In This Issue:

From the Shimoseki:

Using The Four Elements of Power

Perspective:

Our Responsibilities

Sensei's Corner

Possibilities

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The leaves have turned and started falling, the bite in the air hints that winter is on the way and class attendance is creeping up as students return from their summer forays. As nature starts slowing down - the dojo starts picking up. There's probably some Zen parable to insert here but we'll forgo the cerebral gymnastics and just say, "Welcome back!" to our returning members and "Welcome aboard!" to our new members. As some of you have seen, the mat is starting to get a little threadbare. To that end we have started getting estimates on replacing it and we're looking at the $2500 - $3000 range. Ouch!

We'd like to have something in the works by January so if you'd like to make a donation or have a fundraising idea, please run, don't walk, and see Richard Worth. We'll take all the help we can get! Finally - sensei has noted a marked absence of help in preparing the dojo for keiko. This is something we shouldn't need to be reminded of (see Perspective further on). This is our dojo and its condition is a direct reflection on our spirit and us. Let's make sure things are neat, clean and ready to go before we begin practice. ~See you on the mat!

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From the Shimoseki

-Robert Lidov

Using the Four Elements of Power

I was driving home from class yesterday, embarrassed, frustrated, and angry. Sensei had me go through a mock test of my aikido skills in preparation for my next kyu test. I failed miserably…at least in my mind I knew I could do better. Sure I know how to do the different waza. In fact, I am pretty confident in the application of the skills I have acquired thus far in my training. It is just that when the time comes to apply them, while under scrutiny, I tense up and lose my composure. I need to relax. Ah yes, the mantra of all aikido sensei to their students; "relax, Relax, RELAX." It was then, while driving home, rehashing the day's experience, when it suddenly dawned on me, karate. Karate? Why would I think about karate in aikido? Aikido, like Karate, is a martial art, so why couldn't I apply some of my six years of karate training to aikido? Then I remembered the "Four Elements Of Power."

When I was a white belt (in karate) one of the first practical theories my sensei impressed upon me were the Four Elements Of Power: Breath. Focus. Stance. Speed. By integrating these four elements, one can become a more efficient and durable fighter. But can I apply these to my Aikido training? 1. Speed Speed kills. Apply a technique too quickly, without proper training, and you are certain to lose control. Remember, slow is good. Start slow, connect with uke, and go with the flow. Over time, with proper training, you can start to speed up your technique until it all becomes "second nature." 2. Stance In aikido we generally use one stance - hanmi. It is efficient, strong, and balanced. By maintaining a good hanmi you can keep your "center" while "stealing the center" of your uke. Know how to move and transfer your weight. Feel your uke's structure break down and exploit it. In aikido, the first to lose their center will be the first to view the world from their back. 3. Focus Focus is one of the most misunderstood of the "Four Elements." It means concentrate on your opponent, understand the dangers around you, and also evaluate your environment.

Is there one uke, or are there four? Is there room to maneuver, or is your space confined? Is uke armed, and if so, with what? 4. Breath I have saved the final element of Breath for last because, while it seems like the easiest and most natural of the elements, it is always among the most important. Everyone has to breathe. From our first moments on this earth, our first lesson begins with a sharp slap on the "tuchas". WHACK! We are breathing. In the martial arts, however, we go from breathing to learning HOW to breathe. Without controlled breathing, or remembering to breathe, fatigue comes on quickly and your endurance and technique begin to fail. Losing or holding ones breath in extreme circumstances is a common symptom of fear or high adrenaline and it becomes its own enemy. And here is where we learn to relax. By taking a deep breath and clearing our minds we can get back to the business of perfecting our technique. It's obvious that the "four elements of power" from my karate background can be applied to aikido. The use of "Breath, Focus, Stance, and Speed", when applied correctly, will help us to relax, and thus, improve our technique. Once our technique is better we can then move with more fluidly and naturally, a goal of all aikidoka.

Overheard on the mat:

Age doesn't always bring wisdom.

Sometimes age comes alone.

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Sensei's Corner

Possibilites

-Jerry Smith

When we take an interest in something and want to learn more, we can go about it alone and follow a process of trial and error or we can find someone who has experience and can guide us. Someone who can show us possibilities. In the budo, trial and error, for obvious reasons - is not the preferred method. So we seek out a teacher. But not just any teacher. In a course of study where serious injury or death are among the pitfalls, the relationship between student and teacher takes on a depth generally not found in other endeavors. When I began practicing I was fortunate to find a teacher I connected with. Through time, dedication and A LOT of ukemi he guided me, refined my spirit, discovered my shortcomings and helped me begin to change them. He exposed me to new ideas, challenged my preconceptions and set me on a path of continual learning and self discovery. He opened possibilities. When I left my original dojo and began teaching at the Aiki Shoshinkai I became the head instructor. It was my turn to help students discover their potential. For the next five years I focused on the dojo trying to make it strong while also balancing work and home responsibilities. During this time I also became dissatisfied with my aikido. Not technically - being something of an aikido vagabond allowed me to experience and learn from a variety of different teachers, but there was no connection. I felt I was missing a piece. Something that was there before had gone.

In 1998 I attended the AAA Summer Camp in Kenosha, Wisconsin. During camp Toyoda Sensei asked to speak with me. This was the first contact I'd had with his organization and I was very interested in meeting him. We sat and talked for an hour, about my background, our dojo, and his background and of course his organization. I was immediately taken with his character. He laughed often and spoke openly and honestly. To spend that amount of time with the instructor of a small independent dojo, to me, was an amazing thing. He offered his support, help and suggested that we [our organizations] get to know each other better. I agreed. Later, as I watched him on the mat, his personality filled the room. He genuinely cared not only about aikido, but about every person there. Over the next year we attended several meetings with Sensei and went to classes that he taught. Occasionally these visits included a post work-out beer . . . or two. Here was more talk. Always offering encouragement. Always constructive criticism. Always sharing his thoughts, ideas and goals - his possibilities. I felt a connection beginning. In 1999 I formally petitioned to affiliate the Aiki Shoshinkai with AAA. Sensei accepted our request and we officially became his students. This year on July Fourth, Toyoda Sensei passed away and his passing affected me much more than I let show.

In the short time I was privileged to be his student he reawakened in me the reason I study aikido. Not merely the technical skill or physical conditioning, but the connection between people, lifting each other from what they are to what they can be. I will miss him greatly. Thank you Sensei for my missing piece. Thank you for the possibilities.

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