Water Oak Aikikai - Blogs

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I'm spending the week in Seattle at a Microsoft technical conference. One of the new things I saw was Windows Live. It's new portal concept. The neat thing is that you can put gadgets onto your personal Windows Live page. I thought cool! and during lunch I wrote a Dokas gadget. It will show you a random doka from O-Sensei. Now what is really-really cool is that this same gadget can be placed directly on your Windows Vista desktop when the new operating system ships.

I was in NYC this week for training for work and of course I made sure to also train at the NY Aikikai. I got to the dojo a little early so I decided to walk around the block. On the next street over I noticed a store that sells Shoji Screens and such. I figured I would step in and see what they had. Their store had beautiful examples of their work. Absolutely incredible.

I started out by asking questions about getting some sconces made for the dojo. But once I learned the price I knew it would be quite a while before we could afford these handmade items. But the owner and his son were very nice people and we just ended up talking. We talked about my dojo, then we talked awhile about NY Aikikai, Yamada Sensei and Sugano Sensei. It turns out the owner is good friends of the Senseis since his children and grand children train at the NY Aikikai. In fact he is the one who built the shoji that cover the 2 large exhaust fans over the kamiza.

Well, like I said we were haveing a very good conversation when the son offered to give me some of the shoji paper to take home and figure out the details of what we need in the dojo. I felt very surprised. They were being very generous to this guy who just wandered in off the street. While I talked to his dad, he wrapped up the paper for me. They gave me the roll and we said our goodbyes.

When I got home we opened the paper and found that it was 4 feet wide and several yards long. This was in fact a very expensive gift. Now I felt very humble. I had met and made new friends merely by being polite and taking a genuine interest in their beautiful craftmanship. What an incredible experience!

When you have a few moments please take a look at their website Miya Shoji

Well we had our anniversary seminar this weekend. Wow! What a great event. Kennedy Sensei taught a fantastic seminar (just as we have come to always expect) and covered some of the things he picked up at the Blackbelt Seminar in Chicago. The weather was perfect. We couldn't have had better if we had ordered it. It was a very comfortable tempature in the dojo and with the light cloud cover we were able to do a couple of hours outside after lunch without frying. Be sure to check out the pictures.

I want to thank everyone who attended. We had guests from across North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. I also appreciate the local ASU members who came out and supported us. The turn out was great even with the conspicously low number of people attending from Aikido of Charlotte.

Since our dojo is really still brand new there are a lot of things that we want/need to do. Well we were able to complete one of them; our nafudakake. Next class please take a moment to thank Brenda for all of the hard work she did to stencil each name board.

At the Open Sky Aikikia seminar (Apr 29 - May 1, 2005) Yamada Sensei spoke to me on several topics. He informed me that when he makes his travel schedule for 2006 he will be including a Fall seminar in Charlotte. It will be a great honor for Aikido of Charlotte and Water Oak Aikikai to host Yamada Sensei in the Queeen City. As the conversation progressed, Yamada Sensei was suprised to learn that I was not a Fukushidoin and awarded it on the spot. Overall a very rewarding weekend for all of the students in Charlotte. These two items are very tangible evidence that the hard work each student is putting forth has been noticed. Congratulations to all!

These last two years have been really hard on myself, my family and the school because my work required 100% travel. Well, good news. I've got a new job with Microsoft. It is based here in Charlotte and should keep me in town almost all of the time once I get through the initial training <grin>.

There have been several questions, so let me inform everyone at once. Effective 1/7/05 I resigned as the President of Aikido of Charlotte. My resignation should have absolutely no impact on the training at Aikido of Charlotte. I will continue to train and participate as often as my work schedule permits and to teach the classes I am responsible for.

I was browsing through the new issue of Aikido East and... BAM! There was a link labeled "Water Oak Aikikai". I clicked on it and there were pictures of our dojo. I felt like a proud Pappa. Here is a link to a snapshot of the page

Today Water Oak Aikikai held its annual O-Shogatsu. Wow! What a success. I was really happy with the energy of the celebration. Even Mother Nature graced us with her presence. The temperature was just right for training and the constant, soft breeze kept the wind chimes going. We had 23 participants from 4 dojos: Aikido of Charlotte, Charlotte Aikikai, Raleigh Aikikai and Water Oak Aikikai.

After a few words of welcome and introduction we had a few minutes of deep breathing. This gave each person the chance to reflect on the past year and to look forward to the coming year. Then each person executed 1000 sword cuts. This misogi is a symbolic way of forging the spirit through difficult physical activity. After the cuts were completed the senior Aikidoka conducted a mini seminar. The teaching was presented by Charles Huff (3rd Dan Charlotte Aikikai), Chris Crandall (3rd Dan Raleigh Aikikai) and William McLuskie (3rd Dan Water Oak Aikikai).

I wanted to thank everyone who attended for their support and wish each and everyone of you success in the coming year!

Click on the photo above to see the pictures that our own Keith took. Thanks Keith!

I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas. The next time you are at the dojo be sure to say hello to Sunny. My parents gave him to me for Christmas. You absolutely must see him in person to truly appreciate him. When I first pulled him out of his box he really lit up my day, hence the name.
	That's Logan with Sunny on the ride home.

We got all of the windows back up in the dojo this weekend. It was quite an undertaking. Last year we just used panes of glass slid into the frames with the screens. This year we framed each pane of glass individually (38 of them) and added swivel hooks to hold the windows in. From now on it will be very simple to put up or take down the windows and they should be sturdier with less chance of breakage during storage. I wanted to thank everyone that helped out.

Class this evening was interesting. I truly love our dojo because it is so unique and natural. Or "nature-full" might be a better description. We walked out to class as we normally do. We opened class, stretched and warmed up in silence letting our minds settle down from the day. When I opened my mouth to talk about the first technique it was as if all hell broke loose. There was a parliament of owls (baby animal names) that started screaming. Brenda estimated that there were 10-12 owls outside the dojo all screaming at the tops of their lungs. We had to spend the next 20 minutes in deafening silence. Their calls were so loud I couldn't yell over them so I just taught visually. The owls were a really unique experience for all of us.

This weekend WOA and AOC had the pleasure to host Andy Demko for a seminar here in Charlotte. Personally I think that everything went really well. Just as I expected, the instruction was top-notch and the training was vigorous. I always enjoy learning from Demko Sensei. With almost 40 years of Aikido training under Yamada Sensei he definitely has an incredible wealth of martial arts knowledge. I was also very happy when we had 100% participation from WOA and 100% from AOC. The only dissappointing thing about the weekend was the lack of support from the other Aikido schools in the region. I know that we always do our best to support them and I guess I was expecting the same in return. Thank you to those who were able to make it.

Well, winter is coming. It is already starting to get dark before class ends. Yesterday Brenda and I installed some lights along the path from the house to the dojo. We both thought htat it looked really nice after the sun went down. As funds become available we will be adding lights along the path from the parking area to the back of the house, along the porch of the dojo and some accent lights in the garden.

Along with the earlier darkness we have the colder weather to look forward to. Personally, I like training in the cold. The dojo probably gets down into the 40s for some of our classes. But, I am a realist and know that not everyone likes this as much as I do, so we will be pulling out the panes of glass and building windows. This should be an interesting project. <grin>

I was asked about the appropriateness of wearing your uniform outside of the dojo. I know of many martial artists who prefer to dress out at home or at the office. Whether its because of space limitations in the dressing room or just because they habitually oversleep on Saturday mornings, there are a lot of very valid reasons for dressing before arriving at the dojo. On the other hand I've met quite a few instructors who say that you must never wear your uniform outside the dojo. First, as in everything else, be sure to ask you instructor what they prefer. If they leave it up to you here are my thoughts on the subject.

Personally, I often wear my dogi in public. Particularly if I have to run an errand just before or after class. When I go to the Rembukan Dojo for Jodo and Iaido training we have always gone to lunch in our uniforms. It saves time and minimizes stress. Our uniforms are not really anything special. It's not like running to the gas station for milk in a wedding dress. But remember this is coming from a man who wears a kilt :^) Our dogi are really just utility clothing with a particular use in mind. When I was growing up on Okinawa you would see 2 distinct Karate uniforms. The schools that were setup as being more public, and typically included American students, would wear white dogi and colored belts. The students who had private instruction at their Sensei's house typically wore shorts and a t-shirt.

So why do so many instructors condemn wearing the uniform outside the school? I think it stems from the early days of martial arts in America. Everyone was out to prove they were the best fighter, that their school was the best and that their instructor could beat anybody. This led to a lot of "gang-like" fighting. People would walk into schools and challenge the instructor to a fight. Groups of students would wait outside "rival" schools and try to jump the students. If you wore your uniform outside you basically advertised what school you were with and what rank you were. For the black belts ath the time it wasn't too much of a problem, but for junior ranked students it set them up as targets for the mid-ranked students trying to prove themselves. There are still a lot of schools who use this argument to make their students leave their belts in the dojo. This really isn't an issue now a days. With the widespread use of litigation in the U.S. it is really stupid to pick a fight with anyone. I believe that when the instructor tells the student that they have to leave their belt (or any equipment) behind they are really just trying to exert control over the students for their own ego.

I don't see any reason to hide our uniforms or our activities. If you are ashamed of being seen in public in your uniform the maybe you should reevaluate your priorities. If do you choose to wear your uniform outside the dojo be sure to treat it as on opportunity for your school and your art. If you see someone staring at you do shy away. Smile back, say hello. If they look receptive take the opportunity to mention what you study. You never know, it may be the opening they need to get started.

We came home from the pool just before class today. My daughter was trying to get all to be quiet in case there were any deer or rabbits in the yard. We didn't see any, but there was a new visitor. Brenda has been transplanting local plants and flowers from the woods into the garden areas around the house and dojo. When we pulled up I saw movement around the flowers. It turns out that there was a hummingbird partaking of the wild flowers. It was a fairly large hummingbird because we could see it from the van. We all sat there and watched it for a few minutes. That is until the summer sun reminded us that its July in North Carolina. Hopefully we will see more of the hummingbird.

Just as a gentle reminder: When you come to train take advantage of our beautifully unique dojo. Don't just screech up, slam your car door, run back to change and then run into the dojo. Slow down and take time to notice the flowers, the trees, the wildlife, the wind gently rustling the leaves. Let the surroundings help frame your state of mins so that you can have the most enjoyable training possible each time you come.

Just outside the door of the dojo, off to the side in the shade we have a "nest" of Dragonflys. I'm not sure if nest is the right term or not. Over the past few months there have usually been 6-10 medium sized dragonflys with dark black bodies and bright blue wings. It is really pretty neat to stand quietly at the end of the dojo porch and watch flit around. Personally, I think that the dragonfly is a very regal looking insect. Their posture, with open wings, looks very proud to me. Over the last few weeks we have had a very large dragonfly around. He has been sitting on top of the 4' pole that is supporting our weeping cherry. Brenda planted the tree between the dojo and the house and it's location gives the dragonfly a commanding view of the garden. He is a pretty cocky dragonfly. You can get right up next to him before he lazily flys off. It seems more like he's gotten bored than feeling threatened. One of these days I'd like to do a little research into the Japanese thoughts of the dragonfly. They are a common element in artwork, especially printed cloth. They seem to quite a bit in decorating sword furniture. It makes me a little curious.

This Sunday's class was a unique experience. Just before class began it started to rain. We barely made it out to the dojo without getting completely soaked. During the class it was raining so hard that we couldn't see 10 yards out of the windows. The water was pouring off the roof in solid sheets. The roar of the water made it too difficult to talk in a normal voice so we ended up having very little verbal instruction. The entire effect made me feel as if I was training in a cave just inside (under) a waterfall. It was a remarkable feeling, yet at the same time it also made me think about the incredible power and movement to be found in nature. Next time it rains like that I think that I will move class outside onto the grass so that everyone can see what is like to train in the open rain.

I wanted to let you all know that I was very proud of you today. I think that you all did extremely well during the testing. That's not to say that anyone was perfect, we all (absolutely including myself) definitely have things to work on. But, the tests were all presented at levels higher than I expected. Thank you for your hard work and effort. It was obvious. Congratulations to Brenda, Keith, Jason and Robert!

I had a few minutes so I added a Calendar Page to the website. The link is under the Our Dojo menu.

We held testing for our Children's Program today. It was really very impressive to watch these 5 young Aikidoka take their first tests. I was really proud of each of their accomplishments and of Brenda's incredible work with this program.

In preparation for the impending Summer heat and the upcoming seminar with Kennedy Sensei, we had a dojo work day yesterday. We removed all of the glass windows leaving just the screens for the summer. We rewired the ceiling fans to put them on separate circuit from the lights. We took all of the mats (40 tatami) outside and scrubbed them down. We stained the walls on the inside of the dojo. We put together teh storage shed for the window glass, folding mats and ukemi balls. We removed all of the fallen branches and sticks from the area. And we did some general cleanup. In all it was a huge amount of work. I just wanted to thank each of you: Brenda, Randy, Robert, Palmer, Richard, Don and Jonathan. With everyone pitching in we were able to accomplish a lot more than I had hoped for. Again Thank You All! I know we didn't get to hold our regular Sunday class, but if you guys were as tired as I was I'm sure it was Ok.

I've been a little quiet lately. For the past 7 weeks I've been commuting from Charlotte to Houston every Monday-Thursday for work. When I'm home the last thing I want to do is work on my computer <grin>. Right now I'm an a plane heading for Munich, Germany. I'm going there for a week to present a software architecture that I led the design of as the Senior Architect. The architecture is going to be used in global e-commerce projects built at HP.

But that is not what I'm reflecting on. Yesterday I had the opportunity to take my San-dan test before Andy Demko, Arif Mehter, Charlie McGinnis and a lot of my Aikido friends at a seminar in Cincinnati. Personally, I think that the test went well. I had 5 incredible ukes for the test which allowed me to really put my best foot forward (especially in the big iriminages!).

I want to thank each and every one of you who has helped me progress down my personal Aiki path to this point. And I look forward to continuing the journey with _all_ of you.

At the same time Don McConnell tested for Ni-dan and Jonathan Weiner tested for Sho-dan. I was ecstatic with both of their performances. They really did step up when the pressure was on. Congratulations guys.

Originally the seminar was slated to be taught by Yamada Sensei and Andy Demko. Yamada Sensei was not able to attend since he was helping the Kanai family and attending Kanai Sensei's memorial. The seminar itself was dedicated to Kanai Sensei. I thought it was wonderful to hear the stories from the Shidoin about their experiences with Kanai Sensei. I was glad to see that the weekend was spent celebrating Kanai Sensei's life in a very positive way rather than just being sad and mourning.

On Sunday 3/28/04 Mitsunari Kanai Sensei passed away. You can find out more details at New England Aikikai.

When I first heard the news I didn't want to believe it. It was hard to imagine not training with Sensei again.

So I heard today that one of our regular training partners from Aikido of Charlotte asked when we would be installing a real heating system in the dojo. Well, the answer is pretty simple: NEVER! One of the things that makes our dojo so fantastic is that it is traditional. This means that in the summer we take the windows out and sweat a little and in the winter we put the windows in and dress a little warmer.

When I was growing up on Okinawa we had two seasons each year: Hot and Wet. Now that we live in North Carolina we get to enjoy all four seasons and each season brings a different perspective to our training. During the Spring the forest is blooming with new foliage and blossoms while the birds fill the air with song. Summer brings a cozy feeling as the forest fills in all of the spaces around the dojo. The leaves on the ground during the Fall creates a carpet that gives away the movement of the deer and squirrels as the scamper by. Then with the Winter everything opens up around the dojo and there is a crispness in the air.

This evening when we trained we could all see our breathe and by the end of class you could see the steam rising off of Randy's shoulders and head. But no one was cold or uncomfortable. Wearing a t-shirt and tabi (or socks) was plenty to keep us comfortable. So, there is absolutely no reason to install a heater. Rather, I would recommend that everyone takes advantage of this unique training opportunity.

Happy New Years everyone! For those of you who made the Annual New Years Celebration Training and Dinner I wanted to say Thank You. We had 12 Aikidoka from 3 different dojos participating and then 20 people for dinner. A special congratulations goes to Teddy and Gracie, ages 9 and 7, for each completing 1000 cuts. I can tell you that both your instructors and parents are proud of how well you did. For those of you who didn't make it we missed you.

I wanted to thank all of the AOC students for the Christmas present. The wind chimes are beautiful. I plan to hang the door chime tomorrow and the other one as soon as I can get a ladder setup. As most of you know, I love the sound of wind chimes and they are becoming an integral part of the dojo. Again, Thank You All.

There has been quite a bit of discussion around this topic on some of the various mail lists so I wanted to clarify our position. At Water Oak Aikikai adult Aikido students are registered with the USAF as soon as possible. The USAF does not register children, this is the responsibility of each dojo. I feel this is the proper way to do it since most new members are coming to us not just to join Water Oak Aikikai but to also be part of the USAF. The USAF does allow the initial membership payment to be delayed until the student takes their first test (5th Kyu) but we typically register before that. One of the primary benefits of being a member of the USAF is that all Kyu testing is officiated and recognized by the USAF, which in turn is recognized by the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. We do not withhold the registration from the USAF until a later period (such as at the Shodan test). This would be unethical and against the USAF bylaws. When this is done it is not possible to have a USAF recognized rank. The USAF annual dues are $30 per person and this is covered in your monthly dues.

Today was Logan's Birthday. Boy is he growing up fast.

Jason tested for 5th Kyu tonight and looke d really good! I was calling his test and about halfway through I realized that I could see his breath. I did a quick check and could see my own also. The heater said it was 50° inside and it was close to 38° outside. I was glad when he was finished and we could all get up and really start moving again.

I've thought about this for a while and I've come to a decision. Water Oak Aikikai will follow the USAF policy of White and Black belts only. Since, Water Oak evolved from Aikido of Charlotte we originally adopted the same color belt system that is used there.

Colored belts do have some advantages but they don't seem to be as relevant to our Aikido training as to other arts. They are a good way to recognize accomplishment, but I believe that Aikido should be an egoless endeavor. More often than not they are used to categorize people and I don't feel that is necessary in our training since we are all students of the art.

Ok, no jokes about not having electricity or windows. True, Weddington is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and the dojo does sit out in the woods, but still no hillbilly jokes. The electricians have run electricity from the house out to the dojo and installed the electrical boxes in the rafters for ceiling fans. The next step will be to install 3 ceiling fans and wire in the 4 sets of lights that we have.

We also installed windows this weekend. It took a while to put 40 panes of glass in, but it was definetely worth the effort. Everyone was complaining that 40°F is just too cold to train in a building with 360° of screened windows. Personally I thought it was rather invigorating <grin>

I want to express a special thank you to Brenda, Robert, Don, Steve and Kim K. Your time and effort absoultely made a huge difference in getting the job done. Thanks!!

I just wanted to comment on the level of commitment that the Water Oak students have been showing in their training. I know that is has been difficult on everyone while I have been traveling these last fews months for work. I really appreciate that you have each done your part to continue training. These last couple of classes I have seen obvious improvements in your Aikido and Ukemi, so thank you and thank Brenda.

I also appreciate your maturity. Not once did I hear of any one of the Water Oak students calling up to see if I would be in class and then deciding not to train when they found out I was still out of town. I see and hear this kind of "attitude" all the time in other schools and I think that it speaks well of our group that we are not doing it also.

Big hugs to Rachel. I just heard that she was promoted to Sandan at Winter Camp. Definitely a well earned accomplishment. See you in Cinnci!

Whew! Things have been frantic lately. I've been "commuting" to Florida for an assigment for the last 5 weeks and it looks like it will continue for many more weeks. In the little free time I've had I was able to setup 2 online stores. One is Water Oak Aikikai's Store and the other one is Aikido of Charlotte's Store. Check them out, they are definitely COOL! The profits are earmarked for dojo improvements.

The University of Noth Carolina at Charlotte celebrated their annual International Festival today. The festivities included various foods, cultural displays, dances and two Aikido demonstrations. Charlotte Aikikai (an ASU dojo) did a nice demonstration mid-morning that gave a good introduction to what Aikido is and how we typically train. During the afternoon Water Oak Aikikai and Aikido of Charlotte jointly gave a very dynamic and energized demonstration. It included nage-waza from various attacks, tanto-dori, tachi-dori, jo-dori, jo-nage and self defense. We were on the floor of the basketball stadium and the bleachers were packed with a very receptive crowd. Afterwards we had a chance to wander around and sample the cuisine. I want to thank everyone who participated and especially thank Brenda for her work in coordinating the whole thing.

Every once in awhile I have to stop and really think about some of the things that we are discussing concerning Aikido. Isn't it scary how often we speak without thinking. Having lived in Japan for 10 years I sometimes forget that I have a different view of "things Japanese". I'm not Japanese, but then I'm also not a typical American, so the way that I look at most things is a little skewed at times.

Every time we get a new influx of students or there are several promotions or a group of us attend a large seminar or camp the same series of questions seem to pop up concerning Sempai/Kohai Relationships.

Sempai and Kohai are terms used to categorize your relationship to those around you. If a person is your senior then they are your Sempai, if they are your junior then they are your Kohai. This is a very typical Japanese way of doing things. Very little explanation but an entire culture to support the true meaning. Unfortunately, this means that most non-Japanese people may never really understand it. I'm not professing that I understand this concept completely, but I am willing to try to share what I have with you.

Most Americans seem to twist the definition into something along the lines of: If a person is my senior then they are my Sempai and I'll obey them if I really have to, if they are my junior then they are my Kohai and they better obey me or else. First notice that it has changed into a my/me based definition and the insertion of the concept of obeying. Their view of the world looks something like this (they are the ***) where everyone is either above or below them. We will call this the "I" Perspective. First because it looks like the letter "I" and second because it is self centered.

Now lets introduce the 3 real knots in the whole Sempai/Kohai weave.

The criteria is not always well defined. Two Aikidoka have slightly different ranks. This would be easy from the "I" Perspective, the higher rank is the Sempai. But what if the lower rank has 20 years more experience and just never tests?
It is not fixed. It is very common for a dedicated and/or talented Kohai to surpass his Sempai and suddenly reverse the roles.
It is not absolute. The senior most Sempai in one setting (Aikido class) may be the junior most Kohai in another setting (like computer programming).

My interpretation of the Sempai/Kohai relationship looks something like this diagram. We will call this the "V" perspective for its shape.

 
                            S         K 
                             S       K 
                              S     K 
                               S   K 
                                ***

With this perspective things suddenly change from being self-centered to being responsible. Now no one is "below" me. On the one hand I have the responsibility to my seniors to learn from and follow their instruction and leadership and then to transmit their teachings and examples as purely as possible. On the other hand, I have the responsibility to my juniors to aid and guide them to the best of my abilities and to ensure their safety when they are in my charge. One great advantage of this pespective is its simplicity (and I'm all for keeping it simple). There's no need to worry about who is a Sempai or Kohai if you treat everyone with genuine respect. Some of my valuable technical lessons on the mat have come from observing and working with my Kohai.

I don't think that the Sempai/Kohai Relationship is designed as a means to suppress people or to avoid responsibility. I consider it as a way to categorize my responsibilites to those around me.

Below I've tried to show how the two perspectives differ in a couple of common situations.

Situation	The "I" Perspective	The "V" Perspective
Hakama folding at the end of class	Will begrudgingly fold their Sensei's hakama but not other Sempai's hakamas unless they are a high enough rank. Expect their Kohai to immediately take their hakama and fold it for them.	I will offer to fold each Sempai's hakama for them. Even if this means many will need to be folded. When asked by my Kohei I typically say "Thank you, but no." I appreciate the offer, but it is my responsibility to care for my own equipment. But there are times that I will accept if there is business or a task that I need to take care of. Then their help is definitely appreciated. I never expect someone to come and take my hakama for me.
Carrying uniform and weapons bags	Same as above.	I will offer to carry my Sempai's bags for them. Even if this means that I may need to make several trips. When asked by my Kohei I typically say "Thank you, but no." I appreciate the offer, but it is my responsibility to care for my own equipment. But in some training locations I'll "trade" with them, letting them cary the weapons bags so that they can all be placed in the proper place at once and I'll cary the uniform bags into the changing rooms. I never walk off expecting someone to gather my gear and carry it for me.
Teaching	As Kohai, they are typically excited to reach a position to be able to teach because then everyone will have to listen to them and they will be able to work on things they think are fun.	I would prefer to always be in the Kohai position. There is so much that I want to experience, learn and practice that I want to make the most of my mat time by trying to glean every little bit from my seniors. As Kohai it is my responsibility to pay attention and follow the instruction being given. But it's never just that simple. Everyone knows that there should only be one instructor on the mat. That as students we should not be teaching to our partners. But when I am training with a Kohai I understand that the instructor expects me to act as their guide so that we both remain safe and to keep our training moving (rather than waiting to ask for help).

Just to reiterate, I'm not trying to tell anyone how to interpret the Sempai/Kohai Relationship. Rather, I'm sharing my view in the hopes of sparking some fresh thoughts in our school.

We were talking the other day and some of my students feel that they are having trouble with their techniques. They were expressing that they felt like they were using too much muscle, and taking ukemi for them I would definitely agree. But I also think that they are right on track for where they should be in their progression through "The 4 Levels of being Self-Centered". Don't try to look this phrase up online or in a book, I made it up while we were talking.

You are probably already thinking that self-centered refers to your Ki, Hara, Kamae, Zanshin and Extension. That's not the kind self-centeredness I'm talking about. I am referring to when a person is self-absorbed. When they think they are the most important person. The typical "Diva". (I wonder what the masculine form of Diva is?) You know what I mean, the person who constantly interrupts because they aren't bothering to listen to what is being said. The kind of person who never considers the rest of the group. So I am using self-centered to refer to when a person, in their own mind, really only considers themselves. In America we typically frown on this type of behavior, but the concept is valid in this explanation.

1 Self-Centered on Personal Movement When a person first starts training in Aikido they are so overwhelmed that they have to narrow their focus to one thing, and as instructors we typically encourage this, moving their own body. Something as simple as "step forward" versus "slide forward" suddenly becomes very difficult. During this level the student is so engrossed in their own movement that very little else, if anything, registers in their mind. To complicate matters, part of the time they are Nage and part of the time they are Uke. So each technique requires that they learn two completely different sets of movements and practice them inter-mixed.

2 Self-Centered on the Technique With sufficient mat time the student begins to become comfortable with the basic movements. They start to execute the techniques and ukemi without having to think about every little movement. The techniques and ukemi start to become internalized. During this level the students can practice a technique in such a manner that the technique is easily recognizable and to the untrained eye would appear to work.

3 Self-Centered on Uke's Movement Once the student is fairly comfortable with a technique they start paying more attention to their partner. This is when they realize that what they are doing isn't always having the desired effect on their partner. Uke is not dropping enough, or going over fast enough, or taking a big breakfall. The typical reaction is to "do it better" which seems to always end up being "do it harder and faster". They become so concerned with making Uke respond in a specific manner that they often sacrifice their own technique, posture and extension. It is at this point that students seem to go backwards in their training, as if they forgot most of what they have already learned. Ironically, this phase often looks a lot like Phase 1.

4 Self-Centered This is the phase where the Aikidoka's movement seems natural and automatic. Whether as Nage or Uke the movement of the Aikidoka and their partner becomes almost effortless. In order to reach this phase the Aikidoka once again becomes completely self-centered and only concerned about their own movement. However, the big difference is that now the Aikidoka draw their partner and their surrounding environment into themselves. Just as a car pulls a trailer without "consciously" trying to pull the car. The two are connected and really become a single unit. The engine doesn't care if there are 4 wheels or 6, additional weight on a trailer or a full trunk. It just does what it is built to do and the car and trailer are along for the ride. This is very difficult to do. It requires that the Aikidoka be very cognizant of their partner's energy, movements and intentions, as well as their surroundings. They must be able to adjust with all of the subtle changes during a technique while not becoming reactionary.

Personally I think that being Self-Centered in Aikido is expected. It's a natural progression from the self-awareness that we don't know any Aikido to the ultimate goal of being One with the Universe by training in Aikido.

Your mind should be in harmony with the functioning of the universe; your body should be in tune with the movement of the universe; body and mind should be bound as one, unified with the activity of the universe. Morihei Ueshibah1 Founder of Aikido

Unfortunately, many Aikidoka never move beyond the second or third levels. When you do have the opportunity to train with an advanced Aikidoka that has moved into the fourth level it can be both an invigorating and calming experience. I know that sounds like two opposite reactions, but you'll know exactly what I mean when you feel it.

The last few advanced training sessions we have been exploring Henka-waza and Kaeshi-waza. Personally I've been focusing on the "ebb and flow" of the "engagement". In my mind I try to picture what my body is feeling and that image is very similar to the feeling I get when I stand shoulder deep in the ocean. When a swell rolls in I can feel it gently lift my body off the bottom and move it a short distance before setting me down. I can try to fight and keep my feet on the bottom and in one spot but it is pretty futile. No matter how hard I struggle the swell stays soft and gentle while controlling me. As the waves grow in size and power they are still gentle and smooth. So if I am in the right spot a 10 foot wave can lift me and carry me several hundred feet and then gently put me down.

If you've ever tried surfing or boogie boarding you're saying "Wait a minute, big waves aren't gentle. They can be down right devastating." Absolutely correct. The crest of the wave, that white water that crashes down, can drive you to the bottom and seriously injure you. My greatest fear while in the ocean on Okinawa was wiping out and being driven down into the coral and having my skin shredded. But, the wave was never trying to do this on purpose. It is just that an incredible amount of water and energy gets lined up in a particular way, and when released it literally comes crashing down.

Personally, this is what I think that my Aikido should feel and look like. So to summarize:

The wave doesn't care if you want to participate or not.

I shouldn't get caught up in the particulars of my partner's attack. I should embrace and absorb my partner's energy and movement and make it part of my own.
The wave doesn't try harder to make you move, it just does its own thing.

I shouldn't force anything to happen. If I am doing the movement correctly my partner will "want" to move with me.
The wave doesn't try to crash down on you. If everything is in place then it just happens.

I shouldn't try to turn up the energy just to make the throw. If everything is in place then my partner will just end up falling.
The wave is circular. All of the water (energy) that comes into the shore returns beneath the next wave.

I should never move only in an outward direction. This will take away my balance.

Well Jonathan, Don and I made it through another Summer Camp. This year the weather was actually pretty nice. The classes were still really humid, but outside it was much cooler. Attendance was pretty light this year. A real shame since Suganuma Sensei was really nice to train with and Kanai Sensei taught 2 classes of Sutemi-waza. Testing was held and it was great to see Katy from Open Sky and Richard from Atlanta pass Shodan and Sandan. I truly enjoy the camps/seminars. The training is hard and the people are nice. I made some new friends and reinforced the old friendships. I was particularly impressed (moved) that so many people took the time and effort to hunt down our website and check it out during the week. Especially since I never gave out the web address. Thanks for the support everyone. I can't wait to see Yamada Sensei in Atlanta in September and Kanai Sensei in Raleigh in September.

When I was growing up on Okinawa we lived with lizards. They were everywhere, including in the houses. At first it was a little unsettling but once we realized they are the best way to keep bugs under control we started to thing of them more as pets. My Mom always tells the story that while I was little, 3 or 4 years old, I couldn't say "lizard" and always called them "ursurd". Anyways, during class yesterday we had a pretty green lizard hanging out in the dojo. It was probably 6 inches long or so. It just sat on the wall and watched class. I'm going to keep an eye out for it over the next few days, and if it hangs around we'll name it Ursurd and have a new dojo mascot.

We recently reworked the test requirements for the Children's Aikido and I finally got them up on the website.

When I got up this morning there was a foot bridge in the middle of the yard, between the house and the dojo. Brenda has taken on the landscaping projects and she built a bridge yesterday. We plan to have a waterfall uphill from the dojo to the right of the house that flows down toward the center of the dojo, then turns across the front of the steps and ends in a pool to the right of the dojo. So, we needed a bridge over the stream. That reminds me, I need to plan the water pump into the dojo's electrical scheme. Anyone know an honest electrician near Charlotte?

I finished screening the eaves today. It was really hot but I was pleasantly surprised to feel a cool breeze flowing from inside the dojo out through the eaves. The next project is to put up 3 ceiling fans and lights then run electricity from the house to the dojo. We can do all of the work and wiring except to patch into the house's circuit box. It's incredibly hard to find an electrician who will do the work at an honest rate.

Jonathan took his Ikkyu test at Aikido of Charlotte tonight. We pushed him really hard and he did a really good job.

I was working on the dojo today and it occurred to me that I wanted to share some of my thoughts about Water Oak Aikikai and our training. So I decided to start this weblog. I worked for about 2 hours before class and an hour after putting up small screens in the spaces between the eaves, side wall and ceiling. Not too difficult, just tedious because I had to move the 30 foot ladder for each screen (37 per side). I was able to get one side finished. While I was working there was an incredibly beautiful butterfly with black wings highlighted with blue. It would sit on my ladder, moving out of the way when I was climbing up or down, then landing again as soon as I got out of the way. When I went into the dojo for class it literally followed me in. It had not gone anywhere near the door until I did. As we sat in seiza, breathing and preparing to start class we could hear several different species of birds just a few yards away and watched this butterfly flit around. Randy commented that it must be the energy that the dojo was giving off. He may have something there. On another positive note we signed up a new adult student. It warms my toes that things are working out so well with this new dojo.