Hakama

Oooohhh... big news for the blog today.  I ordered my hakama.   :-)

OK, so there's not rule in our dojo about waiting 'till you're Shodan or any other rank before you wear a hakama.   But there is a sort of unspoken tradition.  That said, there is some chance I may actually wear this hakama prior to my Shodan test, and I've been thinking about taking my test wearing it.

For the record, I ordered from bujindesign:

http://www.bujindesign.com/hakama/aikido-hakama-10.000-kuroi?sCoreId=q9kbsqtlnp20644jjo3ulc6lm7

Also, for the benefit of others, I will say that sizing was a bit of a problem.  According to the size charts (measuring from my navel to my ankle bone), I got 104 cm -- which puts me in a size 27.  But, according to my height, I should be a size 29.   After some back-and-forth with Bu Jin, and some questions to my fellow Aikidoka, I settled on a 28.   We'll see.

Elemental Aikido

OK, and now for something completely different.  I've only spoken of the following to a few of you in the past.  It's a somewhat whimsical subject.

In my years in Aikido, I've seen a lot of students -- and a lot of advanced ones. I've observed that there's often a point in an advanced student's training when "their" Aikido comes out. They start to take their training a little past what Sensei is teaching, and start to express themselves; start to find what works within the teachings for them, personally.

I've had some fun over the years classifying my Sempai in "elemental" groups -- in the old, alchemical traditions of "earth, air, fire, and water."

So I'm going to step out on a limb to give some examples, using my Kai Sempai.  Note that these are just my opinions/observations, and that no element is superior to any other, and I wouldn't presume to judge, in any case.

Gaston Sensei:  Fire and Earth (um, volcanic eruption?)
Hamden Sensei: Earth
Goodbar Sensei: Air
Breile Sensei: Earth and Water (um, mudslide?)
Rakes Sensei: Fire
Whitt Sensei: Not sure. Probably Fire and something.

For my own entertainment, here are some of my previous teachers:
Robert Nadeau Sensei: Earthy Air (hm.  sand storm?)
Hiroshi Kato Sensei: Earth, probably
Jim Friedman Sensei: Fire and Air
Daniel Palmer Sensei: Earth

I studied under Nadeau Sensei twice, somewhere around 1991. I don't really consider him my first teacher because it was only for about 3 months each, and I don't feel like it "stuck."  But he certainly was a very intense teacher, flamboyant character, and did leave an impression.  Nadeau Sensei was a direct student of O'Sensei, and still teaches in San Francisco.

Jim Friedman Sensei was my first teacher, from 1996-2001.  He started under Iwama style, and then studied under Hiroshi Kato Sensei, who was a direct student of O'Sensei.  Kato Sensei is 78, and still teaches, visiting Friedman Sensei's Dojo from Japan about twice a year. I got "hands on" with Kate Sensei a couple of times, and it was special.

Daniel Palmer Sensei was my teacher from 2002-2006, in Asheville NC.  He studied under Akira Tohei Sensei, also a direct student of O'Sensei.

Not sure why I felt the need to write all that down, but since it's my blog I don't need a reason. Besides, as I'm coming up on my Shodan Test, I think it's important to honor my own "lineage," as it honors my teachers.  I'm proud of my eclectic history, I guess.  I hope to live up to that tradition.

Inceidentally, I think it's rather impossible to determine your own element.  I think it probably has to be done by someone observing from the outside -- or from someone consistently on the receiving end of your technique.  

What's my elemental style, for instance?  I suppose I have a personal affinity -- a preference -- for a water element.  If I lived in Arlington, for instance, I'd love to study under Saotome Sensei, I think.  I also love to watch Donovan Waite Sensei. And I would love to channel Take Sensei (Seagal) at times.  But I really have no idea.  My element is probably wood or something. Sawdust, more likely.

:-)

Saotome Shihan

In preparation for the upcoming Sorrentino Sensei seminar, I went digging for more information about Aikido of Northern Virginia, ASU, and Saotome Shihan.

I came across this awesome 1-hour YouTube video (I LOVE YouTube!  This is FREE, people!).

http://youtu.be/JbogWP7knu0

This is a very complete breakdown of a huge selection of techniques performed by a true master, plus some great snippets of his philosophy.  From what I've seen at Sorrentino Sensei's seminars in the past, and from the couple of times I've actually gone "hands on with him," we're going to see a lot of this kind of technique on October 19th.  Very, very cool.

A couple of things I'm particularly interested in...

When you watch, notice the very common footwork during the blend.  I think this kind of footwork is something we don't do as much as he does.  When we blend into Shomenuchi Ikkyo, for instance, it's explicitly very linear.  Notice when he does it.  It looks more like the kind of blend we use during, say, Yokomen-uchi Aiki Toshi (the Tenkan version -- not the Irimi version that Evil Todd whipped out on me during last Saturday's exam.  :-)).  This footwork was very common at my first dojo, and was taught explicitly at my second dojo as one of several forms of "ten shin" (which I think means "footwork").    I think this kind of footwork is what, in our dojo, sets AK's Jiyu-Waza (randori) apart from the rest of us mere mortals.

I loved the beautiful koshi-nages.  We don't do this in our dojo, and I think this video shows how these classic hip throws -- from Ikkyo, Sankyo, Shiho, and even Irimi-nage entries -- can all be done big, small, hard, soft, and anything inbetween.  The irimi-naga entry was a new one to me -- how cool is that!

Enough for now.   Do check out the video.  It's better than anything on TV.

Jiyu Waza

Kyu testing is coming up, and of course my own Shodan test is only a month away.   So I spent several hours today watching YouTube videos of various Randori and Jiyu Waza demonstrations and training sessions.   (BTW, those terms are often used incorrectly.  In general I'm talking about multiple attackers, free attack, free response).

Steven Seagal (Take Sensei) continues to have some of the best Randori on YouTube,

http://youtu.be/cBtJLT6oSR8

... But I just stumbled across this one, in which my worst fears were discussed quite clearly.   I freeze. I get caught, and then I seem to forget everything I'd like to think I "know" about Aikido.

http://youtu.be/hYqKLLL-JSg

And what are the standards to which I hold myself?
1) Never stop moving
2) Be aware of the whole mat
3) Don't get stuck on a single Uke (in our training, we're taught to "finish, and then move on", but it's still bad form, at least at higher ranks, to dwell).  Deal with the attack and move on..
4) Be calm.  Even if I screw up (which I most certainly will). If you exude tension and fear, so will everyone else.
5) Never, ever, stop moving.  (AK's words: "Keep movin' and you'll get somewhere you know")

Some more advanced pointers that I hope to emulate occasionally:
1) line up Ukes so that I'm always the least exposed (shikaku)
2) make THEM look for ME

Ukeme YES!

Chris Lee (fellow aikidoka and webmaster extraordinaire) sent out an email today.  And I quote:

"Today I came in to work to find everyone scrambling a bit, one of my colleagues it out and we are working to cover her courses, office hours, and such. 

The reason she is out may help you (as it did me) to put your troubles in perspective. 

This weekend doing yardwork she fell and broke both arms.  Multiple fractures in each, full cast on one, removable cast on the other.  This sucks.  But, there is more - she is young and has a 9 month old daughter, her first child. 

Our support network is great at the college and she'll be swamped with offers to help, but that will not make everything easier. 

So, PRACTICE YOUR UKEMI !!!  I can't tell you how many times I've told new aikidoka that the best life skill they may get out of class is learning to fall without getting badly hurt. 

Today I was reminded of that.
See you all on the mats!! 

Chris

I wanted to respond to this, as it hit close to home.

The biggest injuries of my life have been:

1. Bicycle accident when I was about nine.  Flew over the handlebars and destroyed most of the skin on my chest, side, and some of one arm.  Out of school for months as I recovered.
2. Broke my wrist by falling off a skateboard, shortly before starting high school. (It was in a department store, but that's irrelevant).
3. Hip injury (subluxated sacroiliac) after doing a bicycle kick in a soccer game in college.  I was in excruciating pain for two weeks, and had one leg 2 inches "longer" than the other.  "Fixed" after my first-ever visit to a chiropractor.
4. Badly dislocated shoulder during an ultimate frisbee match.  I was 25 or so.  Got worse in subsequent years, ultimately resolved with surgery.

Each of these injuries would almost certainly have been avoided and/or minimized, had I known how to fall.   I didn't learn that until years later.

Since learning to fall in Aikido, I've taken at least a couple of falls (that I can remember) that would have disabled my younger self, but that instead left me laughing:

1. BIG back-fall on the street in front of a big crowd of neighbors while on roller blades. Neighbors still talk about it.  I got up and bowed for the applause.
2. Stupid stationary fall off a bicycle when I couldn't get out of the clips.  I distinctly remember laughing on the way down.  Even had enough presence to save my bike from getting scratched.

Ukeme matters, folks. Chris is right.  It's possibly the most useful everyday skill you can take with you. Practice it.  The mat is your friend.

Mike

Kinder and gentler

Gaston Sensei has been teaching for the past two Thursdays, and I've been wondering what to write about it. There's a lot to say, most of which I'm still digesting.  But here's something from last night.

Sensei stated last night that his Aikido is "not your 'kinder, gentler' Aikido."  Anyone would agree, I'm sure -- certainly anyone who's taken ukeme for him. His style is less about elegance and grace, and more about efficiency and effectiveness.

This style is not necessarily my personal preference.  But last night, Sensei put it in perspective for me in a way that sunk in.  He said that Aikido is unique as a martial art in that you could use the same techniques to handle a drunken uncle at a party as you do to handle an attacker in an alley with a knife.  He believes that if you train for the drunken uncle, you'll never be able to handle the knife-wielding attacker.  So he trains for the knife, knowing that it's easier to "dial it back" for the drunken uncle.   It's that whole "Shin Ken" (live blade) thing, I guess.

Sensei, Domo Arigato Gosaimasu

9/11

On September 11, 2001, My alarm went off at 5:30 am, to get me out of bed in plenty of time to make it to 7:30 Aikido class at Suginami Aikikai in San Francisco.  It was a clock radio, so I woke up to the surreal announcements of "an airplane has crashed into the world Trade Center."   After realizing I wasn't dreaming (I probably hit the snooze button), I jumped out of bed to go to the TV.  Shortly thereafter, I saw, with millions of others around the world, the second plane crash into the second tower.

I watched for some time.  Finally, I made my way to the dojo, feeling numb and confused.  We set up a TV that we could see while we trained.  We trained slowly, in stunned silence, wiping the mats with our tears rather than our sweat.  I remember thinking "this is exactly why we train -- to learn to resolve conflicts peacefully."