Tuesday, July 30, 2013 session at the JICC Conference Room

This was the first full two hour session under Douglas Kohai's instruction and he did not disappoint.

After a great workout that featured fourty press ups & situps, we did some Ukemi before kicking off the training session.

Douglas Kohai focused on the basics and this is what he took us through:

From the Ai Hanmi Katatedori stance:

-Ikkyo Omote & Ura.

-Shiho Nage Omote.

-Sankyo Omote.

-Kote Gaeshi Omote.

-Kata Gatame through the opening of Ikkyo Omote.

From the Katatedori stance:

-A version of Kokyu Nage.

-Hanmi Handachi Shiho Nage.

From a Shomen Uchi attack:

-Ikkyo Omote.

NEXT SESSION:FRIDAY, AUGUST 2 @ THE JICC MULTIPURPOSE HALL.

CHECK THIS OUT GUYS: OUR VERY OWN JASON BEING INTERVIEWED ON LIVE TELEVISION ON 08 JULY 2013

Friday, July 26, 2013 session at the JICC multipurpose hall

Douglas Kohai is fast becoming our "warm up" expert and this Friday he did not disappoint as he took us through a drenching 40 minutes or so of warm up exercises including the dreaded "wheelbarrow pushups".

After the warm up session,Ben Sempai took us through the below mentioned techniques that focused on pinning down Uke by controlling the elbow also referred to as Hiji Waza.All the techniques were executed from a Katatedori stance:

-Hiji Kime Osae(aka Rokkyo).

-Kata Gatame through an elbow lock.

-A version of Kokyu Nage performed by trapping Uke's elbow on the chest then turning the hips 180 degrees forcing Uke to do an Ukemi.

The elbow techniques are among my favourite as they are very effective even with a much larger and stronger opponent provided that one performs them correctly.

NEXT SESSION: TUESDAY, JULY 30 @ THE JICC CONFERENCE ROOM.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 session at the JICC conference room

Dennis Kohai took us through the initial warm up session then Jason Sempai took over the rest of the session which was preceded by Mae & Ushiro Ukemi from both Suwari Waza & Tachi Waza respectively.

The techniques of the day were as follows:

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori: Ikkyo,Sankyo and Kata Gatame through Ikkyo Omote respectively.

-Katatedori Rokkyo.

There was a 30 minute session that included a "wrestling bout" in pairs followed by some fantastic work outs that featured the dreaded sit ups.

We ended the two hour session with the good old Kokyu Ho Kokyu Dosa.

NEXT SESSION:FRIDAY, JULY 26 @ THE JICC MULTIPURPOSE HALL.

Constitution.

I have emailed the Proposed Nairobi Aikikai constitution.
In case you didn't receive the mail,drop me a line on matindis@hotmail.com
and I'll forward it.
P.s-this is to Nairobi Aikikai members only.
We will discuss it on Fri Aug,2nd .

Friday, July 19, 2013 session at the JICC multipurpose hall

Naoki Sempai was our Sensei of the day and furthermore,he even brought along some Shinai that reminded me of a former kendo practitioner Kendo NAGASAKI who also featured in entertainment wrestling some years back.

Douglas Kohai took us through the warm up session before Naoki Sempai took over and the emphasis was on extending and unbalancing Uke.

All the techniques were from the Katatedori stance and were as follows:

-Shiho Nage Omote(two versions).

-Sokumen Irimi Nage.

-Morote dori: Ikkyo,Nikyo,Sankyo(all Omote respectively),Sokumen Irimi Nage and Juji Nage.

The two hour session came to a close with Kokyu Ho Kokyu Dosa & Haishin Undo

NEXT SESSION:TUESDAY, JULY 23 @ THE JICC CONFERENCE ROOM

Tuesday, July 16, 2013 session at the JICC Conference Room

Daniel Sempai was the 'Aikido general' for the two hour session and after a good body workout composed of Mae & Ushiro Ukemi as well as warm up exercises,we went throught the following techniques:

-From the Katatedori stance:
a)Soto Kaiten & Uchi Kaiten Nage.

b)Ikkyo and Nikyo Omote.

c)Tai no Henko.

-From the Ai Hanmi Katatedori stance:

a)A variation of a wrist lock.

-From Ryo Katadori we went through a version of Kokyu Nage.

-From Ryote Dori we did Ude Garami.

It was quite a while since we did the arm lock variation and I was glad that for the first time ever I was able to do it without 'sweating'.

NEXT SESSION:FRIDAY, JULY 19 @ THE JICC MULTIPURPOSE HALL.

Dojo Etiquette

 Thanks Sam for the link.

I felt this should be a stand alone,seeing we have a lot of newcomers.

Dojo Etiquette

Proper observance of etiquette is as much a part of your training as is learning techniques. Please take the following guidelines seriously.

1. When entering or leaving the dojo, it is proper to bow in the direction of O Sensei's picture, the kamiza, or the front of the dojo. You should also bow when entering or leaving the mat.
2. No shoes on the mat.
3. Be on time for class.If you do happen to arrive late, sit quietly in seiza on the edge of the mat until the instructor grants permission to join practice.
4. If you should have to leave the mat or dojo for any reason during class, approach the instructor and ask permission.
5. Avoid sitting on the mat with your back to the picture of O Sensei or the kamiza. Also, do not lean against the walls or sit with your legs stretched out. (Either sit in seiza or cross- legged.)
6. Remove watches, rings and other jewelry before practice.
7. Do not bring food, gum, or beverages with you into the dojo.
8. Please keep your finger and toe nails cut short.
9. Please keep talking during class to a minimum. What conversation there is should be restricted to one topic -- Aikido.
10. Carry out the directives of the instructor PROMPTLY. Do not keep the rest of the class waiting for you!
11. Do not engage in rough-housing or needless contests of strength during class.
12. Keep your training uniform clean, in good shape, and free of offensive odors.
13. Please pay your membership dues promptly. If, for any reason, you are unable to pay your dues on time, talk with the person in charge of dues collection. Sometimes special rates are available for those experiencing financial hardship.
14. Do not change your clothes on the mat.
15. Remember that you are here to learn, and not to gratify your ego. An attitude of receptivity and humility (though not obsequiousness) is therefore advised.
16. Preserve common-sense standards of decency and respect at all times.

THE AIKIDO FAQ

Please find below a link to the Aikido FAQ website which contains very essential information for all those interested in knowing the history of Aikido, dojo etiquette and so on.

It is the website that provided me with most of the information about Aikido when I began practicing it.

Enjoy......

http://www.aikidofaq.com/

Friday, July 5, 2013 session at the JICC main hall

It has been a while since I conducted a warm up session and this particular Friday I had the priviledge of doing just that and after the brief warm up session, Ben Sempai took us through the following tecniques all performed from Suwari Waza:

-Ikkyo Omote & Ura.

-Nikyo Omote.

-Yonkyo Omote.

We were to hold a discussion on our draft constitution but since none of us had carried a copy of the draft,we unanimously decided to postpone the discussion to a later date.

Jason Sempai carried on with the session and he took us through the following:

-Katatedori Shiho Nage Omote.

-Yokomen Uchi Shiho Nage Omote & Ura.

Daniel Sempai wrapped up the two hour session by taking us through Mae,Ushiro & Gyaku Ukemi and we added Yoko Ukemi to the list courtesy of Tony Sempai.

What stood out for me was Mae Ukemi over three colleagues in all fours which proved to be a tall order for me but as they say "practise makes perfect''

NEXT SESSION:TUESDAY, JULY 16 @ THE JICC CONFERENCE ROOM.

***P.S.
I INQUIRED FROM MS. SUSAN ARACH OF THE JICC AND SHE INFORMED ME THAT NEXT TUESDAY THERE WILL BE JAPANESE ELECTIONS GOING ON AT THE JICC CONFERENCE ROOM & ON FRIDAY,THERE WILL BE A SEMINAR FOR JAPANESE TEACHERS @ THE JICC MAIN HALL THUS NO AIKIDO THE WHOLE OF NEXT WEEK.***

Tuesday, July 2, 2013 session at the JICC Conference Room

The two hour hour session kicked off with only Jason Sempai, Mohseen & myself and after warming up and stretching, Jason sempai asked Mohseen and I if we had any requests and I requested:

-Ryote dori Tenchi Nage.

-Kata Gatame through Ikkyo Omote.

Mohseen requested:

-A version of Kokyu Nage.

-Ai Hanmi Katatedori Yonkyo Omote.

We went through the above techniques save for the "elbow breaking" Kokyu Nage version which Jason Sempai decided to do during the advanced sessions.

Daniel Sempai took over the remainder of the session and he took us through the following:

-A version of Katatedori Kokyu Nage.

-Tai No Tenkan Ho.

We concluded the session with Kokyu Ho Kokyu Dosa.

P.S.
***MR. FUTAKI INFORMED US THAT THERE WILL BE NO SESSIONS THE WHOLE OF NEXT WEEK AS THERE WILL BE A FUNCTION GOING ON AT THE JAPAN EMBASSY.***

NEXT SESSION:FRIDAY, JULY 5 @ THE JICC MAIN HALL.