Central London 昭道館合気道 (Shōdōkan Aikidō)

Welcome to Central London Shodokan’s new Blog!

        
Keep it clean and keep it real!

Sensei (Marlon)

Sussex Sport Aikido are hosting an inter-club meeting (friendly competition).

The meet is directed with the Kyuu grades in mind, especially the lower Kyuu grades with little to no competition experience. 

More detailed aims are:

• To introduce the competition side of Aikido to beginners and Kyuu grades without any competition experience in a supportive and positive environment.
• To encourage potential kyuu grades to participate in forthcoming national and international events and competitions.
• Promote inter-club training for the members of the participating clubs. (Especially with the aim to form embu pairs and teams for national and international events.)
• Help referees develop their skills in a relaxed environment.

Proposed date:

Saturday or Sunday (to be confirmed)

25^th / 26^th October

or

1^st / 2^nd November.

Proposed venue:

King Alfred Leisure Centre
Kingsway, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 2WW

The embu events are based on the Shodokan Kyuu grade syllabus.

Event Details

We hope that you would help make this event successful by encouraging all Kyuu grades to participate, as it should make for a very enjoyable day and a good first competition experience!

Juniors closed event and Randori Competition Basics

Full on training has occurred over the past six months and a true showcase of how much our juniors have learned occured on Saturday. If you missed it, look out for the next one.

Marco Crispini (2007 International Mens individual and Randori Champion) showcased some excellent tuition in bridging the gap between club based training and competition Randori.

In upcoming classes we will recap the topics and training covered, adults and juniors!

Fun programme that teaches Focus to kids……..how to use the brain well.

Image Recognition, Communication, Stress Control, Confidence, Activity Under Pressure.

Adults can have fun also!

Link: Brain-jitsui

Sensei

Here’s a really interesting interview about Shodokan Aikido

Podcast

Sensei

Links to the Aikido Journal articles Part 1 and 2.

Part 1

Part 2

a few excerpts from the above extensive article:

“The arts were divided into specific fields based on the type of technique. An old time practitioner of Ninjutsu, the Art of Stealth, thought only of the real life application. He would do anything he had to do in order to win. This was, of course, because they used technique for the purpose of war, and from that point of view you had to be able to cope with a long engagement distance or a short one, you could jump, do anything necessary. But if we move up to the present we don’t think about such realistic applications. Through our training we forge our spirits (kokoro) and bodies, and so doing we concern ourselves with being useful in more peaceful pursuits. This is the modern way of thinking, and it is so precisely because it is not warlike.”

“Here, again, I can point out this problem as an example. If I take a hand, I can twist it this way or I can reverse it this way. There are only these two possibilities, right? But in the classical arts one teacher would call the reverse movement the “Konoha gaeshi” (tree-leaf reverse) while some other teacher might say “kotegaeshi.” Even though the technical content is the same, the name is completely different. On top of it all, they would hide this fact and we end up being unable to understand any of it.”

“The idea that if he cuts me I’ll cut him is a very animal-like way of thinking, isn’t it? But the way of doing it that is the most human, and human with a good conscience, it is the way which controls violence but doesn’t cause injury. I personally think that the fact O-Sensei had opened to him such an enlightenment is a thing of great meaningfulness.”

 ”Therefore, in viewing our present peaceful society and looking forward to a peaceful future, I think that “sportification” (kyogika), the conversion to competitive sport, is the best way to spread the outstanding points and the benefits of budo to the world.”

Read the entire article via the above links.

excerpt from the JAA website. 

the idea ot Aikido

The aikido of this association aspires towards a state of ‘mushin-mugamae’ (literally no mind - no posture) and aims to keep our body healthy and improve our personality through training and study of both ‘kata’ (fixed form) and ‘randori’ (free form).

The royal road of Budo-training lies at the training and study of ‘kata’ left by our precursors and the practice oi randori’ as an alternative for real battle, both exercised without any bias.

With the ‘Aikirandoriho’-system invented by Professor Kenji Tomiki we take distance from the self-righteous ten­dency of only practicing kata. On the other hand, with the training of kata, we overcome the narrow-minded win-ning-is-everything mentality when only practicing randori. By adding a more theoretical aspect of learning we come closer to the ideal state.

By learning we mean not only the abundant concepts included in the study of the art of aikido, but also the founda­tions of personality, being the study of classical canon of east and west and the forming of a scientific mind. In this international society where many racial and religious disputes occur, we need good Japanese people who through Budo can contribute in realizing world peace. The aspirations of a healthy body, broad cultural knowledge and im­provement of personality by practitioners of aikido can be the foundations that contribute to world peace.

The supreme state of Japanese budo is characterized physically by ‘mugamae’ or no posture, and mentally by ‘mushin’ or no mind. ‘Mugamae’ is a posture without posturing, ‘mushin’ is a transcendental state of mind. Or should we say that the first is rather aimed for after training the idea of basic posture, and the latter rather a slight awareness of things we hold on to? In each case they are not easily achieved. But they serve a conceptual purpose.

The aim of this association is the upbringing of capable aikido loving people who prove useful in Japan and out­side, through the spread of the aforementioned aikido.

Hello All,

Follow this link to train your reaction timing (courtesy Sussex Sport Aikido Club).

Reaction time training.

 Sensei

You tube video of Randori no kata.

Please follow this link (RNK) to You Tube.

Sensei

 Here are the results of the questionnaires recently completed by 81% of November membership.

Survey Results (Numbers)

Suggestions Feedback

 Sensei

Ps. look out for upcoming changes in Operations……not our Aikido!!