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<blogEntries>
<blogEntry id="4384">
	<title><![CDATA[December 10th Course]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Last Saturday was our (White Rose Aikikai) last course of theYear, and was very enjoyable.
After a mix up at the sports centre and a mad scramble to find more mats, the morning session was based around Kata tori.
In the Afternoon, (with now more mats..lol) we looked at tanto dori.
Great to train with everyone, nice to see Gary Crossland training with us, and nice to see Billy again.

My friends Shawn and John both passed their 5th Kyu...so well done guys.

I somehow managed to hurt my leg....but i'm hoping to be able to continue to training as normal, as my Nidan grade is on the 20th.]]></body>
	<date>12-13-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4359">
	<title><![CDATA[November Nuts &amp; Bolts course]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[A big thank you to Sensei's Jack & Marill Poole for travelling up to West Yorkshire for the November Nuts and Bolts course at Aso Ryu Aikido club.
It was a great course, was a nice chance to catch up with a few people i haven't seen for a while.
Instructors on the day were -
Marill Poole
Billy McAuley
Dave Thomas
Andrew Pratt

Thank to all the above instructors - who all taught interesting and enjoyable sessions.
Dave's class i particularly enjoyed and will be giving it much thought over the next few weeks.

Thanks of course to Sensei Billy McAuley and Aso Ryu Aikido club, for the organisation and hard work that goes into the planning of these events, and for making us so welcome.]]></body>
	<date>11-21-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4350">
	<title><![CDATA[Donovan Waite course Nov 6 2011]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Just wanted to say a big thank you to Sensei George Hemmings of the St. Ives Aiki dojo for organising the course last weekend with Shihan Waite.

The course was fantastic - a real eye opener, i had been told by one of my Sensei's (Mark Danford) what a great Aikidoka Shihan Waite was - well he wasn't wrong.
Simply watching someone of that calibre perform - is a real inspiration.

Thanks to the students who had to put up with my clumsy efforts, to Sensei Hemmings for organising the course and to Shihan Waite for giving me a lot of information to digest and integrate into my Aikido.]]></body>
	<date>11-10-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4329">
	<title><![CDATA[Tribute to Sensei Foster Course]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[U]Saturday 15th October [/U]
Sensei Frank Burlingham and Sensei William Timms, ran a wonderful course at the Phoenix Aikido and fitness centre (Yama Arashi) in Coventry at the weekend.
Sensei Timms - started us off, looking at techniques and finding Koshi Nage in them - a real eye opener,
we then looked at some examples of Kaiten nage, finishing with some Ikkyo techniques.
Sensei Burlingham - taught a variety of techniques with the common theme of weight underside throughout, and also some examples of katame waza.

I would offer my thanks to these 2 experienced instructors, and a BIG! thank you to Sensei Barbara Moss and the students of Yama Arashi for the wonderfully warm welcome i received, 
You're a credit to the Aikido community.

Thanks Chris :)]]></body>
	<date>10-17-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4238">
	<title><![CDATA[Mimuro Sensei Course]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Saturday 2nd of July was the Mimuro Sensei course, hosted by Marple Aikido.
The course was very well run, Mimuro Sensei was very good.
So just a big thank you, to all the folks who organized and made it such a good day.
Thanks the Sensei Wallace for the warm welcome.]]></body>
	<date>07-05-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4202">
	<title><![CDATA[Emotional Roller-coaster]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Last Sunday was a special weapons class for white rose aikikai, taken by Sensei Riley and Sensei Derrick - we covered the Bokken kumi tachi (1-5), it was a great class.

After last nights class however i was feeling a frustrated with myself, Sensei John Edge (2 circles Aikido) is taking through their Shodan syllabus - very mentally intense, where you break down a technique to its core elements, parts of which i understood, and some were new concepts - 'bomb shelters', 'base supports' and 'compression'
All this is wrote down and then Sensei watches and makes his notes on your sheet.

After the class i was quite disappointed with myself, i didn't sleep well thinking about it all.
This Aikido journey has many ups and downs, with obstacles to overcome and problems to solve........then again i suppose if it we didn't care so much about it, it wouldn't bother us so much.]]></body>
	<date>05-13-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4187">
	<title><![CDATA[White Rose Aikikai Spring Course]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[April 10th was my first course of the year.
the course was well attended, with kyu grades taking place on a separate mat during the morning.
Cath took her 1st Dan in front of everyone - and IMO she did a very good grade - well done!!
In the morning session we covered kokyo techniques against ryote mune dori.
In the afternoon we covered techniques against jodan tsuki, from rear hand (stepping through) and lead jab.
Well done to everyone who passed their grades.
Thanks to Sensei Riley and White Rose for a great course.]]></body>
	<date>04-11-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4152">
	<title><![CDATA[Coaching Course]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I'm just getting over an intense weekend.
Twenty odd members of White Rose Aikikai took their CL1 coaching course with the British Aikido Board this weekend at Dewsbury.
[U]Saturday[/U] - This was the 'class room' component of the course with a lot of information to digest, coaching styles and methods of teaching - how to get your point across...a lot of food for thought.
Homework was to design a 12 lesson (6 week) Aikido course
with a detailed 2 lesson plan.
[U]Sunday[/U] - This was the practical part of the course, teaching from one of your lesson plans for 15mins.
I had planned to teach basic morote dori - but was thrown a bit of a 'curve ball' when i was asked to teach the warm ups after the short lunch break, anyway all went well.
I think what i mostly received from the course (apart from the technical information and chance to teach the class) was the warm camaraderie, friendship and support on the mat.
My thanks to Sensei Frank Burlingham for delivering the course and putting up with us all.
Thanks to Sensei Riley for organising the course, and most of all to all fellow students and friends for a memorable weekend.]]></body>
	<date>03-07-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4145">
	<title><![CDATA[Many paths up the same mountain]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I was saddened to hear of the passing of Haydn Foster sensei, i was lucky enough to train on the 'Big 3' course in Lowestoft last year- where he taught.
My thoughts go out to his family,friends and students.

Last week in class, Sensei was talking about 'Ki', this is a subject my past instructors have either given a wide berth to or have taken particular care not to talk about.
Sensei was testing the extension of ki through the Jo, so this is something I will have to work on.
I'm also working on getting to grips with the terminology Sensei uses to describe footwork.
Of all the clubs/associations I've been a member of each have their own way of doing things....there are many paths up the same mountain.]]></body>
	<date>02-25-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4129">
	<title><![CDATA[New Frontiers]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Well i attended the class last night, the first time at my local dojo - and really enjoyed it.
Being without my car for a while and feeling the financial 'crunch' of these difficult times, i've had to make adjustments - and one of them was finding somewhere to train locally.

The Sensei there has a background of both Aikikai style and Ki style, so many of the terminology and techniques were slightly different to what i'm used to, but thats what learnings all about  -trying new things and expanding our horizons.]]></body>
	<date>02-11-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4121">
	<title><![CDATA[The best laid plans....]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA['The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley'
(The best laid schemes of mice and men often go askew)
Robert Burns

My last blog entry, i was talking about to up my training and really preparing myself for Nidan with White Rose Aikikai,
Fate i guess had other ideas, as my gearbox has gone faulty, so i'm limited to public transport for at least 2 months while i save up for the repair and then my insurance.
The situation has forced me to take stock (as they say) and really look at the amount of miles and hours of travelling i do to attend my Aikido classes (approx 200 miles/week)
There is a dojo within 15mins walk, which i visited before, i actually went to train there, i wore my black belt (without thinking) and the Sensei was quite 'off' with me, he seemed to have a strange attitude - however beggars can't be choosers....and next Thurs i'll go and this time wear my old white belt, i'll let you know how it goes...]]></body>
	<date>02-04-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4110">
	<title><![CDATA[Make a list]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[On our first lesson back, after the Christmas & New Year break,  Sensei Derrick told me i was ready to take my Nidan.
My first feelings were that of gratitude that sensei thought i was ready, then i began to realize the amount of work i had in front of me.

Last week he asked what i needed to go through, i began to reel of what i thought i would need, he chuckled and added 'ok. make a list'

It reminded me when i was about to take Shodan, i was asked by Sensei Riley on the last class before my grade - what i wanted to cover, my reply was 'the last 5 years'

So i need to break out of my 'comfort bubble' and put in the extra effort, time, sweat, focus and mileage - clearly set my goals and ramp up my training to achieve them.]]></body>
	<date>01-24-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4105">
	<title><![CDATA[Uniformed individuality]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Sensei demonstrates – we copy, to the best of our ability, but looking around how many differences do you see.

It’s also interesting in Aikido, when we see the ‘same’ technique performed differently, from different Sensei’s and associations, each one equally valid.
In November Sensei McAuley was teaching Gokyo from Shomen Uchi during the Tuesday class, Sensei Derrick then showed a different method on Sunday, and during training Sensei Dean Sheldrake showed yet another version.

In each case the technique worked, using the gokyo ‘form’
This got me to thinking - 

How strictly do we follow the set form and still call it ‘my’ technique?
How much can we adapt our technique, and yet still follow the set form?

I remember attending a seminar with Judo Sensei Chris Dalton, who addressed this issue by comparing it to 3 famous artists creating a picture of the same building – 
One painting in water colours.
One drawing in pastels.
One drawing with ink.
All 3 would be slightly different, even though they had worked from the same form, none could be called right or wrong – just a different interpretation.

These expressions of personality should and will over time happen naturally.
 If we compare a shihonage performed by a short and tall person, we will notice natural differences, due to their respective body mechanics.
However one should not set out to change their techniques, for no other reason than to be different or to appear special. 

We obviously need to follow correct set form as closely as possible for our grade examinations, over time your confidence and understanding will develop within your techniques the more of your personality and ‘self’ you will be able to express naturally in our techniques.]]></body>
	<date>01-14-2011</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4091">
	<title><![CDATA[Winding down for Christmas]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I'm typing this with stiff shoulders after yesterdays (Sundays) quite intense bokken practice.
(In my head the voice of our associations weapons teacher - is chastising me like jiminy cricket - i'f your shoulders hurt you're doing it wrong')
But anyway, that was a nice end to our Sunday classes, until the New Year.
And we finish at Aso Ryu on Wednesday.
My Osame Geiko (last class of the year) will be on the 28th, which i'm looking forward to.
So far i've asked Santa for an Aikido Dvd, book and new Gi, so hopefully i'm on his 'nice' list.

Saturday (18th) was our Christmas Party, which we all really enjoyed - and i was awarded a certificate, for 'most serious student'
Best Wishes to all.]]></body>
	<date>12-20-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4032">
	<title><![CDATA[Be Like the crows]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I remember last year waiting for my Aikido class to begin outside a sports centre, I noticed the recent heavy rain and winds had blown the branches from the trees.
I noticed a pair of crows collecting twigs and sticks to rebuild their nest, which had been damaged.
They struggled against the strong winds and rain, as I waited in my car, I noticed time and time again they were blown around, but they continued their efforts.

I wondered to myself how long would we struggle, in a similar situation, would we have the ability and fortitude to continue, or would we simply give up.
Maybe we would find someone to complain to and have a good moan about how hard life is, maybe we would ‘pass the buck’ and blame everyone else for our struggles.

We all face struggles in our lives, and this is also reflected in our training, good times and bad times, ups and downs.

Just like the crows I’ll continue one stick at a time……..]]></body>
	<date>10-08-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4026">
	<title><![CDATA[Thank you Broadlands Aikido]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Just wanted to say a big thank you to Broadlands Aikido in Lowestoft, i attended class there whilst on holiday, and they were very friendly and welcoming.
Thank you Sensei Frank Burlingham and everyone down there.]]></body>
	<date>10-04-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4016">
	<title><![CDATA[The 'spring clips' of our lives]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I had the clutch changed on my car this week, and it reminded me of an incident that happened about a year and a half ago.
On my way home from work a spring clip snapped on my clutch cable.
As it happened I was just crawling through traffic and was able to drift to the side of the road.
But what if that had happened on a busy motorway, whilst overtaking with my family in the car?
The consequences could have been really nasty.

All for the sake of a small steel spring clip washer.

Our lives are precious, fragile and temporary.

Please treasure your time in the dojo with your friends, 
Cherish your loved ones and family.

You never know when the next ‘spring clip’ will snap.]]></body>
	<date>09-17-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4012">
	<title><![CDATA[Shinwakai Open 2010]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[A big thank you to the organisers and guest instructors of last weekends course.
Sensei's Jack & Marril Poole (Shinwakai)
Sensei Les White (Traditional Aikido Ryu)
Sensei Roy Sheppard (Kurai Aikido)
Sensei John Jenkin (Koshinkan Aikido)
Sensei Joe Mcenroe (Cinque ports Aikido)
Sensei William Timms (Institute of Aikido)
Sensei Billy McAuley (Aso Ryu Aikido club)

The course was a great success, enjoyed by all!]]></body>
	<date>09-10-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4008">
	<title><![CDATA[The Kindness of others]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Everyday we work hard to achieve goals and improve our lives, but sometimes it's the kindness of others that help make our lives what they are.
Unfortunately these actions and gestures are often overlooked or taken for granted.

At the end of Aikido class it feels right to give thanks, even though it's in Japanese and awkward to say, I want to say thank you, and show that I appreciate his experience and patience, to thank my teacher for his instruction and giving up his time for us.

Without the kindness of our instructors spending their time correcting our faults, we wouldn't get very far, and for many of us, our lives would be very different from what they are today.
Maybe it's not ‘cool' to say thanks, maybe the ‘customer' attitude is such that we think paying the hall costs is thanks enough.

Without the kindness of our parents, families and friends many of our happy memories wouldn't exist, how many times do we say thank you?

A true heart felt thank you, should feel right and be gratifying to both parties.

‘[B]A kind word can warm the heart for 3 winters[/B]']]></body>
	<date>09-03-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4004">
	<title><![CDATA[Your Path]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So here you are walking your path of Aikido.
Only you can walk your path, of course you train with your classmates in the dojo, making progress together, attending courses together – but make no mistake the path you are walking is your own.
There will no doubt be students who have less commitments to family and work than you and can attend class more often – this is there path.
Likewise there will be fellow students with a heavy burden of family and work, and although you would like to help them, that is their path.

Your path will not be an easy one, there will be obstacles and diversions along the way, at times you will feel your progress has stopped, though the small breeze against your face reminds you, that you are still moving forwards.
Every obstacle is an opportunity for personal growth and development.
This is your path, the quality of which is decided by you, progress along your path is achieved by your efforts alone]]></body>
	<date>08-27-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3998">
	<title><![CDATA[The Wrong Zori]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[A few Years ago, I would look forward to reading Rev. Kensho Furuya’s daily message Sensei was the head of the ACLA (Aikido centre of Los Angeles) and his messages were thought provoking and inspirational.
One theme Sensei Furuya often repeated was taking note of even the smallest detail of your dojo practice and take it to heart.
Recently getting changed, I realized that the zori I was putting on weren’t actually mine! I must have put on the wrong ones at the Doshu course, due to the volume of people at the venue.
Oh well, I will look after my newly ‘acquired’ zori and in future make sure I am being more aware and focused in the dojo, even when practice is over……]]></body>
	<date>08-20-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3980">
	<title><![CDATA[The Magic Aikido Book]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I was recently asked by a friend, to recommend an Aikido book for him as he was joining the Police force in 2 weeks.
'well they'll probably teach you whatever you need to know' i told him
"yes but i want to get a heads up, i want to look as though i know what i'm doing" was his reply.
'well the best way would be to join a club...' 
"no i haven't got time time for that" he interrupted 
'well there's (i reeled off a few titles) which show techniques in detail etc'
"umm right" his reply (without making notes of my suggestions)

I met up with him last weekend, and he showed me his book  -- Dynamic Aikido (Gozo Shioda) 
'oh right, i've got that one, it's got some good diagrams to work from' i told him.
"no its not very good" was his reply "its all broken down into small movements" he seemed disappointed in his lack of progress.

ohh... then i realized - he needed the 'Magic book', the one where he just sits back and is imbued with all the technical knowledge.
i'll have to borrow his copy, if he ever finds it.....
Until then i just keep going to the Dojo.:)]]></body>
	<date>08-06-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3971">
	<title><![CDATA[International 'Big 3' Course]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[A big thank you to Sensei Burlingham and members of Broadlands Aikido club for organising a wonderful course last weekend.

A special Thanks to the guest instructors - 
Haydn Foster Sensei
Osamu Obata Shihan
Philip Lee Sensei]]></body>
	<date>07-28-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3963">
	<title><![CDATA[Just Turn...]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The other night Sensei was teaching a tenkan variation, where we move from our centre and extend forwards.
Like most Aikido exercises, the ones that look the easiest are usually the hardest to learn (followed by the ones that look hard - which lets face it they are...lol).
Anyway, my brain decided to micro analyse the movement (much to my annoyance) and i fell into the age old trap of over-thinking.
"just turn" Sensei told us........yea like its that easy my brain was saying.
But you know what, it was.
Ok so now i've learnt to turn (after 7 years) that's step one sorted.
Ok then on to step two - trying to figure my left from my right....]]></body>
	<date>07-16-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3957">
	<title><![CDATA[Doshu 2010 course]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I was one of the hundreds that travelled to Cardiff to attend the Doshu 2010 course.
It was a  great privilege to train under Doshu, and despite the cramped mat conditions we all tried our best and enjoyed ourselves.

Then Sunday morning my regular class with Sensei Derrick (white rose aikikai) getting folks ready for the course and grading next Sunday so a lot of 5th Kyu basics, it's good to go back to basics.]]></body>
	<date>06-21-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3955">
	<title><![CDATA[Heart to heart communication]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[At the beginning and end of class, Sensei McAuley always looks into his students eyes before he makes his bow, to end or start class.
He tells us this is from his teacher (Asoh Sensei) and is a form of communication from the heart.

I had a similar experience of this at the weekend on the Uk Shinwakai course, where a couple of visiting Japanese students were training, there were obvious verbal communication problems, although the language barrier became a non-issue during the training, i received the technique (was thrown) the technique was good i rose and smiled, she smiled, after a while we changed roles, we could both 'feel' the techniques work and also when they didn't, we worked together to correct the technique........not a word was spoken
 Heart to heart communication, what a wonderful art O'sensei left us.]]></body>
	<date>06-16-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3951">
	<title><![CDATA[Learning through teaching...]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Last night Sensei had me and Dave (my Sempai) teaching the class, Dave is much better at teaching than i am. I'm hoping that improvement and confidence will develop with experience.
2 Issues gave me pause for thought....

1) How often should Sensei, interrupt a students practice to make corrections, obviously wrong arm / leg / technique, should be corrected straight away, but should you allow the students to 'feel' their mistakes and make their own corrections, without Sensei constantly jumping in ?

2) I noticed, (not for the first time) the difference between what Sensei has demonstrated and what  the students are actually doing, students (and  i'll add myself here too) fall back into 'perceived' patterns of movement rather than what has been shown, last night for example Sensei taught a slight variation of Sankyo - yet students were not picking up on these changes..........i wonder why this happens?

These points are now making me think of my own techniques and making sure that i don't fall into 'routine patterns of habit'
and also how many mistakes i'm making before Sensei comes over to correct me................................]]></body>
	<date>06-09-2010</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3950">
	<title><![CDATA[Welcome to my blog]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Hi all, 
Thanks for reading!
I hope my musings here won't bore people too much.

I train with The White Rose Aikikai and Aso Ryu Aikido in West Yorkshire. (although i now live in South Yorkshire)

In started Traditional Aikido in June 2003, so this is my 7th anniversary which lets face it is a drop in the ocean...lol

I have a busy Month ahead of me with 3 courses over the next 3 weekends - 
Jack Poole course 12th June
Doshu 2010 (UK) on the 18th 
White Rose Aikikai course 27th

Got class tonight with Sensei McAuley, so will post tomorrow on how that goes....]]></body>
	<date>06-08-2010</date>
</blogEntry>


</blogEntries>