Can you wrap like the Japanese?

Gift giving is a big deal in Japan.  Japanese people always bring back some kind of gift for their friends and co-workers whenever they visit someplace other than where they live.  This gift is called an omiyage (お土産) pronounced oh-me-yah-geh.  In Japanese culture, relationships are very important.  The gift is not supposed to be ostentatious but rather something that one brings back that is reminiscent of one's trip.  Usually, it is some local food that the place is known for called meibutsu or some people bring back some type of chotchkie.  When one goes away, they leave others behind and this gift is supposed to say, "I value our relationship and think of you when I am away."  Relationships in Japan have a interesting circle of debt (giri) and dependency (amae).  Giri and amae can be thought of as "I owe you and you depend on me."  For instance, you bring back cookies for the office because those people covered for you while you were away.

Because the gifts are about relationships, the Japanese go to painstaking efforts in their presentation.  One way they to ensure the relationship's importance is in the way the gift is wrapped.  As with all Japanese things, there is a special way to do it.  Whenever one buys a gift in Japan at a local food stand or a department store, it is wrapped but it is wrapped in a way so that the presentation doesn't offend or embarrass anyone.

I love the way gifts are wrapped in Japan.  Every Christmas I try and wrap some of my gifts "Japanese style" but it never quite comes out the way they do it in Japan.  Here are some videos demonstrating this great wrapping  technique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lKI8spgvgk

https://youtu.be/fh_Rg6e4SY8

So true indeed.  Substitute the word "life" for "training" and one has a road map for success.  We wish that as soon as we stepped on the mat our minds and bodies wouldn't need any training.  Sadly, the truth is that success necessitates that we take to heart the good, preserve through the negative and, most of all, never stop trying.  Success is then not a destination, but a way of life.

Another great NHK documentary on Aikido

I came across another NHK program profiling Aikido and Hombu Dojo.  In this video one gets to see Hombu Dojo and what training is like there.  Doshu demonstrates some nice Aikido and one can see Waka-Sensei Mitsuteru Ueshiba taking his ukemi.  It might be interesting to someone who hasn't been to Hombu Dojo to see the world headquarters of Aikido and how crowded the classes are too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbnWeOltdkw

Be calm and have a serene mind

One must enter into each and every endeavor with a clear and calm mind.  This tranquil mindset is called meikyoushisui (明鏡止水) in Japanese which translates to "clear and serene."  When we are agitated or upset that "forces" us out of balance and with out this balance there is no harmony.  Without harmony, there can be no Aikido.

Our art requires us to see the "bigger picture."  With this expanded horizon we realize that our partner is in pain and thus is in need of compassion.  With harmony we are able to choose not to destroy them but to instead help them.

The first step within any confrontation is harmony.  First with yourself then with your partner.

Aikido is becoming more popular in Hollywood

Aikido makes another appearance on a TV show called The Man in the High Castle.  The show is based on a novel by Philip Dick with the same name and can only be viewed on Amazon Prime.  The Man in the High Castle is a "what if" story about what life would be like if the nazis won the war and the United States become occupied by Japan and Germany. The story takes place in 1962 and follows two characters Julianna Crane played by Alexa Davalos and Joe Blake played by Luke Kleintank.  Julianna is an experienced Aikido practitioner who is given a movie reel from her sister just before she is murdered and decides to embark on her sister's secret journey to Canon City.  Joe Blake is a new recruit working for the American underground who is also traveling to Canon City.

I only watched the first few episodes, but thought the show was good.  I think the acting was superb despite the fact that it is an Amazon show and the 1960s detail is great.  I only wish they would do a better job with the Aikido.  Alexa Davalos is fine, but the ukemi and the Aikido "philosophical" parts are lacking.

All in all, I think The Man in the High Castle is worth checking out.  There was only one book by Philip Dick so we will see where Amazon takes it.

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-World/dp/B00RSI6NKS/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1449846016&sr=1-1&keywords=the+man+in+the+high+castle

How strong are you?

 

Some days, life feels like this and everywhere you look it seems like pointed things are flying our way.

It takes very little strength to attack someone even if we are hurting

It takes even greater strength and courage to not attack especially when we are hurting.

The philosophy of Aikido can be thought of as "non-violent," but that is a bit too simplistic.  To me, the philosophy of Aikido is one of understanding which brings about compassion.  To understand our opponent's suffering is to understand our own suffering.  They deserve kindness, compassion and forgiveness just as we do.  To destroy them is to destroy ourselves.

Please keep the shoes neat and orderly

The foyer of a traditional Japanese dojo or home is called the genkan (玄関).  This area should be kept especially clean and neat. When students come into the dojo, they should take off their shoes and arrange them neatly with the toes pointing out.  If there is no more space left, they should put them in the geta-bako (下駄箱) or shoe rack with the toes facing in.

If a guest comes, a space and path should be created for their shoes so that they can easily slip them on and walk out.  It is the job of the students to take care of the shoes and their arrangement.

Sensei used to stand at the door and monitor the shoes whenever we would host groups of children.  He would jokingly chide them about making their shoes straight or if they mixed up the left and right.

In the old days, the first thing any prospective monk in training would look at was the genkan.   If the genkan was neat and orderly they knew that the school had discipline and they would go in.  If the genkan was dirty or the shoes were disorderly then they knew the school had no discipline and they would keep going.

Please make sure to take care of the shoes on your way in and especially on your way out.  This little thing says so much about your training and level of ability.

Osoji: Year-end clean up

This Saturday at 9:00 am is our osoji or year end clean-up. In Japan, the new year is a time of renewal where everyone gets a fresh start.  To ensure that we get off on the right foot, we try and clear out any and all thing that have built up over the year.  My mom used to say, "Don't bring the old dust into the new year."

Please come out and help.  After all, you contributed to making the mess.

We really could use the help!

Thank you

Thank you.  I am grateful to everyone who came or contributed to our annual Christmas party. I think that everyone had a good time and got to know one another better.

Great 15 minute documentary about Aikido from 1984

What a great little short documentary on Aikido.  You can not only see 2nd Doshu, but also Saito Sensei.  Hombu dojo looks pretty much the same way as it did then.  The only thing that is different is that Hombu now covers the tatami mat with a canvas cover.  Its wonderful to see Saito Sensei doing aiki-ken.  Everyone should try and make it look like his. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa8BmjDpqN8

Everyone is welcome to join

"To err is human, to forgive is divine." - Alexander Pope As I look back on the year, I am shocked at how fast it all went by and all the things that serendipitously went right and all the things that unfortunately went wrong.  I wish I could say that as an Aikido teacher that I am perfect and have all the answers.  Sadly, I too am human and prone to make mistakes.  Alexander Pope's assertion is definitely true.  We are all humans and thus mortal beings, but what makes us truly great is our ability to forgive.  Each of us has this power innately within us.  It is just sometimes hard to let out.  O Sensei said that Aikido is the true manifestation of love.  To be able to give love to people who are trying to harm us is true power.  It takes more strength to forgive than it does to hurt others or to hate.  I hope that someday I can have true strength and be able to forgive irrespectively.  The hope of all teachers is that their students become greater than them.  I hope that you can be greater than me and forgive generously.  It is the one true power we all possess yet almost never use.  You have it, why not use it?

We will be at the Smoke House in Burbank at 6:30 PM this Saturday for our annual dojo Christmas party.  Everyone is welcome to attend regardless if you are currently training or not.  This would be a good time to just come and have fun and let it all go.  No need to sign up, just show up.  No questions asked, no damage done, all is forgiven.  What do you say, cheese bread anyone?

Put your best foot forward

Lately, we have been focusing on ushiro ryote-tori or an attack from behind where the partner grabs both wrists with an overhand grip.  Typically, this attack is first taught from static so that students can work on the basic movements and footwork.  As the student becomes more proficient the attack becomes more dynamic and the students learn how to "draw" their partner in. In ushiro-waza training, spacing and timing are very crucial.  Any problems with footwork or body positioning are magnified when the movement becomes dynamic. When the footwork isn't strong or the hand or body are out of position, the uke can collide with the student.  This is typically seen when the uke steps on the nage's foot or when the uke's runs into the nage on the way behind.

On a basic level, in order to control the spacing and timing one needs to have mastered the footwork.  The footwork enables the student to control the spacing.  If one controls the spacing, it is easier to control the timing.

Martial Arts IQ: Karate

Here is a wonderful documentary on Karate done by NHK World.  NHK is the public broadcasting TV station in Japan.  They have many wonderful English language programs on Japan that are quite interesting. This documentary is an excellent overview of the way of Karate.  One can see not only the beauty, but the power of Karate.  At first glance, Karate might seem like a sport, but you can see by the practitioners in the documentary that it is a way of life.  All martial arts come from the same source and, while taking divergent paths, all eventually meet at the same top of the mountain.  From this documentary, one can see Aikido in Karate and Karate in Aikido.  Please don't judge.  Judging is not learning.  Please only observe and learn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MuwIOjVkMY

"If you miss a week, the teacher notices.  If you miss a month, the other students notice.  If you miss several months, you'll eventually notice, and by then you've lost a lot." - Mark Ehrlich Gosh, this really is the truth.  Training is something that we sometimes think is a singular pursuit.  Whether we show up or don't is completely our business and we think nobody notices.  In a dojo as small as ours it is hard not to notice when someone hasn't been around for a while or if their level drops.

The aphorism, "You don't really know what you have until it is gone" is so true.  Students sometimes think that their level of accomplishment in Aikido is tangible and will never deteriorate.  The truth is that what one gains through training is primarily ephemeral in that when we stop training our bodies begin to forget.   We don't lose it totally, but we do lose a step or two or sometimes even more.

Furuya Sensei used to say, "We should pick up our swords everyday so that our bodies remember."  This is so true.  If we don't use it, we lose it.

Training is a habit like brushing one's teeth.  Nobody, except maybe your spouse, will notice until that one fateful day when you go to the dentist and she tells you how many cavities you have.  Please make your training regular.

Happy Black Friday

 

How will you spend Black Friday?  Hopefully, conducting yourself with etiquette and decorum.

When we start to take ownership of our lives, we see what Eleanor Roosevelt was saying when she said, "Life is what you make it"  Our lives unfold due to our actions, our efforts and, most importantly, our choices.  After a certain age we are the architects of our own destiny - nobody else is responsible for us. 

Thus, in Aikido training we are learning "how" to do Aikido not only physically, but mentally and emotionally regardless of the type of confrontation.  This training begins with taking ownership of one's actions.  Training gives us options and having options allows us to choose "how" we deal with confrontation.  The path of Aikido dictates that we use our intellect and choose compassion and harmony over aggression and brutality regardless of the situation.  Our belief is that harmony and compassion are the antidotes to the aggression and hostility that seems to plague man today.  We understand that the person attacking us is really attacking themselves and is thus unaware of themselves and because of that we choose not to destroy them.  They are in need of kindness, compassion and forgiveness just as we are when we get worked up and end up making a mistake.  Sometimes we need a gentle reminder to stay the course or as Furuya Sensei used to say, "Always act as if your teacher is watching."  This aphorism is the platform that reminds us to look deeper into the situation and act accordingly.

Our lives are made up of the decisions that we make.  We chose the path of Aikido and so we must act like Aikidoist and this includes when we think nobody is watching.  Sartre's quip that, "Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself" can be thought of as the mantra of Aikido training.  It is our choice to choose to be better and thus our lives are nothing more than what we make it.

Happy Thanksgiving

"The true path of the martial arts is that of great love that protects and nurtures all growth and development. Were the path of Aikido anything less than that, it would not be a true martial art. Aikido is not for the purpose of creating winners and losers. The human body and the universe are one in the same; the universe is the body we inhabit. Aiki can only be understood as the expression of universal movement.  Until you realize this, you will not understand Aikido."

- Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido. From Mitsugi Saotome's book A Light on Transmission. 

Being able to give thanks is the first step of compassion. Thank you for all you do or have done for me. I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

What do you say?

I recently read an interesting article that people who talk to themselves as a means to remember can be considered geniuses.  Here is an excerpt from that article:

Psychologist-researcher Gary Lupyan conducted an experiment where 20 volunteers were shown objects, in a supermarket, and were asked to remember them. Half of them were told to repeat the objects, for example, banana, and the other half remained silent. In the end, the result shown that self-directed speech aided people to find the objects faster, by 50 to 100 milliseconds, compared to the silent ones.

“I’ll often mutter to myself when searching for something in the refrigerator or the supermarket shelves,” said Gary Lupyan. This personal experience actually made him conduct this experiment. Lupyan, together with another psychologist, Daniel Swigley, came up with the outcomes that those to talk to oneself are geniuses.

I guess from this assertion, people who study the martial arts are geniuses.  A good teacher does their best to not overwhelm the student with a lot of talking.  They demonstrate the technique and give easy one to two word teaching cues for each step of the technique.  Easy one or two word cues enable the student to follow the steps along in their heads while they say the steps silently to themselves.  This is the way I teach and is the same way my teacher taught.

An easy way to be successful is for the student to follow the steps the way the teacher lays them out.  The first step is follow their cuing by saying them in your head.  The second is to do them but this may take some time.  There is a saying, "Each movement begins with a thought."  One might not be able to do the movement right away, but at least they will know the right steps.  From this rationale sooner or later the thought will become right action.

So genius, go right ahead and say the steps in your head  - you're in good company.

If you want to read the full article visit www.lifehack.org/334241/why-people-who-talk-themselves-are-geniuses-according-scientists

I would also suggest applying their suggestions to learning Aikido as well.

Reminder: Dojo will be closed November 26 & 27 for Thanksgiving

No class on Thanksgiving or the day after.

Aikidoist are people who excel at confrontation management.  Here are four powerful statements that have the ability to change any confrontation. I am sorry.

I was wrong.

I don't know.

I made a mistake.

It doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong.  What matters is one's ability to see the other person's side of the argument.

To be able to say these statements without coercion shows that one has attained a level most never get to.  It shows that one is not only powerful, but humble as well - A combination not easily overcome by an opponent.  The one final supremely powerful statement is "I love you."

Try some of these out next time you are confronted and see just how powerful they are and how powerful they make you.

Dojo Christmas Party

When: December 5th at 6:30 PMWhere: The Smoke House in Burbank

$50.00 per person for adults and $25.00 for children

Everyone is invited to attend.

Please come even if you haven't been training lately.  We would love to see you again!