Christian Tissier Shihan - Seminar Details

More details on the Tissier seminar this year are up on the Shoshin Aikido Montreal - events page. Karl Sensei spent a week training at the "Easter Camp" in France w/Tissier sensei last month, and it's been nothing but fun at the dojo since he got back. Hopefully this year I'll get to take some more ukemi from Tissier sensei, and be less hesitant when he calls me up. That guy can throw like nobody's business. Wow. Anyway, this is an awesome opportunity for aikidoka all over the place, and there's a decent discount if you register early... so, hopefully I'll see you in Montreal this August.

Seminar Details:
30, 31 August 1st Sept
10:00 - 12:30 / 15:00 - 17:00 (Sat + Sun)
10:00 - 13:00 (Mon)
Registration Form

Seichiro Endo Shihan - Toronto Seminar - Recap

I spent the last weekend at the Endo Shihan semianar in Toronto, Canada. The seminar was hosted by Naka Ima Aikikai. A group of us from Shoshin Aikdo Montreal drove out to Toronto and stayed at the dojo. Much thanks to Greg Angus Sensei, and the whole Naka Ima crew for showing us a great time, and organizing an excellent seminar.

The kernel of the weekend seemed to be the importance of good ukemi, as well as not competing with your partner while training. Endo Shihan also wanted us to listen to our bodies more, to pay attention to our own balance both while taking ukemi and while applying technique.

Over the course of our training, Endo Shihan gave us many pointers, both verbal and physical, as to what our roles as ukes, nages, and aikidoists should be. Some of the things he said, as I recall them:

• Graded people have a responsibility to take good ukemi.
• Beginners can't learn good ukemi unless the higher ranked people have good ukemi.
• The best nages are also the best ukes, working on your ukemi, helps your nage waza.
• There are more options in being soft and sensitive than in being hard and strong.

On the second day of training, Endo Shihan did something I hadn't seen any other instructor do at a seminar, he berated us for not wearing slippers (flip flops, shoes, etc) off the mat, and then told us by not doing that, we were effectively training on the bathroom floor. One other suggestion he made, concerning behaviour, was to be more mindful of our bowing, both during shomen rei, and while bowing to our partners. He commented that we tend to bow too quickly, not being aware enough of what is going on in our bodies, and with our breathing. Bow slowly, he suggested, and be in your body.

On a technical note, we did primarily exercises from grabs (mostly katate dori) with one notable exception, we spent some time working with yokomen uchi. During all of these interactions, Endo Shihan stressed natural movement, and the importance of being relaxed. He trained with almost all (if not all) of the seminar participants over the course of the weekend and so we were all able to grab on and take ukemi for him. I never saw him use any more force than you would excert to lift a glass to your mouth, regardless of the size or relative strength of his uke. He constantly stressed connecting with your partners "ki" as a critical element of aikido.

Overall the seminar was an incredibly positive experience for me, and I hope to attend again next year. Endo Shihan embodies what I feel is the "aiki spirit", and it was a pleasure to grab onto him, and learn what I could from a weekend seminar. Endo Shihan left us with a question: "What makes a good uke?" He asked us not to answer right away, but to spend a year, two years, three years even, thinking about it.

Seichiro Endo Sensei - April

Endo Sensei will be in Toronto this April, more information here: http://www.nakaima.ca/news.html I've never trained with Endo Sensei, but from everything I've heard and seen, it is a seminar that should not be missed. I'm going to try my hardest to make it this year. Toronto is only a few hours away.

Here's a clip from youtube:

Shodan

I'll be testing for Shodan on March 7th, 2008 at Aikido West in Redwood city. My teacher, Karl Grignon Sensei, was gracious enough to offer to have me test in front of his teacher Frank Doran Shihan, one of the pioneers of Aikido in North America. I am greatly honored by Karl Sensei's offer, and am looking forward to the test with a mix of nerves and excitement. I suppose I should be used to that by now, and I feel it's a good thing. A little nervousness has always played an important role in my preparations for a test. In any case, if you happen to be in Redwood City that weekend, it would be great to have you on the mat, training and having fun.

Also, lest we forget, shodan, or "first level", is the beginning.

Tres Hofmeister Sensei

Tres Hofmeister Sensei will be back at Shoshin Aikido of Montreal March 14th, to 16th. Last year's seminar was a ton of fun, and this year promises more of the same.

Here's the flyer w/more information:

Tissier Shihan 2008

Well, it looks like Christian Tissier Shihan will be back in Montreal this year! Here is a clip from last years excellent event:



Watch the Shoshin Website for details.

Donny Taking Ukemi for Dan Sensei