Highland Aikido

Honored to be part of a great organization..

Congratulations to Ben Korenblitt on testing and passing his 3rd Kyu test 👍👍

Congratulations to Greg Heath on his promotion to Yondan (4th degree black belt)

Congratulations to Ben Korenblitt on his promotion to 5th Kyu, great job 👍👍

Congratulations to Peri Harris on her promotion to 1st Kyu.. great job..

Congratulations to Ben on his promotion to the rank of 6th Kyu...

Congratulations to Peri on her promotion to 2nd Kyu (Brown Belt)

Congratulations to Peri for testing and passing her 3rd Kyu test... Great job...

Written by Sensei Lewis years ago which still applies to today....

The Empty Cup

It has often been said that if we keep doing the same thing, we will get
the same results. This is also true of our martial arts training. If we have had
no formal training we may react to a threat only by natural instinct. Concerns
with this approach are that the response is undeveloped, untested and
unreliable. We, therefore, are acting out of desperation and are unsure of the
probable outcome. This unpolished approach will, more than likely, result in
repeated failure. On the other hand, if we have had some level of formal
training we may tend to rely on that particular form of training as a remedy for
every threat situation. This response may or may not be a good philosophy, but
it limits us to our current skill level. It will eventually become a barrier to
greater learning. In life we know that to quit learning is to regress unto
death. The moment we quit learning is the moment when our life begins to fade.
So, how could we overcome this barrier?

Classical martial arts philosophy provides an answer in the analogy of
“the empty cup”. Too often we hear people say “Well, I learned to do it this
way. So, I am not going to do anything different.” In doing so, they miss the
opportunity to acquire greater learning. Why? It is because their cup is full.
As a full cup cannot receive additional substance when it is filled to the brim; so,
the mind cannot acquire greater knowledge when it rejects a different or new concept.
Learning a new way does not negate what you have already learned. Conversely, it broadens
or adds to your storehouse of knowledge. It increases the quantity and quality of
“weapons” in your arsenal. To acquire greater learning we must (temporarily) put
aside that which we already know to enable ourselves to receive greater
knowledge. What we already know will be easily recalled when we need it. So, by
(temporarily) emptying our cup we allow ourselves to add to what we already
know. We now have more options. We are now better prepared to deal with the
unusual circumstance. The outcome is that we are better prepared to deal with
any type of challenge that threatens any aspect of our lives.

Charles Lewis, Sensei

Congratulations to Greg Heath on his promotion to Nidan(2nd degree black belt)!!! Great job 👍👍👍

I'm honored and humbled to be promoted to the rank of 8th Dan Shihan today by ISO.

Starting September 2023, kids classes will be offered on Wednesday and Thursday nights at 6-7pm. You can register for these classes through the Avondale website.