the space being much larger (and allowed for viewing techniques and demonstrations from various angles, if you so desired). There was plenty of liquids available and wonderful baked goodies (cookies, cake) and oranges at all times through the weekend.

Choate sensei worked on a whole bunch of subtle stuff over the weekend, most of which dealt with trying to directly affect uke's center and balance and not their strength. Although this may seem like one of those obvious things we all try in our aikido, most of us mortals still tend to cover it up; rather than actually tackling it on as a problem, it just seems at times that we just get better and better at covering it up.

As usual, Choate sensei expected his uke to attack strongly ("Strong is OK" is something he very often says to his uke) and was not afraid to demonstrate things that only worked about half the time for him. Rather than show off some polished piece of aikido, Choate sensei let us see some "works in progress" and be a part of that process itself. Instead of doing everything perfectly, Choate sensei let us see when and how what he was doing was not working; this was especially rewarding when you actually got to feel him as uke, as he acknowledges things like tension in his body, openings in his techniques, and imbalances in his movements rather than covering it up with something else.

(I personally prefer these kinds of experimental aikido teachings moreso than the "this foot should go here" kind, as they let me see the creative beauty inherent in the principles themselves; give me an hour of jiyuwaza type training over an hour of nikkyo/sankyo training any day.)

On Saturday afternoon, we worked on some of Choate sensei's kumitachi (bokken vs bokken). I was thoroughy confused and can tell you that I'd have heck of a hard time reproducing any of them, although I found the kumitachi all very intriguing and full of great principles. I especially liked the way Choate sensei told us that all of the kumitachi he presented were merely exercises, and that if specific movements in them didn't work for some people that they should change them to suit their own "feelings" for how they should be done.

All through the weekend, Choate sensei went around the entire mat and let people feel what he was trying to convery rather than trying to explain it all through words. (Not to say that he didn't explain, but that he was willing to let people feel what he was doing.) He worked with everyone from instructors from other schools to the newest student on the mat.

On Saturday night, we had a great dinner at a French restaurant, where the conversation included such lofty topics like the uses of feces of different kinds of animals (horse, cow, bison, elephant, pigeon), South Park (Choate sensei happens to be a big fan and is happy to quote snippets from different episodes), frog legs, how active fighter pilots tend to sire more daughters than sons, and other non-aikido topics reminiscent of the stuff that goes on here on Aikido-L. (Oh, that and a bunch of parrots-in-freezer jokes by Choate sensei himself, but that was on Friday night.)

Special thanks goes out to Chetan Prakash sensei for hosting the seminar and for putting me up for the entire weekend at his house. I had a great time at the seminar in learning and feeling Choate sensei's aikido. I also had a lot of fun working with everyone who attended the seminar, including the local dojo members, Craig from Chicago, Wayne from Arizona, Mark Adachi sensei of Glendale Aikikai, and Jamie Zimron sensei from San Diego.

My car now has an extra 917 miles on it from driving down to San Bernardino and back, but I have to say that it was certainly worth it for this seminar. Choate sensei is a very amiable guy, and his seminars have always been a treat to attend and recommended (by me, at least) to everyone.

Jun