konnichiwa , BROOKLIN Aikikai . I live in Brazil and also I teach aikido in my town , also affiliated with Aikikai . I have a small group, but all well dedicated . I enjoyed the video and on their interpretation of what is aikido . I enjoyed the traditional elements of Japanese culture as the bell before class begins and hammered into the wood at the end of class. I would like to know the meanings of these two elements . Domo arigato gozaimashita . Luiz Fernando, União Sul Americana de Aikido - AIKIKAI
The bell and the wood hitting are traditional for Zen meditation. Chiba Sensei practised a lot of Zazen and I was told even required his students in San Diego to do a weeklong sesshin (zen retreat) every year. (please correct me if I am wrong). So that could be where it comes from at the Aikido dojo. I did 2 weekend seminars with him long ago. Some Aikido teachers do zazen, some don't. O Sensei himself had other practices (connected with Omoto-Kyo). My first teacher taught me to sit and I have always continued, and for me personally it's essential...if I can't train, I can still sit!
Best regards from Chile! Can anyone write in a comment the Robert Savoca Sensei speech (in english) because I can't understand everything. I only can understand a fraction of the sentences.
"In Japanese culture there is this element of study one thing thoroughly, and know ten thousands things. That's kind of the foundation of this dojo and so I tried to follow what Chiba Sensei did, to do what Chiba Sensei wanted done. One thing that Chiba Sensei said that struck me about aikido was that in other arts, you learn harmony to dominate. In aikido, you learn harmony just for the sake of harmony. I throw you four times, and you practice going with that force. And then we switch roles. It's a study of how to use force, conduct force, and then really how to receive it. For example, it's very natural if I throw something at you whether it's a baseball or like an insult, to contract. What would it be like if you didn't do that? If you saw something coming at you, you either let it go by, or if it was an insult, you weren't attached to it? In some physical way, aikido is pointing to that. Every time I step onto the mat, I bring my entire history of prejudice, of bias, of opinions because I had this happen to me when I was a kid, or this fear that lives in my body. And then, I work with somebody else who has their entire prejudice, their bias, their fear, their tension in their body. Sometimes, it's like a time bomb. But then sometimes, there's a mutual passing through where these two people can see each other, exist for each other in a way that's not about trying to dominate. But it starts with every person coming in here, wherever they're at, whether they're trying to seek themselves or not, or just trying to get in shape, it doesn't really matter. But each person has a certain kind of individual growth. You can feel it. There's like a weight and the dojo itself, it goes up just by that fact alone. Something very powerful happens, so any student that gains something or knows themselves better, will interact differently with different people in the world and enrich their lives, and that will spread. There's a lot of people here who put their guts into this place. One, is that I demand it. And sometimes you walk into a church, cathedral, or temple that has been around 100, 200 years, and you feel something incredible in that place and you go, "Why is that?" Then you realize that thousands and thousands of people passed through that place and poured out their guts, or their heart, or really come to something in that place. Let's make this place like that." - Savoca Sensei
great base for starting Aikido practice in the images and thoughts that you put forward
Amazing people, amazing Aikido, Amazing Sensei... Great memories.
César - Brasil.
Xx Bbb totally agree.
Absolutely beautiful, thank you for sharing that..
Beautiful.
Really nice video, I train in Puerto Rico, in sanjuan aikikai
Beautiful video.
konnichiwa , BROOKLIN Aikikai . I live in Brazil and also I teach aikido in my town , also affiliated with Aikikai . I have a small group, but all well dedicated . I enjoyed the video and on their interpretation of what is aikido . I enjoyed the traditional elements of Japanese culture as the bell before class begins and hammered into the wood at the end of class. I would like to know the meanings of these two elements . Domo arigato gozaimashita .
Luiz Fernando, União Sul Americana de Aikido - AIKIKAI
The bell and the wood hitting are traditional for Zen meditation. Chiba Sensei practised a lot of Zazen and I was told
even required his students in San Diego to do a weeklong sesshin (zen retreat) every year. (please correct me if I am wrong).
So that could be where it comes from at the Aikido dojo. I did 2 weekend seminars with him long ago. Some Aikido teachers
do zazen, some don't. O Sensei himself had other practices (connected with Omoto-Kyo). My first teacher taught me to sit and I have always continued, and for me personally it's essential...if I can't train, I can still sit!
great viedo!!
Best regards from Chile!
Can anyone write in a comment the Robert Savoca Sensei speech (in english) because I can't understand everything. I only can understand a fraction of the sentences.
"In Japanese culture there is this element of study one thing thoroughly, and know ten thousands things. That's kind of the foundation of this dojo and so I tried to follow what Chiba Sensei did, to do what Chiba Sensei wanted done. One thing that Chiba Sensei said that struck me about aikido was that in other arts, you learn harmony to dominate. In aikido, you learn harmony just for the sake of harmony.
I throw you four times, and you practice going with that force. And then we switch roles. It's a study of how to use force, conduct force, and then really how to receive it. For example, it's very natural if I throw something at you whether it's a baseball or like an insult, to contract. What would it be like if you didn't do that? If you saw something coming at you, you either let it go by, or if it was an insult, you weren't attached to it? In some physical way, aikido is pointing to that.
Every time I step onto the mat, I bring my entire history of prejudice, of bias, of opinions because I had this happen to me when I was a kid, or this fear that lives in my body. And then, I work with somebody else who has their entire prejudice, their bias, their fear, their tension in their body. Sometimes, it's like a time bomb. But then sometimes, there's a mutual passing through where these two people can see each other, exist for each other in a way that's not about trying to dominate.
But it starts with every person coming in here, wherever they're at, whether they're trying to seek themselves or not, or just trying to get in shape, it doesn't really matter. But each person has a certain kind of individual growth. You can feel it. There's like a weight and the dojo itself, it goes up just by that fact alone. Something very powerful happens, so any student that gains something or knows themselves better, will interact differently with different people in the world and enrich their lives, and that will spread.
There's a lot of people here who put their guts into this place. One, is that I demand it. And sometimes you walk into a church, cathedral, or temple that has been around 100, 200 years, and you feel something incredible in that place and you go, "Why is that?" Then you realize that thousands and thousands of people passed through that place and poured out their guts, or their heart, or really come to something in that place.
Let's make this place like that."
- Savoca Sensei
thanks you very much for your time and effort.
Can anyone tell me the differences between Aiki-jutsu, Aikikai, Aikido and Daito-ryu 🤔?
Please go to Aikiweb, or Aikido Journal where these questions you have, have been discussed in great detail. Long explanations to your question.
Anthony Fitts.. Thanks