i saw this video some years ago under a different context, but it only recently clicked in my head that it was linked to the IP/IS stuff that we've been talking about here all the while.

WARNING: the video contains clips of an human cadaver.

i don't think this has been shared here at aikiweb before, but for those of you who are interested about fascia, and how it actually looks like in the human body, you can view the video here [NSFW].

WARNING: the video contains clips of an human cadaver.

like i said, this video is not directly related to IP/IS but is simply to show what fascia looks like in humans. i'll leave it the other experts on this forum to connect what we've just seen with IP/IS work.

Hi,
In just 2 weeks I am starting a kids class at our dojo, sharing responsibilities with another student. He is a shodan, I am a nidan. Our dojo cho has given us an outline of a curriculum, so we have a very good foundation to build on, but I'm seeking those things you wish you had been told, special bits of advice, hints on working with kids that will help us succeed. I am a mother of 2 (teens) so I am already comfortable being with kids, but teaching them aikido is a new challenge.

Thanks!

It is a real pleasure to read your memories of sensei. I suppose that sensei touched each of his students in a unique way. Still, most everything expressed about sensei in this, your first posted column on Aiki Web, expressed in your uniquely poetic/romantic style, can be agreed upon by all who knew him.

I'm sure you miss him greatly. I certainly do. With every year of additional training I am awed by the depth and breadth of all that he so willingly shared. He left a profound legacy of humility, honesty, strength and love . . . Quite a lot to try to live up to!

Sincerely,
Allen Beebe

Posted 2013-05-21 17:52:36 by Jun Akiyama
News URL: http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=75

The May AikiWeb Columns are now available for your reading pleasure at:

http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=75

This month, we have some great columns from John Stevens, Lynn Seiser, "The Mirror," Stefan Stenudd, Ross Robertson, and Niall Matthews.

As always, your comments in the thread following each column are appreciated by the authors, so please be sure to leave them your thoughts!


___________________
~~~ To submit a news item to AikiWeb's front page, click here. ~~~

Shirata Rinjiro sensei was universally admired. Although the extremely modest Shirata sensei would never make such a claim, it is the consensus of Kisshomaru Doshu and many others that Shirata was one of Morihei's favorite and most trusted disciples. Shirata Sensei was devoted to the Ueshiba family and the cause of Aikido. At Sensei's funeral ceremony, sponsored by the Aikikai, Kisshomaru Doshu said, "Shirata Rinjiro represents what Aikido is meant to be."

I was with Shirata Sensei for fifteen years. Training with Sensei ran the gamut of physical aikido: body techniques from all kinds of kamae and attacks coming from any angle; an extensive repertoire of aiki-ken and aiki-jo techniques; and most challenging of all, riai, the relationship between the movement of the body and the movement of the sword or jo. Sensei taught techniques in series, typically in groups of four or eight variations. We practiced hundreds, perhaps thousands, of different techniques; Sensei keep pulling things out of his aikido hat.

Sensei was constantly changing the techniques. It was not tweaking or refinement of a technique; it was a different expression. To be honest, the ongoing permutations could be frustrating; more than once, I would execute a technique exactly the way he showed me previously but he would announce, "No, don't do it that way!" It was difficult to suppress the urge to say, "But that is the way you told me to do it!" I guess he was teaching us not to set anything in stone.

Primary, however, was the preparation before actually practicing the techniques. Sensei performed the bow-in with the most reverent manner. To Sensei, Morihei was a living presence, and he was greeting someone he really knew, physically and spiritually. After that, we would begin with long series of warm-up exercises, a kind of aiki-yoga. There was always chinkon-kishin and kokyu-ho exercises, seated and standing, and then shiho-giri. If it was a seminar, Sensei would invariably give an aisatsu, a formal greeting. He would thank the participants, usually talk a little about the spirit of aikido, and caution us to train slowly and carefully so no one would get injured. "No one getting injured in Aikido training," was a key point in Sensei's approach (as it was for Morihei). Sometimes, Sensei would get carried away and talk for ten minutes or more. He continued to talk during the training, explaining the proper attitude in applying a technique and the meaning rather the execution—that changed day-by-day anyway. Sensei often quoted Morihei during training and talked about his own memorable experiences.

In the early days, I would take ukemi for Sensei at a seminar for an hour or two straight. However, I never got winded or injured. In fact, I had more energy at the end than when I began. At one seminar, I was Sensei's uke for an hour of nikkyo variations. My wrists were tingly to be sure, stimulated, but not at all swollen and sore. These positive experiences were not due to my being a good uke; it was the effect of Sensei being a skilful tori.

The best thing about training with Sensei was his infectious love of Aikido. His seminars were joyful. He was always smiling during training, actually beaming much of the time. Sensei frequently went well over the time allotted to him during a seminar. He was having the time of his life so it was hard to get him to stop. Sensei was very funny, on and off the mat, in an understated aiki way. Occasionally during training, Sensei would tell a student (including me), "dame " (bad) but we heard the comment "yoroshii"(good) much more often. Nevertheless, Sensei could be scary sometimes, especially when he was holding a sword. His face transformed into that of a warrior god, and his eyes changed color. If he was uchi-tachi, he leaped though the air like a tengu cutting all the way down to the mat. It was terrifying. Also, Sensei would on occasion act like he was back in the days of the Kobukan. His atemi (including kicks) came out of nowhere, perfectly timed and dead-on. More than once, I was nearly floored by one of his atemi. It was painful where he struck me, although interestingly, the spot was not bruised or swollen.

In the last five years of his life, from age seventy-five to eighty, Sensei's techniques grew more pure. His posture got straighter, his movements became seamless, and his bearing brighter. It was during this last period that Sensei developed misogi-no-ken and misogi-no-jo, based on his sixty years of aikido training. The last time I took ukemi was near the end of his life. Sensei showed a technique that I had never seen before (in fifteen years of training.) I wanted to see "how it felt." I went down in flash. In the pin, I could not move. It felt as if I was bound in wire or caught in a vice. The only way I can describe the pin is "majestic." That was Sensei's final technical teaching to me. "Your Aikido techniques must become majestic."

Regarding the history of Aikido, Sensei had a perhaps unrivalled panoramic view. He had encountered all the major figures both before and after the war. When Sensei was a lad in Yamagata, Deguchi Onisaburo stayed a week at the Shirata household. Sensei remembers being bounced on Onisaburo's knee, and being told, "You have a lot of potential." Sensei was one of Morihei's earliest uchi-deshi, and met Takeda Sokaku. Sensei experienced the Omoto-kyo suppression with Morihei. After the war, Shirata sensei was a prominent supporter of modern-day aikido, eventually becoming the Director of the All-Japan Aikido Association. He used to say, "The old days were good; the new days are better." We spent countless hours discussing the history of aikido. I relied heavily on Sensei's version of aikido history in my books because he was actually there, involved in the principal events and associated with the main players. It was first-hand information that I considered most valuable.

By far the most important thing I received from Sensei is on the spiritual level. This calligraphy hung in Shirata Sensei's dojo: "Those who practice Aikido must first learn its spirit; if the spirit of aikido is not understood, the way will never be attained." Sensei was always studying, annotating Morihei's poems and other writings. On occasion, during a discussion he would spontaneously write an Aikido principle on a scrap of piece of paper, or even a napkin.

Shirata sensei believed that Morihei was an incarnation of Ame-no-mura-kumo-kuki-samuharu ryu-o. He believed that Morihei's mission on earth was to teach the true meaning of budo. He believed that Aikido was based on Morihei's enlightened vision of the cosmos: it is a vehicle to harmonize heaven, earth and human kind. The purpose of aikido, our mission as aikido practitioners, is to bring the world together through aiki, so as to eliminate disharmony, hatred, bloodshed, and war. He believed that Morihei taught, "Aikido is misogi." Since Sensei maintained that aikido was hikari no michi, the "Path of Light," as aikido people we should always emphasize the most positive and brightest aspects of our tradition. Shirata sensei believed in all these things. So do I.

John Stevens

For those inclined to post, please re-read the introductory column before doing so. The rules for contributors, in short:

• Only people who have actually taken ukemi the teacher who is the subject of this thread, may post
• Simply post your direct experience of taking ukemi. This can include the nature of your relationship with them, as ukemi is more than merely taking falls.
• Do not engage in back-and-forth with other posters, disputing their experience, or trying to prove why yours is more real. Just post your own experience. Trust your readers to take in each writer's account on its own merits.
• If, for any reason, you find something to praise or condemn in anyone's description or wish to amplify your insights and perceptions, do so elsewhere. Start a thread about that subject in the appropriate section of Aikiweb.
• Follow-up posts should be substantive, striving to equal the depth of the original essay. Simply agreeing with the writer, or a brief comment that, yes, the teacher in question was really powerful or had a wonderful shihonage or the like, are not congruent with the purpose of this archive.

John Stevens has written books on every aspect of Aikido: technical, historical, and spiritual. He lived in Sendai, Japan for thirty-five years where he was a professor and Aikido instructor at Tohoku Fukushi University.

Attached Images

jstevens_2013_05 (41).pdf (156.4 KB)

I am new too aikido and i was wondering if there where any general things i can do at home to help me with learning my aikido?

My branch of aikido teaches Iwama derived ken and jo.

We know that the kumitachi as taught by Saito Sensei was distilled from Kashima Shinto Ryu - kumitachi 1 is virtually identical to one of the KSR kata - but what about kumijo? Where does it come from?

I was hoping someone could help here.

I was just reminiscing and noticed three things which inspired me as far as Aikido is concerned. Three points in time if you like and so thought it would make an interesting thread. It could be what? or who? It may only be one thing. Anyway I'll start the ball rolling with my personal three and leave the rest to whoever else wants to say. Mine are:

1) My first encounter with my teacher.

2) The first time I saw Ueshiba performing. (on film)

3) The first time I watched the first Friendship Demonstration.

All had that inspiring effect for me.

Peace.G.

Hello,

I'm a new student to Aikido. I'm very excited to be training under Sensei Arlene Mendibles, who is a 3rd Dan and trained under both Vince Salvatore, 6th Dan and Morihei Saito, 9th Dan Aikikai. I have a background in Korean martial arts with 1st Dan's in Kuk Sool Won and Tae Kwan Do. I'm looking forward to learning Aikido as it complements and mirrors my previous training in Kuk Sool Won in a lot of ways.

Tom

The Dutch version of "Morihei Ueshiba and the Way of the Cross - Izanagi and Izanami cross the Floating Bridge of Heaven" - "Morihei Ueshiba en de Weg van het Kruis - Izanagi en Izanami steken de Zwevende Brug van de Hemel over".

Enjoy!

Chris

Hey Jun, I hope this is okay here, its half Aikido :)

June 21 at 6:00pm until June 23 at 8:00pm

Aikido and Aikijujutsu - over 125 years of combined Aiki knowledge in one seminar

3 Day seminar - $275 - Event Limited to the first 60 participants !

Popkin-Brogna Jujitsu Center
400 Hempstead Tpke, West Hempstead, New York 11552
516-489-1278
popkinbrogna@yahoo.com

Registration: http://eventsbot.com/events/eb243909645

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/events/2160...71182/?fref=ts

Thanks!

I was watching a program and I observed someone wearing a t-shirt that said "miming should be a crime"
That put me in thought...hmmm......"MMA should be a crime"

After reading the frustration expressed in the thread Cold Sensei I saw the tie in to the effective Aikido thread . I decided to start a new thread.

When a person makes the conscious decision to defend themselves they change from the inside out. Now that person has the chance to make a choice about every single situation in her own life.

When a person is complaining about circumstances he can hear the hollow echo of whining in his ears. It no longer fits...it feels like trying to squeeze into a child's sweater.

Now that person knows that since he has made the the decision to be pro-active in self-defense, every circumstance is an opportunity to train. Instead of wasting time complaining about people, places or circumstances she can change the only thing that she really can change: Herself.

The decision is very important. Until it is made all else is futile.

The path is also important...that will become available during the process of the decision to defend oneself.

Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin ryu & Takagi Hachi Ho ryu
Kenjutsu and Bojutsu
Two-day weapons seminar with Toby Threadgill, Menkyo Kaiden
Saturday July 27th & Sunday July 28th, 2013

Experience the traditional koryu kenjutsu of Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin ryu, and gendai bojutsu of Takagi Hachi Ho ryu, by the leading authority on these arts. Threadgill sensei will share the history, etiquette, basics, postures, and paired practices of these unique systems.

Takagi Hachi Ho ryu 高木八方流
A fuzoku ryuha (assimilated school) taught in tandem with Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin ryu. This bojutsu school, founded by Takagi Isoga, is a gendai budo derived from the personal teachings of TSYR shihan, Namishiro Matsuhiro who had studied Yoshin Koryu, Shinto Muso ryu, and Matsuzaki Shinkage ryu, in addition to Shindo Yoshin ryu.

A unique feature of Takagi Hachi Ho ryu bojutsu, (Takagi school of 8 directions staff arts) is the use of a 5ft jo staff, which is a bit longer than those typically used by other ryuha. The arts curriculum is comprised of 32 kata separated into 8 sections represented by the 4 cardinal and 4 ordinal directions. These eight sections cover three subjects: staff vs sword, staff vs staff, and empty-hand vs. staff.

Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin ryu 高村派新道楊心流
Historically, in addition to the Akiyama Yoshin ryu line via Tenjin Shinyo ryu, and the Nakamura Yoshin Koryu line via Totsuka ha Yoshin Koryu, Shindo Yoshin ryu's mainline included teachings from the kenjutsu schools Jikishinkage ryu and Hokushin Itto ryu. The Takamura ryuha includes further influence from Matsuzaki Shinkage ryu via Namishiro Matsuhiro.

The kenjutsu curriculum through Shoden and Chuden levels is comprised of 10 Batto (sword drawing), with omote and ura variations, and 30 kumitachi (paired sword vs. sword kata), with additional kata for both taught at Joden level. The kumitachi are separated into groupings of five based on the elements and seasons. Additionally, there are kata for short sword, weapons retention, tanto, and while wearing armor.

Attendees are asked to bring a bokken (wooden sword) with a tsuba (hand guard) and a 5 ft jo (wooden staff).

Day 1: Takamura ha Shindo Yoshin ryu Kenjutsu
Day 2: Takagi Hachi Ho ryu Bojutsu
10:00 am -- 5:00pm each day
$75.00 for one day
$120 for both days
$10.00 observation each day

Location:
Senpokan Dojo
1418 E. Wilshire Ave.
Santa Ana, Ca. 92705

For registration and information contact:
Kenshinyokan@ca.rr.com

Please make checks payable to:
John Lovato

Mail to:
Kenshinyokan dojo
5846 Eastbrook Ave
Lakewood, CA 90713

Or through Paypal at:
yanagi@ca.rr.com

Hosted by the Kenshinyokan dojo

I've planned a massive Aikido/photography biketrip for this summer and would like to spread the word. I've listed a detailed itenary below, but you can read the cliff notes on my blog here.

My name is Beau Saunders and I train at Aikido of Santa Cruz. I will be joining Wendy Dennis of North Coast Aikido and together we will be biking from Seattle WA to Los Angeles CA. We have planned the trip around 2 seminars and hope to visit as many dojo's as possible along the way.

I will be arriving in Seattle on the 6th of June and plan on training at Tenzan Aikido with Bookman Sensei, before training at Two Cranes Dojo for the Cutting Edge Seminar. From Seattle we will be heading out to the coast and down a ways, before cutting in to Portland. I expect to be in Portland for a few days, around the weekend of the 16th, before heading out to cross the Cascades, arriving in Bend on or around the 21st. We hope to train with Reitan Sensei in Bend, and also stay for my sisters wedding, before heading out down the east side of the Cascades. We plan to arrive in Ashland and train with Freidl Sensei (around June 26), before heading to Arcata and North Coast Aikido.

We will be staying in Arcata/Lost Coast for a few days before heading to Honeydew Aikido, and then through Avenue of the Giants and out to the coast. We will head through Ft. Bragg and Gualala before heading into Sebastopol and Kuma Kai Dojo for the 5th of July. The next few days is still up in the air, but we will be in Santa Cruz before the start of the Santa Cruz Aikido Summer Retreat, July 10-14th.

I've got some work to take care of after the retreat, but from there we will head to Aikido of Monterey, and down through Big Sur on our way to San Louis Obispo, Santa Barbara and finally finishing in Los Angles around July 30th.

If you live along the way and would like to join us for a few days, we would love the company. We plan on camping much of the time, but would be happy if other accommodations were available. A big part of the trip is to meet and train with as many people as possible. We are not style specific, and enjoy training with people from the Aikikai, Iwama, Ki Society, etc. Please send me a message, or post a comment if you think you might want to meet up at some point along the way. I dont know how things will work out once we get on the road, but we would love to make as much as is feasible happen.

When Im not training, I have planned to spend as much time as possible taking photographs of all the amazing natural beauty I pass through. I am a photographer by trade and have every hope to take a collection of photographs for a Pacific West Coast portfolio. You can see some of my work on my website, Rainbeau Pictuers.

To help with some of the expenses of the trip, I have created a project on Kickstarter, a crowd funding website. I have some very generous print rewards available and would greatly appreciate any support you are willing to give. Please view the project here.

Thank you all for your support and I look forward to training with you soon!