Aikido Shudokan Emag 2012

8/9/2019 Aikido Shudokan Emag 2012

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Joe Thambu Shihan Joe Thambu Shihan-- 40 years of Aikid40 years of Aikid

Artwork by James Phoenix

Aikido ShudokanAikido Shudokan

EMAG 2012EMAG 2012


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From all of the studentsFrom all of the students

and instructors at Aikidoand instructors at AikidoShudokan…Shudokan…

Congratulations to Sen-Congratulations to Sen-sei Jon Marshall,sei Jon Marshall,on receivingon receiving


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As yet another year drawsto a close, those of us at

Aikido Shudokan can look

back on 2012 as a particu-larly eventful twelvemonths; we danced theGangnam Style, Obama wasr e - e l e c t e d , F e l i xBaumgartner jumped fromspace and after a long se-ries of disappointing resultsthe Large Hadron Collideronce again failed to deliverits much anticipated blackhole.Closer to home, many of us

have been honing our mar-tial arts skills in prepara-tion for the battle for sur-

v iva l i n the po st -apocalyptic wasteland of2013…

As such, it is truly an hon-our and a privilege to beappointed the editor of

what will not only be the

final Shudokan Emag (atleast, until Marcin andDavid can rebuild the inter-net), but also no doubt a

valuable insight into our way of life for historians ofthe future. With that in

mind, I feel compelled notto dwell on our own immi-nent and inescapabledeaths, but to reflect uponthe year that was, with allits ups and downs andhighs and lows – and, mostimportantly, to take a lookat the numerous happen-ings that we at Aikido Shu-dokan have had the oppor-tunity to experience in this

year of years.

2012 blasted off with a spe-cial treat – a visit by noneother than the esteemedInoue Kyouichi Kancho – adelightful, gentle and aboveall humble martial artist

who is nevertheless toughas nails. I m sure few of us

will ever forget the hoursspent staying so still it hurt,

be it in kamae or seiza, asthis Aikido legend regaledus with stories of his

younger days; stories which were as entertaining andfunny as they were pro-found. I suspect everyone(myself included) wassomewhat surprised by hisemphasis on the absolutefundamentals of the art,and how the application of

the pure basics could be socompletely integral to the beautiful, subtle techniquethat we were so lucky to

observe (and in a few veryfortunate cases, experiencefirsthand). Speaking for

myself, I will say simplythat I walked away from theseminar with a completelynew appreciation for whatKancho Sensei often re-ferred to as „budo training .

As with every year, the An-nual Demonstration was aresounding success. Withthe Kancho in attendanceand the added importanceof Sensei Joe s 40 th anni-

versary of Aikido, those who participated certainlyhad to operate under agreat deal of pressure; how-ever, everyone stepped upto the challenge admirably.Highlights include SenseiJoe s demonstration (I stillcringe when I rememberthe floor shaking as NickPenna s body, which re-mains inexplicably intact tothis day, came crashingdown from a powerful ko-kyunage), as well as the

once in a lifetime experi-ence of watching InoueKancho s calligraphy skillsin action.

Of course, it would be re-miss of me to skip over theMalaysia/Thailand Trip.

While I couldn t be theremyself, it certainly wouldappear that those who werefortunate enough to gomanaged to enjoy them-selves in my absence; anassumption I drew from thefact that no-one seems to

be able to remember any-thing that happened. Thoseof us who were forced to

T h a t Wa s T h e Ye a r T h a t Wa s — A L e t t e r F r o m Th e Ed i t o r N o t e : s o m e i n f o r m a t i o n m a y b e o u t o f d a t e b y t h e t i m e o f p u b l i s h i n g

I N S I D E T H I SI S S U E : Editor s Note 3

Sensei Joe Speaks 5

Special Events 8

Congratulations toSensei Joe 16

Personal Reflections 19

Aikidemics 27

Student of the Year 29

A ik ido Shudokan EMAG 2012

Those cannibals aren’t going tosankajo themselves, you know.

International News 33

Kids Corner 45

A Year In Photos 49

Grading

Achievements 57

Final Word FromSensei Joe 58

Final Word FromThe Editor 59

Holiday Calendar 60


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stay behind insunny Mel-

bourne can onlyimagine the beer-fuelled may-hem that agroup of plas-tered aikidokacan wreak – inclassic „Greekstyle – on thestreets of KualaLumpur. I un-derstand there

was even somespare time for alittle bit of training, al-though I m sure it didn t getin the way too much. Those

blessed with a strong mem-ory and an even stronger

stomach mentioned vaguehints of some sort of „100 Year Anniversary , butthese rumours are yet to beconfirmed. They are how-ever, supported by the oddphotograph, although theidea that Thamby Rajah,Ramlan Ahmed, Jon Mar-shall and Joe Thambu wereall at one event togethersuggests such a potentlyamazing seminar that I findit difficult to accept that wedidn t hear more about iton our end. Consequently, Ihave deduced that the pho-tographs on facebook arethe handiwork of that oh-so-cunning photoshopperGeorge Salama. At least,that s what helps me sleepat night knowing that I

wasn t there.

And who could forget thefamous Auction Party of12? Well, once again, ap-parently most people. Loos-ening inhibitions and wal-lets, the free shots at thedoor certainly made thenight an experience, and

(fortunately for the dojo) inmany cases an expensiveone. With the Cameronfamily walking away withenough loot to rival Ali

B a b a a n d M a r t i n„Givemeyourmoney Riceputting auctioneers the

world over to shame, theparty was certainly a socialhigh point of the year. Sen-seis danced, the bandplayed that funky music(but didn t die), drinks

were downed and flips werefalled „til late at night. Nickdidn t get to dohis famous strip-tease due to backinjury (or thepromise thereof),

but the night wasnevertheless asuccess. RayCameron and HuyNguyen finishedthe evening with a lifetimemembership each, so ex-pect to see a lot more ofthem on the mats as they

feverishly protect their in- vestments.

I ll take this opportunity to

say a big thank you to Sen-sei Joe and everyone else

who helps make AikidoShudokan such a fantasticcommunity. Congratula-

tions to all of those whotested or are testing on the22 nd , and big congratula-tions to Dr Sensei JoeThambu Shihan on his40 th anniversary of Aikido.On behalf of everyone whohas ever been taught, in-fluenced, scolded, in-spired, thrown, hit, con-fused and amused by you,I d like to say thank you for

being a part of our lives – your incredible skill anddedication is matched only

by your inimitable person-ality.

To you, dear reader, I urge you to read on. Containedherein are stories of bone-chilling terror, profound

wisdo m, side-spl it tingcomedy and mat-thumping excite-

ment. I wish youluck for the im-pending apoca-lypse, although if

you are doing a dangrading on the 22 nd that may be theleast of your wor-ries. Either way,

may the odds be ever in your favour.

Osu!

Jack Lavery

A L e t t e r F r o m T h e Ed i t o r , c o n t .


One consequence of the Malaysia trip may be the additionof a bar to the Thornbury and Oakleigh dojos. Concept artcourtesy of Joanna Sumner

“I’ll break your bankaccounts or your wrists”

“Thankyou for

being partof ourlives”

EDITOR’SNOTE


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For Sensei s 40th year of For Sensei s 40th year oflearning Aikido, the editor,learning Aikido, the editor,breaking with tradition, hasbreaking with tradition, hasdecided to forego the usualdecided to forego the usual„Word From Sensei Joe , and„Word From Sensei Joe , andhas instead attempted to delvehas instead attempted to delvedeep into the psyche of Joedeep into the psyche of JoeThambu Shihan. In typicalThambu Shihan. In typical Aikido fashion, the editor has Aikido fashion, the editor hasthe sneaking suspicion that histhe sneaking suspicion that hisown questions were subtlyown questions were subtlyturned around and redirectedturned around and redirectedelsewhere, which for the pur-elsewhere, which for the pur- poses of enjoyable reading can poses of enjoyable reading canonly be a good thing.only be a good thing.

I understand you’ve alsoI understand you’ve alsostudied various other mar-studied various other mar-

tial arts including Judotial arts including Judo –– why did Aikido appeal in why did Aikido appeal inparticular, more than anyparticular, more than anyother martial art?other martial art?

Firstly a correction there, IFirstly a correction there, Idon t think I ve really studieddon t think I ve really studiedany other martial artany other martial art –– I veI vedone just a very little bit ofdone just a very little bit ofJudo, a little bit of Jiu Jitsu,Judo, a little bit of Jiu Jitsu,some Kendo, some Shindosome Kendo, some ShindoMusu Ryu Jodo; but for me,Musu Ryu Jodo; but for me,doing something for a year ordoing something for a year orsix months is not enoughsix months is not enough –– you you

cannot say you ve done it. Icannot say you ve done it. Icannot even say I tried it; I justcannot even say I tried it; I justdid it for a little time. So I don tdid it for a little time. So I don treally think it s a fair compari-really think it s a fair compari-son to say that I picked Aikidoson to say that I picked Aikidoover those other things, I justover those other things, I justdid Aikido and stuck at it be-did Aikido and stuck at it be-cause it suited my character.cause it suited my character.For me, doing something forFor me, doing something forone or two or three years is notone or two or three years is notenough to say that you ve doneenough to say that you ve doneit.it.

When did you decide that When did you decide thatthis was what you wantedthis was what you wantedto do, professionally?to do, professionally?

I don t think it was ever a con-I don t think it was ever a con-scious decision as suchscious decision as such –– it wasit was

just that one thing led to an- just that one thing led to an-other, and I really never in myother, and I really never in mycareer made a conscious deci-career made a conscious deci-sion that I was going to do thission that I was going to do thisor that. Things just led on, andor that. Things just led on, andcircumstances and opportuni-circumstances and opportuni-ties presented themselvesties presented themselves –– sometimes necessity took oversometimes necessity took over–– and it was just somethingand it was just somethingthat rolled on. I guess whatthat rolled on. I guess whatthey say is true, sometimes youthey say is true, sometimes youdon t find a career, a careerdon t find a career, a careerfinds you.finds you.

What particular aspect of What particular aspect of Aikido appeals to you per- Aikido appeals to you per-sonally?sonally?

I think, like any art form, if itI think, like any art form, if ittouches a chord in you and youtouches a chord in you and youfeel passion towards it and youfeel passion towards it and youfind it constantly intriguingfind it constantly intriguingand constantly challengingand constantly challenging

you, you do it. There s lots of you, you do it. There s lots ofthings about Aikido that I like,things about Aikido that I like,there s some things about Ai-there s some things about Ai-kido that I don t like, but ulti-kido that I don t like, but ulti-mately it s that constant chal-mately it s that constant chal-lenge, it s that constant need tolenge, it s that constant need toimprove myself and to improveimprove myself and to improve

what I can around me. It s what I can around me. It sgiven me opportunities. It s letgiven me opportunities. It s let

me express my beliefs. It sme express my beliefs. It shelped me fix my beliefs. And Ihelped me fix my beliefs. And Ithink all these are marks of athink all these are marks of agood art form. I think, becausegood art form. I think, becauseof the person I am and becauseof the person I am and becauseof the art that it is, it suited me,of the art that it is, it suited me,and I ve been lucky to haveand I ve been lucky to havediscovered it.discovered it.

You’ve probably been You’ve probably beenasked this plenty of timesasked this plenty of times

before, but who do you before, but who do youthink was your most influ-think was your most influ-ential teacher, and why?ential teacher, and why?

I ve never ever had a mentor inI ve never ever had a mentor inmy life. I ve met lots of reallymy life. I ve met lots of reallyreally good teachersreally good teachers –– you youcan t go past my first teacher,can t go past my first teacher,

Thamby Rajah Sensei. SinceThamby Rajah Sensei. Sincethen I ve met lots of good peo-then I ve met lots of good peo-ple like Don Draeger Sensei,ple like Don Draeger Sensei, who I learnt off personally, who I learnt off personally,Obata Sensei, Inoue Sensei,Obata Sensei, Inoue Sensei,Chida SenseiChida Sensei –– just to name a just to name afew. There have been a lot offew. There have been a lot ofpeople who I ve learnt manypeople who I ve learnt manymany a good thing from, and amany a good thing from, and alot of people that I ve takenlot of people that I ve takenthings from. But I ve neverthings from. But I ve neveremulated, or said I wanted toemulated, or said I wanted to be like this person or that per- be like this person or that per-son. I don t know if I m an-son. I don t know if I m an-swering your question, but it sswering your question, but it snever been in my psyche tonever been in my psyche tohave a mentor or a guru.have a mentor or a guru.

Do you still feel that you’reDo you still feel that you’relearning Aikido, or do youlearning Aikido, or do youfeel that you’ve completelyfeel that you’ve completelyswitched to the role ofswitched to the role ofteacher?teacher?

To be honest, the best teachersTo be honest, the best teachersnever stop learning, and I stillnever stop learning, and I stilllearn from Aikidolearn from Aikido –– I learnI learnabout myself and it s that thatabout myself and it s that thatkeeps me going. I also tend tokeeps me going. I also tend toenjoy the process of learning, Ienjoy the process of learning, Ienjoy discovering new things, Ienjoy discovering new things, Ienjoy just doing Aikido. Andenjoy just doing Aikido. And

also, a lot of that is the peoplealso, a lot of that is the peoplearound me, both here in Mel-around me, both here in Mel- bourne and overseas. The peo- bourne and overseas. The peo-ple who I move with, I rubple who I move with, I rubshoulders with, I train with, Ishoulders with, I train with, Iteachteach –– and who teach meand who teach me –– these people also make learn-these people also make learn-ing a pleasurable experience.ing a pleasurable experience.

Do you think there couldDo you think there couldever be a point where youever be a point where youstop learning Aikido?stop learning Aikido?

I don t know about thatI don t know about that –– mymycrystal ball s a bit cloudy at thecrystal ball s a bit cloudy at themoment. But I think that if Imoment. But I think that if Istop learning, then it s time forstop learning, then it s time forme to give up and go fishing.me to give up and go fishing.Part of what intrigues mePart of what intrigues me

A F e w W o r d s o f W i s d o m — S e n s e i J o e 4 0 Ye a r s O n


“I’ve been

lucky tohave

discoveredit”

SENSEI JOESPEAKS


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about Aikido is the fact that Iabout Aikido is the fact that Istill learn. And so if I stoppedstill learn. And so if I stoppedlearning, then maybe it s timelearning, then maybe it s timeto give up.to give up.

What did you learn from What did you learn fromthe Inoue Kancho visit?the Inoue Kancho visit?

I always learn a lot from InoueI always learn a lot from InoueKancho. I think this time, theKancho. I think this time, themost poignant thing that camemost poignant thing that cameacross was the calligraphyacross was the calligraphy which he wrote, which roughly which he wrote, which roughlytranslates as “happiness ortranslates as “happiness orunhappiness, follow your des-unhappiness, follow your des-tiny”. This is pretty much say-tiny”. This is pretty much say-ing that sometimes happinessing that sometimes happinessor unhappiness is immaterial,or unhappiness is immaterial,

and you ve got to do whatand you ve got to do what you ve got to do. It came at an you ve got to do. It came at anappropriate time for me, and Iappropriate time for me, and Ithink he has a knack for sayingthink he has a knack for sayingthe right thing at the rightthe right thing at the righttime.time.

Is there any particularIs there any particularaspect of Aikido that youaspect of Aikido that youfeel beginners should un-feel beginners should un-derstand from the outset?derstand from the outset?

Yes Yes –– I think that a lot of usI think that a lot of us want practicality out of Aikido, want practicality out of Aikido,

and out of any aspect of life.and out of any aspect of life. We want what is practical and We want what is practical and what will work in the here and what will work in the here andnow. But, I think that can benow. But, I think that can beself self --defeating sometimes. If wedefeating sometimes. If welook at what s practical all thelook at what s practical all thetime, we miss out on so manytime, we miss out on so manyaspects of Aikido. I think this isaspects of Aikido. I think this isone of the reasons why it sone of the reasons why it staken me so long to learn Ai-taken me so long to learn Ai-kido, because growing up I waskido, because growing up I wasalways after what worked, andalways after what worked, and what would help me get the job what would help me get the jobdone, so to speak. And it sdone, so to speak. And it staken me a long time to under-taken me a long time to under-stand the subtleties (but we allstand the subtleties (but we allknow I m a slow learner). Iknow I m a slow learner). Ithink that if beginners under-think that if beginners under-stand that, then they will startstand that, then they will start

to grasp the roots and the es-to grasp the roots and the es-sencesence –– maybe not fastermaybe not faster –– but buta lot more holistically.a lot more holistically.

How do you decide whatHow do you decide whatmessage you want to bringmessage you want to bringacross with your demon-across with your demon-strations?strations?

Everything depends on theEverything depends on theaudience in front of me, and Iaudience in front of me, and Itry to look at who I m demon-try to look at who I m demon-strating to. Some Aikido teach-strating to. Some Aikido teach-ers believe that s wrong anders believe that s wrong andthat you need to do what youthat you need to do what youdo full stop. I believe a demon-do full stop. I believe a demon-stration is about reaching outstration is about reaching outto people, so I try and get into people, so I try and get in

tune with the audience andtune with the audience and who the main target audience who the main target audienceis. I try and explain Aikido in ais. I try and explain Aikido in a

way that they ll understand. way that they ll understand.Having said that, I tend to doHaving said that, I tend to dotwo types of demonstrations.two types of demonstrations.One s an entertainment dem-One s an entertainment dem-onstration, where I will doonstration, where I will dosomething for maybe three orsomething for maybe three orfour minutes, and it might befour minutes, and it might bein front of a group of peoplein front of a group of people

who have come to see karate or who have come to see karate orkickboxing or something, orkickboxing or something, orit s a martial arts expo and youit s a martial arts expo and you

just do Aikido as a small part of just do Aikido as a small part ofit. That s an entertainmentit. That s an entertainmentdemonstration, where there sdemonstration, where there sno explanation or anything.no explanation or anything.

When we do stuff like the an- When we do stuff like the an-nual demonstrations, and Inual demonstrations, and Ihave a chance to speak, thenhave a chance to speak, thenit s what we call an educationalit s what we call an educationaldemonstration, where we getdemonstration, where we getto explain what we do andto explain what we do andexplain some concepts of Ai-explain some concepts of Ai-kido. Obviously you can t ex-kido. Obviously you can t ex-plain everything, but you tryplain everything, but you tryand inform the audience as toand inform the audience as to

what you think and what you what you think and what you believe they might be inter- believe they might be inter-ested in. So, from that point ofested in. So, from that point of

view, who they are is very im- view, who they are is very im-portant in what I deliver.portant in what I deliver.

Getting back to this year,Getting back to this year,has there been a particularhas there been a particularhighlight in your 40highlight in your 40 thth year yearof Aikido?of Aikido?

I think all the overseas tripsI think all the overseas tripsare always really enjoyable.are always really enjoyable.The highlights would have toThe highlights would have to be doing the 100 year anniver- be doing the 100 year anniver-sary celebration in Malaysiasary celebration in Malaysia –– that was really amazing. Sothat was really amazing. Somany people came from somany people came from somany different countries, andmany different countries, andit was a humbling experience.it was a humbling experience.Going to Inoue Sensei s 77Going to Inoue Sensei s 77 thth birthday in June and having birthday in June and havingthe honour of making a speechthe honour of making a speech

in front of 400 distinguishedin front of 400 distinguishedmartial artistsmartial artists –– that was also athat was also a big moment this year . bi g mo ment this year . And I have to say, something And I have to say, somethingthat stands out is having met athat stands out is having met aBrazilian Jiu Jitsu teacherBrazilian Jiu Jitsu teachernamed Pedro Sauernamed Pedro Sauer –– he reallyhe reallyis an amazing man, he strikesis an amazing man, he strikes you as a very humble, sincere you as a very humble, sincereand proficient martial artist,and proficient martial artist,and meeting him was also aand meeting him was also ah i g h l i g h t t h i s y e a r .h i g h l i g h t t h i s y e a r .

Do you have any storiesDo you have any stories

from your 40 years of Ai-from your 40 years of Ai-kido that you’d like tokido that you’d like toshare in the Emag thisshare in the Emag this

year? year?

When I was maybe 13 or 14, I When I was maybe 13 or 14, Igot a little bit slack at training.got a little bit slack at training.I was watching TV one day,I was watching TV one day,and after the class, my uncleand after the class, my unclecame over and said to me, “Ifcame over and said to me, “If you don t want to train any- you don t want to train any-more, wash that dogi and givemore, wash that dogi and giveit back to me.” That was theit back to me.” That was theonly time I ve ever had to beonly time I ve ever had to beinduced or encouraged or ad-induced or encouraged or ad-monished about Aikido. And Imonished about Aikido. And Inever want to go through thatnever want to go through thatagain.again.

A F e w W o r d s o f W i s d o m — S e n s e i J o e 4 0 Ye a r s O n , c o n t .


“If we look at

what’spractical all

the time, we missout on so many

aspects”

SENSEI JOESPEAKS


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Hey!Hey! Time to take that santa outfit off!Time to take that santa outfit off!Boris is here to wish everyone atBoris is here to wish everyone at Aikido Shudokan a Merry Xmas Aikido Shudokan a Merry Xmasand a Happy New Year!and a Happy New Year! All of us have our own path and All of us have our own path and values. Make sure you follow your values. Make sure you follow yourpath and values, instead of chas-path and values, instead of chas-ing others dreams.ing others dreams.

Greetings from the dark and coldGreetings from the dark and coldOslo; and missing everyone (well,Oslo; and missing everyone (well,almost everyone) at Aikidoalmost everyone) at Aikido

Shudokan!Shudokan! Specifically, I would like to thankSpecifically, I would like to thank


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S p e c i a l E v e n t :I n o u e K y o i c h i K a n c h o Vi s i t


In March this year, the Shudokan hadthe extreme privilege of hosting Sensei

Inoue Kyoichi, Kancho of the Shinwakanschool of Aikido. Rather than recountwhat will no doubt be an unforgettableexperience regardless, Marvin Oka hasinstead provided us with an extensiverecord of Kancho Sensei s most memora-ble quotes.

“All is from

kamae”

“Train the spirit. Thisis Budo train-ing. Train your spiritover pain. Focus yourwill and spirit overpain and discomfort.”

“Apply yourself 100% inall you do, even if in painor exhaustion. Do this in

all aspects of life for totalBudo training and Budoliving. ”

“The spinemust bestraight. Thetraining forthis is seiza.”

SPECIALEVENTS


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“Before doingthe rest of anytechnique, thefirst thing you

must do is takeUke's balance ”

“You are learning totrain yourself in Aikiconnection in every-thing in Aikido. Trainyour spirit and yourKi power. Developyour Aiki power ”

“Be an ukemisandan ”

“In hiriki no yosei, the dy-namic power comes fromyour left (bottom) hand, inboth raising and lowering.This holds true evenwhen your partner grabsyour right hand. The rais-ing and lowering/cutting

with the sword is fromthe left/lower hand. Theupper/right hand onlyguides the sword to staystraight ”


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“That which you“That which you

cannot believecannot believe -- that is Aikido.”that is Aikido.”


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Almost everyone reading this willprobably already know how awesomethe Nostradamus 2012 Auction Party

was – for those of you who don t, well, I suppose it s my job to tell youexactly what you missed out on. Forstarters there was the fine food of StGeorge s Reception Centre, goodmusic, the fine company and humourof our Samurai/Auctioneers, loudmusic, an auction of rare and won-derful items (shock horror) someamazing music (did I already men-tion that?) and the always entertain-ing sight of Sensei Jon on the dancefloor.

For those of us who arrived on timethere were a multitude of shotspassed around (courtesy of SenseiJoe s extensive personal liquor col-lection) each one going down with acheer and a laugh. The show sprangoff rather quickly after this with anopening fanfare from the band, and a

quick speech from Sensei, then it wasstraight into the food, (I did mentionhow good the food was didn t I?) fol-lowed closely by the first round of auc-tions and more music, more jokesfrom the auctioneers and more food.By this stage everyone was at least alittle drunk and by the second round ofauctions we started to see some ratherheated competition over various auc-tion listings, the most interesting ofthose being over a weekend holiday, agong, and of course the two lifetimememberships to the dojo.

All in all it was a fabulous night, during which every ticketholder got more thantheir fair share of the promised“laughter, mayhem, 4 course dinner,

beer, wine, soft-drink, laughter andmayhem.” So for those of you whomissed out now is the time to startasking about the next Auction Party,and to start saving up for your chanceto bid on the next lifetime member-ship...

S p e c i a l E v e n t : A u c t i o n P a r t y


Most memories of the night look something like this.

Bidding got prettyheated between TheMonagle and GeorgeSalama over the week-

end holiday...

“All in all

it was afabulous

night”

SPECIALEVENTS


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This article was only ever goingto go one of two ways, either it

would read like the pre-editedscript for a prime-time, chan-nel 7, B-Grade drama from theseconds pile that documentedthe tear jerking challenges andachievements of a young man sadventure into a brave new

world or it would ramble inco-herently about buckets of rum,exotic islands, Russian danc-ers, colourful forms of Greekabuse, a continual chorus of“Maasssaaagge”, the wondersof coconut juice and the farm

yard exploits of a young JohnMurray.

So naturally I opted for thefirst...

8 months ago a young man who knew little to nothing of Aikido woke up in the usualhung over state and scowled atthe sea of empty low carb lager

bottles that littered the floor ofhis bedroom.

He was the kind of guy you feltneeded something or someoneto care about in his life but hisinability to take care of any-thing or anyone left him withonly one suitable partner... asucculent.

Well, 8 months later and that young man is... doing exactlythe same thing and I still have-n't bought him that succulent

because I m far too busy with Aikido.

I think of him from time totime with gratitude as his ac-tions and consequences servedas a warning for my own fu-ture.

So rewind again 8 months.

I wandered down to the localaikido dojo which operated afew nights of the week in asmall church at the back of theClifton hill shops. The lights

were on and the doors wereopen but no one was home.

I called out once... nothing,

twice... nothing and then afterthe third time a loud and angry voice bellowed from behind adoor to my left

“Can I get dressed first!”

“...um... please do” I replied ina mild state of shock.

When the man finally appeared(clothed) he turned bitterlyand said

“What do you want?”

“Ah, nothing I must be in the wrong place, thanks anyway.” Iturned and left.

There is just no excuse for being a [heavily edited exple-tive].

However, being a man whodoes not believe in luck, I look

back at these sorts of momentsas important steps that got me

where I am as opposed to aseries of unfortunate interac-tions with dickheads.

So I moved on to the secondclosest dojo, which obviouslyturned out to be the greatestdojo in the world! That wouldsurely not fail me on my nextgrading.

The vast array of knowledgeand skills from each and everySensei that I have had thepleasure of training under atthe Shudokan dojos is some-thing I will forever be gratefulfor, but for me the most impor-tant thing is the people. Overthe past few months I have metand come to know an extraor-dinary, global community ofindividuals who practise aikidoon the mats and (in their ownunique way) off the mats.

I have a long way to go in the world of Aikido and that s the best bit – knowing I have somuch more to look forward to.Osu!

And apologies to anyone whothought I was going to reveal

what “really” happened inMalaysia and Thailand, there

were simply too many holes inmy memory.

Z x

Z a c h H a n n a n P r e s e n t s :M a l a y s i a / T h a i l a n d 2 0 1 2


It was a very good trip, though.

“There were

simply toomany holes

in mymemory”

SPECIALEVENTS


13/61

13

Z a c h H a n n a n P r e s e n t s :M a l a y s i a / T h a i l a n d 2 0 1 2


SPECIALEVENTS

Sir John:“So a Greek, an

Irishman and amartial artist walkinto a bar...”

Marty:“My life is

complete…”


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14


SPECIALEVENTS

Special Event: 100 Years of AikidoThe biggest event of the yearif not the century, was held

between the 11 th and 14 th ofOctober, 2012, in KualaLumpur Malaysia as Aiki-doka from all over the worldhad amassed to celebrate theanniversaries of two of thegreat inspirations in themodern history of Yo-shinkan Aikido. As the nameof the event suggests, a cen-tury of Aikido was the com-

bined 60 years of Aikido forThamby Raja Kancho and40 years of Aikido for JoeThambu Shihan. Not many

people can dedicate them-selves that long to a Martial-

Art, profession or any rela-tionship at all for that mat-ter. Hence, was this to be an

Aikido Ruby and a DiamondCelebration of sorts, andrarely can this celebrated bytwo family members to-gether in the same year,making this occasion a trulyunique one. The combined100 years of Aikido knowl-edge between these tworemarkable personalities,teachers and sources of in-spiration therefore, indubi-tably, drew the attention ofthe entire Shudokan world.

Students from United King-dom, Poland, Checz Repub-lic, Australia, Indonesia,Singapore and Malaysiagathered for a weekend con-sisting of a tribute dinner, atwo and a half day seminar,a public demonstration anda gala dinner to frame theevent as one that was to godown in the history books ofShudokan Aikido.

The Tribute Dinner toThamby Rajah Sensei in theSeremban dojo on Thursdaytook things back to where

everything once originated.It is this historic dojo thatgave rise to the now world-renowned moniker of Shu-dokan: The House to Studythe way. During the night we

were exposed to some inter-esting truths about the dojothat only served tostrengthen our perception ofthe Seremban School as

being a place of Martial ArtsHistory. We found out thatthe dojo was the first Yo-shinkan dojo to open up tostudents outside of Japan.The First non-Japanesefemale Yoshinkan black belttrained there amongst in-

structors even senior to Yoshikan legends such asTakafumi Takeno Sensei. Italso became clearer just howmuch effort Thamby RajahSensei had to put in to travelto Japan in order to train attimes when this was exceed-ingly difficult. The two hourlong sessions of training with all the honored guestson the mats with the back-ground music of the boom-ing Malaysian Monsoon andaccompanied Thunder-storms was surely to leave along lasting impression on

everybody present. To be onthe mats with SenseiThamby and Sensei Joe inthe same class is definitelysomething all Shudokanstudents do aspire to. Adinner followed with an Award ceremony to honorsome of the key figures involved in making the school what it is today, for theirdedication and support tothe Seremban Dojo, one ofthe oldest martial arts cen-ters in Malaysia.

The proceedings continuedto the National badmintonhall, our named destination

“These tworemarkable

personalities…drew the

attention of theentire world”


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15


SPECIALEVENTS

Special Event: 100 Years of Aikidofor the Friday night seminar.

A full day on Saturday and ahalf day on Sunday followed

where over a hundred Aiki-doka had stepped onto themats to be tutored by aninternational set of instruc-tors from Shudokan Schoolsfar and wide. All the classesreflected the high level oftutelage Shudokan nowoffers world over with theguidance of Joe ThambuShihan. Often the training

would consist of drills andtechniques which had to beperformed together with

mostly unfamiliar faces, with students from otherschools. It is fair to say how-ever, that Shudokan is morelike a big family, so it rarelytakes long before breakingthe ice, be it either physi-cally or verbally. The harder

you train with a partner onthe mats, the more you areable to connect with thatperson outside. We wit-nessed new and hopefullylifelong, friendships form-ing, at times with black eyesand bruised ribs as receipts.

The public demonstrationon Sunday was a two houraffair at the Dewan Bahasaand Pustaka Auditorium,center for language andreading. Aikido practitionersranging from the age ofthree to eighty-six hadstepped on stage and thatagain underlined the claim

that Aikido is an art for eve-ryone. The audience wit-nessed a whole range of high

level performances thatculminated in a demonstra-tion by Sensei Joe and aceremony together withThamby Rajah Sensei. Thelocation of the demonstra-tion, as Sensei Joe pointedout, was appropriate andalso metaphorical in regardshow we need to respect andpreserve our language, artand culture in order to moveit forward. No different arethe Martial Arts and Aikidoin particular. What we wit-nessed on this day was a

legacy that the two greatmen had now formed andhow their inspiration contin-ues to carry over onto the

younger generations.

The entourage proceeded tothe appropriately namedDynasty Hotel in the KualaLumpur Area for the finalevent of the weekend,namely the Gala Dinner. The

white pajamas were tradedfor gowns and sophisticatedshirts, slacks and suits, asthe now transformed ap-prentices finally got to

breathe out the tension that

usually emanates duringpublic demonstrations. Sen-sei Joe, however, managedto slip back in to his white business suit with hakamafor an encore performance; anever before seen demon-stration during a dinner.Taking everyone s breathaway once again the audi-ences were thrilled as SenseiJoe demonstrated his abilityto perform his Budo at will,regardless of time and venue. The night also sawIndian Cultural Dance per-formances along with a SilatDemonstration. Closing off with an award Ceremonyorganized by Open Martial Arts Academy that amongstother awards saw ThambyRajah Sensei receive anhonorary doctorate to for hislong dedication to thespreading of Martial Arts inMalaysia and now the whole world. The dinner, and theevent as a whole, was a greatsuccess thanks to the effortof all participants and or-ganizers. Needless to say,

that if it wasn t for ThambyRajah Sensei s choice todedicate himself to Aikido,rather than all of the otherJapanese Martial Arts thathe also had practiced, thisnight would simply have not been possible. It is to thisman that we owe our grati-tude, respect and humbleappreciation. ShudokanMalaysia is now quietlyplanning 120 years of Aikidoand we do promise to make

it an IT free event.

Kirill Korbout

“The dinner,and the event

as a whole, wasa great

success”

“Shudokan ismore like abig family”


16/61

16

Malaysia in particular has areally special place in my heartand especially the Serembandojo. My first trip to Malaysia

was back in 1986 when I was just a boy and, at the risk of being melodramatic, was theturning pointing my life thatignited my passion for aikido,traveling and a love affair with

Asia that has been unshake-able.

My first impression all those years ago was how incrediblyfriendly and kind people wereand how well I was treated andtaken care of by Thamby Sen-sei, the members of the Shu-dokan, and above all, theThambu family who lookedafter me and welcomed me intotheir family and home.

I knew from a very young agethat Thamby Sensei com-manded an amazing amount ofrespect and that I was in thepresence of a great and humbleman. This love and respect wasnot only from his students andfamily but almost the wholetown of Seremban! Walkingthrough the town with him is agreat honor and the amount ofpeople that say hi and greethim is amazing. Master is an

incredible man, the very epit-ome of an old school budomaster who leads by example,lets his technique speak for

itself and as he would say, “It'sall in the training”

In traditional Budo, the rela-tionship between the teacherand student is particularlyunique. The student is ex-pected to serve the teacherunquestionably. I am ratherashamed that ever since I have

been coming to Malaysia, it has been Thamby sensei lookingafter me, always making sure I

was ok, taking me out for din-ner whenever I was in townand numerous times, takingme to the dentist then proceed-ing to pay for it as well! As wellas mixing me the most potentdrinks affectionately known asthe Seremban Special or theTemiang Twist!

We have an incredible lineageat the Shudokan. The legendsthat Thamby Sensei has stud-ied under reads almost like a

who s who in the 20th centuryof the Martial Arts. It is hardlysurprising that as a result of allhis hard training, he was thefirst man to reach both black

belt in judo and aikido in Ma-

laysia and is known as thefather of the martial arts inMalaysia.

He initially went to Japan tostudy Judo under IchijimaSensei. By an amazing strokeof luck, Ichijima Sensei intro-duced him to his own teacher,the legendary Mifune KyuzoSensei, 10 th Dan. Anyone whoknows anything about Judo isalmost incredulous when hear-ing that Thamby Sensei hadthe good fortune of training

with probably the best Judokathe world has ever known.Thamby Sensei also received anumber of priceless scrolls andcalligraphy directly from Mi-fune Sensei which is a strongindication of how fond MifuneSensei must have been of him

In addition to his training atthe Kodokan and with selectstudents at Mifune Sensei sprivate dojo, he began hisstudy in Shotokan Karate un-der Nakayama Masatoshi Sen-sei – one of the most importantpioneers of karate the worldhas ever seen. Nakayama Sen-sei was instrumental in thegrowth and popularity of theJapan Karate Association afterthe war. He was the first

Shotokan teacher to beawarded a 9 th dan anda 10 th dan posthu-mously.

Thamby Sensei laterhad the opportunity toobserve Shioda Gozo s Aikido demonstrationand this led him toabandon his other budo tranining anddevote himself exclu-sively to mastering Yoshinkan Aikido.Shioda Kancho gaveThamby Sensei thename Shudokan (theplace to study the way). Among thosethat taught the young

A W o r d F r o m S e n s e i J o nM a r s h a l l


―To two great men and my two heroes, you made me realize the why many years ago.

“ThambySensei

commandedan amazingamount ofrespect”

CONGRATULATIONSTO SENSEI JOE


17/61

17

Thamby Sensei were InoueSensei, Kushida Sensei, YagiSensei and other now highranking Aikido teachers.

The Seremban dojo has always been a Mecca of the martialarts and has had an incrediblenumber of prominent martialarts teachers come to visit overthe last 60 years. The legen-dary Donn Draeger, who trav-elled to Malaysia frequently,made Seremban his home and

base while researching and writing his numerous and fa-mous books on the martialarts. Famous Jodo teacherShimuzu Sensei of ShindoMuso Ryu visited Seremban inthe early 70 s and it was thisdynamic demonstration ofBudo that reportedly inspiredThambu Sensei on his path of

budo excellence.

Thambu Shihan has beenprobably the biggest influenceon my life and I can't thankhim enough for all he has donefor me and for how my life hasturned out as a result of being

his student.

I liken Thambu Sensei to alighthouse, a rock solid struc-

ture that has guided all thathave studied under him. Incalm times or raging seas hehas shown a light that hastouched all of us. Some havestayed a long time, others a fewmonths but the effect he hashad and the amount of peoplehe has cared for and helpedthrough tough times have beenenduring. This is very much aThambu family trait, and Ihave felt that care and kind-ness for over 27 years.

To me, the most meaningfulquote for both Thamby andThambu Sensei is that, as theirstudents, we have had the op-portunity to " stand on theshoulder of giants"; not tomerely imitate or blindly try toemulate them without think-ing, but to seek what theysought, to find the same driveand passion that ignited them

on their journey and to con-tinue their amazing ability toinspire. The difference betweenan instructor and a teacher isthis: an instructor can teach

you techniques but a teacherteaches you about yourself.This in my own opinion is per-haps their biggest legacy.

There is an old saying that says"There are two important daysin your life. The day you are

born and they day you realise why". To two great men andmy two heroes, you made merealize the why many yearsago.

Thank you

Jon Marshall

A W o r d F r o m S e n s e i J o nM a r s h a l l , c o n t .


D i v e r s i t y — A H o m e T r u t h F r o m

S e n s e i E n r i c a C h e u n gHaving spent five monthsoverseas reminds you thatthere is a lot of difference inthe world. People in differentcountries are different, peo-ple in different cities aredifferent, people in the sameneighbourhood are different,people in the same house-hold are different. Culturesmay be different and per-sonal space may be unheardof, queuing is just an option,using rubbish bins as a pub-lic toilet is fine and you canentice clients by being pro-

vocative in shop windows.

You can either go crazy withall this difference and rejectit all or just take it all in,accept it and even appreciateit. It s something that train-ing in Aikido also teaches you

when you have to train withpeople of different ages,

backgrounds, personalitiesand body types. However,despite all these differences,so many people I have metoverseas have been so genu-ine and helpful and justhappy to make a connection

with you, that you really justend up seeing the similarities

and seeing that they are justhuman.

As a part of my overseastravel, I was fortunate to beable to accompany Sensei Joeon his whirlwind tour ofEurope and meet many ofthese fantastic people. This isa part of what I love about

Aikido – it s that feeling ofhaving that shared passionand being a part of that fam-ily, and it s a worldwide fam-ily, which is amazing. I got toreconnect with people suchas Sarah, Pawel and Tad, and

“ThambuShihan has

beenprobably the

biggestinfluence on

my life”



18/61

18

even Seanie, who made anappearance in Nottinghamfrom his Aikido sabbatical. Imet new people including a

person who works with walk-ing and talking robots for theelderly, a person who has a„skybed on top of their„mission control at home,people who have to keep itreal working in prisons andpeople who travelled betweencountries just to spend a fewhours learning from SenseiJoe. Which reminds me…

It is easy to forget to appreci-ate what we have in Mel-

bourne and the effort andsacrifice people make to at-

tend classes and seminars with Sensei Joe reminds meof that. Not many dojo can

boast having a 7 th Danteacher, and not just that, buta teacher that gives every-thing he knows to help you

become better. Facebook wisdom told me recently that“the mediocre teacher tells,the good teacher explains,

the superior teacher demon-strates, the great teacherinspires” and I think we allknow which type of teacher

Sensei Joe is. This yearmarked Sensei Joe s 40 th anniversary of Aikido so I

would like to wish him a very big congratu lations andthank him for being a greatteacher and inspiring me.

Osu

Enrica

D i v e r s i t y — A H o me T r u t h F r o mS e n s e i E n r i c a C h e u n g , c o n t .


“Thegreat

teacherinspires”



19/61

19

Writing this as a 1 st Kyu, Ihave still not passed thefirst chapter in the philoso-

phy of Budo. Therefore the journey I depict in this arti-cle is that of how I progres-sively had formed a basicunderstanding of the seri-ousness behind Budo.

After the Annual Demon-stration this year approach-ing winter I found myself

with a lower back injurypresumably caused by fal-ling incorrectly or notstretching that area beforeand after training. In muchpain, I foolishly restrictedmy attendance at the dojoto only training one class a

week and assisting in chil-dren s classes. Waiting formy body to heal itself, thediscipline of my old selfand the standards of my

behavior had droppedmuch lower than what I

had expected of myself. With a mind driven by de-sire, I was psychologicallylost in thought. Talking topeople at school I wouldnever have before, I hadimmersed myself in igno-rance. At the suggestion ofSensei Joe, I concluded tofix my inability to train by

visiting Sensei Jon s oste-opathy clinic in Balwyn.Sensei Jon happily showed

how to fix the problem bycertain stretches for thelower back. After many

weeks of continuing to

stretch the area on a regu-lar basis, finally I hadfound myself back training

again with no pain in thatarea. Great!

Regardless of the injurygone, the effect this breakhad on my mind lingered.Though my training hadcommenced, mind seemedto be dragged by body inmy training. This was dueto the clouded thoughts

which arose. At this time I was truly in a confused

state.

When Inoue Kancho taughtthe seminar in March, Irecalled him speakingabout the meaning of sit-ting in seiza for long peri-ods of time, being that a

budoka must restrict him-self from falling victim tohis desire (slipping your legout to let it rest). This,Inoue Kancho explained,

was an important part ofBudo.

When spring had arrived Idecided to put this philoso-

phy into use and rid my selfof any clouded thoughtsand dedicate myself solely

to studying Aikido and ne-glect that which is unneces-sary to the path of Budo. Todo this, I needed to restrictmyself. At this point in timemany people I used tospeak to at school began to

believe in my insanity dueto my silence in class-rooms, ignoring nearly eve-ryone.

Although drastic, I believethis seclusion was neces-

sary to re-discover the es-sence of Budo. Inow believe thisexperience in a

way strength-ened me andreminded me of

what Sensei Joesays; that mar-tial artists havehigher stan-dards of behav-ior. With three

weeks left to trainfor my Shodan, I feelobliged to remember theseriousness of the art Istudy and how important itis to our growth physicallyand mentally.

Osu! Roberto

P e r s o n a l R e f l e c t i o n :T h e R o a d To S h o d a n


“At this time, I was truly in a confused state”

“This, InoueKancho

explained,was an

importantpart ofBudo”

PERSONALREFLECTIONS


20/61

20

During the preparation of my Nidan testthis year, I struggled so much. Thestruggle was not only limited to the dojo

but also many areas of my personal life.I have been training Aikido now forseven years on and off. Returning from along break, I quickly realised I had for-gotten the whole syllabus. There weremany occasions when my body wouldfreeze up during the class because I couldnot remember the techniques; all I couldremember was the white belt syllabus. It

was not funny starting again fromscratch.

When you train and test regularly thenumber of techniques in the list in-creases gradually, however this time Ihad to learn 300 in one go. Working 7

days per week to build my busi-ness and study-ing, I could nothandle the pres-sure. When you

work for some-o n e e l s e ,

whether you like your job or not, your salary isthere. Howeverif you work for

yourself, yourfinance depends on howmuch time and effort youput in. Eventually I realised I had tomake a decision “Am I doing my Ni -dantest this year, or not?”

After deciding to do my Ni-dan, I startedtrying all sorts of tricks to memorise thesyllabus. I typed the syllabus into Japa-nese so it was easier for me to remember,coloured them, grouped them and liter-ally started to work on them one by one.Every day, I would memorise five tech-niques and get Andrean to call them outand test me. When I could not remem-

ber a technique then I would go andcheck the Yoshinkan DVD sets. I alsorecorded the technique names on myiPhone and would listen to them betweenclients, during breaks, cooking and even

when brushing my teeth. It took 3

months for the technique names to fi-nally start to sink into my head where Icould recall them.Just as I felt I was getting the hang ofthem, I turned up to a class and looked ata syllabus sheet. The font seemed muchsmaller than normal and when I realised

Aikiken and Self Defence had been addedto the list, I was devastated.Self Defence was extremely challengingfor me. Having grown up in Japan

women are expected to behave in a cer-tain way. They should always be niceand weaker than the men. Standing upfor yourself as a female goes against the

whole tradition I grew up with. I under-stood it was silly but my fear of breakingtradition was making me hold back. Sen-

sei recognised thisand emphasisedthat I had to putextra work on thispart of the test.The new syllabus

was also givingme another head-ache, namely myfitness. It had

been five yearssince my last test;along with notunderstanding the

full picture of grad-ing with the new

syllabus, I did not know how fit I wassupposed to be. After every class, I

would do round of Jiyuwaza, Kumite andBackfalls until I was sweating and out of

breath. However I still did not know howmuch energy was required for me to sur-

vive the test. One day after class, Istarted to do 100 backfalls to see how fitI was, I could not do it. The next day Itried it again, once more I did not finishit. When I was a deshi, 100 backfalls wasa part of daily routine to me, so what wasdifferent from back then? I observed andrealised that this time I was trying to doit all alone without other deshi and do-

joseis with me. Back then, of course thetraining was hard but I was surrounded

by the people who would not give up. So

P e r s o n a l R e f l e c t i o n :N i d a n , M y J o u r n e y


Maki and Rodney square off for the final battle...

“Every day,

I wouldmemorise

fivetechniques”

PERSONALREFLECTIONS


21/61

21

the next day after the class, I tried to do100 backfalls again except this time I

visualised the old deshi I trained with were right next to me, doing the 100 backfalls with me. I finally did it.This experience made me realise that Ineeded to ask for help. I was not a deshianymore and I had only limited timeavailable. So I began to call instructorsand arrange times for them to teach methe techniques that I was having diffi-culty with.The day before my grading I was verytense and even aggressive. Andrean saidto me “Why don t you just accept that

you are nervous?” I realised that theperson who was putting the most pres-sure on me, was ME!!! 10 months had

already passed since the day I first con-sidered doing a Ni-dan test. When Itruly recognised all the hard work I hadput in, there was nothing left to do otherthan the test itself. I finally relaxed andmy mind became quiet. I passed my test. I would like to thank Rodney for all hispatience and help, Mark who gave up histime to do extra training with me, Judith,the unlucky person who happened to bein the office when I was looking for the

2nd uke and all the teachers and the stu-dents who helped me before and afterclasses. Heartfelt thanks to Andrean

who was forced to be an in-house ukeand deal with all the stress I was goingthrough.Lastly to Sensei Joe a special thank youfor his time and effort teaching me as

well as all his hard work and headacheshe has to face to run the dojo, whichgives me the opportunity to learn Aikido.

Maki Kanazawa

P e r s o n a l R e f l e c t i o n :N i d a n , M y J o u r n e y


“There wasnothing leftto do other

than thetest itself”

PERSONALREFLECTIONS


22/61

22

Why do we train this littlething called Aikido?

I still ask myself this ques-tion every time I struggle ina hard class, grading ordemonstration, or even

with a difficult technique.

The answer can be differentthings to different people.For example, there is anobvious element of fitnessinvolved with Aikido (and

with any martial arts forthat matter) as well asspiritual fitness and so on.So some people do it for thefitness element, others(children, particularly mis-

behaved ones!) are some-times “introduced” (ok, Ireally meant – “dragged”)into Aikido, some people

just want a break (or es-cape!) from their wives,husbands etc, and othersmay have a sense of beingpart of a journey when youtrain a Martial Art. Then

there are, of course, someunstable minded individu-als who simply train Aikido

because they enjoy gettingthrown around, getting

battered and bruised! Me? Well, initially I trained Ai-kido because I thought it

was “Cool” – but more im-portantly now, it gives me asense of achievement, par-ticularly after a grading.

Gradings are an integralpart of Aikido too, andthese should not only beregarded as building blocksfor your techniques, fitness

(mental and physical) and your Aikido knowledge, butmore importantly, building

blocks for life. No matter who you are or how long you ve been training for, you will always take some-thing with you to the nextlevel. That next level may

be another belt or evenanother challenge outsidethe Dojo, a new job, newrelationship, studies, chil-

dren and so on. Aikidotraining can mould andshape your character tooand can take you to wher-ever you want it to be, aslong as you learn to push

your limits. Aikido mayeven reveal your truecharacter when faced un-der pressure, especially ina grading environment – thus the great question,“does Aikido build or re-

veal character?”

Admittedly, one of thehardest things to do in lifeis to relax under pressure.The best performers andathletes seem to do this

with great ease. I believe

that this can only be devel-oped through hard trainingand practice, and in ourcase, more gradings as well.

Aikido is perhaps one of the best structured of all Mar-tial Arts: it always high-lights the importance of therelationship between Shiteand Uke, and, for most peo-ple that witness Aikido forthe first time, they don treally understand this rela-tionship. We all admire apractitioner who can de-liver a good technique withspeed, talent and ease;

however, before you exe-cute a technique, it is justas important to experience

what it feels like to receivethat technique. Therefore,to be a good Shite, youmust first become a goodUke. Having said that, be-ing a good at Ukemi doesn tautomatically imply that

you are a good Uke. A goodUke can “Blend” well andfeel Shite s movement,much like a dance, but notas anticipated.

Its been a yet another great year at the Dojo and it s agreat feeling to be part ofsomething where you canalways develop yourself andassist others around theDojo to do so as well.

Thanks for reading, have asafe holiday Season.

Cristian Lopez

P e r s o n a l R e f l e c t i o n : W h a t I s A G r a d i n g ?


Cristian Lopez showing us how he relaxes under pressure...

“I trainedAikido be-

cause Ithought itwas cool”

PERSONALREFLECTIONS


23/61

23

I first did Aikido while atschool, I had always had adesire to try martial arts anddoing it with my friends was

not an opportunity I was goingto pass up. Admittedly I won-dered how useful what Ilearned would be after years oftraining against say; judo orkarate, but I quickly came toutterly love each training ses-sion and the overall skills I wasgaining were an added bonus.

At Xavier we made a make-shift dojo by putting somegymnastics mats on the in-door cricket pitch which usu-ally took the 4-8 of us therearound about fifteen minutesto set up. However on oneoccasion, during my first yearof training, we were told SenseiJoe was taking our next classand from what we had heardabout him from the older guysin our group we were a bitnervous. Needless to say wehad the dojo set up in underten minutes and were ready

and warmed up before theSensei arrived.

The first teacher I had was a

rather hard instructor. I lostcount of how many continuousroll I had to do on one particu-lar day, they got to the point

where I felt I was just one longtumbling blur. But I alwaysthought that, well, after hear-ing it aptly put by anotherinstructor “if you think you'retraining hard, train with some-one who really trains hard”. Ifound joy in finishing a night oftraining with sweat on myforehead, being at least slightlyout of breath, with soreness inmy arms and legs that I knowI'd feel the next day and eventhe odd bruise here and there.

I've always believed that disci-pline is a major aspect in anyperson s character. Many can

wish for greater things, manycan start their way to reachthem but only with discipline

one can truly reach the goalsthey set for themselves. As aresult I found that even when I

was tired and on my secondclass on Saturday for my up-coming grading, I could findenergy to keep going. Thisability of finding strength camein very handy in other aspectsof life – particularly during mystudies for VCE exams, wherenot only discipline but alsodetermination was needed.

No one got anywhere by stand-ing still, and aside from thehealth benefits of having a veryengaging activity as part of

your life, there is also the abili-ties gained, such as focus andcontrol of your own body (as

well as someone else's). There-fore I not only look forward toreturning to Aikido soon, buteven outside of Xavier, con-tinuing it for a very long time.

Rory Macallister

P e r s o n a l R e f l e c t i o n :M y X a v i e r A i k i d o E x p e r i e n c e


“No onegot any-

where bystandingstill”

PERSONALREFLECTIONS


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I put on my brand newwhite dogi and belt andstepped out onto the mat atthe age of 51, committed tothis for life. There is asense of anticipation andwariness. Anticipation toget underway and to takemy first Aikido step – well,

I imagine that I took the first step over 13 years ago, I just didn't know itthen. Wariness at the roleof the Uke. When I watchthe ukes on the mat I am inawe, they know exactlywhat they are getting into(well, I'd like to think they

do) when they agree toreceive the technique fromthe shite. They fly throughthe air, they land, someloudly, some softly, someslowly and others blind-

ingly fast. They then getback up and re-engage theshite, hungry for more ofthe same. Do I have theability to be a good Uke, tobe able to receive the tech-nique (fall) and get back upover and over again? I feelthe muscles in my bodyand ask them, “are youguys up to it?” I feel out ofshape and not at all accus-tomed to the rigors that anUke has to go through. Myright foot is in pain afterhaving an operation in

July '12 to repair theknuckle on the right big

toe, which broke when itcollided with someone's foot. I'm told the pain willcontinue and that I won'thave full flexibility forabout 2 years. When I

attempt to roll I land onmy head or my back -ouch. I need to wearglasses to see, withoutthem things are a blur/

fuzzy, and I am wary thatthey will be damaged when

I hit the mat.

And yet here I stand for myfirst Aikido lesson, why

would someone at my stageof life be committed to Ai-kido for life?

The dojo is very familiar,having been part of its ex-tended family for over 13

years. We started withDavid, our eldest son, fol-lowed by Matthew and Mi-chael. All three progressedthrough the children'sclasses. David decided tostop attending whilst Mat-thew and Michael havecontinued. Saide and Ihave watched with pride asMatthew and Michael haveprogressed through theranks as they masteredtheir techniques. Matthew,now 21, achieved 2nd Danthis year and Michael is ontrack to achieve Shodannext year at the age of15. We've had the pleasureof watching many gradingsand many annual demon-strations. Sensei Joe hadasked on a number of occa-sions when I would be get-ting on the mats. We hadtalked often about me start-ing Aikido when I stopped

being a Scout leader (whichhappened in June). Thenalong came the Fundraising

Auction with the very tan-talising Life Membershipson offer. We thought aboutit a little and let the first

P e r s o n a l R e f l e c t i o n :5 1 A n d C o m m i t t e d F o r L i f e


Three Shades of Cameron

“Do Ihave theability to

be a goodUke?”

PERSONALREFLECTIONS


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one pass by and then Saide was overcome with the de-termination to get the sec-ond one for me. Thankfullythe bidding stopped and we

were successful and nowI'm committed - for life!!

Well, I have been on themats now for a number ofmonths, the question is,"Has the old dog learnt anynew tricks?"

I'm learning to fall, notthat falling is an entirelynew experience for me;however, I now have tolearn how to fall correctly

and intentionally.There are different

ways of learning and mystyle involves reading andasking lots of questions. Inthe Aikido Shudokan way Ihave to attempt to adopt adifferent style, more doingand much less talking. Just

because I think I know

what to do, it isn't my placeto pass on any knowledge,

which is the domain of theSensei.

I go from talking topeople (for 10 years) usingtheir first name, I now haveto remember to use thehonorific "Sensei" regard-less of their age.

I'm learning how touse contact lenses, insteadof glasses, I just can't readanything up close, but atleast I can see where I'mfalling.I'm learning to relax morein my posture, not sotensed up, which isn't goodat all when being thrownabout.

After just over threemonths I'm feeling verypositive. I've graded onceand am grading again on22nd December. I've no-ticed an improvement in

my fitness and I'm enjoyingthe opportunity to train

with my sons and continu-ing my active involvementin their lives. It's great tohave them teaching me onthe mats and giving me tipsat home (especially aboutnot speaking). The LifeMembership was and willcontinue to be a great in-

vestment, for and in life.

Ray A Cameron

P e r s o n a l R e f l e c t i o n :5 1 A n d C o m m i t t e d F o r L i f e , c o n t .


P e r s o n a l R e f l e c t i o n :

W i n s t o n ’ s S e c r e t T o S u c c es s

In October 1941, WinstonChurchill visited his old board-ing school in Harrow to hearthe students sing the schoolsong and to speak on the les-sons they could learn after two

years of war with Germany.The Battle of Britain had been

won a year ago. The Blitz had

ended, and with the AmericanLend-Lease scheme well under-

way, the people of Great Britain

were at last beginning to be-lieve that they had seen theirdarkest days, and that although victory was perhaps a distantdream, there may still be hopefor themselves and their chil-dren. In his closing remarks,Churchill delivered (in thattrademark style of his) some-

thing between a battle cry, apersonal philosophy and astatement of his government s

policy during the war years. Hesaid, simply; “Never give in.Never give in. Never, never,never, never – in nothing, greator small, large or petty – nevergive in except to convictions ofhonour and good sense. Never

yield to force; never yield to theapparently overwhelming

might of the enemy”.

In my life, I have never met asuccessful person who has not

“Has theold dog

learnt anynew

tricks?”

PERSONALREFLECTIONS


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followed these words to theletter. My grandpa, who was

born into an impoverishedfamily of eight and worked his

way to a senior position in aninternational corporation. JoeThambu Shihan, who hasfought (literally) for forty yearsto become a highly respectedand sought after martial artist.My lecturers, my bosses – all ofthese people have one thing incommon. Perseverance. Where

would these people be if theyhad given in when the goinggot rough? Would Julia Gillard

be Prime Minister had she not

pushed herself to the top ofone of the largest publicschools in Australia? WouldRupert Murdoch have a net

worth of US$8.3 billion if hehad not slept in his office foronly four hours each night for

years? Would any of our ownesteemed black belts be wherethey are today without plentyof sweat, pain and endurance?

We have all seen people cometo our dojo with admirably

high aspirations, ready to do whatever it takes to claim thatever-elusive Shodan. And wehave all wondered, perhaps a

year later, whatever happenedto these people, as we realizetheir name isn t on the doorany longer. It seems a shame, a

waste, to see people fall by the wayside like this; in manycases, these people are just asfit and competent as anyoneelse (perhaps even more so),and they all have that drive andoptimism that can be so envi-able in beginners. The differ-ence between them and your-

self, dear reader, comes out atevery demonstration, everygrading and every seminar.

You are where you are becauseat each of these times, when

you have been panting, hurtingand sweating, you have stillfound that little spark, hiddenaway somewhere, that hasforced you to keep going. Per-haps it is the determination toreach the next grade; perhapsit is the satisfaction of knowing

you have done your absolute best. Perhaps you just enjoypain, you masochist. Whateverthe reason, you have kept go-

ing, you have refused to give in ,and you have achieved yourpotential (excuse the abun-dance of clichés).

But on the other hand, if youfind yourself saying “you know

what? Screw this. This hurts”,then chances are you ll find

yourself joining the ranks ofthose who never quite made it,

who gave up and moved on tosomething else – presumablysomething easier. These people

will never know how good theycould have been, or where they

would have ended up. They willnever be able to say that theydid their best. That is the dif-ference between you and eve-ryone whose name has silentlydisappeared from the officedoor. You didn t go throughany less pain than them. Youare not naturally a better mar-tial artist, either. But you per-severed, and that, in my own

humble opinion, is the onlydifference between success andfailure. Indeed, it is the fewpeople who have failed a grad-

ing and are still going todaythat I respect the most at thedojo; nobody could possiblyoffer a better example of theattitude that Churchill so pas-sionately endorsed seventy one

years ago.

In conclusion then, I wouldlike to challenge everyone tolook back at their last failure(in anything) and ask your-selves whether you could havedone better. Could you havepassed that test? Was it reallyoutside the realms of possibil-ity to have kept in touch with

that old friend? Was that pro-motion such an unrealisticgoal? Or, at some moment ormoments, did part of you de-cide that it wasn t worth theeffort, that it was too temptingto forget about it and move on?Nothing comes easily, and themessage is still true afternearly three quarters of a cen-tury; if you want to succeed inanything, Aikido related orotherwise, then never give in.Never, never, never.

Jack Lavery

P e r s o n a l R e f l e c t i o n : W i n s t o n ’ s S e c r e t T o S u c c es s ,c o n t .


“Perhapsyou enjoy

pain, youmasochist”

PERSONALREFLECTIONS


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The existence and application of theprinciples of Ai, Ki and Do are wellknown – or should be – to all Shu-dokan aikidoka. Without firsthandexperience of the existence and benefitof these principles, however, the cas-ual observer is sometimes skeptical. Areview of the literature on the subjectof Aikido yields numerous examples ofthe efficacy of Aikido in everyday life,as well as the evidence of the threemain principles in action. This articleaims to establish these three princi-ples as being scientifically sound andthus dispel any doubts amongst out-side skeptical observers – or at leastmake for interesting talking points at

your next cocktail party. The compo-nents Ai (harmony), Ki (Spirit) and Do(Way) will be individually investigatedand a case made for each to be rele-

vant to the pursuit of peaceful humanexistence.

The opportunities to incorporate theprinciples of Aikido abound in every-day life, with Ai being especially im-portant to human interaction. Whileharmony is typically practiced in aphysical way on the tatami, it is per-haps even more important outside ofthe dojo, in relatively peaceful set-tings, where the lessons learned can

be applied to prevent conflict and en-courage effective communication. Aquantitative interferential study de-signed by Rudisill (2005) explored thedynamics of computer-mediated com-munication (e.g. email) and the needfor increased awareness of the impact

of communication styles when form-ing virtual groups in the workplace.The primary assertion of the study isthat effective communicators makeeffective leaders and that the lack ofparaverbal cues in electronic messagesis the primary cause of miscommuni-cation in the virtual workplace(emoticons, anyone?). As the results ofthe study were not strongly conclusive,a follow-up study is currently beingundertaken by Marcin Wójcik, of Fu-

ture Processing LLC, to assess whether intensive Aikido training is beneficial for international corporatecommunication.

Before the benefits of Ki, the secondprinciple of Aikido, can be discussed, acase must first be made to please theskeptics of the existence of the abilityto unify the body and mind to achieveabilities above and beyond typicalhuman performance. Perhaps the exis-tence of Ki is not always as compli-cated as it sounds, as many feats pos-sible only through harnessing thepower of Ki can be teased apart into acombination of reactions that are indi-

vidually simple to understand. A study by James (2004) investigates thephysical forces involved when at-tempting the feat of the unliftable

body. The paper breaks down the phe-nomenon mathematically, clearlyshowing how leverage may be ma-nipulated to prevent two studentsfrom picking up their teacher (whichshould be very convincing to those ofus who find it hard to even pick up a

Ai, Ki and DoConfirmation Through Modern Research

By Mark Peck Additional research by Roberto Ferra


Author MarkPeck

AIKIDEMICS


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cheque). Beneficial effects of trainingon the mind are also easily quantifi-able, as in a study by Sentuna, Babay-igit, Akpinar, Irez & Korkusuz (2010),

which measured improvements inreaction time after six months of Ai-kido training. Unsurprisingly, both

visual and auditory reaction times were improved by at least 0.15sec(which is approximately the time re-quired to hide the look of shock when

you realise that Sensei Joe was stand-ing behind you).

The third and final principle, Do, de-scribes how training becomes a way oflife, and should be the most obvious ofthe three in terms of practical applica-tion of Aikido. A very significant andoften-cited study was done by Trulson(1986) where juvenile delinquents

were instructed in a traditional mar-tial art. Control subjects either re-ceived instruction in a “modern” mar-tial art, where fighting techniques

were not paired with etiquette andmeditation, or participated in othersport activities (e.g. football, basket-

ball or jogging). The results of thestudy were exceptionally clear, as de-linquents in the traditional martialarts group showed “improvements inaggressiveness, anxiety, self-esteem,and an increase in value orthodoxy”,

while the control subjects displayedeven a greater tendency towards delin-quency than before the study was con-ducted. Reservoir High School hasresponded to this by sending theirmost severe delinquent student to the

Shudokan (you dodged a bullet there,Sergio).

With all three principles now firmlyestablished within the scientific com-munity as being not only measurable,

but also effective, the question of theskeptic is obsolete. With the burden ofproof lifted, however, the onus is nowon the students of the Shudokan tolive to uphold Aikido in everyday life,reaffirming the relevance of the an-cient teachings in modern metropoli-tan life. As best described by O Senseihimself, “Even though our path iscompletely different from the warriorarts of the past, it is not necessary toabandon totally the old ways. Absorb

venerable traditions into this Art byclothing them with fresh garments,and building on the classic styles tocreate better forms.”

REFERENCES

James, D. (2004) The physics of unraisable body:Ki/chi development in Aikido. Sport Health 22 (1), pp 23-26.

Rudisill, K. (2005). The effect of Aikido trainingon computer-mediated communicationbetween virtual teams. (Doctoral dis-sertation). Retrieved from ProQuestDissertations and Theses. (AccessionOrder No. AAT 3177391)

Sentuna, B., Babayigit, G., Akpinar, S., Irez, S. &Korkusuz, F. (2010). Six months Aikidotraining shortens reaction time. Interna-tional Journal of Human Sciences 7 (2),pp. 1052-1058.

Trulson, M. (1986). Martial arts training: A novel“cure” for juvenile delinquency. Human Relations 39, pp 1131-1140.

Ai, Ki and DoConfirmation Through Modern Research

By Mark Peck Additional research by Roberto Ferra


AIKIDEMICS

(Assistant)Researcher

Roberto Ferra


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R o b e r t o F e r r a — T h o r n b u r y ’sS t u d e n t O f T h e Ye a r


A haiku in tribute to the Student A haiku in tribute to the Studentof the Year, Roberto Ferra:of the Year, Roberto Ferra:

Hurled around the matsHurled around the mats Oh no! Is my back broken?Oh no! Is my back broken?

Better train harderBetter train harder

STUDENT OFTHE YEAR


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A k i k o R i c e — O a k l e i g h ’s S t u d e n tO f T h e Ye a r


A haiku in tribute to the Student A haiku in tribute to the Studentof the Year, Akiko Rice:of the Year, Akiko Rice:

The Autumnal ChildThe Autumnal Child Lethal on the mats and off Lethal on the mats and off

Holds her booze well, too!Holds her booze well, too!

STUDENT OFTHE YEAR


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F r a n c o i s L a h a r r a n g u e —C i t yD o j o ’s S t u d e n t O f T h e Ye a r


A haiku in tribute to the Student

of the Year, FrancoisLaharrangue:

Driven to the ground

Arm locked, sweating profuselyIs he not in pain?

STUDENT OFTHE YEAR


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Max H ami l to n an d G i l e s Ba r n es — J u n i o r S t u d e n t s O f T h e Ye a r


A haiku in tribute to the Junior A haiku in tribute to the JuniorStudent of the Year,Student of the Year,

Max Hamilton:Max Hamilton: Tougher than iron

Flip falls after every classIs he crying? No!

STUDENT OFTHE YEAR

A haiku in tribute to the Junior A haiku in tribute to the JuniorStudent of the Year,Student of the Year,

Giles Barnes:Giles Barnes:

Put him in a lock Put him in a lock

Throw him as hard as you canThrow him as hard as you can He ll be back for moreHe ll be back for more


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I n t e r n a t i o n a l N e w s :T h e ― B I G Ye a r


When the New Year comes along, everyone hopes for big-ger and better things to come. But for Aikido Shoshinkan,2012 was always going to be bigger regardless of whether

it was going to be better or not!

In recent years we have been inviting sensei Joe to hold aseminar and although these events are a success, they arenot without increasing challenges. Due to the economicclimate and influx of many other high calibre instructorscoming to UK and Europe, we have noticed a drop in at-tendance. After 2011, we knew we had to act and makesome changes… changes for the bigger and changes for the

better!

The seminar wasn't enough,we wanted an event to involve the clubas a whole. Where everyone could

be involved and contribute to amajor event in our calendar. It issomething that has been done inJapan since the 50s, and Australiafor the last 32 years… we decided tohold our first Annual Public AikidoDemonstration.

It was a very daunting task for Aikido Sho-shinkan as no one knew what it should belike, or what would be involved. I have

been fortunate enough to participate in aseveral Aikido demonstrations in Australia,so I knew the amount of work it would in-

volve and the result I wanted us to achieve.By doing a public demonstration we knew

would be judged on what we can do! Wehad a duty to our art to display a demon-stration that is solid, sharp and full of spirita true “Yoshinkan” style.

When I spoke to sensei Joe last year, I welcomed the idea butmore I thought about it, themore I realised the challenge I

was taking on. I had some ideas, but I wasn't entirely sure what

we were going to do. I rememberdiscussing the demonstration atChristmas party last year, but Ihad very little idea of how tomake this actually happen…

“The more Ithought

about it, themore I

realized thechallenge Iwas taking

on”

INTERNATIONALNEWS


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I remember Sensei Joe asked me a yearago, “What is your purpose of doing thedemonstration..?” I remember answer-ing… the demonstration was for everyone

who trains and sacrifices all that time atschool, at the dojo, after school, in theevenings on the weekends away fromhome and from your families, to showtheir family and the world what they cando… and make them appreciate the ART”that we practice day in day out. And this

year at 1st Annual Aikido ShoshinkanPublic emonstration…I think we havedone just that!

The 2 months or so running up towards the demonstration was probably the hardest and the most exciting thing I have been part of. It was hard to get everyone to do so many dif-ferent new things, I struggled to spend enough time witheveryone in the class. But at the same time, it was amazing tosee everyone working together and dojo being so busy withpeople struggling to find a space to train. The buzz that youget from it in the dojo was inspiring and addictive! Everyone

was bouncing energy off each other, and I loved every minuteof staying at the dojo. Some nights we stayed till 11pm at

night before we finished training. Juniors got better andsharper as weeks went by, and it was great to see the parentsappreciate the hard work their children have been making inthe class too.

On more personal note, 2012 was a challenging year for me in general. I was entering my sec-ond year running the dojo full time and my aim

was for the dojo to grow, especially with the juniors. I started to run more classes and intro-duce seasonal events such as “Summer Camps”to keep the children engaged over the long holi-days. It was my time to stop talking about what

we should be doing and put everything intoaction!

Holding the first summercamp was definitely a high-light of 2012. I think everyonehad a great time! It was thefirst event to involve both theDerby and Nottingham clubs.It really helped create a solidfoundation, which later aidedthe annual demonstration.

“Makethem

appreciatethe ART”

INTERNATIONALNEWS


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I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took partin the demonstration juniors and seniors alike, and also a big thank you toall the parents for keeping up with us for so long. Lastly thank you to sen-

sei Joe Thambu and all the other instructors from around the world forcoming all the way for such an auspicious occasion.I wish you all a merry Xmas and a Happy New 2013!

Osu.Tadashi Narita

Aikido Shoshinkan.

At the last demonstration when SenseiJoe was doing his final demo, thestand which can hold 400 plus people,

were completely full with some more

people standing around in the corner.NO ONE left… and I could see everyaudience was captivated by senseiJoe s every word, and every move… Iknew then, we did the right thing. Heconnected all the dots all the otherdemonstration showed, and madesense for the audience. And I couldsee that in everyone s face as they en-

joyed the final demo.

Sensei Joe has always said that thefirst one is always the hardest….

And oh my! That was the hardestthing I have ever embarked upon asan instructor, and as an organiser.

And so many things went wrong…. but we will make it better next year,and a year after and we will carry onimproving just like our aikido.

There were over 400 people in total all thefriends and families of over 130 participantsfrom juniors to seniors. 4 Primary schoolsfrom Derby and Nottingham, NottinghamTrent University Jiujitsu club, Iaido, and allthe members of our club from Nottinghamand Derby took part in a grand 3 and a halfhour demonstration in a cold below freezingday, on the 2nd December 2012. Every sin-gle participant showed great courage, skillsand spirit in front of that big crowd. It was

Documents

Aikido Shudokan Emag 2012