Yoshinkan Aikido

A training journal of my experiences at the Brisbane Dojo of Yoshinkan Aikido

July 31, 2004

Cruisin'

Training seems to slow down during the winter.

Sensei has this thing about heat. He seems to train us harder during the hot months. I'm looking for some of that. I didn't train at all this week, I'm on holidays and have taken time off in all areas of my life. It's good to rest and recover.

Next week I should get back into it. With some organisation I should be ready for the next Shinsa. OSU.

July 25, 2004

Mistakes Happen

OK, OK, OK, so I screwed up.

Grading training doesn't start this week, THE GRADING IS THIS WEEK.

I didn't bother going to training last week and didn't pick up this months newsletter, so I was working off the original calendar and wasn't aware that Sensei, in his infinite wisdom, moved the grading forward by one week.

I had a week off when I should have been training!!!!!! I have missed out on a grading for this month.
This will have repercussions for the next six months!!!!!


So the plan is slightly modified, nothing too drastic. JUST DON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN.

OSU.

July 23, 2004

Shinsa Time again

Grading training starts again this Saturday.

It comes around quickly sometimes. This will be my first shodan step. There are five steps to complete and then jun-shodan.

I'm thinking this will be a bit of a shock to the system. For the last 9 months I have done the same grading, with 2 weeks to train for it each time. Suddenly I'm faced with new techniques that I've never seen before, and I only have a week to practice.

It's good to push yourself out of your comfort zone, when you're on the edge you perform. My last grading was too relaxed. I thought I could cruise through it so I didn't train as much as I should have and it showed on the day.

This time will be different. OSU.

July 16, 2004

New Website is Up !!!!

They say aikido is related to the sword.

I wonder how may aikidoka know how to use a sword properly?
Not many I don't think.


It seems to me that a lot of people want to explore and enjoy the
movements of aikido, which is fair enough. But they risk the danger of
losing the reality of what those movements are. I've seem some pretty
average bokken in aikido dojos, not that I'm an expert. But having seen
real sword techniques performed by those who practice kenjutsu, I would
have to say not many aikidoka could defend themselves from a real
attack. Does it sound like I'm losing my faith? Not really.


Practicing sword cutting is important and I would like to explore this further in
the future as it can relate back to aikido. Once you learn how to cut
properly, hiriki no yosei ichi takes on a whole new dimension.


All aikidoka should explore the sword and then it will relate back to aikido. OSU.

July 11, 2004

New Website is Up!!!!

Training goes on.

I've been thinking about practical applications to some of these aikido techniques. I wonder if any of the practical knowledge is ever lost in the modern adaptation of aikido.

The original aikijujutsu was all about the battlefield. There was more than just empty hand and swords. There were spears, horsemen, archers etc. Some of their techniques must have been designed to handle all of these potential situations, but are they still remembered now?

You can come across some weird moves in aikido and you can't help wondering sometimes why you would do a certain type of movement. I feel like I'm turning my back to the attacker, why? If I ask, I never get a clear answer, just an explanation of the movement.

I wonder if some of the original information has been lost. It would be sad if it was. Just because an art becomes a "do" instead of a "jutsu" doesn't mean that it should lose any of the reality of the combat effectiveness. OSU.