Deshi Assignment: Ideas for Kid's Scavenger Hunt

• How much is an adult gi?
• What's the name of the zen group that we share the dojo with?
• What level is Malory Sensei?
• What is the color of Pat Sensei's drinking cup?
• How many mats are there in the dojo?
• How many blue drinking cups are on both shelves?
• Name three technique's taught in August for Adult class
• How many kid's bokkens are there?

Deshi Assignment

Read the book "Mastery" by George Leonard. Post reflections.

Deshi Assignment: Half Moon Ukemi

Explore the anatomy of half moon pose and how it relates to the ukemi for ikkyo and iriminage.

http://www.yogajournal.com/article/beginners/half-moon-pose-2/
http://rasayogacafe.blogspot.com/2013/10/ardha-chandrasana-half-moon-pose-anatomy.html

Deshi Assignment: ikkyo ukemi

I searched for videos specifically focused on taking UKEMI  from shomenuci ikkyo, as ukemi is our theme this month.

Surprisingly hard to find really good ukemi - nearly all the videos I found focus on nage's role.

Eventually I found one, which I thought was interesting & also a really unusual way of taking ukemi from shomenuci ikkyo, which I'd never seen before:

"feather fall" as taught by University of South Florida Aikido (Tampa Florida, http://usfaikido.com).

 https://youtu.be/NvjvEVoreU4

It is clear that uke has to be really committed (with their center) to the attack, in order for this ukemi to work. Also uke needs to be fearless about heading face first into the mat!

Deshi Assignment: Ikkyo and Irimi Nage (Kelly)

Ikkyo

Here's also a video of Christian Tissier doing Ikkyo from Morote tori, which we don't usually do in class so it was interesting to see it executed. What is interesting is that you would instinctively want to push using your right hand but you really just need your left hand to do all the work!

Starts off a kokyuho but turns into ikkyo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dld4spyypuU&spfreload=1


Iriminage

Here's a video of Mitsuteru Ueshiba doing Iriminage. I think it is interesting when he brings uke around, he is also getting low. I am not sure if it's because he is short and it helps to give him more leverage?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgLtIUhluX0

I also like how Mary Heiny shows in this video the importance of where you are in relation to your uke (i.e. your center should stay with your uke's center). It may seem like an obvious thing but the way she demonstrated it was a good visualization of how it doesn't work when you are too close or too far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPYRx8entzs

Deshi assignment: Ikkyo (Amanda)

=======

Guy Hagen
Aikido Chuseikan of Tampa Bay

At this year’s Winter Intensive training seminar in Florida, Saotome Sensei spoke a lot about the meaning of “ikkyo”. Ito illustrate, he shared a story about a time from when he was training with the Founder, O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba:

“O-Sensei would frequently say, ‘ikkyo whole life.’ Once, I responded, ‘Sensei – I already know ikkyo!’ O-Sensei responded, “Baka! (fool!) You not understand the deeper meaning of what I say!'”

Saotome Sensei said there is both an “omote” and “ura” meaning within O-Sensei’s statement “ikkyo whole life.” The “omote” meaning simply refers to the time it takes to learn the technical performance of the technique, and that can indeed can learned in a short period of time. However, the hidden part of the meaning is much more subtle.  When O-Sensei referred to “ikkyo” he often was actually referring to approaching each opponent and each attack with a fresh mind, and with no expectation from previous training since each situation is unique, each attacker is unique, and each time an attacker strikes, her reactions and responses will probably be unique.  “Ikkyo means ‘first chapter’, like the first chapter of a book.”

Although it might of been hard for many people who were listening during the seminar to catch, Saotome Sensei related the term “ikkajo” (the older name for “ikkyo”) to the Zen “Icho-go Ichi-e” (there is only now, there is only this opportunity).

I followed up with Sensei in his hotel room during lunch, and he further discussed the relationship “ikkajo” and “Ichi-go.” Always new mind. Never treat your attacker like an old wife for old husband, always treat them with fresh eyes, “Ikkyo” is a state of mind and philosophy that transcends any physical activity.

We further discussed the importance and quality of that state of mind.  Sensei made a triangle of his fingers and said three words (Sensei loves puns and the accidental meaning found across homonyms)… “AtTENTION,” “inTENTION,”, “inTENSITY,” but not “tension.” He said it is a difficult paradox to summon the level of wakefulness and attention necessary to approach each situation with a truly alert and martial mindset but without tightening the body. He emphasized that when he says “ikkyo your whole life,” he means not just always having that mindset every time one is attacked, but trying to cultivate that state of mind throughout one’s entire life, every day, all day!

We joked that some people practice forceful, stiff, and muscular ikkyo technique their whole lives too.  Sensei laughed, “yes, that is also another meaning; some people stubborn, tense mind whole life!”

========

It's incredibly hard to find a video of ikkyo that works. There are so many approaches to ikkyo, so many right approaches, and some wrong. It can be shallow or very deep. I picked Osawa Sensei's ikkyo, because his technique is alive, and fluid, and he keeps his elbows close, which is what I am trying to do.
 


But also I found this lovely Tamura Sensei video: https://youtu.be/ezyVI1PuZzw

Ikkyo isn't about manhandling someone. It's about doing something so quickly and subtly that you've almost changed their mind, perspective, and direction before they realize it's even happened. It's magical.

Deshi assignment: Ikkyo (Wini)

I'd like to post a video of Tissier doing an ikkyo technique:

Also, here is his irimi nage. You might want to mute it, because the sound track is really annoying.

QOTD

While they tout their “accomplishments”…do 10,000 tsuki
While they impress you with how long they have “practiced”…do 10,000 men-uchi
For as many hours as they congratulate themselves …stand in kamae
While they argue the politics…sit still and become empty.
While they reach higher and higher for position…bow your head lower and lower.

Let no one define your worth with some imaginary status or title; let it be measured by your devotion to the daily struggles of practice.

By Jason Perna, Old City Aikido

Ikebana Workshop

Today, we hosted the first (hopefully not the last) ikebana workshop with Charles Coghlan of the Sogetsu school of Ikebana. Coghlan Sensei, a Master Sensei in the Sogetsu School of Ikenbana, studied under Aiko Ii Sensei, a student of Sofu Teshigahara, founder of the modern Sogetsu School of Ikebana, earned his teaching certificate and began taking students in 1995.

He compared the modernist Sogetsu style of ikebana to jazz, whereas more traditional ikebana is like classical music. We learned about the history and meaning of ikebana, and he compared the structure of ikebana to the structure of haiku.

It would be great to do this again — maybe in the summer, and again in the fall and winter, to add a seasonal aspect to the practice. I'm looking forward to seeing what sorts of designs my dojo mates come up with for the kamiza.

Fresh meat... er.. I mean NEW DESHIS! がんばって!!!

A warm and long-overdue welcome to the newest members of the Seattle Aikikai Deshi Program, Kelly, Tom, and Wini, who will, in addition to their core and supplementary deshi duties, be adding content and comments to this blog.

I'm looking forward to fresh content and observations about aikido practice and happenings at the dojo!

I hope they enjoy posting here as much as I do!

がんばってください

Deshi Assignment: 8 count bokken kata

8-count bokken kata and the techniques they correspond to.

Upcoming events

• This weekend (April 4) is the first Saturday class, followed by cleaning and Pancakeo.
• April 14 is social waza following second class.
• April 18 is Randori workshop part 2 ($30).
• Kyu testing is coming up June 4. Stay tuned for test prep open mat sessions. 
• And there will be a Chris Wong, Michelle Fielen, and Malory Graham senseis are teaming up for a spectacular seminar in mid-June. Stay tuned. 

Deshi update

Pat, Malory Sensei, Faith and I headed to San Francisco last weekend for the annual San Francisco Aikikai Winter Seminar. Yamada Sensei was teaching several classes, and looked in very good health.

Joel Posluns Sensei, Spiros Koyanis Sensei, and Malory Graham Sensei taught classes as well. Testing also happened, and Pat and about 8 others were awarded Shodan. There were also three (I think) Nidan tests and one Sandan.

I was wearing my hakama for the seminar, and was told to keep on wearing it. Which leads to this week's deshi assignment: To observe how the hakama changes your movement, what the pressure of the hakama does to your center, and how the sound and movement of the hakama can inform you about your movement.

I wore a hakama since about 1993 or so, so my default experience has been wearing one. When I returned ~two years ago, to a somewhat different scene. Hakama are worn only by shodan in USAF now. When I was coming up, they were worn by 4th kyu and above (I can't remember if it was just women or what), and later at ASU as 3rd kyu. So I have always had the proprioceptive feedback that the hakama offers.

So the long and short of it is that basically now I feel normal again. My center is supported, I can listen to the feedback of the fabric, visualize my movement with the flare of the legs in the air, and generally *make* the fabric do my bidding. My ukemi is instantly more fluid and quieter, I feel like I am more able to lower my center of gravity, and there's just a more acute awareness of my core and where it is in space. I feel like once I put it on again, my aikido got 100x better at once. Maybe some of it is psychological -- Sensei remarked that I look more confident, and maybe confident people stand up straighter and have better movement. I don't know, but I do know I'm glad to have it back again.

It's starting to smurf less, which is also good. Now Pat can smurf happily in his new hakama! Congratulations, Pat!

Deshi assignment Iriminage Ukemi - Joshua Porterfield

So I choose this video Due to the fact it was one I used for test prep.  Not only do I feel it shows ukemi clear but it shows the iriminage.   The ukemi is clean and done at a nice slow pace which I think is good for any student as it allows easy study and the ability to judge wit you are perhaps doing something wrong or could improve on it.

Deshi assignment: Iriminage ukemi

This week's deshi assignment was to find a video of iriminage ukemi that we particularly like. I looked at several types of ukemi.

The first is where uke bends from the waist and their upper body tips forward, and the back leg swings up, then makes a big step around nage.

Skip to 1:54.



The second is (typical of the ASU style of ukemi), where uke's upper body remains upright, and uke lowers himself by supporting himself on one arm while pivoting and sweeping the outside leg around.



In the first few examples, the ukemi appears to be the same as the first type, but starting at 16:27, uke has more of a connection with nage's shoulder.

The specific ukemi style I'm referring to is explained in detail starting at 17:13.

Of course, there are variations in which nage sends uke on an outward trajectory, rather than keeping the head close, and the version where nage sends uke straight down, as well as the classical iriminage, where nage keeps uke's head close to the shoulder. The outcome of iriminage can also vary, with a back fall or forward breakfall, and close or long range. There are also variations in which the shoulders or waist are used to complete the turn, keeping uke close initially, but then using their momentum to send them on an outward trajectory.

The correlate to this is the space travel "slingshot effect," where a spacecraft uses the gravity well of the Sun to slingshot into deep space.

Much of the ukemi style seems to have to do with how low nage brings uke on the vertical axis. In the examples where uke bends from the waist, they bend backwards to accommodate any movement down the vertical axis.

My favorite ukemi is the ASU style, but I think that is also the hardest to master. It's much faster than the other ukemi.

Late edit: I like this ukemi the best. This is Anne Slui. She's starting off with the ukemi that usually leads into a back fall, but turns her body and does a back roll.