Aikido Newsletter April, 2004
Volume 3, Issue 4
BAA FUND RAISING FOR CHARITY
As part of a new and ongoing policy, the BAA would like to
offer help to nominated charities by presenting organised
fund raising events. This is a very practical way of showing
true Budo and this year the chosen charity is "Medical
Emergency Relief International" or MERLIN for short.
BAA Clubs and groups around the country are encouraged to
organise such events. The first of these will be the Flora
London Marathon 2004 on 18th April 2004 and Aikidoka, Marco
Crispini welcomes your support on this absurd journey of early
starts, long training runs, and generally feeling terrible!
In addition his club (Eastleigh Aikido) will be performing
Aikido demonstrations and open days as part of the fundraising
effort, so if your local school or community centre is running
an open day, then please do let him know. You can donate online
by credit or debit card at the following address: http://www.justgiving.com/marco
All donations through this site are safe and secure. They
are sent electronically to Merlin (Medical Emergency Relief
International). www.merlin.org.uk
Marco is a GB National Squad medallist and has successfully
competed in the UK and abroad. For progress on Marco's training
log onto: www.cypherit.co.uk/~photos And we can wish him well
at: marco_crispini@yahoo.com 07879 494755 PLEASE MAKE A DONATION
NOW!
Correct amount of force in the application
of techniques
This month we will try to emphasis just how important it
is to use the correct amount of force in the application of
techniques. It is easier to see how this philosophy applies
to moments in every day life. In fact Aikido is about life.
For some life is Aikido! In spirit there is little difference
between Aikido, Judo, Sumo and Kendo. The apparent differences
are obvious to the untrained eye, but the underlying common
principals are only clear to those who study these disciplines.
In our strive to seek excellence we employ the help of others.
We in turn must return that kindness and assist those less
knowledgeable. In life too we each gain power, which we should
use to help those less able and less fortunate. To put it
more simply it is good Budo. In Aikido practise we are learning
about life and not a method of destruction. No one said that
it would be easy, but equally no one said it would be this
hard!
DATES FOR 2004
9/10/11APR04 FOLKESTONE EASTER SCHOOL – Contact Joe
McEnroe 07901 900432
18APR04 BAA SOUTHERN AREA AGM – NEMCA, Mitcham, Surrey
24APR04 BAA Senior National Competition – Bradford
16MAY04 BAA AGM & EC Meeting 2
22MAY04 JUNIOR FUN DAY - Seven Islands Leisure Centre, Rotherhithe
30MAY04 BAA SOUTHERN AREA GRADING - Rotherhithe
06JUN04 BAA ACCREDITATION COURSE FOR JUDGES – Contact
Paul Wildish 020-8451 6194
19JUN04 WIMBLEDON VILLAGE FAIR – Aikido Demonstration
12.30 – 1.00pm
27JUN04 BAA National Dan Grading
10JUL04 JUNIOR FUN DAY - Knights wood Leisure Centre, Eastleigh
18JUL04 BAA EC Meeting 3
16OCT04 JUNIOR FUN DAY - Seven Islands Leisure Centre, Rotherhithe
17OCT04 BAA ACCREDITATION COURSE FOR REFEREES – Contact
Paul Wildish 020-8451 6194
YAMADA SENSEI’S COMMEMORATION OF PROFESSOR
TOMIKI’s 100th BIRTHDAY - part 2
Traditionally in Jujutsu, repetitive practice of katas was
the main training strategy. The two approaches were that the
latter Shihans (Shihan Ueshiba and Dr Kano) were concerned
with teaching the arts in freer movement style whereas the
difference with Professor Tomiki system was that he considered
that by getting the students to concentrate on elementary
drills would help them to understand the principles needed
to apply good techniques. He was also attempting to combine
both Shihan Ueshiba's philosophies and Dr Kano's methodology
in his teachings.
Later, Dr Kano regrettably mentioned that "the Judo
remained in the form that I had originally intended for only
the first five years". While admitting the fact that
the introduction of the competition system contributed to
Judo gaining its popularity, he regretted that it was due
to the shortage of instructors, that the original judo spirit
was not handed down to the students correctly, that the tendency
of learning the art for winning the games had became more
apparent and that the form was beginning to deteriorate. One
of his efforts for correction of the form was to create a
series of katas and to promote this training using the katas.
However, his ideals remained unfulfilled.(4)
One day in 1930, Dr Kano visited Shihan Ueshiba at his Dojo
in Mejiro-dai. He saw Shihan Ueshiba's enbu, or demonstration,
and exclaimed, "This is the budo that I have regarded
as ideal! This is the true 'Yawara no Michi' (5) that I have
been looking for!" Afterwards, he brought two students
along with Shihan Nagaoka from the Kodokan to join Shihan
Ueshiba's dojo. This story is also written in the Judo Daijiten,
the Encyclopaedia of Judo, published by Kodokan two years
ago. Nevertheless the true reason for this act by Kano was
never understood by most of Judo key players. This can also
be seen by the fact that Professor Tomiki's extraordinary
efforts and research results never received warm acceptance
by the Judo world.
What about the Headquarters of Aikido?
It was when he was 40 years old when Shihan Ueshiba came
to Tokyo from Ayabe in Kyoto to start the teaching of Aikido
with a great enthusiasm. Since he was very young, he had been
in pursuit of learning various jujutsu including Kodokan judo.
It was the time when all his experience of this training came
to life at once (6) that he and Onisaburo Deguchi of Omoto-kyo,
were in Mongolia with determined minds in search of a holy
land, which could have meant death to all of them. The country
was regarded as one of the most dangerous areas at that time.
I have heard that in one situation when he was put in the
middle of a sudden counter-attack, Shihan Ueshiba encountered
a mysterious, highly spiritual experience. The experience
can hardly be described nor explained and was something that
only people who have crossed the line between life and death
could know. He also had another similar spiritual experience
right after he returned from Mongolia. These experiences strengthened
his strong beliefs and started him teaching the world that
the mastering of budo could not be achieved without reaching
this state of mind.
4. Yamada Sensei wishes to make sure that the latter teachers'
approaches were appreciated in that sense and the readers
should understand the difference.
5. There is no direct word to translate 'Yawara no Michi'.
It can be said as the path to the Jujutsu but sounding more
spiritual way, or the path to the 'pliancy'.
6. The idea suddenly clicked. To be continued
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