They linked me, I link them back!

Presenting: Nippon Budokan, budo gakko:

http://budogakuen-aikido.giving.officelive.com/default.aspx

http://budogakuen-aikido.giving.officelive.com/link.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nippon_Budokan

http://www.nipponbudokan.or.jp/

http://www.aikikai.or.jp/

Heute war wieder einer dieser Tage – wo nichts richtig klappt und ich am Schluss denke: Was machst Du eigentlich hier? Ich hege seit langem den Verdacht, dass die Techniken im Aikido nicht dazu da sind, gelernt zu werden. Das funktioniert sozusagen anders herum: Wenn ich eine Technik gelernt habe, demonstriere ich damit, dass ich das zugrunde liegende Prinzip verstanden habe.

Aber wie funktioniert dann das Lernen? Rauszufinden, was wirklich wichtig ist, ist verdammt schwierig. Typisch: Sensei steht da, schüttelt den Kopf und sagt: “Nein, so geht das nicht. Das musst Du so und so machen”. Zeigt die Technik – und ich denke: Aber genau das habe ich doch grade auch gemacht. Wo ist der Unterschied? Will sagen: Wenn man weiß, wohin man schauen muss, sieht man ihn. Aber das geht erst hinterher. Ist schon ne tolle Sache, diese Zen-Nummer.

Life scarcely gives you second chances. When you mess up, see where you have gone wrong, correct your focus, posture and your position. Then just continue with the technique. Do not go all the way back to start again.

You will fall. Many times. Enjoy the process. Enjoy how the world turns around when you roll and when you fall. However, be up and ready quickly.

Please visit our special Video Page for Grace Martial Arts Videos. We just added it this weekend. You’ll find links to videos produced for students of Grace Martial Arts Florida and other Christian groups. We pray these videos will be a blessing to you as you train mind, body and spirit.

Blessings!

Mark McGee

Grace Martial Arts

Mâcon – Aïkido

Robert Dallessandro démontre une technique

Le stage organisé par le Comité Départemental de Saône et Loire d’Aïkido et accueilli par le club local l’Aïkido Mâconnais a une fois de plus remporté un vif succès. Après le traditionnel café de bienvenue les 64 stagiaires se sont mis au travail pour approfondir et partager la pratique de leur art martial favori. Les clubs les plus représentés étaient Dijon avec 14 participants, Mâcon (10) et Chalon (9). Les 31 autres stagiaires étaient répartis entre Sennecey le Grand, Gueugnon, Digoin, Decize, Tramayes, Cuisery, Beaune, Chenove, Belleville,   Mirande, Lyon et Chatillon sur Chalaronne. Les 320 m2 de tatamis déployés pour l’occasion au Complexe des Saugeraies étaient bien remplis. Robert Dallessandro 6e dan d’Aïkido et Chargé d’Enseignement National de la Fédération a animer ce stage avec une attention toute particulière pour les moins gradés en leur prodiguant des conseils techniques afin de les aider à progresser dans leur art. Le pot de l’amitié offert par le Comité Départemental en fin de stage a conclu cette journée sur un beau moment de convivialité. Daniel Paul président du Comité à remercié les mâconnais qui à chaque fois qu’ils ont été sollicités ont prouvé leur capacité à organiser et à accueillir dans d’excellentes conditions le grand rendez vous de l’Aïkido du département. Le président de l’Aïkido Mâconnais Thierry Porcher et toute son équipe sont très satisfait d’avoir contribué ainsi à la promotion de l’Aîkido.

Pour visualiser toutes les photos du stage cliquez ICI

Il mio primo stage di Aikido, un’esperienza indimenticabile! Sandro Peduzzi è una presenza che riempie il tatami di un potere immanente. Parto dalla fine, lo stage è stato chiuso da parole molto vere e moderate. Masticabili con soddisfazione da tutti. Parole sull’aikido ovviamente: sul senso della pratica, sul senso del non essere mai arrivati alla conclusione in un cammino in cui vi è un inizio ma mai una fine, in cui chi pensa di essere “arrivato” non ha mai cominciato. Sandro è una persona criptica ma aperta. Come faccia lo sa solo lui. Gira per il tatami assieme a Bruno (altra persona criptica ma apertissima e sempre gentile, sorridente e disponibile) correggendo qui e là un braccio troppo giù o un piede troppo storto.

Ho molto GRADITO l’esercizio di continuità in cui, tra una tecnica e un’altra, non si lascia la mano del compagno. L’ho davvero molto molto gradito. Vi è qualcosa di magico in questo esercizio, nella sua assenza di interruzioni. Un continuum di contatto e coscienza che non si spezza ogni 3 minuti come in dojo durante la “normale” pratica. Propongo fortemente di attuarlo sul tatami dei nostri due dojo!!!!!

Le cinture nere della mia associazione sono state davvero fantastiche, come sempre. Pazienti, disponibili, tranquille, sorridenti…direi, la parola più completa, amorevoli. Anche le altre cinture nere dell’associazione Aikido Milano di Sandro, due in particolare di cui però non so il nome, sono state molto molto significative. Un ragazzo che credo fosse pugliese mi ha sottoposto a una dolorosa seduta di iriminage in cui chiudeva alla Tissier più che alla Tada. Ho preso coscienza del fatto che il mio cervello è racchiuso in una teca cranica rigida, perchè ad ogni caduta l’encefalo si schiantava prima sull’osso frontale poi sull’occipitale. Ma finchè non mi guadagno un edema cerebrale, va tutto bene.

Ho imparato molto. Lo stage è diverso della pratica in dojo con i compagni. Mi sono trovato un po’ distratto per i primi 40 minuti dal fatto che dovevo sempre stare attento alle persone intorno. Non riuscivo bene a concentrarmi su ukè. Ma dopo poco mi sono abituato ed andato bene!!! Non vedo l’ora di fare il prossimo!!!

Ringrazio tantissimo Sandro per essersi messo a nostra disposizione con bontà e umiltà, Bruno per la guida morale e pratica e per la sensazione di infantile esaltato divertimento che porta sul tatami come di un bimbo al parco giochi, Cristina per il suo costante riguardo nei miei confronti e il piacere che dimostra nel prendermi come uke/tori (cosa di cui sono sempre contentissimo e che ricambio sempre con sincerità), ringrazio poi Marco (giusto??) che mi affronta sempre con sorriso e un certo graditissimo umorismo e divertimento velato, e poi ringrazio Sergio che nel suo aspetto molto marziale con occhi piccoli quando ride, mi stimola sempre a essere incisivo e potente, guidandomi con l’esempio quando mi sottopone severamente a delle leve e chiusure sopportabilmente dolorose che molti altri hanno timore di infliggermi/ci in qualità di dilettante…stropicciateci, fa solo bene ed è divertente!

Al prossimo stage!!!

The attacker can easily tell where you expect the blow to come from. If you are ready for any strike or grab and react to touch, you will not be misled by a feint.

Yogatta!

When you are not stable, it doesn’t take much force to take you off balance. With experience one not only learns to be more stable but also to test for stability without the use of force.

If you keep your mind on the Hara and not let it drift to the attacker, you gain great stability. This does not mean you are unaware of your attackers. It just means that your primary focus is on your centre. Once you learn this, all techniques start becoming effortless.

Dr. Leisinger Sensei (7th Dan Aikikai)

Aiki-jo & -ken
Dinsdag 24 Oktober
20:15 – 21:45

Shin Shin Buken Dojo

Art or sport, that is the question.

MMA, UFC, that’s sport.

So what is art?

Aesthetic manifestation.

You glow.

You figure out how your body is a machine…and turn it on.

You figure out who you are…and you manifest your art.

I figured it out in 1974. Put it all down in my writings.

how to get there.

What it means.

How is its value.

Now, many people would thiknk I wasted my effort.

Today’s kids just want to surf the net,

view the latest bash ‘em up sport.

Well, maybe.

But you would be shocked at how many people respond to my simple question…why do you do the art?

It draws you, man, and some day all those gen Xers stored up in the vid games are going to come up for air.

Will the art be waiting for them?

Yep.

Some day they will actually look at somebody getting their brains bashed out,

and they will say…gee, therre must be a better way. That’s when they are going to look for art, for Aikido instead of wrestling, for tai chi instead of boxing, for a bright grin instead of cauliflower ears.

You think not?

I see them all the time at at the Monster.

Man is alive, and he is getting aliver.

You guys have a glorious day.

Al

If you can not sustain awareness for an hourlong class how can you achieve anything significant in life? Work towards sustained awareness. The rest will fall in place without much effort.

There is sound reasoning for every aspect of etiquette. Every new thing you learn about etiquette shows you how it was made to enhance awareness, safety and discipline.

Here’s the latest newsletter, have a great work out!

Monster Newsletter #252–3 PKC and the Youniverse!

Hey! Hey! And Howdie!
Another be-a-oo-tea-full day.
Perfect for working out!

Do you know why I don’t go beat people up?
Because everybody I have known
who has started beating people up,
using the martial arts,
has left the martial arts.

True.

I love the arts too much
to leave them.
So…
no fights.

I always talk my way out of a fight.

Course now I’m old,
no glory in beating up an old guy,
so I don’t have to fight,
and I don’t even have to talk my way out anymore,
and I can be as rude as I want.

Ain’t old grand?

Anyway,
did you know that there are three arts
in the Butterfly Pa Kua Chang.
First in the simple matrix of it all.
The ten hand positions.
Simple as it is,
I have had a lot of people write,
and say thanks,
it made the difference for them.

Matrixing, you see, is simple,
it is organization.
A tidy mind is an intuitive mind.
you know?

Second,
is the teacup.
Man,
this is the fastest and most logical pa kua in the world.
Here’s the deal,
the flow of Pa Kua is matrixed.
Not just positioned,
but actually in trajectory.

Trajectory is the secret of the universe,
you know?

You can analyze the path
of that fist
that is just a whistlin’
towards your
not unhandsome mug,
and you can avoid, block, manipulate,
guide, smash, trash,
bash, kick, break,
do what you want,
and he ain’t go no clue.

Flow is that important.
In fact,
flow is absolutely neutronic.

Matrix is setting up the grid
by which you can analyze
all potentials.

Neutronics is the fact
of handling
just one,
one little one,
of those potentials.

Sounds easy.
It is easy,
it is overlooked,
but it has drastic effect on all who
finally come to an understanding
of what I am actually saying.

Makes you wonder why
nobody in the world understands this one point,
that I have to make a whole religion out of it.
Ah, well.
(sigh)

Anyway,
the third art
is the sort of matrix
of the classical eight animals.

There had to be some sort of a logic
in the creation of Pa Kua,
and that is what eight animals is all about.
Simple,
rather than confusing,
right to the heart,
and function,
of what pa kua is all about.

Do you know why I began obsessing on Pa kua?
Because there was a purity to it,
spoken of in circle,
obsessed on in private universes,
which universes are created
by walking the circle.

Oh, yes,
you walk the circle,
and the rest of the world starts going by by,
and you are left with a purity of you
that western society,
even transfigured by all the martial arts
that have hit these shores
does not create.

The universe of you.

I sometimes call it the
youniverse.

But it is real.
But you have to walk the circle to do it,
to find it.
And the circle should not be confusing.

So that’s the point of the course.

Okay,
So I’m pushing Pa Kua this week.
Why not.
Nothing wrong with that.

And,
shouldn’t you have a new art to work on
over Xmas vacation?

Or,
perhaps I should say it,
it is almost that time of year…
HanaKwanMass.
That’s right,
my little version of holiday cheer,
offensive to no one,
includes all,
and,
if you get a
HanaKwanMass vacation this year,
you should be working on…
Pa Kua Chang.

Here’s the link…

Butterfly Pa Kua Chang

Now,
kick the chihuahua,
watch out for that banana peel,
and…
walk the circle.

Al
=o)

PS–If you want the latest article, try googling ‘ What Happens When You Get Rid of Reaction Time!’

Eskimo: “If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?” Priest: “No, not if you did not know.”
Eskimo: “Then why did you tell me?”
Annie Dillard

Your etiquette speaks volumes about your experience and your skill. The more refined, graceful, respectful and approprate your etiquette is, the more your experience will show through. Just by how you carry your weapon and conduct yourself when you carry it, one can tell how well you can execute your moves with it.