The Seidokan Communicator, July 2003

8/14/2019 The Seidokan Communicator, July 2003

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July 03

The Seidok an Com m unic at or

Aikido for a Modern Way of LifeSummer Camp

By Barbra RodriguezAikido summer camp in Kalamazoo

was wonderful, with much of thethanks going to Mark and JaneanCrapo and Michigan students, who

obviously spent a lot of time makingsure all the details were ironed out.Plus the weather, which topped out in

the low 70s, couldn't be beat, andthere were lots of opportunities to seeold friends. Im sure I missed out on

some great classes, since at least twowere going on at most times, buthere's some of what I learned:

Eli Landau from Aiki Dojo in Israeltaught a great class on responding toshoulder grabs. He emphasized

stepping in and off-line early, so thatyou "traded partners" with your uke.He also emphasized that uke should

"track" nage as they stepped off-lineas would likely happen in a real attack.

Dan Kawakami provided severalclasses using his calm,

common-sense approach to Aikido.And at the beginning of practicing

Katatetori hantai and katatori hantaimoves, he had John Braden fromMichigan demonstrate some Tai Chimoves to drive home the importance in

Aikido of placing a foot first beforeshifting your weight onto that foot.

Michiyo Kobayashi, with Mrs.

Kobayashi's input, led a Ki trainingsession focused on the four principlesto unify mind and body. There were

also reminders during aiki taisowarm-ups of the importance ofmaintaining one point as instructors

performed ki testing on students.Several "younger" instructors also

were featured during camp, including

Ben Doubleday, who gave a nice classon ways to use Aikido principles tohelp out someone in danger or to turn

other ugly situations into moreharmonious ones. For example, heshowed a simple movement to

respond to a choke hold being appliedto you or to a friend.

THIS ISSUE- Summer CampImpressions!

- Teaching Purpose

- Dojo Flooring

- And More!

Besides regular training sessions,the Crapos provided some unique

offerings thanks to the extra day ofcamp. They included:- a banquet Friday night, followed

by demonstrations of many martialarts provided by local practitioners,including some who train in

Seidokan. We were gifted withdemonstrations of the flowingswordwork and silence of Iaido, the

quick push-pull of Judo and katasfrom Karate and other arts,including a demonstration of how a

dart on a string or a wooden oartraditionally would be used asweapons.

As diverse as the demos were,they all drove home the messagethat a physical response to a threat

is considered a last option, and thatdifferent arts share some similarunderlying techniques, as was

evident from Stewart Chan, Senseiwhispering Aikido names for sometechniques on the sidelines.

- a Q&A session about instructingthat addressed questions like howto handle insurance issues and how

to structure a single class or seriesof classes. The variety of answersprovided lots of food for thought.

The camp as a whole did thesame. It also helped rejuvenate myinterest in practicing Seidokan and

in particular arts that I had anopportunity to see in a differentlight, thanks to the great instructors

and I look forward to Camp inAustin next year!

Reflections on CampJohn Mollitor

I thought back in January, when it was

cold and snowing, Camp will never gethere, it is a good 6 months off. Thenwhosh! Here it has come and gone just

as fast as that first thought I had back inJanuary. Thankfully, I had the joy otraining with some old friends, and some

new ones too. It again was a great time.Another day in heaven, we are blessed.

It appears that no matter how long

camp lasts; it is always too soon over,leaving me with that same hunger fomore, like a meal never fully consumed.

Parting with friends one wont see untilthe next time is sad, but one can lookforward to the joy of seeing them at the

next camp.I found this camp to be a unique

experience. I made it a point to attend

classes with some instructors I had notbeen able to study with before. I foundthat to be an exciting way of approachingsome of the teachings. I also found a

common thread running through all theclasses I was able to attend was the use

of a gentle soft movement in executing atechnique. Rather than forcing it, theidea of just letting it happen. I know, know, Ive heard it many times before

and it will be good for me to hear it overand over until I can demonstrate that inall my technique. I enjoyed every class

and every instructor. My only regret isthat I didnt get to attend every class thatwas offered. I made many very hard

choices. Perhaps sometime in futurecamps there will be a way to attend everyinstructors class.

I truly enjoyed the comradeship andattentiveness of all the people who madethis camp such a great success -- from

the great demonstrations to theimpromptu Music session. Which jusfurther supports my pet theory tha

people who study the arts are thegreatest people in the world. If everyonewere to have the love and respect for our

fellow beings that I see at camp (forgivemy bias), there would be no wars, onlypeace! My Thanks to all!


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2What is the underlying purpose of our

teaching at camp?(A question answered by Mrs. Minoru Kobayashi,

translated by Michiyo Kobayashi - who hopesshe was able to translate the meaning and feeling

correctly.J)

The purpose of teaching (particularly at camp but alsoin general) is to explain the movement of the waza(technique) and how it is applied in a basic format. By

using the Principles, applying them to the movements andexplaining/showing them to the students is of #1importance and responsibility of our instruction. Teaching

at camp is part of the instructor's training and development.This helps us develop new ideas from others by practicingwith them or by watching them. When you have higher-

ranking students practicing with lower-ranking students, thehigher-ranking students can feel and observe what's goingon and can learn from them, which in turn should help your

instruction of the technique.

The purpose of teaching at camp (for both lower andhigher-ranked students/instructors) isnt so others can

purposely caution, critique or chastise the instructor. (Thiswould be destructive criticismor an example of satsujin ken the sword that destroys.) Our purpose or goal is to give

instructors the opportunity to train and help develop whatthey're teaching and to help make it better. (The feedbackone gets from other instructors and students being a form

of constructive criticism, aimed at helping one improve, or aform of katsujin ken the sword to let live.) At camp, youmeet all kinds of people...different styles of attack and

ukemi so the technique might have to be adjusted a bit fora particular person or situation.

My mom said that she may see something from the

side of the mat and offer advice to the instructor, but it's notmeant to be a negative critique and blast the instructor.She hopes that people don't mistake her intentions of

wanting to see individuals teach. Some should be teachingwithout question. She also knows that students are movingup in rank and yet, some she's never seen practice, let

alone teach. So when camp comes around, it would benice to see them participate and share, especially since weall get together only once a year. Teaching at camp is an

opportunity for instructors to grow... as she's been saying,we need to train the younger generation of Yudansha.She's been stressing that the Chief Instructors (especially

the seniors) should help guide their black belts in using the

correct Principles so that they can grow and eventually helpcontinue spreading the Seidokan Principles.

As teachers, we should be learning all the time bypracticing, experimenting, etc not just by words. Nomatter how high in rank one gets, the learning should

NEVER, NEVER stop. If it stops, that's when the egostarts to inflate. Teaching at camp is not used as acheckup mechanism, but a learning tool. Teachers learn

from students and vice versa. What's correct and what'snot correct should be discovered within oneself. This iswhat you would call shugyoor training.

Aikido and Mrs. KobayashiCompiled by Larry Wadahara, Mark Crapo, Amy

Shiotani, and Michiyo Kobayashi

Personal BackgroundMrs. Minoru Kobayashi was born to a kyu ka (old

family), in a small village, on the island of Sado, which islocated in the Sea of Japan. Due to her father's work as aschool principal, she and her siblings would change

schools every few years. However, she ended upgraduating from the high school located on Sado Island.She then moved to Tokyo to attend college, Showa

Women's University, and continued to live there aftegraduating with her Bachelors in Nutrition and a Certificatein Teaching and Administration (principal level) at the

Middle School and High School level.Mrs. Kobayashis first job was working as an Executive

Secretary to the head of the Engineering Department fo

Fujimori Kogyo Co. Ltd., for 2 years. Due to the longdistance it required her to travel on a daily basis, she chose

to leave this company to work in the Accounting/HumanResource Department and also the Sales Department atanother company closer to her home, Kanko Kogyo Co.,Ltd. She was employed as a direct assistant to the Headsof these two departments for about 10 years. During this

time, she also worked directly under the companyPresident. Back in the 1960's, most women in Japan wererelegated to subservient roles with little authority, so it was

virtually unheard of for her to hold such positions and workwith upper management. She took advantage of theseopportunities and gained a great deal of experience from

working at these two companies, which in turn helped hergreatly in her future.

Meeting Tohei Senseiand the Formation of Ki no Kenkyukai

With the passing of Aikido founder, Morihei Ueshiba,

Tohei Sensei decided to resign from the Aikikai Hombu andcreate his own path. He, along with five of his Yudanshabegan searching for office space. (This is where her boss

and the company President of Mrs. Kobayashis second job, Kanko Kogyo Co., Ltd, came into the picture.) Heboss belonged to a professional's group and this group

decided to support Tohei Sensei. Her boss temporarily lenout the second floor of his warehouse to Tohei Sensei toset up his office, this led to an open house for the office

employees. Regular classes were then held at the TokyoOlympic Center Gym. Due to her boss's connection withTohei Sensei, she had the chance to personally meet and

practice under him.Mrs. Kobayashi and nine other individuals from he

company were sent to practice with Tohei Sensei. After

about two years she was the only one left from KankoKogyo that continued to practice.

With the completion of his office in Tokyo and the

summer months approaching, Tohei Sensei made plans tocontinue his yearly seminars in Hawaii. The students,

(Continued on Page 3)


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3Aikido and Mrs. Kobayashi (continued)

Mrs. Kobayashi included, formed a support group andwanted to send with him a gift of some type. In order toindicate whom the gift was from, they came up with the

name Ki no Kenkyukaior the Ki Society.

Taking Class with Tohei Sensei

During her practice with Tohei Sensei, he concentratedon teaching Ki Development since he had made anagreement with the Aikikai not to teach any Aikido waza

(techniques). Therefore, they learned such Principles likethe correct way to extend Ki, the correct way to lead theother person's Ki as well as the correct way to use Ki.

While his Aikido Yudansha deshi (students) automaticallyreceived the Koshi (lecturer) certificate, Mrs. Kobayashi,along with the others, were required to take an

examination. She received the Assistant Koshicertificatefrom Tohei Sensei.

*** TO BE CONTINUED ***

Mrs. Minoru Kobayashi

A Joyful and Vibrant MannerBy Russ Robinson

There have been several occasions over the years that Iwanted to contribute something to the Communicator, but

when I went to organize my thoughts I always stopped. Isuppose it was because I had convinced myself that therewere people far more qualified than me to discusstechnique, and that there were people far more qualified

than me to discuss utilizing the four principles in their dailylives.

Basically, Ive always been the wallflower and I have

never had a desire to be one of the pillars that WedellSensei mentioned in one of the previous SeidokanCommunicator closings. I think it was that invitation more

than anything that convinced me to try to put somethoughts down on paper. More importantly, however, is that

after having experienced summer camp this year, I thoughtthat I absolutely HAD to write something. I still believe what

I said before about technique and the four principles, so Iwont write about that. What I will write about is something Itook away from camp, and something I hope to share. After

all, they say everyone takes away something different.In one of Kawakami Senseis classes, he mentioned that

O-Sensei truly believed that the world could change

through the Art Of Peace. Aiki is not a technique to fightwith or defeat the enemy. It is the way to reconcile theworld and make human beings one family. I never thought

that O-Senseis vision was attainable, but after spending afew days with my fellow Aikidoka, I began to understandwhat he meant.

In my daily life, I encounter all sorts of people. I neverthought much about it before camp, but I dont really get toshare a very large and important part of my life with them.

But for four solid days in Michigan, I saw at every turnanother person who loved Aikido as much as I do, whostrove as much as me to bring the four principles into their

daily lives, and who recognized, on some level, the unity ofmankind.

Terry Dobson, in his book Its a Lot Like Dancing, saysthat Increasingly, there is nothing separating us. You arebunch of exploding atoms and so am I. What separates usis everything in us that wants to separate from each other.

Once you let go of wanting to separate, you can begin tosee that we are all one. Indeed, I could feel that at camp ina very visceral way. There was always a smile, a nod, a

genuine warmth and willingness to share. For four days felt like I was amongst my own. At the same time, however,I felt the urge to extend that feeling of peace and harmony

to those on the outside of our little group.Getting a whole weekend amongst those who attempt to

see the world as O-Sensei envisioned it gave me a glimpse

of what the world might be like if everyone practiced AikidoIt was because of this experience I realized that Aikidowont change the world by convincing everyone that peace

is the answer. What it can and does do, is change the worldone person at a timefrom the inside out. In Its a Lot LikeDancing, Terry Dobson says Some people can change

their lives drastically through Aikido. Im sure that incrediblethings happen to people who windsurf. Its stunning, thepower that people have to transform themselves. But it is

important to remember that Aikido is not croquet. Aftecamp, I began to realize that each of these people that hadchanged through Aikido would go back to their lives, and

ultimately affect those around them. Perhaps this is what O-

Sensei meant by reconciling the world.I cannot sufficiently describe the sense of peace and

harmony that four days at camp filled me with, and I cannotdescribe how grateful I am to those that organized andattended camp for that experience. I dont know if it

changed the way I do Aikido, but I do know that it changedme a little on the inside for the better. Even those aroundme who know nothing about Aikido could sense tha

change in me. O-Sensei said that one should alwayspractice the Art of Peace in a joyful and vibrant manner.Thats exactly what we did at camp, and I only hope I can

carry that over into my life and maybe live joyfully andvibrantly.


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4My Thoughts on Summer Camp

David HalonenI had been in Aikido for only about a month when I

heard of this summer camp. I thought it sounded like fun,

but as my training progressed, I realized that I didnt knowsquat, and I thought I must be insane to even think of goingto this camp. These guys know what theyre doing and Im

going to get either hurt or embarrassed. Probably both. Icertainly did not want to embarrass Sensei Lewis.

I should not have worried. For one thing, in the 3 to 4

months I have been training, Sensei Lewis taught me theaiki-taiso and the basics very well, and the other thing iswhat this note is all about.

The help and assistance I received from one and all atthis camp was incredible. From Mrs. Minoru Kobayashiteaching me the proper stance and the holding of the

bokken, to Stew Chan Kancho showing me the cobra(snake) nikyo technique. Also his rendition of Karate Kid (Ihave the picture) was great. The help I got from Eli Landau

after the Jogi #1 helped me with the right way to hold the

Jo, and from Michiyo Kobayashi I learned how to hold thebokken correctly. There were far too many people that

helped me out personally that I cannot name them all.The fact of it is, is that this camp was incredible. Sensei

Crapo did one heck of a job putting this together. It was

organized great, teachers and classes were awesome, andall the students, regardless of rank, were friendly, helpfuland all had a great attitude. I wish I wouldnt have waited till

I was 50 to join this group, but at least Im here now.I would like to thank again Sensei Crapo, his group and

the Seidokan Aikido organization for putting on this camp.

P.S. Sensei Crapo, this is my vote for Hawaii in the future.P.P.S. Ben Doubleday, I believe its tenague and

hotsumaki, right?

Mrs. Kobayashi sharing a humorous moment at camp.

Constructing the Flooringfor Your Dojo

By Bruce FoxWhen the building was finally finished, we built a very

springy floor in the little jewel of a dojo we have here inPalmdale. The three quarter inch plywood floor is

suspended above the slab an inch and half by pads andone by two boards. The boards are laid out on a diagonalpattern, forty-five degrees from the perpendiculars of the

room to allow an even suspension and still have the upperpads be able to tie the corners and edges of the plywoodtogether.

In the two pictures you can see the layout, with theupper pads at the corners, edges, and midway points onthe plywood, and the lower pads at the midway points on

the one by two stringers. This arrangement allows the oneby two stringers to operate as springs. The thickness andspacing of the pads allows the flex to bottom out without

breaking the stringer. A critical element in constructing thissort of floor is the selection of the stringers. You need a

bunch of them, and each must be selected from the pile athe lumberyard. They need to be straight, with very littletwist. Examine each for knots. A small tight knot that goesthrough the thin section of the wood is okay, but accept no

board that has a large knot, a loose knot or a knot that runsthrough the thick section of the board.

There are things I wish I had done as I had put the floor

down. I nailed the lower pads into the concrete with apower-actuated nailer. It would have been better if I hadput down some construction adhesive first. There are a

couple of places on the floor where the lower pad pulledaway from the floor, and those places are a bit noisy. I canactually get a drumming sound doing tekubi shindo in one

place. A dollop of adhesive would have prevented thatAside from that, this is a very nice floor and makes takingrolls much more pleasant than mats that lay on a slab.


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5

Mark Crapo Sensei in TokyoBy Chris Koprowski

Students of Seidokan Aikido of Tokyo enjoyed a visitfrom Mark Crapo Sensei while he was in Japan on a

business trip last March. Although he had a very busyschedule, he offered to lead our regular Saturdayafternoon class.

Mark Crapo Sensei first showed us an excellentpartner-stretch routine than we continue to practice onand off. He then took us through the evolution of

Shomenuchi-ikkyo, starting from the traditional Aiki-kaiHombu style--then modifying it to show how we canblend with the strike if we understand Ki flow. Then he

showed us an earlier Seidokan version: a springcompressing down and then springing back up, followedby a more current version: the spring compressing down

and the bottom falling out--with uke's hand falling to theground as one enters.

After that, Crapo Sensei taught us Shomenuchi

Irimi-nage. He first demonstrated a couple old-style

versions before teaching a recent Seidokan version. Wealso practiced it from a Munetsuki strike.

After showing and practicing an escape from a frontchoke, Crapo Sensei showed how to move into Sankyo.We then did the same thing but as a 3rd person

bystander. One person was attacking another andanother came to their rescue. We also did the samechoke with three people but with an Ikkyo save.

Mark finished the class off by showing some balancepoints which he teaches police and how we can use themto blend and control a partner that isn't attacking. It's

possible to move them when they just want to stand still.He also taught us how to use them when one person waschoking another from behind. Again, as a bystander, you

can use the balance points to strip the attacker away,safely.

We'd like to thank Crapo Sensei once again for taking

time out from his busy weekend to visit our class. Wedon't often have visitors so it was very refreshing gettingdifferent perspectives from a senior Seidokan instructor.

We look forward to his next visit! Domo arigatougozaimasu!

Seidokan Aikido in Tokyo, Japan.

You know you've been spending a LOTof time at the dojo when

By Barbra Rodriguez

You know youve been spending a LOT of time at the dojowhen:

- Every level patch of grass seems like an invitation to"test drive" your standing rolls

- A bathrobe doesn't feel comfortable unless you tuck the

right flap underneath the left flap

- You feel the urge to bow every time you enter a room

- A hug from a friend brings on the urge to do makiotoshi

- You automatically tuck the tines of your "spork" into yourhand to protect passersby while walking in a fast foodjoint

- It's a shock to see some of your good friends in everydaystreet clothes rather than a gi

- You notice your knees are aching, only to discover thatyou've been sitting seiza while doing everydayactivities

- You feel the urge to say "hai" anytime you want to agree

with someone

- Every handshake feels like a good time to applykotegaeshi

(Examples contributed by Barbra Rodriguez, Jason Taff,Christine Johnson, and Richard Harnack, Sensei, AikidoInstitute of Mid-America)

Pictures from camp.


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Doing Aikido While SeatedBy Bruce Fox

One of the more intriguing sets of techniques shown atsummer camp described situations in which Uke was

seated next to Nage. Mark Crapo Sensei showed severalsuch variations that are well worth practicing. Below Idescribe one of the techniques he showed along with a

couple of photos.In this attack, uke drapes her arm over nage's neck.

Nage grasps uke's hand with his far side hand. To do this

nage positions the hand palm out, thumb toward the center.Nage slides this hand up onto uke's palm down handsliding nage's thumb into the thumb-index finger gap of

uke's hand, but not all the way up to the base of the thumb.At that point nage's forefinger can come across uke'sknuckles and apply a nikyo. Nage leads uke's hand over

nage's head and shows it to uke. At this point uke is in afirm nikyo. To extend the control, nage uses his near handto guide uke's shoulder into nage's lower chest area or

elbow joint. Then nage can change hands on the nikyo,

freeing the far hand and giving very effective control of uke.And who says you cant practice Aikido while waiting at an

airport!****

PROMOTIONSRokudanMark Crapo AIA/Aikido Institute of Michigan, Seiwa

01/07/03NidanWilliam Joseph Long Seidokan Aikido of So. Carolina

03/23/03Keith Larman Aikido Institute of America

05/04/03

Aurora May-Hernandez Aikido Institute of America05/04/03

Sal Hernandez Aikido Institute of America

05/04/03ShodanPhil Cornelius Seidokan Aikido of So. Carolina

03/22/03

Congratulations!

CALENDAR

Friday through Sunday, September 5-7, 2003: JogWorkshop hosted by the Aikido Institute of America, led

by Joe Crotty Jr. and Larry Wadahara. For moreinformation, please email [email protected] or cal(323) 254-3372

Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12, 2003: TheUniversity of Texas Aikido Club is pleased to announcea seminar with Dan Kawakami Sensei. For more

details, email [email protected].

SUMMER CAMP 2003!

The Seidokan Communicator, July 2003

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Transcript of The Seidokan Communicator, July 2003