Image courtesy of Funky64 Happy Haloween, all you ghouls and goblins! In the spirit of the season, I thought I'd give you eight ways that the martial arts at Mokuren Dojo are perfect for your inner zombie or vampire! 1) Aikidoka avoid all contact - if uke can touch you, they can hurt you (they might even give you the Mummy Rot)! So tori wants to avoid all possible contact with uke. Avoid, evade, do not engage, brush off, roll around them, disengage! This isn't always possible, but it is a... Read Full Story
Q: Will I hold back an advanced student if we train together? A: I have often observed in my many years of training, practicing, and teaching Aikido that many beginner or inexperienced Aikido students seem to be intimidated when training with a more advanced student. At seminars and large classes, I often see less experienced students (perhaps subconsciously) pairing themselves with other less experienced students, and conversely more advanced aikidoka pairing themselves with others of the... Read Full Story
I think that it is really interesting to look at the historical development of a martial arts teaching system. Take for instance, Tomiki aikido. Tomiki's teaching system is characterized by kata, of which there are several. Students start with footwork exercises (tegatana, unsoku, etc...), move on to wrist release techniques (hanasu, shichihon no kuzushi, etc...) and then into the seventeen fundamental aikido techniques (junana) - all before delving into the mass of variations contained in... Read Full Story
On Wednesday, January 28th, Kei Izawa Sensei of Tanshinjuku Aikikai in Louisville, Colorado lectured to a crowd of nearly fifty on the last samurai of martial arts and Founder of the art of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba. The one hour lecture was sponsored by The Center for Asian Studies and the catchy title, no doubt, contributed to the excellent turn out. Mr. Izawa, or Izawa Sensei as we know him in the Aikido community, was introduced by a lengthy and impressive docket of both business successes... Read Full Story
Q: Why is it that we bow so much in Aikido class? What does it mean? A: I have been asked this question often. I think the simple answer is that it helps develop a correct attitude of respect in all things we do, both on the mat and off. Aikido is not a sport. It is a discipline or an educational process for training the mind, body and spirit. A correct attitude of sincerity and a proper atmosphere are essential to the learning process of Aikido. When we enter or leave the practice area of... Read Full Story
by Pat Musselman Sensei Ukemi (pronounced 'oo'-'keh'-'mee') is defined in many different ways, but the common theme among all definitions has to do with receiving and falling. Many times it is simply referred to as "the art of falling." In my opinion it is a mistake to simply think of ukemi as falling down. If we break down the word itself we find that 'uke' (the person being thrown) means "to receive," and 'Mi' means "through the body." Therefore, I like to think of ukemi as just that... Read Full Story
Sixty-six year old Tip Harris is one busy grandfather. He retired from a long career with Walgreens several years ago, but certainly has no intention of slowing down. Several times per week Tip gets up before dawn to go teach 5:45am martial arts in Colorado Springs. Then he spends his days working for a garden and landscape company. When he's done with that, he drives over to Castle Rock to, again, teach evening martial art classes at Castle Rock AIKIDO, a traditional Japanese martial arts... Read Full Story
I'm super-excited about the upcoming 20th anniversary clinic to be held at MSU next month. If any folks from my area need a lift, let me know and you can ride with me. I've only got one question - Who's that bald guy standing next to those two good-looking guys with lots of hair? University Aikido Club - 20 Year Anniversary Clinic November 6-7, 2009 Instructor: Henry Copeland We would love to see all club alumni and friends. We will have young folk (new members) to the old codgers (guys that... Read Full Story
Over the past few years, Aikido Journal has picked up and reprinted several of my articles from here at Mokuren Dojo. Thanks Aiki Journal guys, for the attention! I've enjoyed the increased exposure and it has allowed a much larger group of people to enjoy my ideas here on the blog (or at least a larger group is laughing at my ignorance now).
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Following is a list of the articles that Aikido Journal has published. You might enjoy perusing these and reading or re-reading them.
Ego... Read Full Story
Photo courtesy of Spengu
Often, the harder tori insists on holding a pin, the harder it is to move to another safe position if uke does escape.
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In judo, it is often harder to hold a position when you clench tightly than when you drape loosely over uke. When you clench tightly, you make yourself a solid, unified piece for uke to lift. When you drape loosely it is much harder to lift you because you are both heavy and pliable. A better hold-down often happens when you drape... Read Full Story
