Bugeisha aikido ruislip

Tuesday nights training was a natural continuation of the bokken work we began at Sunday’s seminar in Poole — and you could really feel we were stepping things up a level.
The instructors at Bugeisha Aikido Club placed a strong emphasis on timing, technique and coordination — with particular attention to hip movement, which makes a huge difference. Richard, Marek and Wayne shared their experience and knowledge in a relaxed, and at times very humorous, atmosphere — exactly how good training should feel.
A great evening in excellent company and a brilliant mental reset — two hours to switch off from everyday challenges that really makes a difference.
The doors of Bugeisha Aikido Club are open to anyone who wants to begin their journey in this unique martial art.
We train every Tuesday, 8:00–10:00 pm in South Ruislip.
Join us — start your Aikido journey

We might recall that when we first started to practice aikido we were very concerned with the arms and the hands, the wrist locks and throws, and how to be strong enough to control our partner. This is what we first saw, this is what we perceived. We may have used a lot of upper body and arm strength because strength was all we could reference at the time. The aesthetic flowing movements, the powerful throws, the control, really seemed to come from having a strong upper body and arms.

Eventually, we came to understand that it was actually the lower body that drove movement forward, that power comes from the ground and is driven by the center - but changing was difficult. Especially if we had previously been successful using arm strength.
The hope was that as we practiced and became more and more familiar, we would learn to relax -shifting the energy downward, dropping the shoulders, and naturally assigning the weight toward the undersides.
Oddly enough, even knowing this concept cognitively does not make the physical shift easy. Habits are hard (tho not impossible) to extinguish because they become ingrained in the brain's neural pathways.
However, with awareness, mindfulness, and attentive focus, the paradigm can shift. We learn, we unlearn, and then we relearn.

G. Breeland, 6th dan

“Aikido, in its true Ki form, is a fierce art piercing straight through the centre of opposition.“

“Aikido is generally believed to represent circular movements. Contrary to such belief, however, Aikido in its true Ki form is a fierce art piercing straight through the centre of opposition. The nature of the art being such that you are not supposed to adapt yourself to your partner by making a wide oblique turn of your body but are called upon to find your way onward while twisting your hips.
Since you are practising Ki exercise in this particular instance, you are expected, ideally speaking, not to touch your partners hands and feet. This does not mean that the act of leading your partner’s Ki and thereby adapting yourself to and harmonising with him may well be omitted. Real Ki exercise is the ultimate form of flowing exercise.”
After performing Ki exercise the Founder once observed that: “I am what I am today precisely because I have been carrying on solid exercises for as long as 60 years”.

-Morihiro Saito Shihan, 9th dan

“There is no such thing as failure in Aikido; only opportunity, reaction, adaptation, evolution.”

“You must be studying what is difficult for you, not what is easy. This does not mean difficult struggling with Uke, it means struggling with your own temptation to “do what you know.” You must be making mistakes, even in front of your students; how you respond to your mistakes is a very important element of leadership.
You must practice shugyo, and discover your weaknesses.
You must identify and study the things that you cannot do, but that others can. No matter how old you are, you can continue to accomplish things you could not do the day before.
You must find new insights, seek new changes inside yourself.
You must be willing to challenge your beliefs, the things that you believe are facts, the foundations of your skill and knowledge…you must not treat today’s attacker like yesterday’s attacker, you should seek that what you know to be true of Aikido today can be different than what you knew to be true yesterday.”

-Mitsugi Saotome Shihan

Excerpt from article “Saotome Sensei on Getting Stuck on the Mountain”, fr Aikido Chuseikan, 2016

Original article:
https://tampaaikido.com/articles/saotome-sensei-and-getting-stuck-on-the-mountain/

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Get better at #falling 🤓 With these 5 easy steps you can improve your #ukemi. Share it to someone who struggles or save this video for later.

Our first class for the year will be tomorrow at 8pm at South Ruislip community centre. If you want to try something new or come back to training after a break feel free to come and join us. First class is always free.

“Once, when I asked Aikido’s Founder, ‘What is the most important thing in martial training?’ he responded as follows:

‘Proper conduct in everyday life-because getting along well with others and showing respect for others is part of the art of not making enemies and not leaving yourself open to attack.’”

Excerpt from “A light On Transmission”
by Mitsugi Saotome
P. 44

Where our club started, Sensei Pat Stratford.

A few pictures from our course in Coventry yesterday at Zanshin Ryu Aikido