Tuesday, January 29, 2013 session at the JICC conference room

It was cloudy and dull outside but the weather did not dampen my Aikido mood and I arrived earlier than most Tuesdays since I was not busy on this particular Tuesday and that meant having ample time to warm up before the clock struck 17:00 Hrs.

There was a new face once again but I realised most of them are showing up for Aikido since the next Karate intake is some months away so I guess we will experience a large number of 'one timers' in the days to come.

Jason Sempai was in full 'Hakama' and he did not disappoint.We went through the following attacks/techniques:

FIRST HOUR

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori:Ikkyo,Nikyo and Sankyo all from Omote respectively.

SECOND HOUR(Request hour)

-Katatedori Sumi Otoshi.

-Shomen Uchi Ikkyo Ura.

-Ryotetori Tenchi Nage.

We are in the process of forming an association and Jason handed me a draft copy of the constitution which I hope everyone will go through then we shall make our own recommendations and publish the final draft which I really hope will be very soon.

NEXT SESSION:FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 AT THE JICC MAIN HALL.

TOP TEN TIPS FOR BEING A GOOD UKE

Anyone that trains in any martial art knows there are you people you really enjoy training with and there are probably peoplle that you don’t enjoy training with as much. How about you? Do people enjoy training with you? Or do they dodge you to train with someone else? Here for your enjoyment are my top 10 tips on being a good uke:

#10 Practice good hygiene
It seems like common sense but we’ve trained with guys that have long nails (which can cut other students) or other guys that smelled like they haven’t showered in days. The dojo is a special place. Make sure your nails are short, make sure you took a shower recently, and if you smoke *please* wash your hands before touching others!

#9 Keep your gear in good condition
We’ve ripped a few gis in the dojo. Some of them were our own and some were our training partners. That’s why I always recommend a woven gi (Judo style) rather than a Karate style gi. Woven cotten just holds up to the rigors of training so much more. As for weapons, at any time you notice a crack stop training with your jo or bokken (solo kata is ok). Making weapon to weapon contact with a cracked jo/ken can cause it to come apart which could cause injury to a classmate. There’s not much gear that an aikidoka needs. Keep it in top shape.

#8 Be sensitive to atemi
Some guys use a lot of atemi (strikes) some don’t use any.We’ve seen guys get punched in the face just because they weren’t expecting an atemi. Don’t be that guy. Don’t assume, your partner won’t strike given the opportunity. Aikido training is a martial art and as martial artists we must always be prepared for the unknown.

#7 When striking, stay on target
I’m not sure why some people do this. I think it’s a case of trying to be nice. Sometimes when striking, even though I’m standing still, the strike will go to the side and miss me. If you’re going to strike like that, why do I have to even move! I appreciate kindness, but this is not the place for that. If you are striking, stay on target and punch like you are going to go right through me. Strike yokomen like you’re going to take my head off. Believe it or not, it actually makes it easier to do the technique properly when you are striking  in the right place.

#6 Attack strongly
We are training to deal with an attack so shouldn’t the attack be as close to reality as we can? A weak strike doesn’t motivate nage to move off the line quickly. Also, nage doesn’t feel much mental pressure from a weak attack. Training hard means training sincerely.

#5 Gauge the strength of your attack by the experience of nage
While a strong attack is good, hurting nage is not. There will be some people that you can strike as hard as you want with. They will smile at the challenge to deal with the intensity that you create. When it’s their turn, they will strike back hard and you will have a good workout. There will be others that due to their age, lack of experience, or their disposition, that will not be able to handle such strong attacks. Maybe they will in time, but for now, strike and grab with less intensity. Provide as much as they can handle and not more. We’re training to grow and improve but not to get hurt.

#4 Have intention in your attacks
How many times have you had someone grab and become a wet noodle? Or maybe you’ve had someone strike yokomen and then plant their feet. In aikido, we learn how to blend with incoming energy. If your attacks have no intention, if your attacks start and then stop, then you’re not giving your partner anything to work with. It’s much more fun (and realistic) to strike like you expect to hit nage. And grabbing like you expect to move nage.

#3 Stay in balance when striking
While having intention is great, sometimes people get carried away and act like a bull at a bull fight. They strike and run right past you. If all I need to do is to step off the line and you fall down, then there’s no reason for me to do a technique. It’s a tricky balance to find. Strike honestly but don’t fall down at the slightest touch…

#2 Use resistance as a training tool – not a frustration tool
Resistance is something to play with carefully in aikido. Too much resistance and it becomes a grappling match. Too little and it becomes dancing. If you always stop your partner’s movement (especially if they are lower rank than you) it can become very frustrating. If nage is making the same mistakes over and over than sure, resisting their “wrong” movement is appropriate. Then you can teach them how to move properly. If you are just resisting their movement every time then you aren’t helping them learn.

#1 Make sure your ukemi is good
If your ukemi is not good then you will always be nervous about taking the falls and this will hinder the movement. Aikido becomes a lot more fun when you can move and fly through the air without worrying about getting hurt on impact. Of all the techniques taught in an aikido class, ukemi is probably the most likely to be used outside of the dojo. Ukemi should be developed to the point where it becomes instinctual. At higher levels of training oftentimes you have no idea where or how you will be thrown. If your ukemi is good it won’t matter because you’ll be able to blend and take a safe fall from whatever throw comes.

Ref:twistingwrists.com-All Aikido, All the time.

Friday, January 25, 2013 session at the JICC main hall

It was Douglas Kohai's first session this year and his enthusiasm was felt through out the warm up exercises that he took us through during the first 45 minutes or so before Ben Sempai took over the rest of the session.

I was privileged to meet Trevor,a businessman from down south(South Africa) who is in Kenya for several weeks on his Africa 'tour' making business deals and who decided to try out Aikido for the first time ever although he is not new to the world of martial arts having done kickboxing and karate some time back.

After doing some of my favourite body drills such as Ukemi,hand stand et al,Ben Sempai took us through the following techniques:

-Tai no Tenkan Ho followed by Katatedori Shiho Nage Ura.

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori Nikyo(shorter version).

-Katadori Nikyo(shorter version).

-Katatedori followed by a stranglehold.(Mateusz speciality)

-The 'waterfall' takedown(Kiriotoshi is it???) which proved quite hard especially for the newcomers who were bewildered on how to go about it.

After watching the YouTube video 'Aikido-Samurai Spirit' which I posted on this blog some time last week,I now realise that opting to practise Aikido is among the best decisions I have made since my 18th birthday.

Long live Aikido!
NEXT SESSION:TUESDAY, JANUARY 29 AT THE JICC CONFERENCE ROOM.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013 session at the JICC Conference Room

Sensei had an urgent meeting to attend to thus Jason Sempai was the sensei for the first one and a half hours then Naoki took over the last half hour.

We went through the following:

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori Nikyo and Sankyo(shorter and longer versions respectively).

-Kata Gatame through Ikkyo Omote.

-Escape from Ushiro Ryote Dori(Naoki speciality).

-Kata Dori Shiho Nage.

-Katatedori Shiho Nage Ura.

-Ryo Kata Dori Ikkyo & Shiho Nage(both Omote) respectively.

NEXT SESSION:FRIDAY, JANUARY 25 AT THE JICC MAIN HALL.

Aikido, The Samurai Spirit

Friday, January 18, 2013 session at the JICC main hall

Jason Sempai was 'at the helm' this particular Friday and since a good number of the atendees were first timers in Aikido, we began with a stretching technique(after the warm ups) in the name of Kokyu Ho Kokyu Dosa.We even heard some bones stretching 'loudly'!

The attacks/techniques on offer were as follows:

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori Ikkyo Omote and Rokkyo respectively.

-Shomen Uchi Ikkyo Omote.

-Yokomen Uchi Ikkyo Omote.

-Katatedori Rokkyo and a version of Kokyu Nage respectively.

-Uchi Kaiten & Soto Kaiten Nage respectively.

-Kata Gatame through Ikkyo Omote.

-Katatedori Sokumen Irimi Nage.

I came across a quote from the legendary Bruce Lee that really caught my eye:"I don't fear the man that does 1,000 techniques at once but I fear the man that does one technique 1,000 times".

NEXT SESSION:TUESDAY, JANUARY 22 AT THE JICC CONFERENCE ROOM

1st class 2013

I loved it,even if Jason left me breathless at the end of the lessonn
I was determined to make it to class and almost despaired,thanks to Nairobi ans fear of rain and impractical walking shoes.It was  a pleasant surprise to get to there only half an hour late.
It is a delight to see ladies in the class,no more testosterone bombardment .
I was reading an article on enlightenment and the author was quoting Chiba Sensei.It was not by chance my friend Moses invited me to the class in 2010,Aikido is a tool that is aiding me in my journey of self discovery.
I may not understand the principles behind the moves or even execute them properly(no maybe about that)but am exactly where am supposed to be,5 Kyu .
The architects of  Oct 16 2009,I salute you.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013 session at the JICC Conference room

It was all about Tori controlling Uke and Sensei took us through the following techniques which were all executed from the Ai Hanmi Katatedori stance.

FIRST HOUR(OMOTE):
-Ikkyo.

-Sankyo.

-Yonkyo.

SECOND HOUR(URA):
-Kote Gaeshi.

-Shiho Nage.

-Nikyo.

-Sokumen Irimi Nage.

Controlling Uke is one hell of a task as was evident as one ends up pulling Uke instead of controlling especially in the case of Sokumen Irimi Nage whereby most of us ended up pulling Uke in the initial movement which in a real life situation can be disastrous as Uke will react with a fist to Tori's face!!!

NEXT SESSION:FRIDAY, JANUARY 18 AT THE JICC MAIN HALL

Friday, January 11, 2013 session at the JICC main hall

Being the first Friday session of the year,I expected it to be 'explosive' and damn was I right!
Ben Sempai took over the first hour and the workout made all of us sweat considering the Nairobi January weather.

After the workout,Sensei took over the second hour and it was all about the Shomen Uchi attack,the techniques being Ikkyo Omote from both Suwari waza and Tachi Waza and Kote Gaeshi Omote.
Most of us were left with bruised knees as a result of the Suwari Waza as well as some Shikko moves but thanks to my 'hardened' knee caps,I was able to overcome all that.

Sensei discussed with us various issues and among them was the need to get a tatami so that we can be able to execute the Aikido techniques more dynamically.In this regard,Sensei is kindly requesting anyone who has any contacts or 'connections' with skilled craftsmen to inform him so that we may get in touch with them and organise for some Tatami to be made.

Before I forget,Sensei would also like to have certificates,Birankai passports,etc for those who have graded so that he may be able to grade us all accordingly.

NEXT SESSION:TUESDAY, JANUARY 15 AT THE JICC CONFERENCE ROOM

First Aikido session of 2013 at the JICC Conference Room on Tuesday, January 8, 2013

I arrived at the Japan embassy at 17:00 hrs on the dot and five minutes later I was all changed and ready to kick start the year 'aikidowisely'.

There were only four of us;two ladies and a gentleman with only one lady having attended previous Aikido sessions whereas the gentleman and the other lady had come for the very first time.

We did not do much apart from basic Mae Ukemi, an introduction to Ai Hanmi Katatedori Ikkyo Omote,the basic Ai Hanmi Katatedori Nikyo opening,the opening for Gyaku Hanmi Katatedori Nikyo Omote and Ryote dori Kiri Otoshi.

They all seemed to be intrigued by the basic Aikido moves and I informed them about the Friday session and they promised to avail themselves this coming Friday.

NEXT SESSION:FRIDAY,JANUARY 11 AT THE JICC MAIN HALL.