Inside Nihon Goshin Aikido ~ #38
May 6, 2016
In This Issue:
- The Reality of Settling: Do You Every Really “Arrive?”
- Cool Articles On the Site: Bet You Have Not Read Them All
- Website Features: Hokkaido 2020 ~ our dream to open up a Nihon Goshin Aikido Dojo in Chistose by 2020. Vintage Pictures of Kuma Station ~ the Army base Shihan Bowe was stationed at when he was in Japan.
- Seminars: New Jersey every Saturday, South Carolina in April, and Georgia in June
- New Nihon Goshin Aikido Study Group Opening Up in North Central CT/ Western MA Under Mike Murphy’s Leadership
- Growing Our Subscriber Base ~ Please Forward to your Friends and Training Buddies
- Announcements: Got a rank promotion, opening a new dojo, hosting a seminar, etc.,? Let us know, and we’ll spread the word
Greetings Nihon Goshin Aikido Aficionado!
May has arrived, and with it good weather. It's time to get my boat ready for the summer season. In the last few weeks, I've found myself looking at the water more and more when I drive across the Lake Murray Dam during my daily commute to get the boys to and from gymnastics practice. On the way to last Thursday's practice, I asked out loud, “Why am I not out there on the lake today? Look at that water.”
I looked at Ben in the passengers seat and said, “Look at that water Ben! It's as smooth as glass.” From the back seat, our newest and youngest gymnast, Jackson, chimed in, “Dad! You say that every day!”
Apparently I talk to myself a little bit more than I think I do.
On a related front, I was speaking with Jackson's gymnastics coach today and I asked him this question, “Do you think he will be ready to skip the beginner level of competition this fall.”
He replied, “We want him to. We tell all the boys, 'there are no levels in the summer - it's about working hard & getting new skills. When the summer is over, we put them where we think they'll be the most successful. He's still got plenty of time, but he doesn't want to skip a level just because we want him to skip the level. He wants to be ready, and we want him to know that he is ready.”
As I think about both of those situations, I marvel at how similar they are. In both instances ~ I want something that is slightly ahead of where I am currently.
Although my heart is in the right place, I'm no where near ready to head out on the lake. My problem is the vessel. The boat needs work ~ as it always does this time of year (for various and sundry reasons). This year, the neighborhood rats decided they liked the idea of living on a “house boat” over the winter, and moved into my newly restored Ski Nautique. In the process of getting comfy ~ they completely destroyed most of the newly recovered deck furniture, and a ton of the electrical wiring. Apparently rats think the insulation around a spark plug wire is food. While I've poisoned all the rats, replacing nearly every wire in the boat will take awhile.
So ~ things get held up... but we press on ~ we must make the decision to fight on when times get tough. On a related front, I used to have a 300 pound bench press ~ as recently as just a few months ago. Then I tweaked my shoulder some how (Come Along Throw/ Pivot Take Down/ Arm Over Shoulder/ ~~~~ insert shoulder devastating technique here), and my left shoulder has been acting up ever since. The result is that I've not been as strong on the bench press, and my numbers are down on that lift.
Now the standing question for anyone who works out is, “How much do you bench?” Historically when someone would ask me, “How much do you bench?” ~ I'd usually downplay the question and joke it off ~ often pretending to not even understand what they were asking me. Occasionally I'd give them a ridiculously low number, like 95 pounds.
Of course, with the injury I'm struggling a little bit on this exercise. So the last time someone asked me, I went away from my typical set of responses, and told him, “I bench about 300 pounds” ~ which was true in January, but not true today! Why am I so insecure about this issue? My current bench is not horrible (285-ish); it's just not as solid as it used to be.
I think all these things are related somehow. To me, it seems that our situation is constantly never exactly the way we want it to be.
Last year we got a Lakeland Terrier puppy, who has become an unbelievable athlete. Even though she stands just 18 inches off the ground, she is able to clear the 5 foot fence around our yard at will. Numerous times, I've had calls about Ella swimming in our next door neighbor's pool. Then she got into a neighbor's garage who was storing 2 vintage Corvettes. She was jumping up on the hoods of the cars for fun. At this point, it was quite obvious that I had to build a higher fence.
In the process of tearing down one perfectly functional fence, and replacing it with a taller fence, my dad wanted to know if I planned on staining the fence to protect the wood. I said, “Dad, I don't need the fence to outlive me, I just need it to outlive the dog.” Then my Dad said, “Well son, those numbers might not be too far apart. If the dog lives to be 15, you'll be 64 years old when she dies.” Thanks Dad! Now I'm old too!
Onward!
Last month, I built a new computer system, and as you might expect, the computer program that I use to develop my website is having trouble finding things on the new hard drive ~ as they are no longer “where” they used to be. If anyone has any experience with this kind of thing, please contact me ~ as I'm L-O-S-T!
All that said, in the interest of circulating a timely newsletter, and with great optimism that I will be able to address these issues by next month, I will close here.
In lieu of a full blown article or two embedded inside the monthly rag, I decided to feature a couple of older articles, and let you head off and explore the rest of the site on your own. Did you know that there is more information on aikido at ngaexperience.com than you can shake a stick ~~~~ er Bokken ~~~ at?
Wishing you all the best on this glorious day in May.
God Speed, and let's meet together on the mat ~ and soon.
Jonathan Wilson
ngaexperience.com
Real Fight Breakdowns
http://www.ngaexperience.com/realfightbreakdowns.html
An Analysis of Steven Seagal's Aikido Style
http://www.ngaexperience.com/stevenseagalsaikido.html
A Traditional Aikikai Guy Visits A Nihon Goshin Aikido Dojo and Writes A Review About His Experience
http://www.ngaexperience.com/akikaivisitsngadojo.html
Revisiting the Hakama
http://www.ngaexperience.com/hakamamarketing.html
3. Website Features:
We’ve got a whole section on the website featuring pictures of Kuma Station, the Army base Shihan Bowe was stationed at in Chitose, Japan? I found a cache of photos on the internet which were taken during the same period of time that Shihan was stationed there. I find these pictures compelling. Click here.
We plan to go back to Chitose one day! Read my vision statement called, “Hokkaido 2020” ~ a dream to establish a Nihon Goshin Aikido dojo in Hokkaido by 2020. Click Here.
4. Seminar Announcements:
A. Spartanburg, SC (April 16, 2016): Instructors will be Nihon Goshin Aikido Sensies John Wyndham (Host Instructor, Spartanburg, SC), John Carter (Lexington, SC), and Joe Beckham (Greenville, SC). Cost is $75 to preregister, or $100 at the door. Time is 9:00 am - 3:45 pm. Click Here for more information, and to register.
B. Covington, GA (June 3 - 4, 2016): There will be a Nihon Goshin Aikido Seminar at the Covington, GA dojo. Sensei MacEwen will be the primary instructor. The dates are the first weekend in June, so mark your calendars. The cost of this two day workshop is only $89 total, so don’t miss it. Click Here for more information, and to register.
C. Edgewater, NJ (Every Saturday) Time is from 1:00 - 2:30 & 2:30 - 4:00 pm beginning this Saturday. Sensei Jose Garrido will be teaching Daitō-ryu Aikijujutsu at the UFC gym in Edgewater, NJ. Cost is only $20 per class o $30 for both, but you must let Sensei Garrido know you are coming at least one day in advance. I think this is a special opportunity. I always talk about the importance of gaining a better understanding of our art and its roots. Sensei Garrido is uniquely positioned to bridge Daitō-ryu and Nihon Goshin Aikido for those Nihon Goshin Aikido brown and black belts who might have an interest in exploring their martial history. Click Here for more information, and to register.
5. New Study Group Leader in North Central CT/ Western MA.
Mike Murphy, a Nihon Goshin Aikido sho-dan under Sensei MacEwen, is beginning a Nihon Goshin Aikido study group in the North Central CT/ Western MA area. Please forward this information to everyone you know in that area so that they can begin their training in our great art. You can contact Sensei Murphy by email here, or via our website here.
6. Newsletter Subscribers:
More subscribers is the goal ~ so can you help us grow our Newsletter Subscription Base by passing the website along to your training buddies and asking them to subscribe also? It makes for good conversations as there’s nothing like sitting around the water cooler in the dojo and lambasting me for all the stupid things I’ve written over the course of this newsletter!
Our hope is to be an inter-dojo clearing house for all things NGA, but we need more subscribers to do that. Best of all, it’s free, and who doesn’t like the word “free!” Click Here to Subscribe! (And make sure you forward this link to all your training buddies, and would be training buddies).
7. Announcements:
Do you have an announcement? If so, we would like to share your information on Seminars, Dojo Expansions, Relocations, Grand Openings, Promotions, and/or Other Information with our subscribers. Please forward all of your announcements to us so we can get the word out. Send us the information on your announcement, and we’ll post it here for you.
Let's meet on the mat together soon!
Best,
Jonathan Wilson
ngaexperience.com
2014 - 2021 ngaexperience.com
Unless otherwise stated, the author’s views, musings, and opinions do not necessarily reflect the attitude of leadership within any of the various Nihon Goshin Aikido associations, or unaffiliated Nihon Goshin Aikido dojos.
Time Waits for No Man Don’t Let 2016 Go to Waste
What Could Happen When The Fight Goes to the Ground?
Here is a frame by frame breakdown of a ground fighting scenario on my
old sho-dan test.
Suwari waza ~ probably does not present realistic ground fighting situations anymore. It is valuable to those with the knees to train this way because it helps you learn to move from your center.
Scissors to Heel Lock
As an MMA Submission
A very natural way to finish your Classical Aikido with a grappling application of Twisting the Ankle Against the Knee
Here is an opportunity for
i-kyu and dan graded NGA-ka practitioners to attend a regular “roots” seminar in Daityo-Ryu Aikijujitu with Sensei Garrido