Event Reviews
1st Annual Junior Fun Day - April'08
by Sarah Baker
A beautiful day was had by all at Mission Bay Auckland. On April 5th 2008 Aikido Shinryukan ran its kids fun day at Mission Bay Auckland. Fortunately (running against the expectations of most Aucklanders) the weather was kind and made for a fun day for all the participants both young and a little older.
The Kids Fun Day event was hosted by Aikido Shinryukan, Hombu Dojo in Auckland. Organisors Takase Shihan and Jeanie Benson Sensei welcomed over 45 kids onto the mat. Instructors were Brent Beaumont Sensei from Waitakere Dojo and Denton Perry Sensei from Kawhia. New club Ellerslie Aikido also brought a number of young members along with their Sensei Greg Mayo.
Enthusiasm was in abundance everywhere. The event consisted of two kids’ aikido classes and a BBQ. The unique setting of an aikido class against the picturesque backdrop of Mission Bay beach brought many members of the public to in to ask questions. Adult trainers couldn't keep themselves out of the picture also joined in came and trained on the mat between the kids classes. All there were entertained by the sight of so many children in their dogi and various coloured belts. Kawhia youngsters were also treated to pizza and ice-cream before their long drive home.
There was a lot of assistance given by parents and adult dojo members and the BBQ heroes were especially important! Special thanks to Scott Campbell of the Mad Butcher New Lynn who generously provided for the BBQ.
Kids from all over the beach front came and joined in on the days activities.
38th National Annual Gasshuku - March'08
by Sibon Li
Masuda Shihan & Kevin Allen Sensei I had little expectation walking into my first ever Gasshuku. Though I was an observer the last time Masuda-Shihan was teaching in Auckland, I was merely months into my Aikido training and knew that I would not have fully appreciated his lessons.
As training began, I soon realised that my thoughts weren’t unfounded. Masuda-Shihan displayed great knowledge of Aikido which was evident in the precision of his techniques. Every movement he made seemed to be carefully calculated towards perfection.
Masuda Shihan totally relaxed while performing Rippo It was remarkable to see a man of his age and size move larger and stronger opponents with great ease, not to mention take break falls better than many of us. His energy and sense of humour kept liveliness amongst the crowds, maintaining interest towards his teachings.
In addition to Masuda-Shihan, we were treated to a wide range of styles and techniques from local instructors. Enthusiastic participants contributed to a great training atmosphere and made the event enjoyable. This Gasshuku was a great learning experience and has made me understand and appreciate previously unfamiliar concepts in Aikido.
We look forward to seeing Masuda-Shihan and everyone together again next year
38th National Annual Gasshuku - continued
by Sarah Baker
The 38th Annual Gasshuku recently took place in Auckland March 8 - 11 2008. Aikidoists from all over New Zealand came to learn from Masuda Shihan. In addition to the many New Zealanders training we also had a large contingent of Aikidoists from Noumea, New Caledonia who came with their instructor – Marc Cessio. As well as Masuda Shihan’s teaching senior instructors from around New Zealand also instructed.
Masuda Shihan explaining a variation of Rippo The gasshuku took place over four days. Masuda Shihan has a light hearted teaching style and the gasshuku was relaxed and informative. He emphasised precision in technique and application to all levels which was useful for junior and senior members alike.
Of course gasshuku’s do not simply happen and much planning goes into the event. This year it is thanks to the members of the Aikikai Committee and the other people who helped make this event work so well. A national gasshuku would not be complete without the social events that bring together keen practitioners from around the country.
For many of us it was an opportunity to catch up with old friends and to make new ones. The Saturday night dinner and training and other festivities were well worth the year long wait.
38th National Annual Gasshuku - continued
by James McNeill
Masuda Shihan demonstrating Tanto Tori Shomen Uchi Gokyo I still enjoy my normal weekly classes, but, the more classes the better, and there aren't many chances to do more classes that at the national gasshuku... four days with nothing but aikido and aikido related socialising... four days away from the family in a different city... four days of being lost and confused... four days without sleeping or eating properly... four days of drinking too much and still making all the classes!
That sets the scene for what I was expecting, heading up from Christchurch, for my second national gasshuku in Auckland. Even as a relative newbie, it's great to see so many familiar and friendly faces.
The guest sensei was Masuda Shihan from Honbu dojo in Japan - a great technician and teacher with over 50 years Aikido experience, and a direct student of O'Sensei. I always enjoy the chance to train with him, even if his classes seem more subtle and more confusing than some!
Masuda Shihan demonstrating Tanto Tori Yokomen Uchi Gokyo We're a lucky bunch in Christchurch, and Masuda Shihan had just spent a very relaxed month with us, teaching a few classes each week – when the golf course was closed! He had warned us that he would have on a sterner face in Auckland, but this didn't happen, he was happy to keep a mellow pace, suitable for all levels. Even when we were being gentle he would constantly remind us "MORE GENTLE!" emphasising position and lines of movement over strength. This, of course, seems a lot harder and more confusing that it should be, but the few times things worked were awesome!
The other instructors, Takase Shihan, Andrew Williamson Sensei, and Alan Wade Sensei, all seemed to follow the mellow lead of Masuda Shihan – probably because he was often watching from the sidelines. This seemed to suit the number of people on the mat (there was a good turn out each day) and the hot Auckland weather (at least it was hot by Christchurch standards).
For me, the benefits of the national seminar aren't related to the specific techniques that were taught by each instructor – so I won't give you a breakdown of the classes – instead the benefit comes from:
1. training with people that I'm not used to
2. looking at techniques from the point of view of different instructors
3. and by focusing on aikido for four days
It's this combination that can really shake up your aikido - unfortunately not magically making it better, but instead hinting at what's to come later on.
Masuda Shihan always at his best during a seminar In addition to the training we had plenty of chances to socialise off the mat. Lunches at the nearby foodcourts provided familiar food and a chance to mingle between tables - while searching for a decent coffee. The malls are also a handy place to buy toy helicopters for the motel room and to find out where people would be drinking that night.
I would like to send thanks to following: Masuda Shihan and his wife for spending time in New Zealand with us; to Takase Shihan for hosting the gasshuku, along with the numerous Auckland contingent that worked hard to make it happen; to the Wellington crowd for socialising at the Howick Motor Lodge, and to those that travelled from New Caledonia and made their gasshuku seem so appealing!
I'm already looking forward to next year, I hope to see plenty of you there!
All photos coutesy of Aikido Shinryukan Canterbury
An Interview with Alan Wade Sensei - Gisborne
by Jeanie BensonAlan Wade and his dojo held an excellent seminar to commemorate 40 years of Aikido training. Many Aikidoka from all over the North Island came for some excellent training and teaching.
Alan Wade Sensei guest Instructor at the
Hong Kong Aikikai 35th AnniversaryThe seminar was taught by Alan Wade Sensei 6th Dan with guest Instructor Nobuo Takase Shihan and we all had the opportunity to benefit from some really interesting philosophy. The Gisborne dojo members were really welcoming to us all and we really appreciated the warm hospitality, the great food and the company. While there, we had the opportunity to interview Alan Wade Sensei and learn about his fascinating time with Aikido. Read on!
When did you first begin Aikido?
I first saw Aikido in Leicester, England in late 1966.I joined the local club after I met an old friend Fred Brown. He told me to stop wasting my time in the pubs and clubs of the town. (I didn’t and don’t think that was wasting my time at all!). Anyway I went along for a look at this “Aikido” thing. Fred was graded 6th kyu and he learned by going to Birmingham each Tuesday night to practice there. Then on Wednesday he would show us (as well as he could remember), what he had seen the evening before.
This went on for a few months until we heard about this young Japanese 6th dan that had started up in London and was interested in forming a national organization His name was Kazuo Chiba and we knew nothing about him. We had already mastered techniques such as “sheer agony” and “koteg-ouch” – but we needed more! So we invited Chiba Sensei to visit our dojo for a weekend each month to get us up and away on a “crash course”. In between his visits we would go to wherever he was running a seminar in the UK as well as the week long summer schools. Our training went from once a week to 3 – 4 times per week and in the end, almost every day.
Who was your first Sensei and what did you learn from him?
From Fred we learned the basics and one of the most important lessons of all – that you can create something from nothing. All you need is the interest and enthusiasm – there are no boundaries, or limits!
From Chiba Sensei I learned the meaning of both physical and mental pain, how to accept them as part of the process of creating the correct attitude to condition body and mind. He was renowned for his hard aggressive techniques, but we were unaware of this at the beginning. We believed this was the correct way, so we trained with equal vigour and aggression for years. Our bodies became strong, yet supple and I really did feel good all over. Chiba told us that the dojo is “a battlefield where we fight to defeat our own ego – this is the hardest fight of all! Those early years of severe training were the foundation of our understanding of Aikido.
You’ve obviously been teaching a long time. Where and when did you first begin teaching? How has your teaching changed over your 40 year career?
When I arrived in New Zealand and moved to Gisborne in 1975, there was no Aikido club established here. So I borrowed the Judo dojo one day a week for a while and there I taught my first real class. My techniques in those early days were as I knew them – hard and strong. But as time has moved along and my own age creeps up I have became gentler. My techniques have improved and are more correct but softer. Teaching alters with time and this is due to the influence of the other Aikidoka one trains with. It’s a process of always learning, always correcting, and always improving. The biggest influence comes from ones own students – they teach you more than you realise.
When did you first join Aikido Shinryukan?
I can’t honestly say when I joined Shinryukan because it was so long ago. But I am glad that I did because of the training and great people I have met over the years. There are always the opportunities to visit so many clubs throughout the country and train with new Aikidoka.
A lot of people travel to interesting and exotic places to learn Aikido. Tell us about your favourite places to travel and do Aikido?
I have visited many countries and trained there and all were memorable. I have trained in the UK, New Zealand, Rarotonga, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Caledonia, and of course Japan. I think I enjoyed them all about the same. Hopefully there will be some more wonderful places in the future that I can visit.
What advice would you have to offer for a young Aikidoka?
Alan Wade Sensei guest Instructor at the
Hong Kong Aikikai 35th AnniversaryAdvice to young Aikidoka—well –everyone is different (I noticed this at an early age). But the best way to progress is with enthusiasm, nothing was ever achieved without enthusiasm. Ask questions and then more questions, train long, hard and often but mainly just enjoy what you are doing. Maybe take notes but don’t concentrate too hard on learning – make sure to have lots of fun and the knowledge will come. I guarantee it! I still do it for fun because once it ceases to be fun then it becomes a chore and the enthusiasm fades. It is a lifelong experience so take your time. Don’t create heroes and remember that the person you are trying to control is yourself because your partner is there to help you with this. Build your techniques like a brick wall with good foundations. You don’t need to build the wall, you only lay bricks. The wall is then created from your effort, not by you. Good Aikido techniques are built the same way.
What do you think Aikido can give people?
Aikido creates self-discipline where one gains self-control and self-respect which lead to a good feeling of physical and mental well-being. And at the end, you have a workable self-defence form which you can enjoy often by training with many like-minded people.
What advice would you have to offer the more experienced practitioner on how to still enjoy Aikido after many years?
Enjoying Aikido after many years. It really starts at the beginning, learning break falls, correct body movement and always stretching and warming up before training. It’s important to avoid injuries early on - especially shikko because if it’s done incorrectly it can ruin ones knees all too soon! What one person can do, anyone else can do too. There are people who have a limb short or no feet or some other disability and they often succeed. So with two feet and two arms we can find nothing to stop us, only our doubts. Being alive is a wonderful place to be but it can’t be experienced from an armchair. Get up, get a grip and laugh at anyone who says you are too old. “Ha Ha I say to you!” I have a passion for Aikido that has been in two thirds of my life, so any advice to anyone who has trained for many years would be futile. By this time it is such an important part of your life and is totally enjoyable anyway.
What do you think are the major benefits of Aikido to people’s lives?
Aikido has benefits in many ways. The physical training creates a healthy, fit body and builds good posture. It keeps the body toned and supple, while breathing properly encourages good blood flow too. One learns harmony which overlaps into daily life and helps us in our work or social lives to overcome some of the hassles and problems that occur – with calmness and purpose. Aikido is a hobby to be enjoyed. As such it creates a wide circle of friends, gives one a purpose in life and may give the opportunity to travel. But for the Aikidoka the best thing is a great feeling of wellbeing which comes from the fitness and the confidence and positive attitude.
What is the most important benefit Aikido has brought to your life?
As a young person I was painfully shy and couldn’t manage to speak unless it was really necessary and was something simple. My mother wouldn’t send me to the shop because I would go to pieces if I was asked anything. I never pushed myself and in the beginning I think I kept on with Aikido because I wasn’t brave enough to not go on. As I made progress I sort of expressed myself with my training. I now had something I could hide behind and the more I improved the bigger the shield was between me and the outside world. As I improved, so my confidence grew and I had something which became a support. I soon found I could stand up in front of a class and confidently teach .I would think “You are not looking at me you are looking at my Aikido”. I believe that my time with Aikido has made me what I am. Of course I still am a little shy when it is me just being me, but I am a million times more confident than those years ago.
Alan Wade Sensei 6th Dan Aikido Shinryukan Gisborne New Zealand Gambate everyone – see you all over the next 40 years!
Alan Wade’s time and influence
in Aikido Shinryukanby Colin Pearson
My first meeting with Alan Wade was at a Tauranga Aikido Seminar when he joined NZ Aikikai and Aikido Shinryukan. Since then I have attended many seminars with Alan and been to seminars he has run in Gisborne.
His Aikido is an example to us all of precise relaxed training with joy and vigour. The seminar celebrating his 40th anniversary showed that age (21 for the third time) does not diminish his skills but enhances them.
Those who think they know Aikido should take stock. I have students who at 40 bemoan their lack of fitness. O Sensei said himself that he was only just developing Aikido and that was shortly before his passing at 86.
Alan has great taste, his consumption of Guinness & Scottish Herbal Tea being phenomenal (hence limitless energy ). Alan travelled with us to Japan for the 8th congress in 2000 and on the first evening managed to help Billy Orr and myself empty a bottle of Scottish Herbal Tea. ( Single Malt Whisky)
This was 20 minutes after training before dinner and the party that followed. Next morning Alan was up and at it while others were sleeping it of. His energy is to be envied.
Aiki is the power of harmony between all things
Polish it ceaselessly
You people of the wayO Sensei
Gambatte! Alan
Regards Colin
- Aikido in New Zealand – Self defense, fitness, confidence -
Aikido
Shinryukan
Hombu Dojo
16 Aberfoyle Street
Mt Eden,
Auckland
New Zealand
Email:
Phone
0064 09 379 3777
A/Hrs
0064 021 779 179