Shuharikan Newsletter Summer 2012

Summer 2012 Volume 15, Issue 1

Shuharikan Newsletter

Special Dates:

• August Kyu Exam,

August 17, 2012 @ 7:00pm

Saturday Aikido at Fort

Snelling, August 25, 2012 @ 9:00am

Fall Kids Class Starts Sept 8, 2012 Aiki Peace Week,

Sept 18 – 24, 2012

In this issue:

Aiki Peace Week 1

Sandan Gradings 2

Mark Tempel Nidan 2

Kyu Exams 2

What You See……. 3

Attention 4

How Do You Define 4

Gradings at Shuharikan 5

I Don’t Know 6

1st Kyu 7

Aikido and Meditation 7

Kid’s Corner 8

Yoshinkan Aikido St. Paul, MN

Shuharikan Dojo to celebrate Aiki Peace Week with a week of

special classes, 1,000 Rolls for Food and an

Aikido Friendship Seminar

The week of September 18 – 24, the Shuharikan Dojo will celebrate Aiki Peace week with a week of special classes focused on the theme of peace. Daily classes (Monday, Sept. 17 – Saturday, Sept 22) will be free and open to anyone interested. The week will culminate with a special kids class featuring 1,000 Rolls for Food. The Shuharikan Kids class has set a goal to perform 1,000 rolls in a single class to raise donations for the Merrick Community Services’ Poverty Relief Programs. The “Roll for Food” will happen on Saturday, September 22, from 9:30 to 10:30am. This is an incredible goal for our kids and an amazing show of Aikido spirit! Join us to cheer on the students, make a sponsoring pledge or food donation at the Shuharikan Dojo. Following the kid’s class from 11:00 – 1:00 will be an Aikido Friendship Seminar, with the goal of bringing together a number of Aikido styles and Aikido dojos from the Twin Cities area for sharing of ideas, techniques and spirit. As Robert Kent, President of Aiki Extensions, Inc. wrote: One of the objectives of International Aiki Peace Week is, besides introducing Aikido to more new students, to encourage greater communication between dojos in the same city or region, and to support efforts to bring all the local teachers together, with as many of their students as can fit, into one shared space for a few hours to learn from each other. Peace is not the absence of active conflict - it is the active presence of a mutual understanding and respect, of a common vision of a shared destiny, and of a heartfelt acceptance of the unity of each with the other. Thousands of cities across the world have more than one dojo, but some of these, perhaps out of a sense of competition for prestige or for students, or perhaps because they belong to different federations or lineages, never acknowledge the other's existence. Just as all humans share 99% of the same DNA, all dojos have a picture of O'Sensei on the shomen, and we have vastly more in common than we have differences. Please bring a non-perishable food item for our food drive and enjoy great training!

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On April 20th and 21st, a number is Shuharikan aikidoka traveled to the Seigokan Dojo in Chicago for a weekend clinic with Charles Southern Sensei and students of the Seigokan. The weekend featured great training and instruction, and culminated with six Shuharikan aikidoka testing for the rank of Sandan. Candidates were: Paul Schulstad, Gil Warnacutt, Jeff Hansen, Thephong Le, John Seyer and Ryan Clarke. All six students successfully passed their Sandan test. The highlight of the weekend was making new friends and reconnecting with old friends. The weekend of May 4th and 5th, aikidoka from the Seigokan Dojo traveled to the Shuharikan Dojo in St. Paul for a clinic with Fred Haynes Sensei. The weekend of great training culminated in Charles Southern Sensei testing for, and passing, his Yondan Exam, and Jamel testing for, and passing, his Nidan exam.

Shuharikan Newsletter

The Shuharikan Dojo will soon offer a kenjutsu class as a supplement to our Yoshinkan Aikido training. The focus of this class will be to develop a weapons program that explores the way of the sword and how the martial discipline of kenjutsu is related to modern day aikido.

The class will start with the basics of kenjutsu: kamae, drawing [iai], cutting, blocking and sheathing. As a class, we will explore and develop series of kata that correspond to combat situations, study the proper distances for dispatching opponents, and look at how our aikido techniques were derived from the days when samurai wore swords.

All yudansha, instructors and students are encouraged to attend. Students can wear their normal dogi as well as a hakama if you have one. Also, it is recommended to purchase a new bokken for this class.

The pace will be easy to moderate. If you have an iaitō (non-sharpened sword), please let Ryan Clarke know.

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Shuharikan Dojo Conducts Sandan Gradings at Seigokan Dojo in Chicago

The following Shuharikan Aikidoka tested for Kyu rank in the past year. Congratulations to all students who tested and passed their tests. All students have shown a high level of Aikido spirit in their preparation and focused training! 1st Kyu Andy Rotering February 16, 2012 2nd Kyu Mary Beth Lardizabal November 11, 2011 3rd Kyu Alex Hathaway December 24, 2011 3rd Kyu Edward Toussiant December 24, 2011 5th Kyu John McIntosh February 16, 2012 5th Kyu Michael Smith May 22, 2012 8th Kyu Yuk Ki Lau November 11, 2011

Shuharikan Kyu Exam Results

Mark Tempel Nidan Exam On November 11, 2011, Mark Tempel tested for, and was awarded, the rank of Nidan in Yoshinkan Aikido. Testing was done at the Shuharkian Dojo with John Seyer as uke. Congratulations to Mark for an exceptional test!

Shuharikan Newsletter Page 3 of 8

By looking through different windows of a house, we can come to know more about the inhabitants. What I describe is a view through one of many windows. My view is just a view. This is how it looks to me at this moment.” -Richard Moon Sensei In April of this year, a large contingent of dojo Aikidoka, family members and friends travelled to or met in Chicago to train at the Seigokan Dojo, which is led and guided by Charles Southern Sensei. Much planning and many conversations went into the weekend which culminated with the Shuharikan and Seigokan sensei leading a Sandan grading for Paul Schulstad, Gil Warnacutt, Thephong Le, Jeff Hansen, John Seyer and Ryan Clarke. They were assisted by Ukes: Mark Tempel, Andy Rotering, and Mary Beth Lardizabal. After the grading and training, a group of us took the Orange Line to downtown Chicago and visited the Art Institute of Chicago. An exhibit that caught my eye was the external architecture and windows by Frank Lloyd Wright. One of the windows at the top of the stairway was hung by itself and caught the late afternoon sunlight. Within the window were a number of brightly colored circles, half circles, squares and triangles; along with an American flag. I thought, what a striking piece, representing Americana, in the heart of the Midwest and seeing it during an Aikido weekend. It was profound for me in that it captured the essence of Aikido; viewed through my window. As I reflected and looked back through my Aikido window, the training and grading was a culmination of many events, over many years, many emails and conversations… In June of 1994, a number of us travelled to Glen Ellyn, IL to Du Page College from the invitation of Gilbert James Sensei, the President and head of the Midwest Yoshinkai Aikido Association, to attend and train with the clinic guest instructor, Chida Sensei, from the Honbu.

As I peer back through my window, there was a wonderful feeling of spirit about the training, camaraderie and sharing of stories. I believe this is the first time I met Southern Sensei, and it was the second or third time I’d met James Sensei, as he often travelled to the Genyokan Dojo in Ann Arbor to attend a gathering hosted by Kushida Sensei. (Who passed on May 11, 2012).

This was the first time many of us received a commemorative and famous “James Sensei T-shirt” that was neon or multi-colored and had awesome artwork and designs!

I reconnected with Southern Sensei and members of the Seigokan during the 2006 clinic that Kevin Bradley Sensei hosted in Fox Valley, IL with Chida Sensei. We spoke at length after the training that we needed to setup a regular training with our respective groups as the travel time between St. Paul and Chicago is 6 hours or less by car. Good intentions we’re had, but we unfortunately did not grab the opportunity. A few window views and years later, Southern Sensei and Seigokan members attended the clinic hosted by the Shuharikan when Soke Shioda was in the United States and we started regular chats about holding trainings and ‘get togethers’ with both dojo. In the spring of 2011, Charles Sensei and Jim Nolan, Gil Warnacutt and I traveled to Chicago to train with Fred Haynes Shihan after a previous clinic hosted by the Shuharikan. We were warmly hosted by Charles Sensei and the Seigokan and put plans in place to host a training in 2012 – actually two weekend events were held, the first was noted at the start of this article with the gradings in Chicago, followed two weeks later with a clinic and grading with Haynes Shihan in St. Paul. Charles Sensei and Jamel had wonderful and successful gradings! Charles Sensei, his wife Shirley, and Jamel were joined by Ken and Ron. As I reflected back during the return trip from Chicago, I looked out of the car window and had many thoughts of what my Aikido will grow into, where the Shuharikan will be, or where the overall state of Aikido will be in the years to come, but one thing I know is that with those who graded at both dojo, participated in the gradings or came to encourage and support these individuals, Aikido in the Midwest will be in good hands. What do you see through your window? “Friends are like windows through which you see out into the world and back into yourself... If you don't have friends you see much less than you otherwise might.” -Merle Shain, journalist and author

What do you see through life’s window……. Jon Sharrett

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The master samurai had just led his five juniors in a vigorous, exhausting three-hour training session. He could see that they were completely worn out, so he said, “Let’s relax and enjoy some sake.” They all sat in seiza around a table, and the master brought out a bottle of sake and distributed cups to everyone. Then he said, “Let’s have a fun test. Do everything exactly as I do it.” With that, he placed his empty cup on his head and balanced it there. Each of the juniors did so as well, balancing their cups perfectly. The master then took the cup off his head and placed it in front of him. The juniors followed suit, thinking to themselves, “What’s so hard about this silly test?” Next, the master filled his cup hallway with sake. Each junior in turn did the same. The master then lifted the cup to his lips and, with one gulp, he drained it and placed it in front

Attention Gordon Shumaker

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of him. The juniors matched him perfectly. With one gulp each, they drained their cups and placed them on the table, feeling quite proud that they were following the master’s every movement precisely. When the juniors had finished, the master picked his cup up, brought it to his mouth, and spit the sake—which he had not swallowed—back into it. Astonished and embarrassed, the juniors could not match the master because they had swallowed their sake on the assumption that the master also had swallowed his sake. The master laughed and said, “We have two lessons tonight. First is the lesson of awareness. You must learn to pay exquisite attention, especially to your enemy’s actions, and to assume nothing. If you fail this lesson, you will be killed. “The second lesson is just as important. It is a life lesson: Never do anything that you cannot undo.”


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Topic: How do you define Your Aikido and where do you see your training taking you in 10+ years? I like to divide my Aikido into 3 (and more..) phases: Begin- 1st Kyu: I decided to practice Aikido for many reasons but during this time, the main reason was to exercise and kill times (I was single). I didn’t have any ideas about Aikido other than just another martial art style. I found myself:

· Trained very hard both physically and mentally · Always wanted to learn new techniques · Was very competitive (to myself, keep pushing to

the limit of my ability) · Had a very shallow understanding of Aikido’s

philosophies, principles Training for Shodan’s exam - Shodan: As I trained for my Shodan examination, I did lots of researches about Aikido, i.e, what it really is, why am I still practice it, how is it benefitting me(my life and others around me)…But it was in my mind most of the times: I am training for my Black belt and I better be damn good at it!

· I liked my techniques · I had to be honest: I felt I was arrogant (because I

now have a Blk Blt) and proud of myself…(in a bad way: self-satisfaction)

· I still focused very much on physical strength rather than using Aikido’s principles

· There were more than once I let my ego took a better part of my attitude

· I had spirits but it was all about me and MY Aikido, I now consider it was an EVIL spirit

Traning for Nidan’s exam-Nidan:

How Do You Define Your Aikido? Thephong Le

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By this time, I had made several self-commitments: · Slow down, think about Aikido techniques and think

deeply of what are the under-layings of them. Don’t just take Aikido’s and its training on a face value

· Tried to explore more about other alternatives for my training (how/why/when to do certain technical correctness)

· Think about develop a training agenda sometimes down the road(open a dojo, help teaching, be more flexible with things that life offers, etc.)

· Re-evaluate “why am I doing Aikido?” and change it to “How am I going to do Aikido, at this time of my training, attitues/philosophies/responsibilities wise?”

· I am NOT going to let my rank define my Aikido; I will let my attitudes/training define my Aikido: always be humble, opened mind, adapt to new things around me (because life is always evolved)

Ten, fifteen or twenty years from now, I hope I still be able to practice Aikido. I can’t tell you how my Aikido techniques would be in the future but I can promise you these:

· Application for techniques will be lighter, less strength being use and somehow replace that with power(s)

· There would be more of the idea about how to blend daily-life into Aikido’s principle, philosophies not just go to the dojo and beating up others.

· My Aikido will be teach/use/train for my physical conditions at that time…

· If I have a dojo of my own, there will be zero tolerance for EGOTISTIC, INDIVIDUALISTIC, and train in another martial art style then bring it (showing it off) in the dojo.

Sooner or later everyone who trains in Aikido at the Shuharikan Dojo tests for belt rank. The tests, also called gradings, provide

goals for students who want to advance in Aikido rank, and they also raise several good questions. Some of the common questions, and the answers, are stated below. • Are tests required for dojo membership?

Testing is entirely optional. There is never any pressure on anyone to test. • Who makes up the grading syllabus?

The Shuharikan Board of Directors. • Is the grading syllabus the same as that used by the Honbu Dojo?

No. Much of it is the same, but there are differences. The AYF (Aikido Yoshinkan Foundation) gives certified dojo the option to create their own grading syllabi as long as they are consistent with the fundamentals of the Yoshinkan style. There are many differences among Yoshinkan dojo.

• Is there only one correct way to do each technique? There are fundamentals that must remain the same in order to reflect the Yoshinkan style, but there can be variations in the execution of techniques. Some of these are simply individual preferences, while others have to do with sh’te’s body—height, flexibility, etc. The beauty of Aikido is that it allows for adjustments to accommodate the specific abilities and limitations of those who perform the techniques.

• When I prepare for a test, sometimes one instructor will tell me one way to do a technique and another instructor will tell me a different way. Which should I do, and isn’t this just inconsistent?

Assuming that what is being taught are acceptable variations that do not impair the fundamentals, adopt whichever version you wish. Both are correct, and you can do either version on a test. When there is more than one correct variation of a technique, it is not at all inconsistent to be shown all correct versions.

• Some things, such as jump breakfalls, tend to be very difficult. Do I have the option not to do them in a test? The general rule is that nothing in the grading syllabus is optional. Everything in every technique should be presumed to be required and test candidates should prepare accordingly. An exception can be made if someone has an injury or condition that will allow the performance of everything except a particular movement. The test coordinator must approve that exception and the candidate may not just assume that the exception applies.

• What are the graders looking for in the gradings? Always kihon, at every level. Kihon is the carefully devised foundation of everything in Aikido. Aikido, whether basic or advanced, cannot ever be effective unless kihon is understood and solidly reflected. No matter whether a person is testing for 8th kyu or 3rd dan, the assessment is based on how well kihon is reflected in the movements and techniques. This is so even if the grading includes jiyu-waza. It should show an ability to perform kihon in a freestyle fashion.

• What feedback should I expect after my grading? You should receive feedback in two categories: (1) those things that you performed well, considering the rank involved, and (2) things to be improved. In every test you take for your entire life in Aikido, there will always be things you will do well and others that, while adequate, could be improved so that you get more out of your art.

• When an instructor tells me that I must discover “my own Aikido,” what does that mean? It means at least two things. First, that your foundation must be correct kihon. Second, that you will make the kihon fit your body type, your strengths and limitations, your flexibility, the speed of your movements, and the like. A small person does techniques differently from a tall person. Each should try to make techniques work for him or her. It does not mean that you get to change the fundamentals and make up your own techniques. You may do that but you cannot call it Aikido.

• Does anyone ever fail an Aikido test? Yes. Some of us have failed Aikido tests. But we try not to approve students for gradings unless we feel they have prepared sufficiently to pass. There are no guarantees, however. continued

Gradings at the Shuharikan


Gradings at the Shuharikan Continued

• Is it good to try to test often? Generally not. Then your training is not sincerely about learning Aikido but rather about getting belt ranks. That is not a proper purpose. The rule of thumb is not to test at the first time you become eligible, but to go beyond the minimum requirements in time in rank and number of classes. You need to be solid in previous techniques before considering grading for the next rank. If, while preparing for a grading for 4th kyu, you find that your 5th kyu techniques are shaky, you are not ready to test.

• What is the most important thing about belt rank? There are two important things. First, although each belt rank signifies a nice achievement, it mostly imposes a responsibility. Each rank carries with it the responsibility of knowing all the techniques of that rank and of all previous ranks, as well as of knowing more and more about the history, philosophy and culture of Aikido. Second, strangely enough, the higher you progress the more you find that you don’t know.

Surely there are many more questions that can be asked about gradings, and they should be asked of instructors. But these twelve are common questions and should help to enable test candidates to understand gradings a bit better.


I Don’t Know Gordon Shumaker

There can be little doubt that the best way to approach Aikido at any level of experience is with shoshin, beginner’s mind. But while that concept is easy to state, it is not always easy to put into practice, especially as we advance in rank. To make the idea of shoshin less abstract, we can use as a mental anchor the simple phrase, “I don’t know.” If we are sincere when we either think or state that phrase, our minds will be open and receptive to learning something entirely new or supplementing and refining that about which we already have some knowledge. At the start of our Aikido training, the phrase, “I don’t know” will apply to nearly every movement and technique. Later on, it will apply to things we have not yet encountered in our training, that is, advanced techniques, but it also should apply in some way to everything we do in the art forever. In the early stages of training, “I don’t know” is the appropriate response to a question such as, “How is tai no henko ni done with a partner?” Once we learn this movement with a partner, the answer “I don’t know” still applies, but the question changes. Instead of “How is tai no henko ni done?” the question becomes, “How can we use tai no henko ni to deal with someone who is pointing a handgun at us?” If our level of experience permits us to answer that question, there will be other questions of progressively more complexity. So, there will always be the response of “I don’t know” to one question or another because there is always broader, deeper, more precise, more effective Aikido to learn. My favorite example of shoshin in action came a few years ago from Terada Sensei (9th dan) during an instructional clinic in Toronto. After he demonstrated a technique, he stopped and said: “I really don’t know how to do this one very well because I have not yet come to understand it completely. Maybe some of you can figure it out.” Nobody doubted the sincerity of this very authentic teacher, but I’m sure everyone was surprised to hear the highest ranked Yoshinkan Aikido instructor admit that there was something he did not know. “I don’t know” is not indicative of some sort of failing, and, like Terada Sensei, we should never be embarrassed by thinking or expressing that concrete link to shoshin. That is the link that allows us to keep a beginner’s mind and to bring it into our training. Doing so, our Aikido grows and expands. Without shoshin, we reach a limit and our Aikido becomes static and brittle. If we are being honest with ourselves, it is likely that we are saying “I don’t know” a lot during much of our training. It is perfectly fine to “think” that phrase; it is not required that we announce it out loud every time we encounter something about which we have little or no knowledge or understanding. The key to shoshin is keep “I don’t know” in readily accessible reserve.

Much has been discussed about Haynes Shihan's instruction of a different way to apply Sankajo this past May. I was fortunate enough to be Uke during this instruction when Haynes Shihan's shared an interesting observation of Shite was applying this new Sankajo technique to me.

Traditionally at Shuharikan we have taught kihon Sankajo by having Shite direct Uke's elbow up into the air and Uke's palm toward their armpit. At this point the control is applied. This allows for a relatively easy transition into Sankajo even if Shite is new to the control and is unsure of how to apply it.

Haynes Shihan taught an alternative way to apply this technique. Instead of pushing palm toward his/her armpit, instead he instructed to push Uke's palm behind Uke's back by six plus inches. The result of this is a tremendous amount of stress in Uke's wrist, arm, elbow, and shoulder. This stress is very similar to the stress applied during Sankajo, however technically speaking Shite has not even applied Sankajo. Shite has the option of maintaining this position by a series of forward pivots. Once Uke passes through Shite's center line, only then does Shite change change hands and applies a traditional Sankajo. Shite then has the option of continuing his/her forward pivots again to continue the control.

The interesting observation that Haynes Shihan observed of my partner and I was during the hand change in the new Sankajo technique. Shite made the mistake of attempting to change hands before I had come across his center line. Haynes Shihan made the astute observation to us, that Shite was rushing the technique and was loosing much of its effectiveness in the process. To paraphrase Haynes Shihan: “Andy's a big guy. It's going to take him a while to come around across your center line, and you've got to give him enough time get there.” As Uke I could feel a difference. When the hand change was done prior to my crossing Shite's center line, much of the pressure in my wrist and shoulder was released.

This concept of waiting for Uke to come around struck me as something I should explore in the future. I was pleasantly surprised when a few weeks later, during an unrelated technique I stumbled across this concept again. This time the technique was Kote-Gaeshi from a tanto body thrust. When performing this technique slowly at instruction/test speed, all went well. However during a round-robin style where the technique had much more flow, I quickly found that if I rushed the transition from grasping Uke's hand for the throw setup up and the actual throw, the entire technique was ineffective. I realized that I was not giving Uke enough time to come around and follow where I was directing their energy to go. In other words, our spacing was completely messed up during the throw because I had not given Uke enough time to make the spacing correct.

My rushing of this transition was exactly demonstrated the point I think Haynes Shihan was making during his Sankajo instruction. In Aikido it is not sufficient to know the individual steps of a technique. Shite must also understand that Uke must be in the correct position relative to Shite for those steps to have the desired effect.


1st Kyu Andy Rotering

I had the good fortune this summer to go on a week long meditation retreat. The teacher was Tsoknyi Rinpoche , a well known Tibetan meditation master. During one teaching session Rinpoche was teaching about different types of meditation . He first described Shamata meditation. He spoke about this as an awareness meditation where you focus your awareness on an object. This may be a visual object like a candle, or a sound like a bell, or a sensation like following your breath. He described this as a good practice to stabilize and settle your mind. He then spoke about vispassana or insight meditation. He spoke about this as being a way to realize emptiness. Here he was talking about going beyond the conceptual mind. The concept of an "I". Beyond dualistic ideas such as you and I, good and bad, like and dislike. He explained the conceptual mind creates a sense of self that seems so real but if thoroughly examined and looked at with Awareness our "rarified I" will disappear and we will see the View as it is. He said its like aikido - you make yourself disappear! I had to smile at that moment, a moment that confirmed the connection between meditation and aikido that I can sometimes feel. Aikido as Meditation. Meditation as Aikido. A moment in meditation sitting quietly - the thoughts, feelings created by the mind dropping away, a moment free from the "I" , the " I " the mind has created. A moment in shomen irimi nage, moving in , blending with your uke , turning so you disappear from the attack. There is no one there.

Aikido and Meditation Mary Beth Lardizabal

The Aikido Kids of Summer Who are the Aikido kids of summer descending upon the mat, who sit in seiza and stand in kamae and do Aikido things like that? Well, there are Ava and Calyn, martial arts girls so cool that in front strike techniques they really rule. There’s little blonde Della, who is not terribly tall but in doing back breakfalls she’s the champion of all. Then there are Lucas and Alex as partners they must show everyone how to do one wrist grasp step-‐in thrust. Let’s not forget Gavin and Abbey, they train heart and soul and both are now masters of all sorts of rolls. There is one more nice sight, a wonderful thing, it’s watching little Seth the knee-‐walking king. The summer class is much fun and the kids are quite jolly but we need to remember Miranda and Molly And Mason and Evan Aaron, Collin and Eddy, all in the adult class because their Aikido’s so steady. We love all our Aikido kids and about them we fuss because we hope they will stay until they are old—like us.

The Shuharikan Dojo is an officially recognized Aikido Dojo registered with the Aikido Yoshinkai Foundation (AYF) in Tokyo, Japan. The dojo's principle instructors hold black belt ranks and

teaching licenses through the AYF.

About Our Organization…

Shuharikan Dojo Yoshinkan Aikido

St. Paul, MN

PHONE: (651) 222-7337

ADDRESS: 265 West 7th St.

St. Paul, MN 55102

E-MAIL:

[email protected]

We’re on the Web! See us at:

www.shuharikan.net

Shuharikan Newsletter Page 8 of 8 KID’S CORNER

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Shuharikan Newsletter Summer 2012