Kwaheri

After class last Friday,we were wondering whether Sensei Mateusz will be returning this or next week.
Sadly,earlier this week he informed us he will not be returning to Kenya
I had expected  to write some form of tribute to Kenya's pioneer Aikido teacher(nw that he has been kind enough to introduce us to another teacher)but words fail me,almost.
Mateusz was someone you encountered,not met.In the dojo,he was a cross between the gentle,motherly kindergarten teacher,amused by our antics and the strict,most hated teacher in high school,grumpy,impatient with an unhealthy(or maybe healthy) lust for blood.And anything in between.
He was unapologetic about being the recepient of the worship Kenyans bestow on  whites,one of favorite sayings was that he's mzungu and can get away with many things(and if you experienced his driving,indeed he did) and yet at times you could sense his discomfort at being judged just by his skin colour.
He was honest,brutally so at times,at least one was assured of getting a straight forward answer;I remember his solution  to Nairobi's traffic was two warnings to the bad driver then shooting the kneecap for the third offence.
Am going to end there lest now this starts to sound like a eulogy.
We will miss you Sensei Mateusz and wish you all the best in your future endevours.
There's a saying in Kikuyu,it's only mountains which don't meet.
Till we meet again.........................................................................................................................

Wednesday, August 29, 2012 at the Goan Gymkhana

I was aware that there would be no advanced session but I have really missed practising with weapons thus,I arrived at the Goan Gymkhana as I usually do at 16.00H did some warm up exercises and reminded myself the eight Bokken Kata,Jo Sansho One part One and a bit of part Two as well as Shindo Munen Ryu before I called it wraps and left at 19.10H.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012 session at the Japan Conference room(Dojo B)

The Gi that I bought for my first ever Aikido seminar with Piotr Masztalerz Shidoin back in April 2011 is a pale shadow of itself as is evident with the worn out knee sections thus I need to acquire a different Gi ASAP!

Back to the day's business,it was a challenging session especially since there was a newcomer amongst us and I had to think of simpler techniques to demonstrate and below is what I managed to demonstrate during the second hour:

-Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori Sumi Otoshi(Omote).

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori Ikkyo(Omote).

-Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori Rokkyo.

-Kata Dori Uchi Kaiten Kata Gatame.

I am sure most of you received Mateusz Sensei's email earlier this week informing us that he will not be returning to join us here and I must say I will surely miss our dear Sensei but I have a gut feeling we shall soon cross paths somewhere in the near future.

Aikido Boot Camp

Douglas Kohai is getting inspiration fron Piotr Sensei,or so I thought.Until I learnt Daniel Sempai promised
him a treat if he can make someone throw up during the workout.It reminded of the army movies,the recruits going through  vigorous exercises.We were all sweating within 5 minutes and cursing him for the remaining 55.

Nobody threw up but there was a lot of blood flowing on Friday in the dojo.I counted at least four(sadly newcomers)with bloody toes and elbows.I say sadly because am not sure they will come back.
Excluding Sammy Sempai,we were 14 ,the class had so much energy and time just flew.
We are all determined to keep the Aikido torch burning.

The Wednesday class has been halted till further notice due to lack of quorum,next class is on Friday at the Embassy(my muscles are groaning as I say this)at 1700hrs.

Friday, August 24, 2012 session at the Japan Information and Culture Centre Hall

This was one packed class and it was a while since I saw such a large turn out though most of them are usually 'one timers' but anyway it was an exciting session and Douglas Kohai did not disappoint with his body work outs.

The second hour saw us go through the below mentioned techniques:

-A Shorter version of Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori Nikyo(Omote).

-A different version of Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori Irimi Nage(Omote).

-Ryote Dori Nikyo.

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori Shiho Nage(Omote).

Kudos to Reza Sempai and the Cameroonian colleague for giving it all during the body workouts which left most of us gasping for breath.

NEXT SESSION:TUESDAY,AUGUST 28 AT THE SAME TUESDAY VENUE.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012 session at the Japan Information and Culture Centre Conference Room(Dojo B)

Tuesday was finally here and this one in particular was unique in that it was the first session that had only newcomers present and this was good for me since their reaction to attacks and techniques would be natural as opposed to someone who has practised Aikido before.

The first hour was all about getting the body prepared for Aikido techniques and it included exercises as well as Mae and Ushiro Shikko as well as Mae Ukemi.

The second hour included the following:

-The shorter version of Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori Nikyo(Omote).

-Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori Kokyu Ho.

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori Ikkyo(Ura).

-Gyaku Hanmi Kata Dori ending up with Kata Gatame.

It has been a while since we practised some Ura techniques and it was interesting to see how it was a challenge for most of us but I believe in due course,it shall sink in....

P.S.
I was unavailable for the Wednesday session thus,I am not sure whether anyone showed up yesterday(August 22).

Friday, August 17, 2012 session at the Japan Information and Culture Centre Hall

It was yet another Friday and as usual the first hour was all about warm up and body toning exercises not forgetting Mae and Ushiro Ukemi from both Suwari Waza and Tachi Waza.

It was quite a while since we practised Irimi Nage and to set the ball rolling in the second hour,it was Shomen Uchi Irimi Nage(Omote)followed by:

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori Sankyo(Omote).

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori Shiho Nage(Ura).

The two hour session came to a close with Kokyu Ho Kokyu Dosa glad that we are giving it our all as we await the return of our Sensei to spice up the sessions with some real Aikido.

NEXT SESSION:TUESDAY,AUGUST 21 AT THE JICC CONFERENCE ROOM(DOJO B).

Ueshiba Moriteru Doshu during the 50th All Japan Aikido Demonstration on 26 May 2012 at the Nippon Budokan

Wednesday, August 15, 2012 session at the Goan Gymkhana

It was the third straight week without a weapons class and although I usually practise a bit of Bokken and Jo while at home,it is not the same as practising together with colleagues as they assist whenever one gets stuck and cannot remember the next move.

It seems like Jason Sempai is out of town and hopefully he shall be back soon so that we may carry on with the weapons class.

NEXT SESSION:FRIDAY,AUGUST 17 AT THE JAPAN INFORMATION AND CULTURE CENTRE HALL.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012 session at the Japan Information and Culture Centre Conference Room(Dojo B)

It seems like moving the Monday class from the Goan Gymkhana to Tuesdays at the Japan embassy was a great idea as the Tuesday sessions seem to attract even more newcomers than the Friday class!

Douglas Kohai was in charge of the first hour and as usual he was at his best making each one of us sweat to the maximum with a great body workout.

Since we were privileged with two new faces amongst us,we went through only three techniques to enable them go through each one of them step by step for easier comprehension.The techniques were all from the Ai Hanmi Katatedori stance and they were:

-Ikkyo(Omote).

-Nikyo(Ura Waza).

-Kote Gaeshi(Omote).

Long live Nairobi Aikikai!!!

Friday, August 10, 2012 session at the Japan Information and Culture Centre Hall

Douglas Kohai took over the first hour with some intensive workouts which got us well prepared for the second hour.We were joined by two new gentlemen both being from Francophone countries-a Cameroonian and a Congolese.

The second hour we tried to go through some Gokyu techniques and below is what we were able to do:

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori and Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori: Ikkyo(Omote).

-Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori:Uchi Kaiten and Soto Kaiten Nage though we skipped the throwing part as Ukemi was a challenge for the newcomers.

-Shomen Uchi Ikkyo(Omote).

-Kokyu Ho Kokyu Dosa.

It was good to see Mark back again as enthusiastic as ever.

Great workout session Douglas!

NEXT SESSION:TUESDAY,AUGUST 14,2012 AT THE SAME TUESDAY VENUE.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012 session at the Goan Gymkhana

It was a chaotic day outside as there was a heavy downpour and as usual whenever it rains in Nairobi traffic snarl ups and delays are inevitable and that explains why no one else showed up for the session and I decided to practise the eight Bokken Kata,Jo Sansho One Part One and a bit of Part Two as well as Shindo Munen Ryu on my own until about half past seven then I left for home though I had to hang around the Goan Gymkhana until half past eight until the rain subsided before leaving.

I had the chance to chat with a gentleman who was really interested to find out what we usually practised and I tried my level best to expalin to him about Aikido and it seemed to me that I might be seeing him with a white Gi joining us in the near future.

NEXT SESSION:FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2012 AT THE JAPAN INFORMATION AND CULTURE CENTRE MULTI PURPOSE HALL.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012 session at the Japan Information and Culture Centre 'dojo B'

There were four new additional members on this day:one lady and three gentlemen and among the gentlemen was Mark who informed me that he lives in Germany(from his accent I could tell he is British) and that he had began Aikido about one month ago while in Germany and that he is in Kenya for about two weeks and thus he would like to continue with his passion for Aikido.

I set the ball rolling with some body toning exercises followed by Mae and Ushiro Ukemi from both Suwari Waza and Tachi Waza as well as Mae Shikko and the below mentioned techniques:

-Ryote Dori Tenchi Nage and Kiri Otoshi respectively.

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori and Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori Nikyo(Omote)-shorter versions.

The two hour session was topped up by Haishin Undo before we called it wraps and headed for home.

Friday, August 3, 2012 session at the Japan Information and Culture Centre hall

It was good to see a 'packed house' once again and I find it good when each one of us participates in keeping the Nairobi Aikikai 'flame' burning and I requested Douglas Kohai to lead us with the warm up session before I took over the rest of the session since Jason Sempai was not present.

We had two newcomers a lady and a gentleman and after the session,the lady explained to me that she had practised some Tae Kwo Ndo before and that she would like to try out Aikido and Goju Ryu Karate before making a decision on which martial art she would like to pursue further.

The first hour was basically physical exercises meant to tone and flex the body as well as some Ukemi before we embarked on the following techniques in the second hour:

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori:Kote Gaeshi(Omote),Nikyo(Omote and the opening for Ura).

-Tai No Tenkan Ho followed by Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori Kokyu Ho ending up with a front choke.

-Reverse Kote Gaeshi.

-Kokyu Ho Kokyu Dosa.

I have come to appreciate the fact teaching martial arts is no easy task especially for me since I have no mastery of any Aikido technique but I always give it my best since in the long run I also get to learn some new things that I had not known of before.

NEXT SESSION:TUESDAY,AUGUST 7 AT THE SAME VENUE(DOJO B).

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 session at the Goan Gymkhana

We had no session on this particular Wednesday since Jason Sempai was held up somewhere and Reza,Kevin and I decided to discuss some issues related to martial arts before Jason joined us later with Kevin's brand new gi and he too joined in the discussion touching on a range of topics including religion.

The discussion touched on the relevance of physical fitness in martial arts as well as the exploits of martial arts masters both past and present.

It was our unofficial 'off day' and we decided to call it wraps at exactly 20:00H and headed for home.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012 session at the Japan Information and Culture Centre 'dojo B'

The clock struck 17:00H and it was only Sarah Sempai and myself present in the 'dojo' and we decided to review some basic techniques with the aim of concentrating on the bits that we usually overlook i.e.the feet movement,and the positioning of Tori's centre while executing a technique.

One hour later,Kevin Kohai joined us and the following is what we went through:

-Mae and Ushiro Ukemi(Suwari Waza,Tachi Waza).

-Mae Shikko.

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori:Ikkyo(Omote,Ura),Yonkyo(Omote)and Kote Gaeshi version respectively whereby Tori locks Uke's arm in a cross arm bar(Jujitsu version).

-Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori Ikkyo(Omote,Ura).

-Ryote Dori:Kiri Otoshi and Ude Garami respectively.

-Kata Dori Nikyo(Omote).

The last half hour we went through some physical exercises before wrapping up the two hour session.

Friday, July 27, 2012 session at the Japan Information and Culture Centre hall

This was one intense two hour session since there were no newcomers,Jason Sempai took us through an intense workout not to mention two of my most challenging techniques featured:Sankyo and Yonkyo.Basically it was a 'request session' and Douglas Kohai requested Sankyo while Reza Sempai requested Yonkyo.

Reza Sempai took us through the warm up exercises and then what followed was as mentioned below:

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori: Sankyo(Omote),Yonkyo(Omote)and Rokkyo respectively.

-Yokomen Uchi Yonkyo(Ura).

-Gyaku Hanmi katatedori Rokkyo.

It was refreshing to see Tony Sempai back and hope to see more of him in the sessions ahead.