View Single Post
Old 08-20-2021, 06:00 PM   #1
PineRiver
Location: Concord/NC
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 1
United_States
Offline
The Cuban connection

So I started Aikido a couple of months ago, unfortunately here where I live no one seems interested in the Traditional MA. He had to close his school due to attendance. He to,d me to keep practicing and is sending me videos occasionally. This Sensei whom I was taking both Aikido and Kendo under was from Cuba. His Aikido he told me was not really “accepted” by the Aikikai. He had studied for 24 years and has been an instructor at various schools near me before he opened his own dojo which as I said he closed as I was his only student. I had followed him on social media for about 3 years. He used to got train in our local park by himself all year round, in rain, snow, etc. He would do numerous suburito daily. He said he did not believe in the “dancing” style of aikido although he was teaching me break falls for tori and uke. His Aikido was named after the Cuban town he is from. He told me his Kendo Sensei’s name and his Sensei was named Mujica. He also said he had a Japanese Sensei. He recently bought a house and said he was going to build his own dojo there. Anyways this brings me to the question….does he sound legit? I know by reading different books we did a lot of what traditional Aikido does, except he has the Japanese characters during seiza that represent his school and not the Aikido kanji. What is the connection of Aikido to Cuba? Maybe I’m a little sheltered in my thinking but would Castro have allowed MA training? I have a video he sent me of his Aikido Sensei. And his Kendo Sensei has the same name as a very recent Olympic gold medalist in kata. Although it’s not the same guy.

Last edited by PineRiver : 08-20-2021 at 06:02 PM.
  Reply With Quote