Gifts for Aikidoka

With the holidays almost upon us, I always like to take a look around the web at all the interesting gift ideas the internet has to offer. Normally, on a blog about martial arts you'd expect to find a post about, well, swords, weapons, videos or uniforms. But lets face it, if you're a martial artist you probably have enough of that stuff anyway (Noelle tells me that all the time) :)

One item I found that I thought was interesting was the Jensen JiMS 525i digital radio receiver. Since I don't watch TV very much I find myself listening to the same music over and over. I also don't really go for local radio stations due to the abundance of commercials and static. With digital that are tons of channels and the signal is clear (unlike traditional, standard radio).

Also nice, is the ability to use song tagging with a digital radio. Normally when I hear a song on the radio, and I like it, I try to remember what it is. Usually I can't because the next song, well for lack of a better term, overwrites my memory. With song tagging you hit a button and the song is automatically saved to an Ipod! Sounds (no pun intended) great to me.

Kenjutsu Stances

I wanted to post something my kenjutsu teacher sent the deshi about the stances in kenjutsu during our 1000 cut exercise:

1. Seiza

2. Handachi kamae
Pivot on left knee into handachi, ankles together.

3. Chugoshi kamae
Left knee stays in place, left toes curled under, directly behind the left
knee; right knee directly above right ankle, both knees bent to 90 degrees.

4. Zenkutsu kamae
Simply kick the left heel back and lock the left knee, without rising, the
rest as in chugoshi; outside edge of rear foot cuts into the ground; it is
useful to cultivate the habit of lifting the big toe (or trying to).

5. Kokutsu kamae
Shift weight to the rear leg, opening the thighs by rotating the left hip
joint outwards; do not allow the rear foot to point more than ninety
degrees toward the left of the embusen (center line), preferably it should
point forward only slightly less than in zenkutsu; note that the
difference between kibadachi and kokutsudachi is that the forward foot
points forward; the rear foot does not change from its normal kibadachi
position in which the feet point inward (pigeon-toed).

Cut large with hikkigiri (pulling cut).

6. Nisoku suburi
This is standard two-step cutting exersize. Do not allow the level of the
hips to rise from chugoshi on. This is supposed to be difficult.

7. Kokutsu kamae (hidari)
Same as 5, but with the legs reversed.

Cut high, stopping at chest level, with a sense of oshigiri (pushing cut).

8. Zenkutsu kamae (hidari)
Same as 4 but with the legs reversed.

Cut outward, stopping at waist level.

9. Chugoshi kamae (hidari)
Same as 3, but with the legs reversed.

10. Handachi kamae (hidari)
Same as 2, but with the right knee down and forward, left knee 90 degrees
to the embusen (center line)

Aikido in the tropics

Every time I think about going on Vacation, which has been a more common occurrence now that New England has been hit by an arctic chill, I always try to find a destination with at least some aikido available. As most of my fellow aikidoka may be aware this can often prove to be a difficult task. But today, I was browsing through the archives of one of my favorite forums and I found some info on aikido in the Caribbean.

This was, or at least could be a break through in finding romantic vacations that are in warm climates during the winter and still include some aikido. To me this would be a great happy medium, Noelle and I could potentially travel to some jamaica all inclusive resort and I could still get in my regular training.

While this might not be common knowledge, or even a common thought for most vacationers (who usually dream about beaches, local cuisine, or even caribbean weddings) if you've married an aikidoka it might be what you get. I think Noelle can vouch for that.
;)

Kyu Testing

Last Sunday River Valley Aikido held Kyu testing for two of my co-students. Both Dianne and Zach performed well on their testing requirements and passed. Dianne, who's been practicing for around six years, has advanced to Sankyu and Zach was tested for Rokyu. Both tests looked great and it was a pleasure to take part in.

Tactical Gear

One site that I have visited quite a bit over the past few months is LA Police Gear. I generally carry a small pocket knife but recently it was confiscated when I chaperoned my little brother's (Avery) school trip to New York City. We went to Ellis Island and that's where police took my pocket knife away. But, don't worry I have a back up. The only problem is that I am not quite happy with my other knife. It was a sample folder, and feels way to short in my hand both in the grip and blade. I also miss the serrations the my old knife used to have.

The search for a more suitable replacement is where LA Police Gear comes into the picture. LA Police Gear has a wide selection of all things tactical. They carry pocket knives, a large holster variety, gloves, clothing, watches, and more. LA Police Gear also has quite a few items on clearance, so some great deals can be found if you know what you're looking for.

I might just pick up one of their pocket knives, from what I can tell LA Police Gear is having a two for the price of one special on select knives. Or at least thats how the promotion reads to me. Check out the site if you're looking for anything tactical.

Kyu Testing Prep

For the past four or so months I've been leading a round of kyu test preparation classes at the dojo. This is one of my first experiences teaching for an extended period and I found the whole process to be very challenging and satisfying at the same time. Two of my kōhai were prepping for 3rd kyu and 6th kyu, so the variety of techniques we worked on spanned quite a few skill sets; from good ukeme and centering to martial awareness. I can definitely say that progress has been made on both ends, theirs by learning the techniques and on mine by trying to figure out how to explain what I feel during a technique (very challenging).

Do you deck out the dojo?

Most of the dojo's I've ever traveled to are fairly plain, spaces. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with that at all, dojo are supposed to be a place of practice. Usually the dojo's beauty comes from it's simplicity. A nice touch at my current dojo are the flowers that sometimes scatter the space. Usually one of our dojo members, Dianne, brings in a small flower arrangement. I find, too me, that it really stands out in a fairly simple space.

With the holidays approaching and kyu testing scheduled for Sunday I was thinking about supplying a new flower arrangement for the special occasions. I checked my local flower shops and couldn't find quite what I wanted, then I checked online and found flowers and centerpieces by 1-800 Flowers. Right now they're really pushing their Poinsettia arrangements, which really wont work in the dojo, but would be great in a home setting. If you have a need for any flowers or would like to add a little something to your dojo check them out.

Katana vs. Naginata

For those of you who've been wondering whether a spear or katana has the advantage when facing off, this video should shed a little light on the subject. In watching the form, it's obvious that this is not a full speed kata or anything, but I still think the reach and gracefulness of the person wielding the naginata is impressive.

Tanto Info

You all might remember a week or so back I posted on a new tanto I received from my Sensei. Well, here's a little info on it. It's a Paul Chen original line tanto, the item number was GT-1057, and that line of blades has since been discontinued. What I haven't been able to find is the value of the blade. If anyone has any idea I'd love to know.

Is Jo similar to using a hoe?

Last night Don sensei had us working on Jo kata. We practiced katas one, two and three for most of the class. During kata number three, I was reminded or visualized the dropping block as something similar to the movements you'd perform while using a hoe! Rather than attacking my partners jo, I instead dropped my jo while pulling back in a sweeping motion. It kept me on the line with my partner and put me in the correct position for the next movement.

Pretty wild in my opinion.

Healthy Treats

As I strive to keep to my aikidoka lifestyle I find quite a few temptations to stray from that course while I'm off the mat. Now, I'm not talking about anything serious, no drugs or deviant behavior, but I do have a tendency to indulge in the occasional cocktail or my sweet tooth. Since I just found out yesterday that I'm ill and I'm now on antibiotics, I've decided to look again at my off the mat practices in order to live more healthily off the mat.

This is where I start finding substitutes for candy bars and fried foods. I'm talking about gourmet nuts. I know it might not seem like a big deal, but I often find it easier to grab a Snickers and forget about something a bit healthier. Luckily for me though, every time my sensei invites me in to his place after class he almost always serves cashews and cheese.

Tonight I started thinking about returning the favor and getting my sensei some fancy cashews or something along those lines for Christmas. I found a site called Zenobia NutsOnTheNet.com that sells quite a few varieties of nuts: peanuts, cashews, almonds, and pistachios are all available in time for the gift giving season. Your health conscious friends will love it.

My Newest Tanto

So, last week my sensei gave me a tanto to inspect, and I must say I was impressed. The fit and detail of the fittings was great, everything was snug without being too tight, the tsuka ito is some of the tightest I have ever seen. This Tanto is probably the best blade I have in my collection, which to be honest, isn't really saying much. The overall length is 15.5" with a blade length of 11".

Here are a few images you all might enjoy:

I've been trying to cut back, but...

Lately I've been trying to cut back on my coffee consumption, I think it has something to do with the caffeine and my recent reactions to it. Every time I do try to cut back I always end up starting back up again, and now that I've switched over to decaf I might actually be able to cut down on my coffee intake.

Over the past two years or so I've really been into best gourmet coffee, I've selected whole beans only and stayed away from all those chain coffee houses. I must say I thought it was great, I supported local coffee roasters (who produce the best tasting coffee btw) and was able to really feel like I was able to contribute to others, especially when I bought fair trade coffee.

Here's where the cut back thing comes in, I always felt a little jittery when I drank regular coffee, like I took in a little too much ki, and artificial ki at that. Now, I drink one cup of decaf a day brewed from the best coffee beans I can get so I still make a meaningful contribution to the coffee industry.

Shodan Test Randori

I just found a very interesting, Aikido Channel on Youtube and I thought I'd share this example of a shodan test randori. All in all I thought the movement looked good, especially in such a tight space. Do you have any thoughts? I'd like to know.

HandmadeSwords.com - My experience

Last week I received a Tanto from HandmadeSword .com and I would like to share my review of it with all of my visitors. First I'd like to say that the website over at Handmade Swords looks great, they definitely thought out the layout and set it up right.

But...
Fancy websites aren't really what practitioners are looking for in a company that sells user blades. We're (practitioners) looking for blades that use traditional, solid construction methods. Blades that can stand up to kata and even cutting, without having to worry about the reliability of all to components. Let's face it, no one wants to cut with a time bomb.

The Verdict :

First and foremost I have to say that the price was right. I paid, in total $65 on my new tanto. Handmade Sword sells on their website and on eBay, I checked out eBay and got this piece for twenty bucks under retail. The service was extremely fast as was the shipping.


Now on to the quality. This blade arrived as stated, it does show layers in the steel, but I'm sure they're acid etched and the finish was rough. The inside of the saya was extremely rough, I can see wood putty or glue all over the inside of the koiguchi and from the way it feels during a draw I'm sure theres more within the saya. As for the fittings, the ito was low quality, the habaki has a bit of play in it, and I'm pretty sure the saya lacked any horn reinforcement where it should be.

Now, don't get me wrong, I understand that for the price I paid I can't really expect much more than I got, but I do want to give an honest opinion. Here are a few images that you might enjoy!

Wow, it's been a while again.

Sorry for the lack of posts last month, I've been prepping for my shodan exam and haven't had a lot of spare time to write. Here's a list of all the requirements.

Rokyu (30 hours/3 months)

Tenkan
Shomenuchi ikkyo and iriminage
Munetsuki kotegaeshi
Katate dori shihonage
Yokomenuchi shihonage
Kokyu tanden ho

Gokyu (60 hours/4 months)
All previous techniques plus:

Shomenuchi nikyo
Kata dori ikkyo and nikyo
Munetsuki kaitennage

Yonkyu (60 hours/4 months)
All previous techniques plus:

Shomenuchi sankyo and yonkyo
Yokomenuchi ikkyo, kotegaeshi and iriminage
Ryote dori tenchinage and shihonage
Katate dori ryote mochi kokyu tanden ho

Sankyu (70 hours/4 months)
All previous techniques plus:

Ushiro ryokata dori ikkyo
Ushiro ryote dori shihonage
Ushiro kubi shime kotegaeshi
Ushiro waza kokyunage
Nikyu (80 hours/6 months)
All previous techniques plus:

Yokomenuchi nikyo, sankyo and yonkyo
Koshinage from shomenuchi, yokomenuchi, katate dori and munetsuki

Hanmi handachi:

Katate dori shihonage
Ryote dori shihonage

Suwariwaza:

Shomenuchi ikkyo
Kata dori ikkyo
Yokomenuchi ikkyo

Ikkyu (90 hours/6 months)
All previous techniques plus:

Jiyu waza:

Standing
Hanmi handachi
Suwariwaza

Tanto dori:

Munetsuki
Shomenuchi
Yokomenuchi


Requirements For Yudansha Examination [top]

Aikido has a basic structure, kihon waza, which allows you to study the fundamental principles of the art. The structure of this training process is the same as a scientific formula. As a formula is an exacting international language that allows scientists to communicate and explore the depths of scientific principle, kihon waza is an international language allowing Aikidoka from all over the world to communicate and explore the basic truths of Aikido. If this basic structure is lost, Aikido is lost.

During the examination you are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the principles of the art through this very exacting structure of kihon waza, clearly and precisely, not your personal ideas or your personal expression. Yudansha examination is not performance art.

The following points are critical:

*

The execution of formal kihon waza, an understanding of it’s proper application and of the fundamental principles it demonstrates - most importantly kokyu; musubi; irimi tenkan.
*

Hanmi at all times; before, during, at the conclusion of and following the technique.
*

Control of your own center; control of your partner’s center; control of the technique.
*

Application of power appropriate to the attack.
*

The proper pinning technique to demonstrate the conflict is finished.
*

Timing.
*

Zanshin.
*

Attitude.
*

Martial Awareness.

The Proper Role of Uke in Yudansha Examination [top]

Taking ukemi for yudansha examination is a very serious responsibility. Each technique is developed to study a specific direction and application of force. As uke you must understand this and have the ability to give an honest, strong and focused attack that is appropriate for the technique required.

A weak attack is unacceptable. A deceptive attack is unacceptable. Since you know the technique your partner is being asked to demonstrate it is easy to stop it’s execution.

There are no friends or enemies during examination. It is not uke’s job to make value judgements. You do not take ukemi to make your partner look bad. You do not take ukemi to make your partner look good. Do not jump into a spectacular fall if the power is not there. Do not make a point of taking a bored and resisting fall to make it look as though your partner didn’t really throw you. Either way is dishonest. Remember, you take ukemi to avoid injury. You are not taking ukemi to show off. Uke must only do what is appropriate to the situation. This requires much training and much soul searching.
Time and Technique Requirements for Dan Promotion [top]

Shodan (120 hours and 12 months after receiving ikkyu)

A candidate must have attended at least two seminars with Saotome Shihan and/or Ikeda Shihan since attaining ikkyu grade. During the seminar it is the responsibility of the regional instructor to inform the Shihan so that he may observe the candidate more closely.

All basic techniques and previous requirements plus:

*

Kumi tachi: First five basic kata.
*

Tanto dori: A different technique from each - shomenuchi, yokomenuchi, tsuki, two
different techniques from ushiro.
*

Tachi dori: A total of five different techniques. Attacks will be shomenuchi, yokomenuchi,
tsuki.
*

Randori: Three people attacking.

How do you take care of your wrists?

As an aikidoka I follow a set routine of stretching that, I feel, really helps my wrists and hands stay healthy. Stretching keeps everything loose and helps keep everything in shape. Luckily I don't suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, a medical condition in which the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to pain, paresthesias, and muscle weakness in the forearm and hand. Carpal tunnel would prevent me from participating in aikido, kenjutsu, making bokken, and running my business selling futons online.

Is there anything that can be done to treat carpal tunnel syndrome?

If you're asking yourself that same question, here are some great tips on carpal tunnel relief.

Traditional therapies include (several things that most people would have a hard time doing):
1. You must rest your hand for weeks
2. Your doctor may include some drugs to relieve the pain
3. Your Doctor may give you a cast to help ease pain
4. If your hand does not heal, you may need surgery

Prevention therapies (which I just read about) include:

1. For daytime wrist relief, wear a soft, flexible support that does not restrict movement of your hands and wrists. Also, look for a support that has a cushion to protect the underside of your wrist and your pisiform bone (the sensitive little bone you feel when you put your wrist on a hard surface). Soft support is available in the form of the Smart Glove, which does not limit movement while providing support.

2. Take frequent breaks from repetitive movement such as computer keyboard usage or use of browser based games that encourage the user for excessive finger movement. Such movements put stress on the nerves of the wrist.

My best Bokken to Date - That's a wooden sword guys!

So... as some of you may remember I've been trying my hand at hand made white oak bokken. Well, I wanted to share an image of my latest bokken. I planed it by hand, sanded it, and finished it with tung oil. Here's an image, what do you all think?

Gear for Aikido and Mixed Martial Arts

Today I've been browsing the internet quite a bit looking at training equipment when I found a site called Ground and Pound.

Ground and Pound is a site that specializes in MMA Gear and more. They have a fairly complete selection of training equipment from MMA Fight Gloves to bite guards and MMA Fight Shorts to traditional Judo style uniforms.

What made Ground and Pound

One thing that I really appreciated in looking through the selection over at Ground and Pound was the practical nature of their items. They have things on the site that most Aikidoka never use, gloves, guards, shorts, even soap (don't worry, aikidoka do use soap, but you'd never find it on an aikido website). It's because of the physical nature of MMA and what they promote that this practical nature is passed on to the Ground and Pound website, because let's face it, MMA is a seriously hard style. You need tough, practical equipment to last through that kind of practice.

So, if you're interested, head over and see for yourself.

Wooden Weapons

So, as some of you may remember, I've been working on some handmade bokken for the kenjutsu class at River Valley Aikido. I started with white oak, and I am fairly pleased with the result. But, for my next batch I plan on trying Jatoba, also known as Brazilian Cherry. I hear it has good dent resistance, a tight grain and is extremely durable.

Here's what I've done so far:

I must say it's a satisfying process, to take a hunk of wood and refine it by hand into a well balanced training tool.



This image shows the large plank of white oak that I picked up in Greenfield, MA. I traced out the outline of four bokken and cut them into bokken blanks (shown below).



After planing for two to three hours the bokken has taken shape, with a prominent taper, well shaped mune, and close to proper balance. Below you can see a side by side comparison between the original bokken and one in progress.



Stay tune for a sanded and refined update soon.

Are you ready for the summer?

This summer has been so hot that I don't think I was ready for it.
;)
I did see a group of people out on the Connecticut river in their boat and they looked way more prepared for the heat than I am. For one thing, they actually have a boat, hopefully they had sunblock, and they definitely had waterskis and wakeboards. I thought the fun they were having looked so appealing that I checked out Ronix wakeboards to see what all the fuss was about. Well, after checking out the boards at buywake.com I decided that I need to:
1. Find a friend with a boat since the prices were so affordable.
&
2. Learn how to ride a wakeboard since it looks so fun.

Head over and check it out for yourself!

Make your own bokken

This week I started making bokken for the dojo and I have to say that with a sharp hand plane the process wasn't that bad. I went down to a great lumber supply company this week and picked up the six quarter piece of white oak seen below.



Next I went down to a local woodworker and had them run the big plank through their bandsaw. This step really helped and saved me tons of cutting.



And, lastly, the shot below shows a close up of the kissaki on the one I'm making (in progress) and one that I borrowed from sensei.




Check in tomorrow if you're interested in seeing a more refined result, I put in another hour of planing and applied a coat of tung oil after sanding.

Aikidoka need web hosting too!

So, I just found a great deal for RapidSwitch Dedicated Servers and I thought I should share it with any aikidoka from the UK that pop in here from time to time. While this is probably more important to retailers rather than dojo, RapidSwitch is offering some great rates on hosting plans on dedicated servers, making your site very secure and reliable. Head over and check it out.

RapidSwitch, a leading supplier of dedicated servers and one of the fastest growing hosting companies in the UK, is building a new data centre with a 20,000 server capacity, to meet growing customer demand.

Fit out work on the new site has commenced, and it will be ready for service in early 2009. The new site is near Maidenhead in Berkshire, close to the existing RapidSwitch Hosting Centre, enabling direct connectivity between the two sites at multiple 10 gigabit speeds. There is also diverse connectivity from the new site to London, again at multiple 10 gigabit speeds. The data centre is 600 racks in size, which will give a total capacity of 20,000 servers.

O Sensei Quote of the Day

Here's a quote from O Sensei that I have really been attached to recently.

Via O Sensei:

The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit.

Vintage Hakama

I just found a great Vintage Hakama and Obi set over at SFI. Having made my own hakama a few months ago, I was amazed by this 1900's Tokugawa Mon men's Hakama and Obi. The colors were, to me at least, fantastic and made me think that our uniforms for aikido / kenjutsu are boring. What do think? Would you give this hakama and obi a thumbs up or down?

New Blogger Opportunity

While this post may not be in the spirit of a martial arts blog, I figured that some of my readers might be interested in a new blogging opportunity I just signed up for at SocialSpark. You might not have heard about SocialSpark yet, but if you're a blogger you might want to check it out. SocialSpark gives bloggers a whole new resource to accomplish quite a few important tasks that every blogger should be working at.

SocialSpark has a post exchange program that allows bloggers to get their blogs reviewed by their peers. A great resource for new blogs. But, that's just the beginning. If your blog actually meets the criteria set forth by SocialSpark, you can monetize your blog in quite a few ways. Whether you go for the paid post or sponsored blog approach you'll be able to make a good amount of extra cash doing something you love.

There are a few things bloggers should think about before they get started, however. SocialSpark requires all member blogs and bloggers to follow these four conditions:

-100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
-100% Transparency
-100% Real Opinions
-100% Search Engine Friendly

On the other side of the coin, SocialSpark is a great resource for advertisers. With SocialSpark advertisers get to pick the price they are willing to pay, set pagerank / realrank criteria, and require a minimum word count. With so many controls over their advertising needs, advertisers are almost guaranteed a quality post about their wares or services. A win - win situation.

31 step jo kata

Here's a great video showing a 31 step jo kata often seen in aikido dojo. This was actually the first jo kata I learned. I thought the 31 step kata really help me familiarize myself with the jo and become more fluid.

-Watch and Enjoy

Web 2.0 Website

As I'm looking into the whole web 2.0 website concept I'm constantl;y being blown away by what I'm seeing. Sites like Whitetail Domains, a site dedicated to Whitetail Deer Hunting and Management, use some of the latest web tech in order to produce a stunning result. Seamless navigation and layouts, integrated videos, forums, everything looks better. For anyone interested in Deer hunting or wild life in general, a web 2.0 site like Whitetail Domains will be a new and improved web browsing experience. Head over and check it out if that happens to be your thing.

Katana VS. Water Balloon?!?!?!

I know the match-up is a bit biased but in slow motion it does look quite interesting. Check it out and enjoy.

Japanese Sword Cutting Videos

Here's an interesting tameshigiri video showing cutting practice. The cut in the video does look a little awkward but the iaidoka pulls it off fairly well. Nice video with classical technique. The dojo that offers instruction on the Japanese sword has a whole line of these videos on youtube.

Slow Motion Brick Breaking

The video above is quite interesting as it shows what really happens when your hand impacts a solid object. Though the brick did break, when view in slow motion it almost appears as though the hand is in danger of doing the same. Watch and enjoy.

Reverse Grip Sword Cut

On one of the forums I regularly visit there is a bit of controversy about the practicality of a reverse grip sword cut (not that swords are very practical in this day & age anyhow). Quite a few of the forumites claim that reversing your grip on a sword is only appropriate for knives or Zatoichi :)

And along comes Renfield Kuroda, a JSA practitioner from Japan to prove that if you think a reverse grip sword cut doesn't work you're totally wrong. Check out that set and feel free to share your thoughts.

Here's the review from this weekends seminar

So, as some of you may remember, my sensei Don Hebert and I went down to Baltimore last weekend for a weapons intensive. In preparation I purchased a sample suit of kendo armor since it was a full contact event and I thought it would be appropriate to test an item that I am considering selling on my website.

The armor held up just fine, though shots that came down directly on the top of my head had the potential to make me see stars. In fact, it happened quite a few times. This was ok, in my opinion, because it actually gave me some incentive for performing proper technique. I feel totally confident now in carrying and selling this kendo armor, if I was able to survive mostly intact.

Gear for your everyday life

Well, maybe not every day, but LA Police Gear has some interesting tactical gear for military and police personnel. The items span the range of clothing to survival equipment. LA Police Gear has some fairly decent prices, and great package deals where LA Police Gear includes freebies when you increase the total of your order. A very nice incentive.

Enjoy

Aikido Matt Blog Policies

HI, this is Matt from the Aikido Matt Blog and I wanted to fill all my readers in on my blog policies. As a rule, I do try to blog about all things aikido, martial arts, or likewise related

From time to time, the Aikido Matt Blog will accept sponsored posts, mostly in the form of reviews. However, that does not mean that I will not give my honest opinion on the review in question. Some reviews may also provide compensation to the Aikido MattBlog for it's services. If you are interested in advertising on the Futon Blog or having me review your site / services let me know. Enjoy your time on the Futon Blog.

Sorry for the lack of aikido posts

As I get ready for a seminar this week, Sensei Don Hebert and I are headed to baltimore for an intensive seminar with George Ledyard. In preparation Don and I both purchased armor for this full contact seminar, something that is totally foreign to me. But, I am going to be selling the armor soon, so I can't think of a better way to test it than to use it. Stay tuned this weekend as I post the results from the seminar.

-Enjoy

Making your own hakama part two

So, my camera was a bit messed up last week and I wasn't able to take any in between shots of the hakama construction. But, here are a couple images of the hakama right now. As you can see I have completed the front ties and the pleats are where they are supposed to be. The back is also finished and is at the moment waiting for me to attach the koshi-ate. Once the hem is finished and seams are cleaned up, I will have a nice new hakama.

Aikido Invitations?

I think everyone has seen those flyers that arrive at the dojo every month with seminar announcements. I know our dojo gets quite a few of them during the year. Well, I was just looking at a interesting site called Cards Direct, a site that primarily specializes in Photo Cards, but I think it would be totally cool to send out invitations to seminars and tests in such a manner. Now, the majority of the cards show are for weddings, birthdays, holidays (as shown in the image below) and the like, but I would totally use something like that if I wanted to invite anyone to my shodan test. Totally fitting.

And it looks like the site is fairly easy to use, you can use any image in your card and write any personalized message you want. I checked out the site and the user interface looks pretty simple, all you need to do is make a message, upload an image, and you're good to go. I feel it's a nice way to add a personal touch to an occasion where you might want to send out invites.

Check it out and enjoy!

Making your own hakama part 1

So, as some of you may remember I decided to make my own hakama for my ken-jutsu class. I already have a navy blue hakama for aikido but my ken-jutsu sensei requires beginners to wear white hakama and gi. So, instead of buying I decided to make my own.

To start I purchased four yards of sixty inch wide white duck. I also purchased a hakama pattern from Round Earth to help me in my hakama making. Oh yeah, I washed the fabric on hot and machine dried to pre-shrink it before proceeding. Once your fabric is washed and dried you can start cutting.

First I cut out the legs of the hakama, cutting four 30" wide by 45" long. These panels will be the front and the back of the hakama pants. Next, I cut the two ties; one for the back that was 5" wide by 125" long and a short one for the back that's 65" long by 5" wide.

At this point I have tacked the front panels together and hand sewed the pleats in place. My next step will be to machine stitch the front seam and pleats in place.

Stay tuned for part two (with pictures!)

Fridays O-Sensei Quote of the Day

Via O-Sensei:

"A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind."

Take a minute to see how you're standing in your daily life, not just on the mat.

Tuesday and Wednesday quote of the day.

Sorry about missing a quote of the day guys. Since I did, here's two:

The only cure for materialism is the cleansing of the six senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind). If the senses are clogged, one's perception is stifled. The more it is stifled, the more contaminated the senses become. This creates disorder in the world, and that is the greatest evil of all. Polish the heart, free the six senses and let them function without obstruction, and your entire body and soul will glow.

Failure is the key to success;
Each mistake teaches us something.

Mondays Quote of the Day

Via O-Sensei:

To practice properly the Art of Peace, you must:
Calm the spirit and return to the source.
Cleanse the body and spirit by removing all malice, selfishness, and desire.
Be ever-grateful for the gifts received from the universe, your family, Mother Nature, and your fellow human beings.

-Enjoy

The difference between tameshigiri and back yard cutting

Here's a great example of proper tameshigiri, the man in the video has a good stance and his focus is on the target. You can also tell that he is thinking about distance in relation to his target; ie. he doesn't want to get cut in order to make a cut.



This second video, while impressive, is not proper tameshigiri. There's not a whole lot of thought going into body position in relation to the cut, and everyone is using a wide stance instead of a proper hamni. It could be because they are attempting to cut with a temple size sword (one that is made for a shrine, not too be used), but I don't know. Regardless, you can really tell the difference between the two examples.

Sundays quote of the day!

Here's another great O-Sensei quote:

In the Art of Peace we never attack. An attack is proof that one is out of control. Never run away from any kind of challenge, but do not try to suppress or control an opponent unnaturally. Let attackers come any way they like and then blend with them. Never chase after opponents. Redirect each attack and get firmly behind it.

More Nakago Woes

I recently heard back from the manufacturer of my newest blade, which some of you may recall had a broken nakago. I found this upon inspection of the blade. The current nakago ends in a jagged break which is about seven and a half inches in length. The manufacturer stated that the normal length on his 33" O-Katana is ten inches. SO, it appears that the blade was damaged when the tsuka was hammered on in the factory. :(

We'll see how it ends and hope for the best, however. So stay tuned for the latest up date.

Quote of the Day

From today on I am adding a new, regular feature to the Aikido Matt blog. The quote of the day will be taken from our teachers and posted on the blog. It's their path that we follow and I think a little inspiration can be taken from what they are saying. It's not all about technique!

What do you think? Do you have any quotes you'd like to share? Feel free and as always,

-Enjoy

One of my favorite O-Sensei quotes

I just opened an old aikido book by John Stevens and read through some of the great quotes at the end of the book. I think, for today at least, that this is my favorite quote by O-Sensei:

As soon as you concern yourself with the 'good' and 'bad' of your fellows, you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter. Testing, competing with, and criticizing others weaken and defeat you.

This really speaks to me about the essence of aikido and what it is trying to accomplish in the world. It's almost a guide for how you walk in life, at least for me.

Broken Blades Are Dangerous!

In my last post, destructive testing, I gave a warning against misusing your blades by cutting targets that were never part of the intended range. Here's the why! Now, you should all know by now that the katana in the video is nowhere near as durable as one produced by Cheness. Most likely it's made from 440 stainless steel which is quite brittle in long blades and thus, a terrible choice of steel for a sword. Also, if you didn't notice from the video, the guy was hitting the table with the mune of the blade. Another bad idea.

Anyway, this is the result of treating a blade like a two by four or a toy. Don't make the same mistake. Have fun and be safe!

-Enjoy

Foolish Destructive Testing

The problem with putting a video like this on youtube is that it opens you up to tons of criticism. On one hand it is very impressive that Cheness makes a blade that is capable of cutting into a steel barrel. On the other hand, no Japanese style blade was ever designed to cut a steel barrel. The practice of destructive testing is informative, but it is very reckless and people can get easily injured by flying broken blades. I'll be showing a prime example in my nest post so stay tuned!

-Enjoy the video.

Cheness Nakago - Part Two revealed

Here is a production video from Cheness inc. that shows the process that all of their blades go through. After my recent experience with the nakago I'd like to point out that at 6:03 in the video you'll see why a damaged nakago can happen. There's no real substitute for hand fitting a tsuka, pounding one on can and will damage the nakago or the tsuka. Other than that I found the production process to be very interesting.

-Enjoy

Blade Oshigata

Last week, Sensei sent us home with a bit of homework. All the members of the dojo were required to make an oshigata of their blade. In addition, everyone also had to label the part of the blade on the oshigata in order to become more familiar with all the assembly.

Wait, what's an oshigata you ask? An oshigata is a tracing of your blades outline. Then the small details are filed in to the tracing. This is not an easy task, if you try one give yourself a couple years to complete it :)

Cheness Nakago

I recently inspected the nakago of a recent blade acquisition and I was a little disappointed in what I saw. The nakago appeared to have been damaged in the assembly process and I think the remainder may be embedded in the end of the tsuka. The total length of the nakago is about seven and a half to eight inches and ends in a jagged break. I'm not sure if it's ok for any cutting as the blade is thirty three inches long, which really is disappointing since I really do like the blade. So, what do you think? Is a seven and a half inch nakago acceptable on a thirty three inch blade with a twelve in tsuka? Feel free to share.

-Enjoy

Hakama Patterns

For my Ken-jutsu class, my sensei Peter Barus, has required that all beginner wear white hakama and gi's. So the other day I received a pattern from round earth publishing and I intend to post images of the progression of my white hakama on the blog. So far everything I find online only has a written description, so I wanted to provide something clearer for you you do-it-yourselfers out their like me. So stay tuned for hakama pattern updates.

Seminar Prep

My sensei, Don Hebert, and I have been preparing for an intensive seminar this month with Goerge Ledgard sensei in Baltimore this month. As such, we've been wearing armor and working on full contact shinai as it relates to entering & taking the center line. Let me say, right off the bat, that working in kendo armor is hard and going at full speed can only be sustained for so long. In the end though, I think the practice has paid off, as my endurance has increased as has the sharpness of the principals that we are working on.

Wow, it's been a while! I've started Kenjutsu

Sorry for the extremely long delay in my posting schedule everyone, I recently started studying kenjutsu as well as aikido and have been extremely busy. I do hope to get some images of the kenjutsu class up on the blog this week, so stay tuned for some great pictures soon.

Here's a quick teaser, we have been working on traditional iai kata as well as paired bokken kata as well. For anyone in the Brattleboro, Vermont area we are currently accepting new students if anyone is interested in joining our kenjutsu class.

You can visit sensei's site for more details.

Samurai Sword Video

I know a lot of you have seen this type of video before, but I thought this one was interesting. Maybe I like it since I sell this companies swords. Check it out.

XMA Bokken Kata

In contrast to the video below, this is more of an XMA style kata. I personally am not a fan, and never really liked performing noto with bokken in my obi. Just my two cents.

Saito Sensei Aikido Video

Here's a classic video of Saito Sensei demonstrating bokken cuts. Check this one out, I think you'l enjoy it.

Koichi Tohei - Authentic Aikido

The video above is great, I really enjoyed this one. Have fun watching.

Aikido in Norway

I liked this video, but I thought the music was a bit to rave oriented.

Sparring and Different Styles

In my study of aikido I have enjoyed watching other styles, such as the Olympic Tae Kwon Do seen above. While this practice may be geared towards scoring a point their techniques still look very skilled and powerful. Check it out and enjoy.

O-Sensei Aikido Video

Here's a nice video of O-Sensei that you may be interested in.

Kendo Disarm

Every time I see this video I remind myself to keep a tight grip on my shinai while practicing.

Tissier Sensei Performing Aikido Koshinage Techniques

While I really don't like the music in the video (it reminds me of the music from the original mega man) the koshi throws are very nice.

Traditional Tameshigiri

The last video was definitely of the back yard variety, but this video shows much more tradition and skill.

Katana Cutting Eight Mats -

This video is very impressive, his cuts look fairly clean and he actually made it through eight mats.

Ikeda Sensei Demonstrates Aikido Irimi

This is a very impressive video, Ikeda Sensei is always very sharp and clear. I took ukeme for Ikeda Sensei at a summer camp years ago and was very impressed.

River Valley Aikido Ukeme Seminar A Hit.

No pun intended in the title. :) Charles Colton Sensei focus was almost entirely on ukeme practice, particularly joining with both nage and the earth. Training included sensitivity training, opening rather than tensing and the beginning of a blending break fall. All in all a very informative seminar with a great turnout.

Doshu Aikido Demo

This video shows Doshu giving a demo on the relationship between Jo and open hand aikido practice.

We're having an Aikido Seminar in Brattleboro

This weekend the River Valley Aikido Club is hosting an Ukeme intensive seminar. The seminar will be taught by Charles Colton Sensei. So, join us if you have the desire to improve your ukeme.

Please note: The video above is about Donovan Waite Sensei and was used only to display ukeme not the instructor of the seminar.

Steven Seagal Aikido Black Belt Test Part Two

Here's the rest of the Steven Seagal video, check it out.

Steven Seagal Aikido Black Belt Test

There's quite a few weird things in this video but the clip of the black belt test is interesting. Enjoy.