Wonderoom

Yesterday a stunt woman from “Hollywood” came by our dojo to get a feel for Japanese swordwork. I didn’t really have a chance to talk to her; Sensei just told me she was from Hollywood and wanted to know how to handle a sword. It’s cool that she wants to be more authentic. Of course, the other side of it is that it takes hours and hours of training just to know how to make a basic cut, how to hold the weapon, relax the shoulders. There are so many little details. It’s the land of make-believe, however, the realm of the dramatic. God forbid anyone learns how to fight from the movies. Read more »

I was supposed to write an essay about Aikido in my daily life as part of my sandan promotion. I was also supposed to make a post on my blog (according to my own internal taskmaster). So in order to address these imperatives, I am going murder two birds. Or at least take pot shots at one bird while sort of smushing the other. Or at least I’m going to mangle a proverb.

Lately I’ve been pondering the integration of the upper and lower body, mainly because I have to teach it. I think it might be automatic for me at this point. My arms are conduits for my whole body, every technique is executed with alignment. It feels good, because there was a long, hard road to this point. Read more »

I was just promoted to sandan in Aikido. Third degree black belt. It was a bit of a surprise and, I think, a little premature. I was just getting used to being nidan, to maybe settling into my center more and getting a better sense of timing and distance. My relationship to Aikido has definitely altered in the last few years. I used to be so hungry to get better, to take the most ukemi (throws) from Sensei. I wanted to be one of the “big dogs” out there kicking ass. Now, not so much. Read more »