Toby Threadgill at Aikido of Northern Virginia, October 16 - 17 [Archive]

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Jim Sorrentino

08-27-2009, 01:18 PM

Greetings All,

Aikido of Northern Virginia will host a seminar with Toby Threadgill-sensei October 16 - 17, 2009. There will be three classes:

Friday: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Saturday: 9:30 am - 11:30 am; 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
The cost of the seminar is $100 for the entire seminar or $50 per class.

The subject of the workshop will be the definition and development of aiki from the perspective of a classical Japanese martial art, and integrating that understanding into aikido. Although the workshop will focus primarily on empty-hand technique, weapons may be used.

Toby Threadgill-sensei began training under Takamura Yukiyoshi, headmaster of Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin-ryu (TSYR), in 1985. In 1992 he founded the Soryushin Dojo and in 1994 was appointed a branch director of the Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Kai. In 1999, he was one of three people to be awarded a menkyo kaiden (teaching license) in Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin-ryu. Following the passing of Takamura Yukiyoshi in 2000, he was asked by the other TSYR branch directors to accept the position of administrative head (kaicho) of the Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Kai. He currently oversees instruction at the Shindo Yoshin Kai Hombu Dojo in Evergreen, Colorado, and maintains a busy international teaching schedule. There is more information on this classical system at the Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Kai web site (http://www.shinyokai.com/home.htm).

Registration, including payment in full, is due no later than October 1. Attendance is limited to 40 participants. There will be no registration at the door. A flyer, registration form, and waiver are at http://www.aikido-nova.org/Threadgill2009.pdf.

See you on the mat!

Sincerely,

Jim

08-27-2009, 01:26 PM

Augh, what a year. Too many good books, too many good seminars. You people are killing me. :)

Kevin Leavitt

08-27-2009, 01:59 PM

I know it's a bitch isn't it. I was thinking the same thing. AND they all occur at around the same time as well.

Howard Popkin

08-27-2009, 02:37 PM

Fellas,

Why do you think mine is in November ?

Tuna season is over :)

Be well,

Howard

08-27-2009, 02:58 PM

Fellas,

Why do you think mine is in November ?

Tuna season is over :)

Be well,

Howard

You mean you're having a seminar on how to fish for Tuna? When is that one? :D

Howard Popkin

08-27-2009, 03:13 PM

Mark,

Didn't know you were interested, but Capt Mark DeBlasio runs the best Tuna Charter on the east coast. I have fished with him many times. Highly recommended.

Howard
:D
http://www.canyonrunner.com/index.php?page=seminar

Jim Sorrentino

09-12-2009, 05:44 PM

George S. Ledyard

09-13-2009, 11:01 AM

Greetings All,

The deadline to register is getting closer. Registration, including payment in full, is due no later than October 1. Attendance is limited to 40 participants. There will be no registration at the door. A flyer, registration form, and waiver are at http://www.aikido-nova.org/Threadgill2009.pdf.

See you on the mat!

Sincerely,

Jim

Folks,
If you are anywhere where you can get to this event, don't miss it. Toby Threadgill is both a fantastic martial artist of international repute and a simply wonderful human being (funny as hell too). I've learned a lot from Toby personally.
- George

SeiserL

09-14-2009, 08:47 AM

If you are anywhere where you can get to this event, don't miss it. Toby Threadgill is both a fantastic martial artist of international repute and a simply wonderful human being (funny as hell too).
Osu Sensei,
Totally agreement.
I train with Threadgill Sensei every chance I get.
I always learn something new and have a good time doing it.
Be there or wish you had been.
Too bad it wasn't closer.
Rei. Domo.

Toby Threadgill

09-18-2009, 12:52 PM

Hi,

It'll be great to visit everyone at Aikido of Northern VA again. Great group of people.

Jimmy and I had a good discussion after last years seminar concerning how he would like our interaction to proceed and I'm in complete agreement with him on this. This years I'll have several kihon kunren, nairiki no gyo and te hodoki to teach that I found to be break through exercises for improving my understanding and application of internal taijutsu skills. They are so deep and simple at the same time that its easy to overlook or dismiss their importance. They are the important pieces of the greater puzzle that are, as Ellis so appropriately referred to in naming his book, "hidden in plain sight". When the skills accessed thru these drills and kata start to come together in your body, their application in waza will be so obvious you'll you'll just shake your head in disbelief.

And....I have to say I was impressed with Jimmy and all of the attendees last year as everyones minds were totally open to the info and everyone was having fun. That's the way its supposed to be and why I'm looking forward to coming back.

Toby Threadgill / TSYR

Jim Sorrentino

09-23-2009, 01:20 PM

Greetings All,

Toby, thank you very much for the compliments! Everyone here is looking forward to seeing you again. I would have responded sooner, but I have been swamped at the office.

There are still some spots available for this seminar. Registration, including payment in full, is due no later than October 1. Attendance is limited to 40 participants. There will be no registration at the door. A flyer, registration form, and waiver are at http://www.aikido-nova.org/Threadgill2009.pdf.

See you on the mat!

Sincerely,

Jim

Jim Sorrentino

09-30-2009, 09:17 AM

Greetings All,

There are still some spots available for this seminar. Registration, including payment in full, is due (postmarked) no later than October 1.

Attendance is limited to 40 participants. There will be no registration at the door.

If you have not yet registered, but plan to attend, please send me a PM.

A flyer, registration form, and waiver are at http://www.aikido-nova.org/Threadgill2009.pdf.

Participants must bring a bokken. See you on the mat!

Sincerely,

Jim

Michael Phillips

10-12-2009, 04:45 PM

Mr Sorrentino,

We haven't crossed paths in a long time but I was curious if the seminar with Threadgill sensei was full. Frankly, I'll be shocked of there is still any room. I visited Threadgill sensei last week in Colorado and was astounded at his abilities.

Best regards,

Michael Phillips

Jim Sorrentino

10-14-2009, 06:56 AM

Hello Mr. Phillips,

I apologize for the delayed reply --- it's been crazy at work, and for some reason, PMs from AikiWeb were not being forwarded to my home account.

I apologize, but registration closed on October 1. You may watch class and take notes. No photography will be permitted.

Sincerely,

Jim Sorrentino

Toby Threadgill

10-18-2009, 09:54 PM

Hi,

I had a great time at Jimmy Sorrentino's dojo. What a wonderful group of people. It's rewarding on many levels when a diverse collection of open minded budoka get together to train, learn and have fun.

I'm looking forward to returning again next year.

Toby Threadgill / TSYR

Kevin Leavitt

10-18-2009, 10:25 PM

Thanks again Toby...it really was a great time!

Keith Larman

10-18-2009, 11:03 PM

Stephen Kotev

10-19-2009, 08:13 AM

Well, is anyone gonna give a brief synopsis?

I must admit that after the last seminar I went to with Toby I was driving home wondering if there was something wrong with me. Totally screwed up back, torn ligament in the knee, and I was still out there letting this guy with the residual Texas drawl and funny stories toss me around... And each time I thought I should bow out and put ice on miscellaneous body parts he'd do something else that I'd think "nah, I've gotta feel that to believe it..." And sure enough... ;)

When my wife got home and saw me on the couch with a heating pad on my back and an ice pack on my knee all she said is "I take it you enjoyed the seminar..."

:D

Keith,

I totally relate to that. I tore my Achilles tendon at the start of the year and I'll be off the mat till April 2010 at the earliest. I had a great time with Toby last year and I was really disappointed I could not attend this year's seminar.

I too signed up for the "It has to be felt" TSYR course during last year's seminar and it was a ton of fun! (I think I need to have my head examined when 'fun' translates into being kneed in the ribs and simultaneously choked out.)

So my promise to myself is to be healthy enough to be back on the mat and next year to ‘do it all over again.'

All the Best,
Stephen

Kevin Leavitt

10-19-2009, 08:44 AM

Steve, wish you would have come, but understand! Lets catch up soon.

Keith, well heck, I thought about it, but to be honest I don't know what I can say that hasn't been said in the past.

Jim Sorrentino asked Toby to concentrate on providing us "excercise" or kata as a framework to help us integrate some of the basics into our dojo, so that is what we concentrated on more than anything else, we did a little waza, but mainily it was focused on about six simple kata that Toby has in his system that should be useful to us. Really nothing earth shattering or revolutionary in and of itself, but as you know, the devil is in the details, and simply doing them over and over.

I am hesitant to write about this because either I over trivialize what we did, whic was again, nothing earth shattering or revolutiionary....but also don't want to give the impression that there was some big secret techniques and training methods that were shared with us that you simply had to be there to experience.

No, it was just darn good instruction from a guy that understands how to teach people how to do this stuff, which I really cannot describe in a forum.

What we as a community took away, we hope, was that we are going to do a concerted effort to integrate the fundamental exercises/kata that Toby presented into our practice in the dojo in hopes to help people begin to develop and condition their bodies in order to execute and perform waza.

It is all about fundamentals and structure...and less about technique and tactics.

So hope this helps.

Keith Larman

10-19-2009, 08:47 AM

Yeah, the exercises Toby showed out here last month were very interesting. I'm still kinda puzzling over them -- I wish I had video taped them as my feeble brain just cannot retain that much info all at once.

Next time -- better notes for myself.

Kevin Leavitt

10-19-2009, 08:55 AM

Yup...tried to show my wife yesterday...and I have already lost alot of it! lol!

Hopefully though that there were enough folks in our dojo that have a better memory than I that we can get them going again.

The good news is, for me at least, is that they are close enough to what I have experienced between Mike Sigman and Ark...that I realize the common patterns, themes, and feelings...so I am not so concerned that I don't get them 100% right at this time.

Of course, I am at a very, very low level of getting the basic levels of conditioning down, so no need to get carried away with all the details.

I think this is important...I wasted alot of time not doing anything for fear of doing them wrong and wasting time....I think it is better to do them than not do them and start the process than to sit back and wait and not do anything at all.

jim312uav

10-19-2009, 09:15 AM

Toby;
Thank you again for a great seminar. It was good to see you again.

Ron Tisdale

10-19-2009, 09:15 AM

Wasn't there, but glad y'all had a good time!

When my wife got home and saw me on the couch with a heating pad on my back and an ice pack on my knee all she said is "I take it you enjoyed the seminar..."

Damn, I thought that only happened to me!
Best,
Ron

10-19-2009, 09:49 AM

I think this is important...I wasted alot of time not doing anything for fear of doing them wrong and wasting time....I think it is better to do them than not do them and start the process than to sit back and wait and not do anything at all.

I tend to agree when doing distance training. In my training, I don't keep to the straight and narrow like someone who has regular hands-on training. If I keep doing the exercises, I get close enough that when I do get hands-on training again, it takes a short time to correct me and then I can move on. Mostly. :)

Jim Sorrentino

10-21-2009, 11:27 AM

Greetings All,
Hi,

I had a great time at Jimmy Sorrentino's dojo. What a wonderful group of people. It's rewarding on many levels when a diverse collection of open minded budoka get together to train, learn and have fun.

I'm looking forward to returning again next year.

Toby Threadgill / TSYR
I apologize for the delay, but between the seminar and my job, time has not been on my side.

Toby provided us with excellent instruction, and worked extensively and repeatedly with everyone on the mat, regardless of their level. We had a fantastic time, and I look forward to his return next year. The tentative date is the first weekend of November, 2010.

Also, I am grateful for the participation and support of the TSYR members from Canada and Pennsylvania who travelled to Virginia for the seminar. Their experience and enthusiasm was a great help.

Thanks also to the members of Aikido of Northern Virginia, as well as all other participating aikidoka, for their willingness to try something a little different! It's my hope that it will help our aikido improve.

Sincerely,

Jim Sorrentino