THIS ISSUE - Aikido Institute

Transcription

photo by Steve Kilmer Sensei
W inter 2014
Newsletter of the
AIKIDO INSTITUTE
Oakland, CA
THIS ISSUE
Steve Kilmer Sensei
on Being Small
Eddie Makes a Friend!
again
Volume XVI, Issue 6
The Kiai
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Small Is Good (or At Least, Not Bad)
by Steve Kilmer Sensei
W
hen I started training in
Aikido I wasn't the biggest
person in class. At 5' 10”
and 160 lbs., I was probably average
for someone who for various reasons
didn't participate in organized sports.
I am still not the biggest person in
class. After more than thirty years of
training I am still about average: still
the same height and several pounds
heavier.
As I began training, I didn't think
much about the advantages or
disadvantages of size and physical
strength. Yes, it did seem at first that
bigger was better, but O-Sensei was
less than five feet tall, so there had to
be something beyond size that made
Aikido techniques effective regardless
of one's size and strength.
Several important factors relating to
this question of the importance that
strength plays in Aikido are addressed
in “Best Aikido: The Fundamentals”
by Kisshomaru and Moriteru
Ueshiba, the son and grandson of
O-Sensei. Three passages form the
basis for the view that size and
strength, while not necessarily a
disadvantage, are not a requirement in
performing aikido techniques.
“What use is an activity that can only
be done when you are young, or only if
you are male? Aikido can be practiced
by anyone – male, female, children,
the elderly.”
“If your movements are natural,
excessive physical strength is not
necessary, and you can continue to
employ Aikido techniques regardless
of age.”
“Aikido will make you very strong. In
Aikido, we forge the mind and body
through daily training. The
development of spiritual strength will
give you the unshakable confidence to
meet any challenge. That is true
strength.”
These quotes show that Aikido
doesn't rely on or require its
practitioners be a certain size, age or
gender. Additionally, what is called
spiritual strength is highlighted as
having more importance than physical
strength. This is the “true strength” of
Aikido.
What then do we look for in the way
we practice our techniques? If you are
doing a technique and you find
yourself encountering resistance from
your partner, and you say to yourself,
“This would be easier if I was
stronger,” then it may be a place where
you can examine the naturalness of
your movements.
For me, natural movements are those
that place both nage's and uke's bodies
into positions that minimize stress
and discomfort. It is important to
keep in mind that something that is
natural for one person may not be so
Aikido Institute | winter 2014
for another.
We have all trained with partners
whose joints seem to behave
differently than ours, either looser or
tighter than our own. Thus,
naturalness is a condition that changes
from partner to partner and will no
doubt change within our own body
from day to day or year to year.
Noting these differences is a part of
the dynamic nature of Aikido.
One final quote brings in another
important point to consider when
training.
“In Aikido, we never resort to trickery,
deception, or excessive force to
overcome an opponent.”
This quote reiterates the things that
have been said about strength and
highlights something else that is
important when performing
techniques: it is the technique,
properly executed, that is essential.
Just as strength is of no use when the
technique is lacking something, so too
there is no way via the path of trickery
or deception that can achieve results.
Just as there will always be someone
stronger than you, so there will always
be the possibility that someone will be
trickier than you.
Avoid reliance on strength, trickery
and deception and you will find your
techniques improve greatly.
The Kiai
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AIKI-AN
by David DeLong Sensei
I
am humbled and grateful to
Kim Sensei and my fellow
aikidoka, in my contemplation
of my promotion to 5th Dan in
Aikido. Finding the words to
express this has been difficult,
but “humble” and “grateful” really
express everything that needs to be
said. “Humble” is the most fitting
adjective to describe my current
project at Aiki-an Dojo. It is
nothing other than humble.
The practice of the Way in solitude
is a little different from the
experience in a bustling, crowded
dojo. The excitement that comes
with training with a group of one’s
friends is absent. One looks inward.
One is free to witness the present
moment without distraction.
On the other hand, the alert
“presence in the moment” that
comes from learning directly at
the hands of a true master of
budo, in a dojo full of ferocious
fellow students, is replaced by the
observation of nature.
An experience of the natural world,
the weather and the diversity of
Aikido Institute | Winter
WINTER 2014
nature, is a feature of the Aikian, although it is not entirely
surrounded in wilderness. The
hum of human industry is always
present. When I am working
with bokken and jo, training on
the mat, when I’m watching the
aerobatic display of mockingbirds
or scissortails, or watching peach
blossoms swell and unfold, I’m
grateful for the opportunity that
Aiki-an represents. I view it as a
work of art, an expression of my
being. I’m humbled.
The Kiai
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The Aiki-an is constructed of
recycled, scavenged, salvaged
materials. As such it is reflective of
my own existence. I’m permanently,
perpetually aware of this. As a
garden, it is designed as an all-toosmall oasis of biodiversity. The
great issue of our time is the threat
posed by global warming, and the
importance of water conservation.
These are considerations in the
design. As Japan faced starvation
and catastrophe as a result of its
militarism, the Founder took it
upon himself once again, to farm
and to preserve their cultural will
in the Art of Peace. I feel as much
in communion with his spirit,
following his example, when I’m
gardening as when I’m training on
the mat.
Now I have one student. I feel that
is all that is necessary for me to
feel like I’m sharing the gift passed
down from the Founder to SaitoSensei, to Kim Sensei., and which
Kim Sensei has so generously
made available to me. Now I have
someone to provide the vigorous
attack with which to hone my own
spirit in the moment. I have hopes
that soon I’ll be able to invite my
fellow aikidoka here for a visit and
an immersion in the Way.
I have had my life “flash before me
in an instant” on two occasions in
my life. The first was before I began
doing Aikido The second was after
my years as uchideshi, between
2nd Dan and 3rd Dan. What is
relevant and revelatory about that
experience is that priorities are rearranged, and things that seemed
of great importance a moment
before are suddenly rendered
unimportant. And a sense of
gratitude for the important things
is a searing reality. I remember
being grateful to my parents, my
brother and sister, and, as it was
immediately obvious that I might
never do Aikido again, especially to
Kim Sensei, and also Hoa Sensei
and all my other teachers and
fellow Aikidoka. Now living here,
where I grew up, surrounded by the
hills I hiked, the trees I climbed,
the creek I swam and fished in as a
boy, I have a daily reminder of what
I’m thankful for. My duty here is
my expression of thanks.
The Kiai
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IN THE NEWS
July KYU TESTS
Super congrats to the students who passed their Kyu tests in July!
Left photo: Mark Clifford, 6th Kyu; right photo: Chau Van, 6th Kyu
SEPTEMBER KYU TESTS
More super congrats to the students who passed their Kyu tests in September!
Left photo: Susan Martinez, 5th Kyu; right photo: Melissa Siew, 5th Kyu
Aikido Institute | WINTER 2014
The Kiai
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FRIENDS
by Eduardo Guardarramas
I
grew up in the South Bronx
in New York City. It wasn’t
the best neighborhood so
Mom & Dad put all three boys
into boarding school. Mount
Saint Michael Academy. I was
the middle child (they are the
best). It was an all boys school
run by The Marist Brothers. The
brothers were a Roman Catholic
order that was very much into
discipline, which helps explain why
I’m currently a recovering Roman
Catholic.
of Oz”, which always played on
a Sunday on TV, till I was a
teenager). This was during the
school year.
We were allowed to go home for
the weekends, but had to report
back to the school dorm by 7:30
Sunday night (that’s why I never
saw the ending of “The Wizard
During the summer, we spent
all of July and August at Camp.
It was called Camp Marist and
it was an all boys camp run by
the same Marist Brothers. That’s
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where I met Manuel. I don’t know
if it was because we were the only
dark skin boys there, or because
we were the only ones that could
speak Spanish, but we hit it off
immediately and were best friends
for life.
We were competitive as boys are. I
was better at track, he was better at
archery.
We were about equal at swimming.
(Actually, swimming for me was
more like staying alive in the water
than something I enjoyed.) We
were both equal in chess. And
he taught me all about Greek
Mythology. So much so that one
year, for the costume pageant we
dressed ourselves in sheets and
became Greek gods, and we won
first prize. Even though the judges
just called us Romans. But we
knew we were really Greek Gods,
and that’s what mattered.
The brothers were stupid.
We stayed best friends all though
the camp years. He visited me in
Puerto Rico when I was studying
at the Conservatory. Two 16 years
olds loose in Puerto Rico must
have been a sight. He came to my
Carnegie debut when I was 17, and
he came to my 21st birthday party.
Then we started drifting apart, and
then he disappeared. I tried getting
a hold of him throughout the years
but no luck. Do you know how
many Manuel Garcia’s there are in
the world?
Fast forward 30-plus years to last
November. Roger called me at the
office and says, “Does the name
Manuel Garcia mean anything to
you?”
“WHAT?! Yes, it means a great
deal to me. Why do you ask?”
“Some guy just called and said
that his name is Manuel Garcia
and that he knows you from Camp
Marist. He gave me his email
address and he lives in the Berkeley
Hills”
“WHAT?!”
So, I send him an email, asking if
it’s really him. He responds that
it is. I send him a second email
saying that it’s wonderful to hear
from him and that I have so much
to tell him. I say that we have to
get together tomorrow because I
have to go to Aikido class tonight
because our sensei, Kim Sensei,
is giving an important class. I’m a
2nd degree black belt in a martial
arts discipline called Aikido. I’ve
been doing it for almost 12 years.
We can get together tomorrow.”
He responds, “No, we’ll get
The Kiai
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together tonight at the dojo. That’s
where I met my wife. She outranks
me.”
I froze. Emailed him “What do
you mean”. No response. Now I’m
very confused, nervous, scared. Is
this guy putting me on. How does
he know what dojo I go to? I didn’t
even tell him where it is. He must
be mistaken.
I was very nervous when I entered
the dojo that evening. I sat on
the bench catching the end of
the children's class, when a man
sat down beside me. I figured it
was one of the parents. A while
later the man said "Eduardo?" I
recognized the voice first, then the
eyes, then the face. It was Manuel.
I hugged him for such a long
time. It seemed like forever. Then
Kim entered, recognized him and
hugged him for a very long time.
Then Ted hugged him, then Lars
Eric. So, what am I? Chopped
liver? How come all these people
hug you? Apparently everyone
knew him? Then he introduced me
to his wife Gretchen.
We trained together in Kim's
class and had a wonderful time. It
was so strange and inconceivable
training with him. Here we both
are, the first time we’ve laid eyes
on one another in 30-plus years,
and we’re doing Aikido together.
Something we never even heard of
when we were kids. And we’re both
good. We are still competitive,
but we both creak a little more
now than when we were at camp. I
had no idea he lived in California
or that he trained in Aikido. He
knows all the main characters:
Hoa, Kayla, Bruce, Peter, Kathy,
Alberta. We talked for such a
long time. We closed the dojo, and
talked on the sidewalk for a very
long time. He has since joined the
dojo with his wife Gretchen and
daughter Ella. We still have so
much to say to one another. It’s
going to be great.
The Kiai
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TRAINING IN MOROcCO
by Zoe Laventhol
Y
ousef, my neighbor and
friend from Aikido, and I
walked down the dark but
now familiar streets to the sports
center just outside the medina wall
where Aikido classes were held. We
had been trading off teaching each
other bits of English and Moroccan
Arabic, and we practiced English as
we walked to class.
“Hi!” He laughed.
“Hi!”
“How are you?”
“I’m good, thanks, how are you?
“Fine, thanks. It’s very good!”
I laughed. “That’s good. What do you
do?”
“I’m a student.”
“Me too! What do you study?”
“Also me too?? I study at Mohammed
V high school. I am studying French,
Arabic, and English.”
He had a huge grin. I guess the
sounds and words must be as strange
and funny to him as Arabic sounded
to me when I first started learning.
“Wow, that’s great.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. Do you also work?”
“Yeah! I have a business.”
“Really? What’s your business?”
“I sell tomatoes.”
“Really? That’s great. Do you sell
anything else?”
“Yeah! Really. I sell oranges, and
apples...I sell everything.”
“Everything? Wow, that’s good. Do
you play sports?”
“Yeah. I do Aikido.”
“Really? Me too! I also do Aikido.”
His eyebrows shot up in fake surprise,
which was even funnier since we had
Aikido Institute | Winter 2014
already gone through this at least ten
times. “Wow!! Also me too??”
I had a hard time keeping a straight
face. “Yeah, me too. Do you like
Aikido?”
“Yeah,” he said, “I like Aikido. Do you
like Aikido?”
“Me too,” I said. “I also like Aikido.”
His eyebrows shot up again “Also me
too??”
“Yeah,” I laughed, “I like it a lot. Do
you like Aikido little or a lot?”
“A lot!” he said. “A lot a lot a lot. I like
Aikido...everything. Aikido is
everything.”
We hadn’t practiced that sentence
before. I was quiet for a second.
“How about you?” he asked. “Aikido
also is everything?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Me too.”!
The Kiai
9
Important Words to Know
(on the Mat) in Morocco!
Darbni = Hit me
Door = Turn
Node = Get up
Mdigadig = I’m tired
Diil haak = Do it like this
Siir = Go ahead
Shoofti daba? = Do you get it now?
Mashi mushkil? = No problem? All good?
La bes? La bes. = You good? I’m good.
Non!! La. Mashi bhal hada = No!! No. Not like that.
‘Andak! = Watch out!
Ghadt-akul alkuskus daba? = Are you going to eat
couscous now? (Like the food. People would
inexplicably say this in the middle of class. I think
they were fighting words.)
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My Martial Arts Journey
by Gretchen Hennig
Figure 1, Gretchen Throwing Brother Billy, 1967.
M
y martial arts journey
began in Tachikawa,
Japan, in 1966. I
was 9 years old. There was a
huge kids’ judo program at the
Tachikawa Air Base Rec Center.
My younger brother started
taking classes, while my mother
and I watched on the sidelines. I
decided I wanted to take classes
too. In fact, three of my brothers
and I started taking classes. The
fourth brother was too young.
There were so many boys’ classes
that they were divided by age
and level. Each class met two times
a week after school. There were
only two girls’ classes, beginner
and advanced, and they met on
Saturday morning.
The boys’ program did not have
kata. Instead, they engaged in
randori, or free-style throwing
and grappling, and participated
in tournaments with other cities.
I trained in what was called joshi
(women’s) judo, patterned after the
teachings of Keiko Fukuda, who
had been a student of Jigoro Kano,
the founder of judo. We studied
throwing, grappling, chokes,
weapons, and striking techniques.
The weapons and striking
techniques were kata, or set forms.
I trained for three years in
Tachikawa. I worked up through
the junior kyu ranks, from 4th to
3rd to 2nd. The summers were
hot in Tachikawa. Many of the
girls were not motivated to work
hard, and I grew bored. I also
wanted to do less kata and more
randori. So, being the young
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Figure 2, Cultural School (Goleta, CA), 1977
In front row: Ken Ota (4th from left), Gretchen Hennig (3rd from right), Steve Ota (right end).
feminist that I was, I went to the
sensei of the boys’ program and
asked if could I take classes with
him. He directed me to the girls’
class on Saturdays. I replied that I
would like to take the boys’ classes.
He asked me why, and I told him
that I had been in the girls’ class
for 2 years, that the girls were lazy
and didn’t want to work hard, and
that I was bored in that class. So he
agreed to let me join his classes.
I had my mom sign me up for an
appropriate class for my age and
skill level in the boys’ program. I
cut my hair, took a deep breath
and, with a determined gait, took
my place in the line-up for the
bow-in on the first day of class,
and for my last year in Tachikawa
I trained with the boys. With each
new session I had to deal with the
odd looks and the question: “Are
you a girl?” But after getting thrown
once by me they realized I was as
tough as the guys.
In our third year at Tachikawa, and
halfway through our judo session,
my father’s assignment ended, and
we made preparations to move back
to the States. In order to receive
the hours for completion of that
session, my brothers and I were
allowed to double up on classes
until we left. We were training
5 days a week for those last few
weeks. Several days before we left,
I was promoted to junior 1st kyu.
Two of my brothers were also
promoted to 1st kyu. (The third
and youngest brother had dropped
out.)
My family left Tachikawa in 1969,
when I was 12, and came back to
the States. On one or two occasions
shortly after we came to California,
when I lost it with my oldest
brother I would throw him. But we
soon outgrew that. I missed judo
and thought about it often.
I didn’t return to judo until I was
in college, at UC Santa Barbara.
There was a judo program at the
university, and a dojo in the nearby
town of Goleta taught by the same
sensei. The dojo was called the
Cultural School. I joined the dojo
and made sure to take a judo class
each semester I was at UCSB.
I was active in the judo program,
both at the university and at the
dojo, for three years. At the dojo,
the instructors, a father and son,
also taught aikido. The father was
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Figure 3, With Koichi Tohei, 1980.
Gretchen Hennig (front center) with Koichi Tohei (right) and Steve Ota (left).
Ken Ota, and we called him Sensei.
We called his son Steve Sensei. In
my senior year at UCSB Sensei
offered a beginning aikido class at
the university. I had seen aikido
when we gave demos and at the
dojo. When we did demos it was
always both judo and aikido, and
sometimes ballroom dancing,
which they also taught at the
Cultural School. So I thought
I would give aikido a try. I took
the class at the university for one
quarter. A year later, after I had
graduated, I started aikido at the
dojo. It was 1979. I continued
to do judo for a while, but the
dancelike movement and noncompetitiveness of aikido appealed
to me. Soon I was hooked, and
shortly thereafter I dropped judo.
The dojo in Goleta followed the
Shin Shin Toitsu (Ki Society)
style of aikido, under the lineage of
Koichi Tohei.
I made many friends at the dojo. I
even shared apartments with some
of them over the next few years.
I took a job two blocks from the
dojo. Some of us helped out in the
kids’ classes. We went to parties
together. But we were all in a state
of flux. We were growing up and
moving on. Several moved to the
Bay Area, one went into the Army,
others moved to L.A. and various
other places.
One of the highlights of my time at
the Cultural School was in 1980,
when a group of students from
the dojo went to a one-day aikido
seminar at Cal State Fullerton
taught by Koichi Tohei.
Before I go on, I must digress.
Over the years, while some of
the original students of O Sensei
were still living and were touring
and spreading aikido throughout
the world, the famous “O Sensei
stories” circulated at seminars and
dojos. I have a small O Sensei story
to tell that you may not have heard.
It was told to me second hand, of
course, like all the other stories:
The Cultural School has been
teaching judo, aikido, ballroom
dance, and etiquette for about
40 years now. It is a space with
hardwood floors for ballroom
dancing and other functions,
and removable mats for judo and
aikido. The mats must be put
down and laid over the hardwood
floors at the beginning of the kids’
class, and removed and stacked
The Kiai
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Figure 4, Aikido of Ventura, 1982
Front row (behind children) from left: Francis Takahashi, Larry Reynosa, Bruce Klickstein;
Gretchen Hennig between Larry and Bruce; Jim Davis (left rear), Dennis Belt (rear 8th from left).
up in the corner at the end of
the evening’s adult class that day.
The shomen contains pictures of
Jigoro Kano, Koichi Tohei, and
O Sensei. The hall is lined with
awards and pictures of judo, aikido,
and ballroom dancing events. In
1969, before I was there, some kind
of event was held at the Cultural
School, and afterwards a group
photo was taken in front of the
shomen. As it always happened
there with photos taken in front
of the shomen, the picture of O
Sensei had a glare from the glass
and the camera flash. But in this
particular photo, the glare was
especially bad, and the picture of
O Sensei was completely grayed
out. It was the year O Sensei died.
When I trained there, Steve Sensei
would point to that picture on the
wall when he told that story.
In the summer in 1980 the dojo
had a summer intensive training.
It was five days a week, Monday
through Friday, for six weeks. I
signed up for it. That summer a
visitor came to train with us from
another dojo. His name was Jim
Davis. He was very strong and
very knowledgeable, but his aikido
was somehow different, and I very
much enjoyed training with him.
I asked him where he was from.
He said he was from Carpinteria
(just east of Santa Barbara), where
his mother lived, but he had also
lived in Arizona with his father. He
had trained in Arizona with Jon
Takagi Sensei. I never knew of any
aikido dojos anywhere else, except
for Rod Kobayashi Sensei’s dojo
in Fullerton, and Hideki Shiohira
Sensei’s dojo in San Francisco.
These were fellow Ki Society dojos.
I had no idea what was out there.
Jim Davis said to me, “If you want,
I can show you all kinds of aikido.”
Thus began the next chapter in
my journey of exploration into the
multifaceted world of aikido. The
first place Jim Davis brought me
was Aikido of Ventura, under the
tutelage of Nobu Iseri and Larry
Reynosa. It was a different style,
under the lineage of T.K. Chiba. I
continued to train at the Cultural
School, but a small group of us,
including Jo Klehe, started going
down to Ventura one or two times
a week as well.
Also during this time, our small
group of renegades rented space
in a small Wu Shu studio in
downtown Santa Barbara, and we
started our own dojo. Jim Davis
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was our sensei, but he structured
the classes so that each of us
practiced leading the class. We were
officially under the wing of Aikido
of Ventura, and we trained in each
other’s dojos. There was also a
Yoshinkai aikido school sharing
space in the Wu Shu studio, and
their instructor trained with us on
occasion or attended seminars we
told him about. Jo Klehe, one of
our group, was making trips up to
Aikido Institute to train with Bruce
Klickstein. After one such trip he
came back and taught us how to do
the high falls that Aikido Institute
was famous for. Eventually I left the
Cultural School and began training
full-time in Ventura and Santa
Barbara.
weekend seminars with all kinds
of high-level instructors from
around the country. For a period
of several years we were going to
gasshukus two or three weekends
out of each month. These seminars
started Friday evening, went all
day Saturday, with some kind
of fun event Saturday evening,
then continued Sunday until
mid-afternoon. I came to work
exhausted Monday mornings, but
we were having so much fun!
We trained in Santa Barbara for
the better part of a year, until a
pipe broke, flooding the Wu Shu
studio and ruining the mat. Our
little aikido club, as well as the
Yoshinkai school, were forced
to find another space. For a few
times we held Saturday or Sunday
practice at the beach in Santa
Barbara, sometimes training on
the grass, sometimes on the sand.
We found that doing taijitsu on
the beach kicked up a lot of sand,
and doing it on the grass gave our
gis grass stains. So eventually our
little group disbanded. Jo Klehe
moved up to Oakland to train at
Aikido Institute, and the rest of us
started training full-time at Aikido
of Ventura.
WALKED OUT TO THE
The dojo in Ventura was very much
connected to the aikido world
of the greater Los Angeles and
San Diego areas. We learned of
TO OUR AMAZEMENT,
HE STRIPPED DOWN TO
HIS LOINCLOTH,
POOL, AND JUMPED IN.
WHO WERE WE TO
STOP HIM?
It was at these seminars that I
participated in classes taught by
many of the shihan and senseis
who now have prominent places
in our aikido hall of fame. This
is where I first saw Frank Doran,
Bill Witt, Robert Nadeau, Terry
Dobson, Morihiro Saito, Bruce
Klickstein, T.K. Chiba, Yoshimitsu
Yamada, Fumio Toyoda, B.J.
Carlisle, Mitsunari Kanai, Mitsugi
Saotome, Frank McGourik, Akira
Tohei, Francis Takahashi, Ichiro
Shibata, Jon Takagi and Pat
Hendricks. This is where I first met
Tom Gambell, Cyndy Hayashi,
Hoa Newens, and many more I
can’t even remember. I first met
Beth Hall during this time. She
was about 12. Aikido of Ventura
hosted a few of the seminars.
Several that particularly come
to mind include one with Chiba
Sensei, one with Pat Hendricks,
and one with Steven Seagal.
We drove all over California going
to these weekend seminars. We
would either sleep in the dojo, or
at somebody’s house, or in dorms.
I maintained contact with some
of my Cultural School aikido
friends, some of whom had moved
out of the area and were training
elsewhere. One such person was
Dave Dahmen, who had branched
out into a martial art that was a
precursor to aikido called Daito
Ryu Aikijujitsu. It was the modern
form of the martial art O Sensei
practiced before he founded
aikido. There was a high ranking
instructor (Katami Yonezawa)
coming from Japan and giving a
seminar near San Luis Obispo.
It was an intermediate seminar
open to martial artists of all types.
One only needed to be able to
take breakfalls. There were people
there who had studied judo, aikido,
jujitsu, aikijujitsu, karate, and who
knows what else. It was fascinating
training with people from different
martial arts. Daito Ryu was like
aikido, but different. It was a kind
of raw aikido, with joint locks and
harder angles. We trained hard
Friday evening, all day Saturday,
then partied hard at Yonezawa
Sensei’s motel room that evening,
then were on the mat at 9 am
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15
Figure 5, Aikido Institute (Oakland), 1990: Front row from left: Alberta Hankenson, Hoa Newens,
Kim Peuser, Deborah Maizels, Paul Rogers. Back row from left: Sarah, unknown, Kathy Montgomery,
unknown, Manuel Garcia, Jr., Gretchen Hennig, Dave DeLong, Ted Rose.
Sunday morning. It was summer,
and at one point during our party
late Saturday evening, Sensei
became too hot and decided to take
a swim in the motel pool in the
courtyard. So, to our amazement,
he stripped down to his loincloth,
walked out to the pool, and jumped
in. Who were we to stop him?
The longest drive we made for a
weekend seminar was a 16-hour
drive to Mendocino for a Ki
Aikido seminar. We took my car,
and Steve Sensei couldn’t drive a
stick shift, so the other three of
us alternated driving. I was at the
wheel when we drove through San
Francisco on 101 during rush hour
traffic. I still hate driving in San
Francisco! On Sunday we trained
in the morning, but had to leave the
seminar early to start driving back
to Santa Barbara. We got home
at 4 am Monday morning. I slept
two hours, got up at 6, and went to
work.
One of the amazing things about
these gasshukus was that during
the half-hour breaks between
classes, we might spot one of the
shihan sitting under a tree, or
resting off to the side of the mat,
and some of us would gather
around them, and we would
have conversations, getting to
know them as people, as human
beings. I remember some such
conversations with Yamada Sensei,
Bruce Klickstein, Frank Doran,
Jon Takagi, Steve Seagal, and Pat
Hendricks. I think it was some
of those talks that eventually
convinced me to move to the Bay
Area.
Another amazing thing was getting
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16
Figure 6: Manuel Garcia, Jr. (left) and Eduardo Guardarramas (right), January 2014.
called up to uke for one of the
shihan in front of a class of 200
people, which for me, because I was
a white belt, was not often, but it
did happen once in a while.
The other amazing thing was being
in a huge gymnasium filled with
aikidoists from all over, and getting
to train with your own sensei,
student to student.
Writing this article has been a
walk through time for me. I could
have subtitled it: My Life as an
Aikido Junkie. Trying to remember
these people has prompted me to
search for them on the internet.
Some of my most beloved senseis
of the past have died. I sit with
tears in my eyes as I view their
obituaries online. And some of my
contemporaries from that time now
have dojos of their own.
In 1986, after a few years off from
aikido, I decided to move back
to northern California. I wanted
to be closer to my family, the job
situation was not that great in the
Santa Barbara area, and I decided
that I wanted to go back to aikido
and train with Pat Hendricks
and Bruce Klickstein at Aikido
Institute. What appealed to me was
that it was a huge dojo, with lots
of yudansha. But when I got up
to the Bay Area, I learned that Pat
Hendricks Sensei had just started
her own dojo in San Leandro. So
I joined her dojo instead. I also
started going to seminars in the
Bay Area. After a while, however,
I longed for the large dojo with all
the yudansha, so in 1987 I started
training at Aikido Institute. I knew
some of the people from gasshukus
in southern California, and I met a
lot of new people.
About two months after I joined
Aikido Institute, the blow-up
with Bruce happened. It impacted
everyone in the dojo, and everyone
in the aikido world, certainly
everyone who had ever studied
with him. And everybody came to
grips with it in their own way. One
major thing that happened was that
many of the yudansha left Aikido
Institute. Some left aikido, some
went to train in other dojos, some
went to start their own dojos, some
stayed. As for me, I was crushed
and angered and saddened. I had
just moved up to the Bay Area a
year ago. I felt betrayed.
Kim Peuser and Hoa Newens
stayed, and picked up the pieces,
and started over. Others stayed
to help. Beth Hall, Peter Slote,
Alberta Hankenson, Deborah
Maizels, and many of the kohai,
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17
including me, stayed. I took my
1st kyu test at Aikido Institute,
and a few years later, shodan. I met
Manuel Garcia in the dojo around
this time. We soon started dating
and meshing our lives together.
In brief, in 1993 we married, and
we spent the time since then with
growing a family and many other
concerns (jobs and the like), so we
did not continue in aikido.
So I left to do other things, to
dabble in salsa and samba dancing,
singing, playing the piano, having a
home, raising a family. And before
I knew it, 20 years slipped by. We
lost touch with aikido people,
though we would occasionally
run into them in town. For many
years during this time, I wanted
to return to aikido, but there were
always PTA meetings, homework
assignments to help with, outings
with the kids, music performances,
dinner to prepare. The timing never
worked out. We were practicing
the randori of life.
At the end of last year, in
November, Manuel found
his boyhood friend, Eddie
Guardarramas, on the internet,
after close to 30 years. Phone
calls and emails were frantically
exchanged, and to their amazement
and disbelief, they discovered
that they had both trained at the
Aikido Institute, albeit at different
times. So that day, I received a
phone call at work, around 4 pm.
It was Manuel, making no sense
whatsoever, telling me that he had
found Eddie and to come home,
that we were going to train that
night at Aikido Institute. Did I
know Eddie? I thought Manuel
was crazy, but I went home and dug
up my old gi from the back of the
closet. The joyful reunion between
Eddie and Manuel took place at the
dojo, and after a heartfelt embrace
that must have lasted 15 minutes,
Manuel and I stepped on the mat
after 20 years.
We took our teenage daughter Ella
with us that night, and she watched
Mommy and Papa do aikido for the
first time. Kim Sensei and others
answered her many questions, and
she decided she wanted to try it.
She was instantly hooked. She has
gotten enthused about aikido, and
so Manuel and I find ourselves
back in the old dojo again. Because
of this, we have begun to renew
connections with aikido people
from our early times, and to make
new connections with “young”
aikido people.
Do I regret taking my leave of the
mat to practice the aikido of life?
Maybe. And now that I’ve returned,
am I better off than those who
never left the mat, because I still
have my original joints, while some
of them don’t? Or am I worse off
because they trained continuously
and moved up in rank, while I was
left behind? I don’t know, I think
it’s a tradeoff. They all eased into
their older years slowly and quietly.
I stepped off the mat 20 years ago
at my peak of physical agility and
hardiness. It’s how I remembered
myself. When I came back last
November, I came crashing into my
older self (not very aikido-like). My
toes hurt, my knees hurt. It was like
being slammed in the face. I wasn’t
ready for that one!
Do I envy the Jacobs and Daves and
Vus, the ones who fly through the
air so easily, and bounce like rubber,
and who come right back for more,
the way I used to? I couldn’t get
enough. I envy their grace, their
seeming immortality. I realize that
I am not far behind the ones with
stiff shoulders and artificial joints.
My contemporaries, the ones who
stayed, are all teaching. I’m out of
sync with them. Sometimes when
I get on the mat I feel vulnerable,
I feel old. What I would give to be
able to step on the mat pain free,
and not have to worry that one
wrong move might torque a knee or
shoulder out of joint. Can I ever get
back those years? Probably not. But
perhaps I can move forward from
here.
My martial arts journey is a long
and meandering road, with many
starts and stops along the way, but
I always seem to come back to it
in one form or another, no matter
how many years in between. It is in
muscle memory. It is slowly coming
back to me. My body remembers.
One thing I am learning is that we
have to adjust, to work with what
we have. The important thing is
that we keep at it.
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IN THE NEWS
JANUARY KYU TESTS
Congratulations go to the Students who passed their 6th Kyu tests in January
Noah Apple, James Regulinski, Carlos Assaf
When asked how they felt after their exam…
Look! up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!
No, it’s Damian’s Jo coming right at you at 6:00 AM with no lights.
Watch out Ted. This guy means it!!
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19
IT'S FUN BEING ME
by Susan Martinez
I
It’s fun being me. There’s
something satisfying about that
look of shock when someone
finds out I ride a motorcycle or
swim the bay or study aikido. So
it was a special treat to make my
demo debut on Saturday, Sept.
28, at the community fair for
Children’s Hospital Oakland,
where I work.
Children’s has been celebrating
its Centennial with a variety of
public events. Founded in 1912
by a nurse named Bertha Wright,
the hospital’s mission is to care for
children regardless of their family’s
financial circumstances. In 1912
there was no such thing as health
insurance: a family could either
afford to pay for health care or they
didn’t receive it. Nurse Wright set
out to change that disparity. My
role at Children’s is directing the
very robust volunteer program:
more than 1100 volunteers who
speak 78 languages as a group. It’s
a wonderful job, bringing on board
WINTER 2014
people to help the most vulnerable
in our community, and I get to
do many interesting things in any
given day. Irimi nage isn’t usually
one of them.
When deciding what to do for
the demo, Steve Sensei suggested
picking a technique that I needed
to concentrate on. Since my
5th kyu test would be the night
before the demo, I had quite a few
techniques to begin practicing. I
chose irimi nage, in my eyes one
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20
of the most beautiful
techniques and a
primary form that
drew me to aikido,
so many overlapping
circles of motion, such
gorgeous flow when
demonstrated well. I
was lucky when June
volunteered to work
with me.
I spent the next weeks
preparing not just for
the demo, but putting
in extra hours working
on the other techniques
for my test. I’ve
always been a behindthe-scenes person:
stagehand in school
plays rather than an actor, managing musicians and
festivals but no thanks to anything with a microphone.
I studied piano for ten years but didn’t advance because
I could not be talked into performing a recital. I am, at
heart, shy and do not like to attract attention, which is
an added tension to taking a kyu test.
Yet I was genuinely excited about the demo: I’m
passionate about aikido, and wanted to show how
beautiful – and fun and accessible – it is. And the more
I prepared for both my test and the demo, the more I
realized what should have been obvious: they are the
same thing. I hoped to do my best for each, but in the
demo I had the added pressure of performing in front
of my colleagues, my VP and my CEO!
We had a sunny, warm day at Dover Park, with lots
of family-fun activities for the community including
music, health and fitness booths, face painting, jugglers,
goodie bags, and even free organic produce from the
community garden.
With fabulous stage managing by Eddie and narration
by Richard, we presented a 30-minute mini-tour of
aikido, with black belts, white belts, and even the kids
class participating. The demo began with a high-energy
rondori by Steve Sensei, Dave, and Vu, which brought
the audience to full attention. Throughout the program,
the attacks, rolls, and high falls were punctuated by
the squeals of delight and shouting from the audience,
especially the children: “WOW!!” “COOL!! “Look
at THAT!” When Ted and Vu demonstrated tanto
techniques with an actual knife, I looked at the wideeyed audience and thought to myself, “Kids, don’t try
this at home!”
June and I demonstrated irimi nage, alternating roles
and showing a variety of attacks and grabs. Although
my muscles told me they were still tired from the test
the night before, my energy was high and my kiai was
full. After the demo, my boss approached me with a
big grin and said “Holy cow! You guys really throw
each other! I thought this was going to be peaceful
and gentle like tai chi! Remind me not to mess with
you!” He didn’t exactly promise to pass all of my
budget requests, but…well, they have gone through
since then.
The Kiai
21
IN THE NEWS
Sake Tasting
I
t’s the Thursday “Basics” class with Deborah Sensei.
This reporter never misses the Thursday classes. They
are a lot of fun and many potential brand new students
usually show up. The classes have been going well and
periodically after class, after the daily chores have been
completed, we celebrate birthdays and other events with a
little sake tasting. Students bring in a different bottle to try
(and we've had some really good ones!), some snacks, and
some non-alcoholic drinks and we have a kanpai. That might
help explain why there's often a full mat on those celebration
Thursdays.
The Kiai
22
Team Italia’s European Vacation
Gasshuku
by
Jim Beno
Arriving at the Vittorio Veneto train station. From left to right, Jim Beno, Dave Lewin, Susan Martinez,
Vu Ma, and Deborah Maizels Sensei.
I
glanced back, and saw a line
of senpai and sensei following
my lead down a quiet Italian
street. I’m not sure how I became
the expert navigator. It was my first
time in Vittorio Veneto, and the
only Italian I knew was “Doppio
espresso per favore!”
But here I was, on the side of a road
wearing my gi, staring at Google
Maps on my phone. My heart sank
at the empty intersection before
me. The map said we had reached
our destination, but I didn’t see
anything that looked like a dojo
or gym – just grassy fields, an ivy
fence, and a traffic circle.
The day before the start of the
2013 European Gasshuku, there
had been an electrical fire at Aikido
Vittorio Veneto’s dojo, so the event
was moved to “Palestra Pontavai.”
I couldn’t find it on Google Maps,
but I did find GPS coordinates on
the dojo’s web site: “45.984647 N,
12.307820 E.”
So, betting everything on those
numbers, we set out on our
quest for keiko. It was Friday,
October 11, 2013. Most of
Oakland’s “Team Italia” was with
us: Dave Lewin, Vu Ma, Susan
Martinez, and Deborah Maizels
Sensei. Kim Peuser Sensei had
received a ride. Also with us were
our friends from Reno: Peter and
Gina, and Tom Rennie Sensei,
carrying what looked like a
bazooka on his back (a PVC pipe
containing bokken and jo!)
“We’re here!” I said to the nervous
crowd behind me, trying to convey
confidence. We had been walking
for 20 minutes, but it felt like
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23
Jim points at one of the many Gasshuku posters we found all over Vittorio Veneto.
hours. “It should be just around the
corner.”
We soon approached a large white
building with a basketball court
and playground. It was clearly a
school. There were cars pulling
up, and parents dropping off their
kids. But wait, they’re all dressed in
white, and carrying sticks?
“They’re wearing gi!” I exclaimed
to myself with a smile. We had
arrived.
HOW IT STARTED
We started planning our Italian
adventure back in July. Kim Sensei
would be teaching a class at the
gasshuku, so it was important that
Oakland be there to support him.
Oh, and did I mention the pizza,
wine and espresso?
It was clear from the beginning that
we worked well together. Over a
series of emails and lunch meetings,
we planned 3.5 days in Vittorio
Veneto for the gasshuku, and 2.5
days in Venice for sightseeing. We
bought plane tickets, examined
train schedules, reserved our hotel,
researched luxury apartments and
sightseeing spots, arranged porters,
scheduled a night-extraction by
boat (more on that later), and
started learning Italian. “Team
Italia makes for a good team!”
said Dave. “Communication and
coordination abounded seamlessly.”
PLANES, TRAINS & TAXIS
The first test of our planning would
be finding each other in Italy. We
were not all on the same flight.
Deborah Sensei, Dave and Vu had
flown together from San Francisco.
But I had been in London for work,
and Susan had spent a few days
sightseeing in Florence.
Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)
is on the mainland outside of
Venice. Our plan was to fly into the
airport, take a taxi to the Venezia
Mestre train station, and then take
a train inland to Vittorio Veneto.
Later on, that same train would
bring us back and over the water
into Venice, a maze of sinking
islands connected by canals and
bridges.
My flight landed first, so I watched
groups of tourists come and go
(and an occasional scuffle with
Italian customs) while I waited in
baggage claim. But within minutes
of their plane’s arrival, I spotted
Deborah Sensei’s silver curls from a
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24
Kim Peuser Sensei, 7th Dan, teaches his Saturday morning class on Morote Dori. Dave Lewin is uke
(and his puppet).
distance, and greeted my jet-lagged
teammates with a big “Ciao!”
After a somewhat life-threatening
cab ride, we were soon at the train
station. Somehow, despite a sea of
people scurrying from platform to
platform, we bumped into Susan!
“Team Italia” was now together,
and we boarded our train toward
the mountains in the west.
VITTORIO VENETO
Vittorio Veneto is near the foothills
of the Alps. When we stepped off
the train, we were greeted by lush
green hills touched with fog, a
gracefully aging water tower, and
colorful buildings covered with
vines and clay tile. I didn’t realize
we would be training in such a
beautiful location.
We stayed at Hotel Flora, a
charming yellow building just
around the corner from the train
station. Once you stepped through
the front door, it was clear who
was in charge. The woman behind
the counter marshaled us into line,
collected our passports, and began
muttering in Italian.
Eager to explore the area, we
dropped off our luggage and went
out for some food and wine. To our
AIKIDO EUROPEAN
GASSHUKU
11-13 OTTOBRE 2013
LˇAIKIDO MONDIALE A
VITTORIO VENETO
surprise, there were orange posters
advertising the gasshuku in just
about every store and restaurant:
Either this was the Aikido capital
of the world, or Sandro Lucagnano
Sensei of Aikido Vittorio Veneto
did a fabulous job organizing and
promoting the event!
The next day, we wandered the old
city streets, ate some panini, and
stumbled across the Cattedrale
di Santa Maria Assunta. We
then hiked even further up the
mountain, which was peaked with
a giant white cross. After climbing
some old ruins, we reached the
Castello di San Martino, where
we enjoyed the view of the valley
below.
But the sun was getting low, and we
were ultimately here to train. So we
headed back to the hotel, met Kim
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25
Sensei and his wife Gayle at the
train station at 5:00 PM, put on
our gi, and began the GPS-guided
trek to the Gasshuku.
GASSHUKU
Irimi Nage. We were soon doing
Tai No Henko and meeting new
people from Italy, Germany, and
all over Europe. This was followed
by a class on Atemi to Dori by
Giancarlo Giuriati, 4th Dan.
Upon walking through the door,
it was heartening to see a number
of familiar faces in the crowd. The
Takemusu Aikido Association
(TAA) truly is a global community.
Even though we couldn’t all
speak the same language, we had
a common vocabulary in the
interplay of nage and uke, a handful
of Japanese phrases, and the sound
of a slap on the mat!
It was a great opening night.
“Sandro was such a great host,”
Deborah Sensei said. “So grounded
and centered and open and warm
and…every other good adjective
you could think of. It felt like he
went out of his way to connect with
and welcome each person at the
gasshuku.”
Upon hearing a clap, all the black
belts and white belts scrambled
to form a massive line before
the shomen and bow in. Sandro
Lucagnano, 3rd Dan, kicked off
the Gasshuku with a class on
Saturday was the big day we had
been waiting for. Our very own
Kim Peuser Sensei, 7th Dan,
started with his class on Morote
Dori. We had been studying these
techniques in the Oakland dojo, so
THE BIG DAY
we did our best to “represent” and
help others.
“If it was climbing a mountain,
Kim Sensei’s class was up top, and
everything after was like coming
back down from the mountain,”
said Dave, who served as one of the
ukes, taking punishment with form
and style.
Andrea Lembo, 4th Dan, followed
with a class on Sodeguchi Dori,
Jo Dori – Jo Nage, which was
quite dynamic and fun. Then the
morning wrapped up with some
Aikikai tests.
After this, there was a long break.
Since we had the whole afternoon
free, we decided to head back into
town for lunch and shopping. Of
course, most of the shops were
closed, and we’re still not sure when
people eat lunch in Italy.
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26
Hauling a piano by boat down a Venetian canal. This is how you move things around in Venice
Great shot, Susan!
Fortunately, Google Maps lead us
to Trattoria Da Arrigo Di Borghi
Franco, a small family-owned
restaurant that probably was not
expecting any customers. While the
parents cooked, their child watched
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
cartoons on the TV behind us. We
just sipped our wine, reflected on
the gasshuku, and pondered all the
Marilyn Monroe decorations.
Training resumed at 5:00 PM
with a class by Tony Sargeant,
6th Dan, on Shomen Uchi
Kote Gaeshi, Nikkyo Ura. We
gathered around in a circle, and
he proceeded to demonstrate how
some black belts were performing
the techniques incorrectly. Part
of this demonstration involved
hurling people into the crowd.
It was definitely memorable and
informative.
Then Rosmarie Herzig, 5th Dan,
taught a class on Aiki Ken. We
didn’t bring any weapons with us,
but Sandro was kind enough to
find us some bokken. Rosmarie
Sensei was impressive, and really
focused on helping the white belts.
I remember her scanning us with
her eyes, and giving us feedback
one-by-one to correct our forms.
THE PARTY
Training ended at 7:00 PM on
Saturday, and the big party was
scheduled for 8:30 PM. It wasn’t
long enough to walk back to town,
so we grabbed some wine and
appetizers at a nearby restaurant.
When we returned, a number of
tables had been set, and the smell
of food and wine was in the air.
We ate, drank, and drank some
more. Every time Sandro walked
by a table, it would erupt with a
loud “Kanpai!” It soon became a
competition, with each table trying
to outdo the other with an even
crazier cheer. A number of local
dignitaries were present, including
the Mayor of Vittorio Veneto, who
gave a speech.
As our public relations specialist,
Susan presented Sandro with a
bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey as
a gift from Oakland. Next thing
we knew, he was pouring us shots!
This is when things start to blur.
Dave was adopted by the Romans,
who poured him copious amounts
of wine while “chanting funny
European songs.” Kim Sensei was
giving pointers on how to roll while
not spilling a cup of water. And
there were many other stories that
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27
can only be told in person.
learned how to roll with a jo in my
hand.
The next day was painful.
Wolfgang Baumgartner, 6th Dan,
started the day off with a class on
the Kumi Jo 6-10 and Henka. He
said to raise your hand if you did
not know the Jo suburi. I glanced
at Susan sitting next to me. I’ve
done the suburi before, but could I
recall them all from memory? Not
likely. But I did not want to go to
remedial class and miss the partner
work! I kept my hand down, and
got paired with an Italian black belt
that was really helpful, despite the
language gap.
“It’s fun to train with you!” he
said with a smile. We were soon
throwing each other around, and I
Sandro was called up as Wolfgang
Sensei’s uke. He must be made of
steel. As Deborah Sensei said, it
was impressive how he was able to
re-locate the gasshuku on a day’s
notice, but “even more impressive
how he jumped out to take kumijo
high falls after the previous night
banquet’s feast and drinking!”
Axel Robenhorst, 5th Dan,
followed this with a class on
Tanto Dori, which found many
of us contorting in strange and
somewhat painful positions.
Stefano Ballabeni, 4th Dan, then
taught the final class on Morote
Dori Kokyu Ho, which was
followed by more testing. We had
a train to catch in a few hours, but
we stayed to witness and show our
respect.
OFF TO VENICE
After saying goodbye, we boarded
a train to the Venezia S. Lucia
station. Luca Tommasi, the owner
of the apartment we were renting,
greeted us with a porter. There are
no roads in Venice, so you can only
move things by boat or foot. The
porter was a godsend! He pulled
our luggage in a cart up and down
bridges and canals, all the way to
Santa Croce. Vu was fast on his
heels to ensure he didn’t run away
with our stuff.
We had to climb countless stairs
to reach our apartment, but it was
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Changing trains on our way to Venice after the Gasshuku. From left to right, Jim Beno, Susan Martinez,
Gayle, Deborah Maizels Sensei, Kim Peuser Sensei, and Dave Lewin. “Dove Vu?”
worth it. We felt like royalty.
The rooms were decorated with
marble, custom woodwork, and
chandeliers. We had a splendid
view overlooking the canal, and I
was pretty sure it wouldn’t flood!
The next few days were spent
wandering through a maze of
canals and bridges, occasionally
getting lost, but enjoying it. We
hit a few tourist spots, but the
richest experiences came from the
smaller things. Deborah Sensei
summarized it well.
“Most of Venice was filled with
tourists and with Venetians who
seemed unhappy about all the
tourists,” she said. “But I loved
the day we found our way around
all that by walking away from
the center. We walked along the
Canale di Cannaregio, a heavily
trafficked canal filled with boats
that are the equivalent of Venetian
delivery trucks. Susan got some
great pictures of a piano on one of
the boats being delivered to a new
location. The shopkeepers in the
shops along the way were
welcoming and happy to see us.
The prices a little cheaper.”
“We made our way to the North
and saw the Venetian Ghetto
(the place where Jews were forced
to live beginning in the 16th
century),” Deborah Sensei said.
“We continued walking further
out towards the shore and visited
a really rococo church filled with
spiraling green marble pillars…
and finally, found our way to a
vaporetto that took us out to the
island of Murano, famous as the
center of Venetian glass. There we
had a memorable lunch overlooking
the canal: appetizers, wine, fresh
fish, wine, dessert, coffee… served
by a wonderful waiter, who made
us all feel good.”
Dave’s favorite Venetian moment
reflected a similar sentiment.
“While trekking through the San
Marco plaza area, we stopped for a
second at a pizza joint buried in the
maze of shops,” said Dave. “It was
a stand-and-eat-your-slice type of
place, but it hit the spot, and ended
up being my best pizza experience,
even after all the pizza we ate in
Vittorio Veneto.”
By the end of the trip, Vu won
the prize for eating the strangest
dishes: horse-meat pizza (not so
bad, in moderation), and squid-ink
pasta that was as black as oil!
Toward the end of the trip, I caught
a cold. On our last night, I was
The Kiai
29
“Team Italia” sitting on a bridge over a canal in Venice. From left to right, Susan Martinez, Dave Lewin,
Deborah Maizels Sensei, and Jim Beno. Thank you Vu for taking the photo!
curled up under a blanket with a
glass of grappa, while Dave and Vu
prepared the most amazing homecooked meal: fresh fish, veggies, and
of course plenty of wine. “Team
Italia” really felt like a family that
night.
NIGHT EXTRACTION
Our flights were at 7:00 AM the
next morning. So after dinner, we
packed our bags and tried to get
a few hours of sleep. We woke
up around 3:30 AM, moved our
luggage downstairs, and then
waited outside by the canal at 4:00
AM in the morning for a boat to
pick us up.
It was dark out, and quiet. There
wasn’t a ripple on the water. It was
a perfect black mirror.
I started thinking about what we’d
do if the boat didn’t show up. Then
I heard the faint hum of a motor,
saw waves far down the canal, and
then a boat appeared around the
corner! Its red, white and green
lights approached us slowly. Then
the driver hopped out and tied up
the boat so we could board.
Under the cover of darkness, it
whisked us out of the canals, and
over the sea to the mainland. The
only light on board was the faint
glow from the control panel. We
then picked up speed, bumping
over wave after wave, with water
spraying on the windows. I
honestly felt like we were Navy
SEALs!
Deborah Sensei, Dave, Vu, and
Susan caught their flights back to
San Francisco, and I took a flight
to Oslo for a few more days of
business. In the end, we all made it
safely home. But we were stronger,
wiser, and closer.
We were “Team Italia!”
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30
IN THE NEWS
EDDIE'S WEDDING
C
ongratulations go to Eddie Guardarrams and his
The other shocker was when Roger told Eddie that he had
partner of 23 years (now husband) Roger Brigham. asked Kim Sensei to say a few words.
“It was just supposed to be 10 people” Eddie said.
“WHAT!!!! You just can’t ask Sensei to say a few words”.
Well somehow it grew and grew. The ceremony was held at “Well he said Yes.”
a small church on College Avenue designed by Julia
Morgan.
The reception was held at their home. Roger insisted on
Eddie’s 93 year old mother arrived as a surprise all the way preparing all the food. The champagne flowed, and the
food was a plenty. And of course homemade seed cakes for
from New York. Roger’s mom came from Indiana. The
dessert. Very Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, but that ’s
moms had never met, so they decided to have the moms
another story.
give them away.
WINTER 2014
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IN THE NEWS
2014 KANGEIKO
C
old Practice took place from January 20th to February 14th. A series of classes on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 6:00 AM, led by Kim Sensei. No lights allowed, front door wide open, full mat, with bokkens. We worked on strikes left and
right side, different footings, awase practices, the kumi tachi, and lots and lots of variations.
The series ended with the entire group forming a huge circle and performing the infamous
1,000 bokken strikes.
And if you survive (7,500 Bokken strikes later) you get a commemorative item. This year it
was a drop-dead gorgeous black stainless steel flask for hot or cold beverages (Sake or Coffee?).
Sensei takes great pride in handing out the items personally to each student and congratulating them on surviving the course. Just awesome!
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32
The Kiai
33
IN THE NEWS
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIM SENSEI
I
t comes just once a
year, and when you’re
the big man, everyone
comes out to celebrate.
Yes, it was Kim Sensei’s
birthday. A full mat with
lots of energy turned out
to wish this 7th dan a super day and to thank him
for being who he is.
A wonderful Saturday
morning class on August
4th, was followed by a
scrumptious pot luck.
Lots of food and drink
were on hand, and lots of
kanpai were shared.
One of the main events
was the re-match in the
arm wrestling contest between Vu and Zoe. Zoe
was defending her title
against long time contender Vu. Come on Vu.
The whole male population is on your shoulders.
But no pressure. We all
held our breath as they
both struggled for the
win. It went on, and on….
and on…
And finally when the dust
settled, the winner was…
Zoe!!! And now we’ll have
to wait till the next school
break, when we can do it
all again.
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35
IN THE NEWS
THE AWASE & FRIENDSHIP SEMINAR
T
his was our first visit to Pat Hendricks Sensei’s dojo in San Leandro. The four
instructors were the newly appointed 7th dans: Pat Hendricks Sensei, Hoa Newens
Sensei, Bernice Tom Sensei, and Kim Peuser Sensei. The Seminar took place from
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday November 9th.
This was a beautiful dojo with lots and lots of artifacts showcasing Pat Hendricks Aikido
career. She trained extensively in Japan and was one of Saito Sensei’s representatives for the
US. The Aikido Institute had a great showing and made our dojo proud. It was wonderful
seeing familiar faces from members of the other dojos and being able to train with them.
The Kiai
36
The Kiai
37
IN THE NEWS
THE 2013 HOLIDAY PARTY
T
he dojo Holiday Party took place on December 9th. Kim Sensei led the class. It was very well
attended. At the end of class, just before bowing out, the 3 new nidans were presented with
their certificates from Japan. They were Theresa Slaman, Jacob Clapsadle, and Diana Aehegma. The certificates took a very long time to get here, and they were very well deserved. A huge round
of applause for each nidan.
Class was followed by a potluck with lots of food and drink. It was a chance for everyone to relax,
mingle, and enjoy time with one another before the holidays.
The Kiai
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The Kiai
39
Stay Healthy, Train For Life
by Steve Kilmer Sensei
come to class and train
the whole universe is inside
the dojo me you
T
Cerrito del Norte, there was always
the chance that I'd be “too tired” to
train and simply drive home instead
of to the dojo.
The best way to understand how
beneficial a regular training schedule
can be is simply to establish one and
stick to it. Regular doesn't need to be
daily. It also doesn't mean that it
couldn't or shouldn't be daily. Devise a
schedule that fits with the demands
of your life outside the dojo and your
desire to enjoy the benefits of aikido.
Once you have motivated yourself
into the dojo, focus on nothing but
the training. It is amazing how
focusing exclusively on something can
relax the mind and body in spite of
the mental and physical exertion
inherent in an hour and a half of
training. There are many times when
I have come to the dojo more than a
little stressed and left extremely
relaxed.
housands of words may not
be able to express the benefits
of regular training. But if
seventeen syllables aren't enough,
read on.
Don't let anything distract you from
getting to the dojo on the days you've
chosen to train. When I was working
in San Francisco, I would drive to the
MacArthur BART station on days I
was going to train because if I used El
Does training make or keep you
healthy? I only have anecdotal
evidence, not empirical data, but my
health is pretty good. Here are some
warnings. Don't train when you're
sick. Not only can training delay you
on your path to recovery, but it will
put your training partners at risk of
becoming ill.
Be judicious regarding training when
you're injured. Training with some
minor injuries may not be a problem,
but other injuries will not get better if
they are constantly aggravated. When
in doubt, check with your healthcare
specialists and follow their advice.
The last words should be from
O-Sensei. This is quoted in “The
Way of Peace” by John Stevens.
Fathom the essence of Aikido and age
disappears. You only feel old when you
lose your way and stray from the Path.
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40
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
THE NEW DOJO HANDBOOK!
The dojo handbook has been updated in the 3rd edition, and
now is available in a few different formats! Smartphone users
will be happy to know that the 3rd edition has been
specifically formatted for use on handheld devices (putting
the "hand" back in the "handbook")! It can also be viewed on
a regular PC or Mac browser also, and if the online version is
not suitable for your needs, then you can always download
the pdf version.
• Go to http://aikidoinstitute.weebly.com/ on your smart
phone; while on the page, select the add-to-homepage
function, or otherwise save it as a bookmarked page
• the launch page is a "bulletin" and contains info on current
classes, programs and events, etc.
• the contents are accessed through the menu icon at the top;
“code” covers all dojo related policies and conduct
guidelines; “lineage” covers dojo history and organizational
information; “appendix” covers all other kinds of dojo
knowledge, including test materials and glossary.
• for the pdf version, go to the “about this handbook” section
(found at the bottom of the launch page on mobile devices).
SCAN THIS CODE!
Aikido Institute | summer 2013

THIS ISSUE - Aikido Institute

Transcription

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