Shukan News 4th April

Monday 4th April 2011

If you have any contribution for the Shukan News (story, photograph, video), please send it via email to gary@garyweigh.com

1. April Beginners Course begins tomorrow night (Tuesday 5th)

If you are looking for martial arts in Brisbane, then give Aikido a try at Griffith Aikido. Arrive at 6.30pm at our NATHAN dojo and begin your 4-week introduction to the Art of Peace.

Quiet location on Griffith University grounds amongst the trees, with plenty of free parking!

For directions go to https://www.griffithaikido.com.au/locations/

We know what its like to be a beginner so you will have your own mat space and your own friendly instructor Dean for the duration of the course.

Start by checking out the articles, photos and action videos on this site. For everything else you need to know to start, download “A Beginner’s Guide” on the right hand side panel of this page.

ENROLL BY PAYING ONLINE at https://www.griffithaikido.com.au/payments/

So come meet Dean your friendly Beginners Course instructor. We are a big welcoming club, open to everyone and we encourage females and older people to learn Aikido.

2. Pet Penguin in Japan

Here is something different. Mike sent us the link to this very cute You Tube video.

3. From the Library

Here are two interesting library book excerpts from Narelle:

‘Aikido Shugyo – Harmony In Confrontation’ by Gozo Shioda, translated by Jacques
Payet & Christopher Johnston (p68/69)

One of the distinctive features of Aikido is its extremely efficient use of power. In demonstrations, it looks as though the opponents are thrown around with such ease that everyone gets the feeling that there must be something mysterious going on.

Actually, in a demonstration given by students of Aikido, the back is completely straight, the shoulders are dropped, and the participants assume a very sharp looking posture. Some people who witness a demonstration come away with the impression that Aikido is highly stylized. There is certainly nothing of the brute strength and training muscles that one normally associates with throwing people around.

In fact this is one of the most important aspects of Aikido. The graceful movements have nothing to do with laziness, nor is the perfect posture a result of striving for stylized beauty. Then why are they important? Well in order to produce great power, an effective posture is one in which your back is straight, your shoulders are down and your feet are firmly planted on the ground. In other words, moving your body while maintaining this type of posture will bring forth a much more powerful force than can be produced through muscular strength alone.

‘Aikido Shugyo – Harmony In Confrontation’ by Gozo Shioda, translated by Jacques
Payet & Christopher Johnston (p97)

I have already given an account on how to transfer your power, but another important point in Aikido is letting go of your own strength. When the opponent uses strength and comes in to grab you, you have to do the opposite and lose your strength.

Although it sounds easy, in reality letting go of your strength is an extremely difficult thing to do. This was one of the greatest secrets that I was taught by Ueshiba Sensei.

4. Thought for the week

“Students new to the martial arts typically make the mistake of deciding beforehand how they’re going to learn their chosen art. Trapped by his / her own preconceived notions of what is right and wrong, the student begins his / her training by wondering “How long will it take me to get good enough to earn a black belt?” Questions like this indicate that the student has already imposed limits on learning an art that he knows nothing about. The only thing he does know for certain is that a black belt is exactly what he needs.”

‘KODO Ancient Ways, Lessons in the spiritual life of the warrior/ martial artist’
by Kensho Furuya.(p45)