The Largest Seminar Yet: Nairobi Aikikai Club hosts Kobayashi Sensei 4-5th March 2023

From 4-5th March 2023, the French school in Nairobi was a buzz of activity with over two dozen Aikidokas from eight countries attending a seminar hosted by Nairobi Aikikai Club. Members of the club had the pleasure of hosting Hiroaki Kobayashi sensei (7th Dan) and visiting Aikidokas for two days of ukemi, shihonage and even (fortunately or unfortunately) some yonkyo. The seminar came after an equally exciting few days at the 10th Zanzibar International Aikido seminar (24-26th February 2023) where Nairobi Aikikai was once again well represented. The seminar in Zanzibar also served as an opportunity for members of Nairobi Aikikai to take their grading exams and we are pleased to wemcome Frank (Hazard) into 4th Kyu and our Chairman Joshua Muthii into 2nd Dan, a first for Nairobi Aikikai.

Building on this momentum, the members of the club converged at the French School, Nairobi in early March to practise with Mikio Kobayashi, Toshi Kaneko, Manabu Masuda, Hiroko Konno and Yuko Sato (Japan) Ramzi Bouslimi and Aziz Boukhema (Tunisia) Jean Maurice Ouattara and Innocent Vehi (Cote D'Ivoire) and from South Africa representing the International Aikido Federation, Corrie Human. The seminar was also graced by Andi Schriber, the club's sensei and pillar of support who was unsurprisngly still energectic despite the many ukemi he gave and took in Zanzibar as well as visitors from dojos outside Nairobi. A first of its kind for Nairobi Aikikai, this seminar was a double celebration. For one, the club members commemorated this inaugural global gathering of Aikidokas in Nairobi and secondly, it served as an opportunity to celebrate the Nairobi Akikai Club's recognition as an associate member of the International Aikido Federation (IAF) as of November 2022. Club members were honoured to have in attendance Corrie Human Sensei, Assistant General Secretary of the International Aikido Federation (IAF) representing the federation to join in practice, be witness to the seminar and welcome Nairobi Aikikai into the global Aikido family. Away from the mat, there was play and merry making on Saturday night (4th March) at the Carnivore restaurant Nairobi where members of Nairobi Aikikai and their guests indulged in the restaurant's famous all you can eat buffet and got to trade stories and bond. Fashioned as the Kenyan version of the Brazilian Rodizio, the meat buffet at the Carnivore does not stop coming till the last person standing... or should we say chewin, puts the flag down. One by one even the most sizeable people at the table gave up and the final aikidoka to surrender was the most unlikely option yet, Kalevera who though small, proved to be quite mighty where it counted.

The night culminated in thoughtful speeches from visiting friends and the hosting crew who emphasized the need for even more collaboration and seminars to come. In true Kenyan hospitality fashion, visiting aikidokas were sent home with gifts from Nairobi Aikikai from jo' bags to jo' sleeves.

Fighting through heavy laden bellies, the crew returned to the French School for the final day of the seminar.What followed was a morning session of energetic practice and sharing of knowledge before officially closing the seminar. The gift of community through the practice of Aikido was evident in the laughs, conversations and photos that were taken after. It is our sincere hope that this scale of seminar is just one of many to come. In closing, the club recognizes the efforts of the Nairobi Aikikai Club secretariat, Tim Turner and Romain Neyrand in making sure the seminar, venue and associated activities were well organised and look forward to the next one. Budo! Article written by Imungu Kalevera

Budo in Zanzibar: 5th International Aikido Seminar 14-16th February 2020, Zanzibar.

“A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing.” Morihei Ueshiba

2020 is already off to a roaring start for Nairobi Aikikai and budo arts in East Africa with the commencement of the 5th International Aikido Seminar in Zanzibar 14th-16th February.

The warm tropical climate, hospitable people, good food and rigorous training made for a perfect weekend. This seminar brought together several practitioners of the art from Nairobi(Kenya) , Switzerland and Germany as well as Zanzibar and Dar-Es-Salaam in Tanzania.Those present were of all ages and varied backgrounds in other martial arts as well.

We couldn't have been luckier to have senseis Hansruedi Nef (6th Dan) Andreas Schriber (5th Dan), Marianne Ostermayer (5th dan) and Klaus Lehan (4th dan) in attendance sharing their practice and decades of wisdom with us.

Publicity poster for the 5th International Aikido Seminar, Zanzibar 2020.

Landed in Zanzibar (left to right) Sensei Hansruedi, Sensei Andi, Sensei Marianne, Sensei Klaus and Joshua Muthii.

Nairobi Aikikai was represented by two enthusiastic members: Joshua Muthii who is also the chairperson of our club and Imungu Kalevera who packs a big punch in a small frame. The three day seminar started on Friday the 14th with a sweaty Valentine's session led by Sensei Andi at the International School of Zanzibar and this served as a pre-cursor of things to come. 

End of Day 1 (14th February) evening session, a Valentine's day to remember.

Ramping up the momentum was the second day of the seminar on the 15th of February that saw Senseis Marianne, Hansruedi and Klaus all lead sessions that focused on diverse aspects of Aikido.

Sensei Marianne's technical prowess, Sensei Hansruedi's smooth and precise execution of technique as well as Sensei Klaus love for the pleasure (read as pain) of nikkyo and sankyo and the various ways to blend and combine these techniques with others made for a taxing but fulfilling second day. The different teaching techniques provided an all rounded approach to the art.

Of particular excitement was the introduction of beautiful combinations of techniques that showcase the true dance-like movement of Aikido. It was a joy to watch as the senseis demonstrated and we tried our best to execute the same, albeit not as gracefully. But with practice, maybe some day.

Day 2, (15th February) morning session at Zanzibar Budokan.

The final day of the seminar was a bitter sweet one with two sessions that explored further aspects of Aikido but also drew deeper into understanding basic movements and terminologies. The third and final day, (Sunday, 16th February) begun with a basic taisabaki session led by Sensei Andi, laying emphasis on the importance of mastering basic movements but also remaining stable through movement. Staying low, connecting to the centre, keeping the whole body alive and moving through the hip are the fundamental principles of Aikido movement that he emphasized through the various exercises. This session was followed by a session by Sensei Hansruedi that incorporated his signature smooth but effecftive style into staple movements such as the Iriminage, emphasizing the need for tori to conserve energy and use uke's energy to execute technique. The final session of the morning was handled by Sensei Marianne who delved into the technical aspects of several Aikido staple movements and having an awareness of the body of Uke and Tori.

The final session of the day took place at the International School and began with basic taisabaki, kokkyunage sessions and later, program specific movements where each sensei took groups of students through the 4th, 3rd, 5th and 6th Kyu programs. This was followed by a grading session and happily, all candidates passed into 5th and 6th kyu.

Imungu Kalevera (left) and Joshua Muthii (right) from Nairobi Aikikai with their Sensei, Andi Schriber (5th Dan) from Ikeda Dojo Zurich at the Zanzibar Budokan.

The seminar was another opportunity to show that despite different languages, ages and backgrounds, Aikido is able to connect people from all facets of life. Young and old, African and European, short and tall were all practicing with respect on the mat.

Nairobi Aikikai is grateful to our Zanzibar team for the invitation and hospitality as well as the teachers who travelled to train with us and look forward to the next seminar.

The next two months will be jam-packed full of interesting activities for Nairobi Aikikai including a local seminar in Nairobi 22nd-23rd February that includes a Jo session. this promises to be worthwhile as well as Sensei Toshi's welcome seminar in April.

Publicity poster for Nairobi Aikikai February seminar

If you would like to re-cap events from last year's Zanzibar seminar please click here and also see what else we have been up to here, here and here.

MEAT & GREET FUN MOMENTS : NAIROBI AIKIKAI 2019 NOVEMBER MEET UP.

"In Aikido training, we learn from everyone. We learn from the most experienced people, but we also learn from new students. Everyone is connected through the heart and develops a mutual understanding. It is important to create a place where that can happen. "

- Linda Holiday

When they are not slamming the tatami, Nairobi Aikikai members enjoy sharing food and laughter. Remembering that Aikido is the way of harmony, peace and love, we are committed to not only practicing on the mat with technique and passion but also extending the philosophy of Aikido beyond the walls of the dojo.

As 2019 comes to a close, members of Nairobi Aikikai came together to eat,eat some more laugh and reflect on key moments throughout the year.  This MEAT & GREET was hosted by the lovely Louisa in Loresho and a good time was had (if my bulging stomach was anything to go by.)

The weather was kind and sunny Nairobi did not disappoint. The grill masters (Samori, Anthony and our co-host Justus) set up the grill and Kalevera supervised this project as shown below :D :D

Grill preparation underway

Soon after other comrades started trickling in and the party got started. The food spread was amazing and Louisa worked very hard to make sure there was more than enough to keep tummies full and her Ugali was up to Kenyan standards.

Nyama Nyama Nyama, Nairobi Aikikai Meat&Greet

 

The food spread; our hosts did a great job at making sure everyone was fed

The evening was filled with food,music and stories of how far we have come including great debates about life, the world, Aikido and what lies ahead. Thankfully, Josh and other Aikimaniacs ate too much to subject us to a bokken and breakfall session (phewks!)

Food first, the crew digging in. Meat&Greet 9th Nov 2019. Nairobi Aikikai.

In no time, evening fell in and after a cup of tea, we reluctantly had to leave and part ways till the next time. We missed some faces but there's always a next time. if you missed it though, you missed a lot. Looking forward there are a lot of great things in store for Nairobi Aikikai and coming together to celebrate and strategize was just what we needed. 

Group photos at the end of the amazing day

The year is not quite over yet and there are several training sessions ahead with the hope of seeing even more friendly faces on the tatami in the weeks ahead.

Click HERE and HERE to see more of what we have been up to this past year.

FEBRUARY 14th - 16th 2020, Zanzibar International Aikido Seminar. Budo!

BUDO MOMENTS: NAIROBI AIKIKAI END YEAR SEMINAR 2019 2nd-3rd NOVEMBER

"Fill yourself with Ki, invite the attack."

-Morihei Ueshiba, O'Sensei.  

 

Sensei Andi with members of Nairobi Aikikai and Judoka comrades in Rongai for the Nairobi Aikikai end year seminar 2nd Nov 2019 at St. Mary's Catholic Church Rongai.

The Nairobi Aikikai family came together once again on the tatami for the final seminar of the year, rounding out a year of great Aikido practice. The seminar, running through 2nd (Saturday) -3rd (Sunday) November at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Rongai and YMCA studio respectively brought together not only members of Nairobi Aikikai but members of the Judo community in Rongai who shared in our training and as always, our dedicated Sensei Andi was there to join and teach us. 


The first day of the seminar (2nd November) kicked off to a powerful start with good spirits. The morning session, led by Nairobi Aikikai chair, Joshua took us back to basics, first a killer warm up and then exploring and revisiting the five principles arms of Aikido;

• Aikido Ikkyo – First Teaching (Elbow Control)
• Aikido Nikyo – Second Teaching (Wrist Control)
• Aikido Sankyo – Third Teaching (Wrist Control)
• Aikido Yonkyo – Fourth Teaching (Wrist Control & Pressure Point)
• Aikido Gokyo – Fifth Teaching (Elbow Control)

This first session provided an opportunity to the Judokas to familiarize themselves with the basics of Aikido and also for other Aikidokas to remember the foundations of our art. 

Andi Sensei, Joshua and Rongai Judokas posing for a photo after training. 2nd November at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Rongai.

The late morning session into afternoon was marked by Andi Sensei's punishing Sankyo's that spared very few. Sensei focused on the importance of maintaining contact in our practice and the power of Aikido to be practiced by the small, big, strong and not so strong through proper technique, built upon constant practice.
Sensei also took this time to draw parallels between basic Aikido techniques and the sword techniques from which they are derived. This marked the end of the first day and thereafter members of the club and Sensei had some social time to "apologize to our bodies"/"piga mwili pole."

Sensei Andi with members of Nairobi Aikikai and Judo comrades, including some who had successfully graded. 3rd November at YMCA.

Sunday, 3rd November marked the last day of the epic weekend seminar and the energy reserves were still high as Sensei Andi brought even more Budo teachings to the mat. The seesion, conducted at YMCA studio was the stuff of maniacs and if the stories of those who attended are anything to go by, every muscle in the body was awakened. 

The afternoon session provided another opportunity for a few Aikidokas to be ushered into the next level of their training through a grading exercise. This exercise showed not only the dedication of those who had practised but the growth of the art within Nairobi Aikikai. Congratulations are in order for:

• David, Raphael and Leah (Attained 4th Kyu)
• Daddy and Victor (attained 5th Kyu)

Victor and Joshua during the grading exercise as Sensei prapares to instruct the next technique. Victor successfully graded.

 The day came to an end with a group photo and Sensei's parting remarks and a snack session later courtesy of Louisa. Nairobi Aikikai celebrates all its members, the great contribution and leadership of Sensei Andi and looks forward to ushering in our first black belt when chairperson Joshua takes his exam late next year. Looking forward the challenge to continue growing our art remains and despite the few challenges encountered this year, our Budo spirit remains unbroken.

Nairobi Aikikai's MEAT and GREET this 9th November 2019. Be there or be squared!

Just before the year ends though, with a few more training sessions to go, the Nairobi Aikikai family will come together one last time for a MEAT&GREET this November 9th hosted by the wonderful Louisa. This will be a great chance to hang out without the fear of breakfalls and Nikkyo and Josh promises there will be NO BURPEES! Let's all come through for this last hoorah, be there or be squared!

For those who missed it, here are some highlights from Zurich in September that you will definitely enjoy. Photos, blog post and movie.

We look forward to making even more great memories on the mat in 2020 starting with the annual international seminar in Zanzibar 14th-16th February 2020. Plan to attend. Budo!

Sensei Andi, Nairobi Aikikai and Judokas from Rongai pose for a photo on the last day of the end year seminar (3rd Nov) at YMCA Nairobi.

Structure in Aiki practice; The Why and How?

“When an opponent comes forward, move in and greet him; if he wants to pull back, send him on his way.” - Morihei Ueshiba

Imagine if you have a weight to bear. Say perhaps a sack of potatoes. If you hold the sack away from your body with extended arms, you will have to use your shoulder and arm muscles to resist the force of gravity and you will become tired quickly. 

Now imagine you had those same potatoes in a backpack, the weight is close to your spine, and the straps of your backpack hold it firmly to your body. The weight of the load goes through your bones and much less effort is required in order to carry this load. 

One of my earliest exposures to this wisdom was seeing pictures of women in Africa carrying heavy loads over long distances. I remember thinking initially how strong they must be. Over time I came to realize that they were using their natural body mechanics in a more efficient way than what I was used to seeing. 

But how does this relate to our training? One is in the amount of effort required to generate power, and what that means for how much power we’re able to generate, and how long we are able to sustain that level of output. But for now, we can say that it feels different from uke’s perspective, to have someone move through them, versus having them exert force onto them. If you have a training partner who is willing to slow down your training practice enough to allow you to explore various options, you can work with each other to explore this difference and feel it for yourself.

But for now, to further explore how structure relates to the principle of effortlessness, and our ability to generate force, and sustain the ability to train over longer periods of time before fatiguing. Force is calculated as the weight of an object, multiplied by its speed. So, for example, with a punch. If your fist weighs a pound, and you’re able to accelerate it to a certain speed, then your punch will have the force of 1*speed… Now imagine if at the moment of impact, your punch was at the forefront of your unbendable arm, and that simultaneously, your centre was falling forward with your punch. The structure of your spine, and of your unbendable arm, would allow the weight / force of your whole body to be transmitted through your bones and into your fist. The amount of force that you’d be able to generate would be equal to your whole body weight * your speed. And while the speed that you can move your body might be less than the speed that you can accelerate your fist, the much heavier body will contribute to more force overall than what your fist would be able to generate on it’s own, even accelerated with the power of your muscles. 

This ability to generate more overall force, even with less muscle, is one of the ways that aiki-technology can help a smaller person work successfully with larger attackers. If we add the fundamental truth that gravity is always pulling our body towards the earth at a particular rate(speed) and we always have a certain body mass(weight), you can see how a certain amount of force(the speed of our falling in gravity * our body weight) is always available to us, with little or no muscular effort. 

Structure is what provides us with the ability to express that potential energy into our techniques. A simple way to experience this is to extend your arm forward in the same way that we do with unbendable arm, then ask a training partner to take ahold of our forearm with morote-dori. If we extend through our unbendable arm as if reaching for a glass of water, bend our knees to drop our centre, and extend through our legs (I’ll leave the seeming paradox of simultaneously bending our knees, while also extending through our legs for you to explore with just this acknowledgement, and the guidance that extending 

through our legs (or other limbs) doesn’t necessarily have to mean that they are completely straight.) 

In this position, all the force our training partner puts into our arm, will be transmitted through the bones of our arms, through our spine, through our legs and into the earth. Here our training partner can personally experience Newton's third law, the more that they push on you, the more they will feel force in their own body, even though we’re not doing anything to them. 

If, in this exercise, you feel yourself tipping over backwards, drop your weight more. If instead you feel your arm being pushed down to your hips, or collapsing, then start again, and focus more on reaching out through extension. 

This exercise allows us an opportunity to directly experience the feeling of structure in our bodies. If we don’t yet trust extension, or if we’re not extended fully enough, we might still have tension in our muscles. This tension allows us to move some of the force through our soft tissues, but this can be dangerous as the forces that we can be dealing with during dynamic training can easily be enough to sprain or tear muscles and tendons, and this is one of the common ways that we can be injured in our training. If we feel tension in ourselves, it can be a reminder to relax and reach out through our structure. Over time, as we begin to trust our structure to transmit energy, we will become more and more relaxed. This relaxation allows us the freedom move freely with our training partner in order to ensure that their energy is always being lead through our structure and into the earth. 

From this position, where we’re transmitting their energy into the earth, we can then let our center fall forward and down, towards the earth and we can see how, still without any additional muscular effort, we can fall through a training partner with less structure than ourselves. (Reaching forward and up through the little finger, so that we can cut behind and through them, helps with this, more than falling directly into them in a linear way) 

This approach to moving through our training partner can be used when we throw our pin them as well. Any time that we catch ourselves using muscular force, step back and ask yourself if there’s a way to fall through extension, so that we can generate more force with less effort, through our structure. 

By exerting less effort in each movement, we’ll be able to train longer before fatiguing. Which can contribute to our safety as well since, when we get tired, we often compromise our technique in ways that can result in injury. 

Proper structure aids transmission of energy and this seeps into every aiki technique making it fundamentally better.

PS: While you're here, have a look at the previous blog post on June's seminar. click on this link for that. Keep checking the blog for our next post on the seminar and adventures in Zurich :)

Snapshots from Zanzibar- 3rd International Aikido Seminar

Snapshots from Zanzibar

The art of peace spread its reach to Zanzibar for the third year running during the 3^rd international Aikido seminar that saw young and older practitioners of the art come together for three days of sharing, training and even a bit of fun outside the dojo.

Respected 4^th, 5^th and 6^th Dan Senseis from all over the world shared their wonderful tips and training with the group.

The seminar, which took place from 8^th-10^th February at the International School of Zanzibar and the Zanzibar Budokan consisted of two intense but valuable sessions daily where wrists were flung and lessons learned. The team had a mixture of the young, and the young at heart. Several nationalities were represented and this is a true testament to the power of community within shared practice.

Our hosts were ever so gracious and though the practice of Aikido in Zanzibar is young, the team also had formidable experience in Karate and Judo; this of course created a chance to learn and borrow from one another. February 8th started with a Karate and Aikido demonstration at the International school of Zanzibar (ISZ) that peaked the interest of several soon to be Aikidokas. This, tied in with an anti-bullying message spoke to the true heart of Aikido to transform aggression and peacefully resolve conflict.

Of particular importance was the presence of the Ministry of youth, culture, arts and sports of the revolutionary government of Zanzibar at the seminar on the 9^th of February. This was a clear show of the island government’s support of the growing art which extended to a press mention as well in the local dailies.

Nairobi Aikikai was proud to have a team of 5 to represent the club. Joshua, Leah, Wangari and Kalevera along with Nairobi Aikikai’s Canadian friend, aspen. It was a pleasure to have such a sizeable representation but definitely looking forward to an even bigger team for the 2020 seminar.

Sharing sessions such as this seminar always provide an opportunity for students and teachers to experience different teaching techniques, execution and a chance to refine the details of the practice. Every teacher brought their own experience and relationship with Aikido to the mat and we were all honoured to be a part of that. From the buzzing energy of Sensei Andy and his killer warmups, the precision of Sensei Marianne, the ease of Sensei Hansruedi’s Iriminage, the pleasurable pain of Sensei Klaus’ lesson on Sankyo (my wrist still feels that) and the skill of Sensei Andi’s every move, it was a seminar to remember. With over 30 people attending the seminar on different days, we can only prepare for bigger and better in subsequent years.

The final day of the seminar included grading exams for several students, all who passed and Nairobi Aikikai was pleased to usher two of her members into their new Kyu;

Joshua Muthii (Chairperson-Nairobi Aikikai) – 2^nd Kyu

Imungu Kalevera – 5^th kyu

Aside from hard training in coastal temperatures, the seminar also had light moments of sharing outside the dojo. We were honored by the hospitality of our hosts which included a dinner at the CCM social hall hosted by the Chairman of the Zanzibar judo association, Mr Tsuyoshi Shimaoka which filled our bellies and our hearts. The night of the 10^th also saw the visiting Senseis and Nairobi Aikikai members have a beautiful dinner at The Rock in Pingwe, Zanzibar to crown the 3 days experience. It goes without saying that there were a few beach visits as well and the ocean water healed our aching muscles.

But this is not the end, September brings another opportunity for training and sharing in Zurich during the golden jubilee of Swiss Aikikai, another one not to miss, so get your passports and tickets ready.

Nairobi Aikikai as a whole is thankful to our hosts in Zanzibar, team led by Vadim of the ISZ, the Ministry, Mr. Shimaoka, Senseis Hansruedi, Andi, Marianne, Andy Raudies, Klaus, Andreas Weber as well as Sabine Walker and aspen apGaia. We look forward to an even more thrilling 4^th international seminar in 2020 and the promise to bring better practice and more people to the mat.

Budo!