Aikido at Incirlik, Turkey?

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[Paul Clark]

Hi all,

I'm on a litte adventure here in Turkey, Incirlik Air Base. I've determined that there are not already any aikido classes, at least not at the gym. On the off chance that anyone checking these forums is ALSO here at Incirlik, let me know and we'll figure out a way to get together and train.

Look forward to a flurry of anxious partners!

Paul

[Paul Clark]

Hey all,

this is probably poor form, but I'm posting again to get this back up on the home page for one more look. It's LOONNNNELY out here in the Turkish wilderness with no aikido.

If anybody else is here, speak up!

thanks

Paul

[lt-rentaroo]

Sir,

So, the AF has temporarily relocated you to Incirlik AB. I remember training with you and Greg while I was attending ABC at Maxwell. I wish you the best at Incirlik, stay safe.

Now, about the Aikido situation. It seems there are many Aikido dojo in Turkey, but they also seem to be mainly in Istanbul and Ankara. I'm not sure how far these cities are from Incirlik, but I'm guessing it is quite a long distance.

You could try posting a flyer in the base gym, it might serve to spark some interest. If Incirlik has a base paper (I'm sure they do), an add for a meeting or club might work. Who knows, you could become the Founder of the Incirlik AB Aikido Club. Just think how good that would look on your next OPR :P

Again, I wish you the best during your stay at Incirlik, and take care!

[Paul Clark]

Louis,

I also remember you. I've been trying to get into the fight for almost a year, finally found a little "colonel-ing" that I could do. My timing should be perfect . . .

I have a flyer already on the b-board at the gym, have talked to the gym chief and am cleared to use mats/aerobics room/raquetball courts as required, now all I need are a few partners. Word of mouth may turn out to be best--I have an Lt sort of detailed temporarily to shadow me, and he seems interested, so as soon as I can find some time I hope to conduct a first class.

Ankara/Istanbul are way too far away, so it's the Incirlik AB Aikido Club for me, looks like I'm the founding member, and failing someone popping up who's shodan or above, I'm also acting-sensei, which is more or less what I expected to happen.

Even if nobody else replies to this, I'll post a note if/when we have our inaugural class. Any tips on what to teach that first night, I'd appreciate. Greg, you out there? I need a little friendly adult supervision.

Mike Sensei--if you're reading along, please help so I stay on the straight and narrow.

Paul

[akiy]

Hi Paul,

Please feel welcome to continue using the Forums to see if there are others in your area for your "new" dojo. Also, if you wish, please feel welcome to add your dojo to the AikiWeb Dojo Search Engine as others in the area might want that information available to them.

Let us know how things continue!

-- Jun

[Greg Jennings]

I'm here. I'd be _there_ if I could.

I've been in the snowy northland for a week and missed your post.

Drop me an e-mail. I don't think this forum is a place to drag folks through crafting a beginning syllabus.

Keep up the good work,

[lt-rentaroo]

Sir,

Sounds like you're well on your way to a great club. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors.

As long as you have a trusty Lt by your side, you can't go wrong :P Take Care.

[Paul Clark]

Thanks all,

Jun--thank you, I'm not sure "dojo" is what to call it, and it's not real permanent since I'm here for a finite time. If we get rolling and it looks like someone can continue after I go back home, we'll consider adding to the database. As it is, only military people will be able to get to class on the base, so no wider audience could make use of us anyway.

Greg,

I'll drop you a note soon.

Paul

[Greg Jennings]

Greg,

I'll drop you a note soon.
Roger that. I'll be looking for it.

Best Regards,

[Paul Clark]

Greg,

check your yahoo account, I don't have your home address with me, sent a quick note to that one and your office email

Paul

[Paul Clark]

Aikido Club of Incirlik's last hurrah--

Well, it was a good run, if short. Ended up with as many as 7 students attending class at once, held class 3 times a week, and always had someone to train with. I had one very dedicated student who never missed a class, and who successfully tested for Rokkyu!

But, our war at Incirlik is over, and I'm headed home, so no more Aikido here. Thanks to all the training partners, Mike sensei for his support, and Greg Jennings of Capital City Aikido for his suggestions on lesson plans.

Learned an awful lot by teaching! More on my next illuminating post elsewhere on these forums . . .

Paul

[Greg Jennings]

Someone to train with is all you can ask for.

Regards,

[akiy]

Hi Paul,

Congratulations! I'm sure the folks who were able to attend your class will all hold fond memories of training with you in Incirlik. Maybe you'll cross their paths again on the mat in ten to twenty years?

-- Jun

[scientific]

hey i am from turkey...maybe i can help you...