If you're reading this, your are probably looking to take the Aikido course through MSU's instructional program, and you may be wondering "What is Aikido". Well you are in the right place.
Wikipedia provides a pretty concise answer:
Aikido (合気道 Aikidō) [a.i.ki.doː] is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying (with) life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury..
As a relativity new art derived from classical Japanese martial arts, I'm particularly interested in the holistic applicability of Aikido to 21st century life. From dealing with conflict both physical and non-physical, to general fitness and basic injury prevention, I believe strongly that Aikido is practical for everyone young and old. Shoot me an e-mail if you have questions about the the class: leifsummerfield@gmail.com
Here are some representative clips of what Aikido looks like.
Here is my teacher's teacher, Mitsugi Saotome
A well done basic overview:
Here is a video showing all of the techniques I will cover in this beginner class:
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Friday, April 15, 2011
Balloon location is here
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Picture below is what we're hoping for!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Aikido Winter Intensive: Day 4, part 2
Saotome Sensei's Morning class:
Oh my frack. George Ledyard is the fastest person I've every trainined with.
I got the whole 1.5 hour class with him. I was lucky to be standing next to him when Sensei calls our "Bokken". He turns to me and says, "let's play".
"Sure" I said. While in my head I though, yea, you play, while I freak out behind my mushin face because you are so above my pay-grade.He's a Rokkudan, and me a little shodan. Well I have it a good collage try. But seriously, he's so fast you have Nooooo idea.
Saotome's starts class with a pronoucement. Dan grade students must now train with a tsuba. People are getting away with sloopy bokken grips. no more!
Then he grabs his kattana. Yea, it's going to be that kind of class...
We were doing basic two sword forms, single cut counters ect ect. Same ones we did in Missoula in October.
But doing them with George...intense George...different story.
First he expects a strong and intent-full strike. My shomen is so slow by his standards it was embarassing. I'll be working on thaaaat!
I have the basic theory right, but have to turn up the speed about (seriously) 4x...?maybe more. raise, cut step all at almost once instantly.
Once I was delivering faster strikes, Ledyard started to open up on me. His read of my body language was so creepy right-on.
First of all I was working on content from his last class on Monday (day2) with totally relaxed body to generate the fastest strike possible. So i'm relaxed, but in a ready state. Ok, so the 1/10th of a second after the thought crosses my mind to strike, he's read it and done the counter. NO really. The moment my bokken raised half way to cut him,he was done with me....i'm dead. I'm still a bit stumped. I was trying my hardest to hide as much as humanly possible.
Smooth face, relased arms legs, spine, eyes ect ect. No matter. The moment after I think about raising the bokken, BANG! Kiai, two cuts and i'm dead.
Meanwhile Saotome's waving the katanna around and lecturing about modern society's lack of personal responsibility. There's no one on the battlefield to blame when you die exept your self.
Then we trasfer over to empty hand training, keeping the same feel and intent as the bokken training. Strong shomen/mune-tsuki, nage brushes aside and strikes.
But I'm doing this with Ledyard. Plenty of excitement with someone 2x my weight, and 6x my rank.
Then we switch to front kicks. And for the life of me I can't dodge his kick. He tracked 100% of the time.
I was soooo unused to that attack I had no idea what to do. Not that it was much different from a strike. But I was all locked up.
After some good coaching from Ledyard I finally relaxed enough to not tense up by his 2x the size "column of force" projecting towards me.
With a relaxed stance, and simple half turn/pivot on the back foot I was finally brushing off his kicks. But dear lord do I/we have a lot to practice.
It was by far the most intense 1.5 hours of the whole seminar...and totally worth the price of admission alone.
I need more training...
but wait, there's more
Oh my frack. George Ledyard is the fastest person I've every trainined with.
I got the whole 1.5 hour class with him. I was lucky to be standing next to him when Sensei calls our "Bokken". He turns to me and says, "let's play".
"Sure" I said. While in my head I though, yea, you play, while I freak out behind my mushin face because you are so above my pay-grade.He's a Rokkudan, and me a little shodan. Well I have it a good collage try. But seriously, he's so fast you have Nooooo idea.
Saotome's starts class with a pronoucement. Dan grade students must now train with a tsuba. People are getting away with sloopy bokken grips. no more!
Then he grabs his kattana. Yea, it's going to be that kind of class...
We were doing basic two sword forms, single cut counters ect ect. Same ones we did in Missoula in October.
But doing them with George...intense George...different story.
First he expects a strong and intent-full strike. My shomen is so slow by his standards it was embarassing. I'll be working on thaaaat!
I have the basic theory right, but have to turn up the speed about (seriously) 4x...?maybe more. raise, cut step all at almost once instantly.
Once I was delivering faster strikes, Ledyard started to open up on me. His read of my body language was so creepy right-on.
First of all I was working on content from his last class on Monday (day2) with totally relaxed body to generate the fastest strike possible. So i'm relaxed, but in a ready state. Ok, so the 1/10th of a second after the thought crosses my mind to strike, he's read it and done the counter. NO really. The moment my bokken raised half way to cut him,he was done with me....i'm dead. I'm still a bit stumped. I was trying my hardest to hide as much as humanly possible.
Smooth face, relased arms legs, spine, eyes ect ect. No matter. The moment after I think about raising the bokken, BANG! Kiai, two cuts and i'm dead.
Meanwhile Saotome's waving the katanna around and lecturing about modern society's lack of personal responsibility. There's no one on the battlefield to blame when you die exept your self.
Then we trasfer over to empty hand training, keeping the same feel and intent as the bokken training. Strong shomen/mune-tsuki, nage brushes aside and strikes.
But I'm doing this with Ledyard. Plenty of excitement with someone 2x my weight, and 6x my rank.
Then we switch to front kicks. And for the life of me I can't dodge his kick. He tracked 100% of the time.
I was soooo unused to that attack I had no idea what to do. Not that it was much different from a strike. But I was all locked up.
After some good coaching from Ledyard I finally relaxed enough to not tense up by his 2x the size "column of force" projecting towards me.
With a relaxed stance, and simple half turn/pivot on the back foot I was finally brushing off his kicks. But dear lord do I/we have a lot to practice.
It was by far the most intense 1.5 hours of the whole seminar...and totally worth the price of admission alone.
I need more training...
but wait, there's more
Part 3 is next
Aikido Winter Intensive: Day4, part 1
Aikido Winter Intensive
Day4: What a day!
Ledyard Sensei's morning class:
Focus on empty hand uke-waza, through gaishi-waza practice. This definitely complimented and extended content from his seminar in Bozeman, so I had fun.
I got to train with Katrina most the class. Good lord is she sensitive! I have to totally recalibrate my force scale just to get in the ballpark of where her neutral space is.
Class started with a tenkan-irimi practice we did at the seminar. But wow, there's a lot going on in there. I definaly want to bring this back to my class.
This is where parters are cross hand palm to palm, and the first person tenkans, the second follows, then rolls reverse with NO disconnect.
First there's the center connection...backflow (as he puts it) during all parts of the tenkan from one partner to the other. Add to that proper posture and ma-ai, martially speaking. Then after a few turns uke throws an elbow into the chest to see if nage is connected and flexible.
And in here lies Ledyards concept of "all-ready". Timing and being faster makes no sense if you are all-ready "inside" their attack, and your counter/throw is created from the attack, to which you are connected and physically enformed. "Inside" and "allready" are tough concepts to type into text...but after this class I think I understand them better.
So after the elbow strike test, we get into raising uke up slightly and rolling their palm up, back and down into a simple throw. I tried with a bit of success in raising uke with just hip rotation breath movement...just bearly. What was interesting though is to practice more of the "hip release" Ledyared alway's mentiones. I think this means (for example) from a connected to uke hanmi stance, without letting the connection flow stop or change, releasing the hip so the whole hip girdle changes positions to setup the next force vector.
The last exercise we did was the, cross body connection excercise from katate-dori. To this he added moving from one grasp (katate-dori) to uke grabs a second place on nage's body, and nage switches but maintains the cross body connection. Very worthwile!
So the big take-aways from the class, after training with Katrina were many.
NOT GETTING TENSE is a HUGE one. I have to unlearn all my instincts and years of training. It totally get's in the way as uke and nage.
Once I let go though, knowing that even when things feel bound up, that moving uke is still possible if it's in their dead-space is something new I need to start having trust in.
Spiraling internally from shoulders, arms down through the chest and into the ground does work. This is Olson sensei's drop the belly technique in practice...but once you do that, you have to move it somewhere.
I need more training!...
Day4: What a day!
Ledyard Sensei's morning class:
Focus on empty hand uke-waza, through gaishi-waza practice. This definitely complimented and extended content from his seminar in Bozeman, so I had fun.
I got to train with Katrina most the class. Good lord is she sensitive! I have to totally recalibrate my force scale just to get in the ballpark of where her neutral space is.
Class started with a tenkan-irimi practice we did at the seminar. But wow, there's a lot going on in there. I definaly want to bring this back to my class.
This is where parters are cross hand palm to palm, and the first person tenkans, the second follows, then rolls reverse with NO disconnect.
First there's the center connection...backflow (as he puts it) during all parts of the tenkan from one partner to the other. Add to that proper posture and ma-ai, martially speaking. Then after a few turns uke throws an elbow into the chest to see if nage is connected and flexible.
And in here lies Ledyards concept of "all-ready". Timing and being faster makes no sense if you are all-ready "inside" their attack, and your counter/throw is created from the attack, to which you are connected and physically enformed. "Inside" and "allready" are tough concepts to type into text...but after this class I think I understand them better.
So after the elbow strike test, we get into raising uke up slightly and rolling their palm up, back and down into a simple throw. I tried with a bit of success in raising uke with just hip rotation breath movement...just bearly. What was interesting though is to practice more of the "hip release" Ledyared alway's mentiones. I think this means (for example) from a connected to uke hanmi stance, without letting the connection flow stop or change, releasing the hip so the whole hip girdle changes positions to setup the next force vector.
The last exercise we did was the, cross body connection excercise from katate-dori. To this he added moving from one grasp (katate-dori) to uke grabs a second place on nage's body, and nage switches but maintains the cross body connection. Very worthwile!
So the big take-aways from the class, after training with Katrina were many.
NOT GETTING TENSE is a HUGE one. I have to unlearn all my instincts and years of training. It totally get's in the way as uke and nage.
Once I let go though, knowing that even when things feel bound up, that moving uke is still possible if it's in their dead-space is something new I need to start having trust in.
Spiraling internally from shoulders, arms down through the chest and into the ground does work. This is Olson sensei's drop the belly technique in practice...but once you do that, you have to move it somewhere.
I need more training!...
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Aikido Winter Intensive: Day3
Day 3:
Off-Day
Only trained in Pee-Wee's 6:30 am class.
My alarm clock scared the $#@! out of me, but I got up and made it to the mat.
Pee-Wee's a very short (shorter than Saotome) southern gentlemanly-type who must be in his late 70's maybe...? Totally cute, and then he hits you ;)
The class was a long warm up, and basic techniques. Really just a place and time to move around.
Finished class with kokyu-tanden-ho. I did this with I think a gentlemen my age from Turkey. There was a whole troupe of them! Good for them.
I need more training...
Off-Day
Only trained in Pee-Wee's 6:30 am class.
My alarm clock scared the $#@! out of me, but I got up and made it to the mat.
Pee-Wee's a very short (shorter than Saotome) southern gentlemanly-type who must be in his late 70's maybe...? Totally cute, and then he hits you ;)
The class was a long warm up, and basic techniques. Really just a place and time to move around.
Finished class with kokyu-tanden-ho. I did this with I think a gentlemen my age from Turkey. There was a whole troupe of them! Good for them.
I need more training...
Aikido Winter Intensive: Day2
Aikido Winter Intensive
Day 2:
The morning class was taught by Kevin Choate Sensei from Chicago. Boy is he a trip! Is movement reminds me a-lot of Olson sensei, if you took out all the "techiques" and judo training.
All that would be left is posture changes (really small) and incredible subtle center sinking ability that takes uke's legs away. Choate sensie is obviously American, but he's adopted some very Saotome-esque speech manarismas, to which one must add some wierd facial expressions.
Add that to his tall frame and you get a funny looking (movement and otherwise) sounding guy!
I had the pleasure of training with Peirre Musy, where you practice keeping uke from getting up off the ground.
I also training with a nice and instructional Sensie from Tampa (Steven-sensei) who showed me how to split people energy as they're trying to get up.
Very cool stuff to try back home.
The training was quite nice! The focus was on the listening aspect of aiki. Listening to uke, before during and after an attack/techique.
I like the way Choat sensei put it. If uke doesn't want to do ikkyo, then find something he does. This removes any thought of sticking with a given technique, even as you start to struggle against it. I enjoyed class very much, and find it's complimentary to Ledyards theory's, and also takes the stance as an attempt to explain and demonstrate an aspect of what makes Saotome's art, work. Which we all need.
Between this and the next class I had fun free training in Choat sensei's class content "stuff" with Dan Penrod sensei from Beaverton's dojo. (budodojo.com)
After Choat sensei's class was Saotome's pre-lunch class.
Shugyo - sincere training. That was the word of the day. Focus was on advanced level training, take-musu-aiki, and striking-based counters attacks.
Attack and defense are one. Something I enjoy, as I have found that aspect in weapons training very fulfilling.
Given a strong tsuki, the next step would be a center connecting and grounding entry of the outside hand. Interesting, but not suprising the hand's shape make a big difference.
Sensei showed the palm slightly turned towards uke, as a pausing strategy to setup the next movement, which he then added variations to for the rest of the class.
I was interesting to note different uke skills as I roamed around the mat, from front to second row people. It's cool to feel where you are in the space of things with the uke's you train with. Sensei finished class with a classic sincere "peeesed-off" lecture. Hummm, I need more practice.
Day 2:
The morning class was taught by Kevin Choate Sensei from Chicago. Boy is he a trip! Is movement reminds me a-lot of Olson sensei, if you took out all the "techiques" and judo training.
All that would be left is posture changes (really small) and incredible subtle center sinking ability that takes uke's legs away. Choate sensie is obviously American, but he's adopted some very Saotome-esque speech manarismas, to which one must add some wierd facial expressions.
Add that to his tall frame and you get a funny looking (movement and otherwise) sounding guy!
I had the pleasure of training with Peirre Musy, where you practice keeping uke from getting up off the ground.
I also training with a nice and instructional Sensie from Tampa (Steven-sensei) who showed me how to split people energy as they're trying to get up.
Very cool stuff to try back home.
The training was quite nice! The focus was on the listening aspect of aiki. Listening to uke, before during and after an attack/techique.
I like the way Choat sensei put it. If uke doesn't want to do ikkyo, then find something he does. This removes any thought of sticking with a given technique, even as you start to struggle against it. I enjoyed class very much, and find it's complimentary to Ledyards theory's, and also takes the stance as an attempt to explain and demonstrate an aspect of what makes Saotome's art, work. Which we all need.
Between this and the next class I had fun free training in Choat sensei's class content "stuff" with Dan Penrod sensei from Beaverton's dojo. (budodojo.com)
After Choat sensei's class was Saotome's pre-lunch class.
Shugyo - sincere training. That was the word of the day. Focus was on advanced level training, take-musu-aiki, and striking-based counters attacks.
Attack and defense are one. Something I enjoy, as I have found that aspect in weapons training very fulfilling.
Given a strong tsuki, the next step would be a center connecting and grounding entry of the outside hand. Interesting, but not suprising the hand's shape make a big difference.
Sensei showed the palm slightly turned towards uke, as a pausing strategy to setup the next movement, which he then added variations to for the rest of the class.
I was interesting to note different uke skills as I roamed around the mat, from front to second row people. It's cool to feel where you are in the space of things with the uke's you train with. Sensei finished class with a classic sincere "peeesed-off" lecture. Hummm, I need more practice.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Aikido Winter Intensive: Day1
Aikido Winter Intensive
Day 1:
the first class I attended was Sensei John Messoure's morning class.
His class focused on the initial extension we should make upon the onset of an attack, within the context of "real world" engagements. Or as Katrina put it last night, with martial correctness.
In this practice we moved away from pre-defined attacks, and let go of the left-right-left-right pattern uke uses. This, in the attempt to better train our initial movement response to be a sincere extension to connect to uke as the attack is unfolding from any direction possible.
I really enjoyed this type of training! You get to let go of any technique and just move, enter, connect.
When I got into "the zone" I could feel as if uke's pre-attack wind-up would start pulling my body forwards toward uke.
I'm reminded of Ledyard observation about timing, and how you don't have to be faster than uke, just "inside the attack".
Sensei Messours made a nice point when he said uke basically has 2 movements they have to make in order to attack.
1) the load 2)the strike But that nage should only need really 1 movement, the extended entry into uke's space, so they are at a big advantage.
I've seen Youtube clips of a tactical fighting training course that's centered around this type of initial response training.
The idea is that our survival instincts are faster than conscious thought, and serve us best if we can train them to one simple movement up and out to deffend ourselves.
Especially if you can do so in a way that puts you at a martially advantageous position. This is exactly what Messoures Sensie was doing.
It was a great first class. Then we switched to yokomenuchi with shinai, and I my uke had no physical tells before movement. Just one move, and thwak, he'd hit me.
More training needed...
The second class I attended was Saotome's evening class.
I'm so thankful to Ledyard Sensie for providing some vocabulary, both verbal and physical for what Saotome's doing!
I am deluding my self a bit, but I swear I think I understand a bit more how (in theory) he's moving people.
One example Saotome used was about the neutral space between people, and that it must stay loose. Like two object, if you press them together it becomes hard (due to friction) for one to move. But if you back off a little, and leave some neutral space, each can still move. In this case, it leaves nage free to move and allign his center ect ect. I felt this again last night in class.
But how do you create neutral space without making an opening? You can't just back off after making initial contact...
I'm now playing with that feeling after first contact, first center connection, where my center drops and I breath out. I think it's the same hole Ledyard was showing during the seminar, and the same low center Olson sensei throws with.
And then there was the lecture part about paying attention and seeing the techniques. Saotome's usual diatribe on sincere learning ect ect...
But this time I'm seeing context of his despair after reading Lowry's In the Dojo. The conflict comes from his expectation for how he learned from O Sensie, and consequently the settings for and how most classic koryu was taught and learned, verses our westernized business model dojo structure.
But to be honest, I think he's really trying hard to teach his art. He's using the right words, (sparingly). But between the 2 minute's between training and his next lexture, and the deep internal aspect of his principles...it's pretty hard to apply what you learn on the spot.
Need more training...
Day 1:
the first class I attended was Sensei John Messoure's morning class.
His class focused on the initial extension we should make upon the onset of an attack, within the context of "real world" engagements. Or as Katrina put it last night, with martial correctness.
In this practice we moved away from pre-defined attacks, and let go of the left-right-left-right pattern uke uses. This, in the attempt to better train our initial movement response to be a sincere extension to connect to uke as the attack is unfolding from any direction possible.
I really enjoyed this type of training! You get to let go of any technique and just move, enter, connect.
When I got into "the zone" I could feel as if uke's pre-attack wind-up would start pulling my body forwards toward uke.
I'm reminded of Ledyard observation about timing, and how you don't have to be faster than uke, just "inside the attack".
Sensei Messours made a nice point when he said uke basically has 2 movements they have to make in order to attack.
1) the load 2)the strike But that nage should only need really 1 movement, the extended entry into uke's space, so they are at a big advantage.
I've seen Youtube clips of a tactical fighting training course that's centered around this type of initial response training.
The idea is that our survival instincts are faster than conscious thought, and serve us best if we can train them to one simple movement up and out to deffend ourselves.
Especially if you can do so in a way that puts you at a martially advantageous position. This is exactly what Messoures Sensie was doing.
It was a great first class. Then we switched to yokomenuchi with shinai, and I my uke had no physical tells before movement. Just one move, and thwak, he'd hit me.
More training needed...
The second class I attended was Saotome's evening class.
I'm so thankful to Ledyard Sensie for providing some vocabulary, both verbal and physical for what Saotome's doing!
I am deluding my self a bit, but I swear I think I understand a bit more how (in theory) he's moving people.
One example Saotome used was about the neutral space between people, and that it must stay loose. Like two object, if you press them together it becomes hard (due to friction) for one to move. But if you back off a little, and leave some neutral space, each can still move. In this case, it leaves nage free to move and allign his center ect ect. I felt this again last night in class.
But how do you create neutral space without making an opening? You can't just back off after making initial contact...
I'm now playing with that feeling after first contact, first center connection, where my center drops and I breath out. I think it's the same hole Ledyard was showing during the seminar, and the same low center Olson sensei throws with.
And then there was the lecture part about paying attention and seeing the techniques. Saotome's usual diatribe on sincere learning ect ect...
But this time I'm seeing context of his despair after reading Lowry's In the Dojo. The conflict comes from his expectation for how he learned from O Sensie, and consequently the settings for and how most classic koryu was taught and learned, verses our westernized business model dojo structure.
But to be honest, I think he's really trying hard to teach his art. He's using the right words, (sparingly). But between the 2 minute's between training and his next lexture, and the deep internal aspect of his principles...it's pretty hard to apply what you learn on the spot.
Need more training...
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