by Robert Wolfe
Thank-you to Amdur Sensei
It’s
hard to believe, but the “capstone” seminar with Ellis on November 7th to
9th was actually his eighth visit to Itten Dojo. The seminar was very
successful, concluding the foundation level retooling our aikido curriculum. On
Friday evening, the instructor cadre reviewed with Ellis the Taikyoku kuzushi ¾
the five movement “themes” underpinning our practice ¾
with particular attention to how we are attempting to integrate internal skills.
Two sessions Saturday were open to all members of the aikidokai, and were
devoted to tweaking our Honden Waza, the 14 techniques forming the core of our
technical repertoire. On Sunday morning, the instructor cadre reconvened to
present to Ellis the current state of our close-contact range and ground
fighting curriculum.
We
have some homework assignments coming out of the seminar, but overall Ellis was
very pleased with what he saw and he noted in a subsequent e-mail that he is
very proud of what we’ve accomplished. For our part, we’re especially
grateful for the critical role Ellis has played in our dojo over the past seven
years, and we very much look forward to continuing the relationship into the
future. Although this was the final, “formal” seminar, it’s not likely the
last time we’ll get together.
Ellis Interview
There
is a very interesting audio interview with Ellis available for download from URL
http://usaikido.com/?p=21.
The interview was conducted following Ellis’s seminar at Oberlin College
earlier this year, and in it Ellis addresses a variety of topics directly
applicable to our practice. Definitely worth a listen.
Additional
Toho-Iaido Practice
There
are now 10 people training in swordsmanship at our dojo, five of whom do so
exclusively, and that merits more than one practice each week. Consequently,
starting in January, there will be a new toho-iaido practice on Saturday
mornings from 8:30 to 10:00 am, prior to the aikido class. Although the 9:00 to
10:00 am open mat period is being eliminated, aikido students should note that
there will still be limited mat space available for warm-ups and practice prior
to the start of class at 10:00. As well, this Saturday morning sword practice
may afford an opportunity for aikido students who’ve had a desire to train in
swordsmanship, but who were unable to add an additional day at the dojo to their
schedule. Please note, too, that the toho-iaido syllabus has been posted in the
Notes section of the Members Area of ittendojo.org.
Ki
/ Kokyu Practices Open to All
The
Wednesday evening practices focusing on the internal skills exercises we’ve
received from Mike Sigman are open to all members of the dojo, not just the
aikido students. There’s no question that internal skills are equally
applicable to weapons work, and given that our overall objective is an
integrated weapons / unarmed practice, members of the toho-iaidokai should take
a serious look at the Wednesday practice. Note that no keikogi are worn ¾
just “normal” workout clothes.
Holiday
Closings
Please
note the calendar changes for this month. The dojo will be closed:
Wednesday,
Dec 24 ¾
Christmas Eve
Thursday,
Dec 25 ¾
Christmas
Saturday,
Dec 27 ¾
Just because we’re taking a break
Wednesday,
Dec 31 ¾
New Year’s Eve
Thursday,
Jan 1 ¾
New Year’s Day
In between the holidays, the dojo will be open for a regular toho-iaido practice on Dec 29 and a regular aikido practice on Dec 30. The (new) normal schedule will resume on Jan 3, with toho-iaido at 8:30 am and aikido at 10:00 am.