Aikido Kenkyukai West Ryde

Hiroshi Tada Shihan, now 95 years old, gives brief description to inrokyu, go no sen, sen no sen, and sen sen no sen.
In reference to how “Ueshiba Sensei would not give the opponent a chance to attack, but rather initiated the movement by sending forth his own ki…”

“That was known as the ‘cultivation of magnetism’. It involves a keen sense of kokyu that draws the opponent out like a piece of steel being instantly attracted by a magnet. There are three situations: You move first; you and your partner move simultaneously; your partner moves first. The technique is the same for all of these, really, and what is important in the end is the sort of state you maintain inside. If you look only at the outside form-for example, if you view techniques only as a means of self-defense-then you won’t be able to understand their overall meaning. They have to do with ki, not just the simple interaction of two physical bodies. Training is like a mirror reflecting your sensitivity to ki. The clearness of the mirror is the most important issue.”

Hitoshi Tada Shihan 9th dan
Interview Aikido Journal 2012

It’s with great sadness that we farewell a shining light in our dojo and across AKI Australia. Farewell Vee. In recent years you taught us all so much about commitment and dedication. We will miss your beaming cheeky smile and quick wit. ❤️

Remember that connection exists even when there is no physical contact. Recall that there is also a mind body connection. If we are sensitive and ‘in tune’ with our partner, we can sense his body and his reaction. We are seeking to connect or unify our energy with that of our ukes.
If we have too much tension in our own body, our sensing connection ability will be hindered. So refrain from forcing to make connection happen since uke will reflexively resist this anyway.

Honor the physical connection we establish when performing technique.
As well, acknowledge the integrity of the space created between uke and nage.
Space is not empty, it is informative.

G. Breeland 6th dan

We recently had the honour and pleasure of acknowledging 3 fantastic gradings by members of our dojo family at Ryde Aikido. Congratulations to Veronica (Shodan), Andrew (Nidan) and John (Godan) on your recent achievements. We are all so very proud of you ☺️

When working with the Jo, remember to move your body around the weapon, not vice versa. When we strike or thrust, the body is aligned with the Jo.
Try not to contract inward. Try not to push or pull with the shaft.
Move from either tip.
Even when we employ the Jo like a lever or use it in a kayaking motion, our brains remain focused at either tip.
With expansion/extension thrust forward from the foot through the hips and center, into the arm and fingers, onto the Jo and all the way to the tip.
There should be no breaks in this kinematic chain.
Study the alignment of the body to create a continuous open pathway from the ground that extends well past the tip.

-G. Breeland, 6th dan

The Japanese war fan, or tessen (Japanese: 鉄扇,てっせん, romanized: tessen, lit. ’“iron fan”’), is a weaponized Japanese hand fan designed for use in warfare. Several types of war fans were used by the samurai class of feudal Japan and each had a different look and purpose.Types of Japanese war fans:A tessen (iron fan) on display in Iwakuni Castle, JapanGunsen (軍扇) were folding fans used by the average warriors to cool themselves off. They were made of wood, bronze, brass or a similar metal for the inner spokes, and often used thin iron or other metals for the outer spokes or cover, making them lightweight but strong. Warriors would hang their fans from a variety of places, most typically from the belt or the breastplate, though the latter often impeded the use of a sword or a bow.[citation needed]Tessen were folding fans with outer spokes made of heavy plates of iron which were designed to look like normal, harmless folding fans or solid clubs shaped to look like a closed fan. Samurai could take these to places where swords or other overt weapons were not allowed, and some swordsmanship schools included training in the use of the tessen as a weapon. The tessen was also used for fending off knives and darts, as a throwing weapon, and as an aid in swimming.]Gunbai were large solid open fans that could be solid iron, metal with wooden core, or solid wood, which were carried by high-ranking officers. They were used to ward off arrows,[citation needed] as a sunshade, and to signal to troops.

Free online discussion THIS SUNDAY 22 January 3pm AEST
AikidoVillage online zoom discussion hosted by Melanie Lindenthal on 'Women in Aikido', presenters Assunta Morrone, Clare Engel and Joanne Martin
all genders/gender identities welcome to participate

use this link to join us:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83037264801?pwd=dU5mNEJDeGJ3VEJuVVlJKzFBVHUrUT09
Meeting ID: 830 3726 4801
Passcode: 928122

for more information on AikidoVillage please see website at https://village.aikidocommunity.org.au

Hope to see you there!

Thanks for a great 2022 and we wish you all a safe and enjoyable Christmas-New year break. We will return to training on Tuesday 31st January and are looking forward to a great 2023!

2022 Wrap up:
After a challenging couple of years with COVID disruptions 2022 was a year of reconnection for our dojo. With a slow and steady return of many old faces and a few new ones, the energy in the dojo has continued to grow and grow, and we thank everyone for their support and dedication throughout 2022.

We enjoyed training with other dojos at three special weekend training camps throughout the year – Easter in Canberra, Winter in Orange and our end of year ‘Friendshukku’ in Mittagong – all led by senior instructors from various dojos across the country generously sharing their insights.

And 2023 has more in store: West Ryde dojo is proud to announce we will be hosting the 2023 Easter training camp. Depending on the international COVID situation we are hopeful we may be able to host a Japanese instructor once again – stay tuned for more details!

In the meantime have great holiday and we look forward to seeing you again on 31 January 2023.

Ryde Aikido

Hi all, apologies for late notice but aikido class tonight will be canceled due to illness isolation and other absences. ☹️
HOWEVER We will be back on deck as usual Thursday 😁😁😁 !!!!
See you then