Aikido Blog
Positive Change
Sensei, I don’t know this technique. I can’t do it! How come she can do it and I can’t. I’m no good. Why must I do that, I don’t want to. It’s his fault I didn’t learn. Is anyone saying these phrases ready to change?
Acquiring a new skill is like changing a bad habit. We have to get pass the ‘I’ factor. As in I’m not ready to change. Look at your Stages of Change model; people must be ready for change. We can’t force it on them.
A parent that was bullied as a child about their weight will have difficulty when the topic of weight is brought up about their own child. Think about how racism is passed on, in some schools of thought it is listed as a mental illness, but through fear and the inability to get over this fear, racism continues to exist.
Identify what you must change. Accept that you are changing for the better. Accept that it will take time. Accept that you are not a bad person by needing to change a bad habit. Accept help from others, sometimes we can’t do it alone.
So the next time you feel the fear of falling in class; Identify that this is a bad habit, accept that you can change it, accept that you are not a bad person by failing the first time. Persevere and try and try again until you succeed in being the best ‘try’-er. Later on you will look back and see that you will be the best ‘do’-er!
2011 comp pics redone with Instagram
Reminiscing about last years International Competition and with my new Instagram App at hand, I’ve made some artistic retouches of a few classic pics. Enjoy!
Aikido in Kent weekend
We all had a great weekend in Folkestone Kent, going over the basics of Shodokan Aikido. Endo Sensei as a former Deshi (full-time tutor) of Shodokan Hombu is as close to Nariyama Shihan as possible for understanding Shodokan Aikido. My sincerest hope is that the other groups attending have understood and will continue to improve their practice.
Our trip to Osaka 2012 – Part 1
We flew from Heathrow to Paris (40 mins). Then Paris to Osaka (11.5 hours). The main flight was good. Lots of films and “refreshments”.
When we arrived in Osaka we looked into getting a taxi to Tennoji but it was a very expensive (£400 for the 4 of us). We decided to take the train which was pretty quick. It cost 1000 yen (£8 / £9) and took about 45 minutes to get to Tennoji.
Matt and I are staying in the Tennoji Miyako hotel which is just over the road from the train station and only a 15 minute walk to Shodokan Hombu.
The jetlag hit us a little but made worse because we didn’t sleep on the plane.
If you don’t have any yen with you when you arrive you can get some from the 711 just around the corner.
Next post on it’s way soon…
Aikido Coaching Course London March 2012
We are very excited to be hosting a BAB coaching course in March 2012. The course is open to association approved (1st Kyu and above), from any BAB club or association. It’s a great opportunity to learn the core skills needed to become an Aikido instructor (or teach another sport / martial art).
BAB Coach Level 1
BAB Tutors Ann and Steve Billett
Saturday 24th March 9am to 5pm
Sunday 25th March 10am to 4pm
Cost £55
Central London Shodokan Aikido Club
Albion College
23 Bloomsbury Square
London WC1A 2PJ
For more information on the Aikido Coaching Course details visit the British Aikido Board website.
London & Hove Shodokan Aikido Festival 2011
Pictures from Sunday session of the L&H Aikido Festival. Sorry we couldn’t do pics from the Saturday. We were all rather busy bouncing around!
Competition in Aikido
CLShodokan Sensei’s view on Competition;
The word ‘Competition’ is an insufficient way to explain what happens when two individuals/ groups meet in a Shodokan Aikido tournament.
Most of the time, these groups have trained using the same syllabus and under the same senior instructors. There is also an understanding of etiquette, respect and common skills being honed, implicit in our training. This is usually lost to the onlooker.
As a tutor I use many tools to evaluate my teaching and students learning. Demonstration, being the major tool.
Kata (wiki) is a tool which informs both the student and myself that the knowledge has been absorbed, internalized (mastered) to an extent! Doing something once is Ok, doing the skill when necessary and under pressure is true mastery.
Kata by its nature cannot teach us everything, as there is usually a designated winner and a loser in kata practice. How difficult is it to train a student to react ‘proactively’ in a tense situation, where there is risk. How do I train someone to maintain mental focus under pressure?
Randori (wiki) is my method, as designated by the Shodokan Aikido syllabus, I could use other methods, but Aikido is what has brought people to me.
With students who have a basic understanding through kata practice, what’s next; a true test of application, demonstrating that they have mastered the skills they have been learning. We translate that description to the word ‘Competition’, insufficient as stated above.
Movember, Grow your Mo, Grow your Mo!
”Let’s face it, men are known to be more indifferent towards their health, especially when compared to the efforts of women, who proactively and publicly address their health issues in a way not traditionally seen with men. As a result, today the levels of awareness, understanding and funding for support of male health issues, like prostate cancer, lag significantly behind causes such as breast cancer.
The reasons for the poor state of men’s health in the UK and around the world are numerous and complex and this is primarily due to a lack of awareness of the health issues men face. This can largely be attributed to the reluctance in men to openly discussing the subject due to longstanding traditions, coupled with an ‘it’ll be alright’ attitude. Men are less likely to schedule doctors’ appointments when they feel ill or for an annual check-up, thereby denying them the chance of early detection and effective treatment of common diseases.”
Excerpt from http://uk.movember.com/mens-health/, really important health news.
Michael McCavish @Shodokan South East
A set of YouTube video’s of Michael Sensei/ Scott and myself training with Shodokan Aikido South East.
Sporting skills help in everyday life
Found these whilst browsing through Men’s Health Aug 2011
Sporting skills help in everyday life
Increasing physical activity helps you think faster. Scientists asked a group of athletes and non-athletes to cross a busy ‘virtual’ street while on a treadmill. The athletes looked around more, processed information quicker and were best at getting across unharmed. This ability is honed by the myriad split-second decisions during a tennis rally or football game. (and we would expect from hours of Aikido training!!)
Meditate to live longer
It is well known that meditation has psychological benefits: studies show it reduces stress, which in turn lowers blood pressure and boosts your immune system. But a new study found that there’s also a direct physiological benefit: it can slow or reverse the ageing process at the cellular level. Researchers examined the chromosomes of regular meditators and found that, compared to a control group, their telomeres-which play a key role in cell ageing – were longer. Shorter telomeres make you more vulnerable to heart disease and diabetes. So stop what you’re doing and grab your lotus position. (yes, yes Aikido is sometimes called ‘moving meditation’!)
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