Inside Nihon Goshin Aikido ~ #21
December 5, 2014
In This Issue:
- Dis Is How We Do it! ~ Classical Technique Explanation Videos with Sensei Carter in the new Lexington dojo in South Carolina. Techniques Covered: Pull Down From the Rear, Two on One and the Two Hand Wheel Throw
- Gary Boaz on the importance of realistic attacks in free flow training exercises, and pushing the boundaries of application
- Aikido Topic of the Week: Breathing ~ it sounds easy enough, but are you holding your breath when you roll?
- My Nihon Goshin Aikido Christmas Wish List
- Weird Stuff I Get in the Mail
- Growing Our Subscriber Base ~ Please Forward to your Friends
- Announcements: Got a rank promotion, opening a new dojo, seminar, etc.
Greetings Nihon Goshin Aikido Aficionado!
Well it is that time of the year again, and that means Christmas!
Here is a marketing suggestion. Someone should do an NGA randori video where Santa Claus is attacked by a bunch of striking members of the Elf union (North Pole Chapter).... I think it would make for good tv, and who wouldn’t like to see Santa Claus beating the stuffing out of a bunch of angry union elves.....
Well, I thought it was a good idea.
Onward.
1. Dis Is How We Do It!
Sensei John Carter [full time Nihon Goshin Aikido Instructor in Lexington, SC and the only (correct me if I’m wrong) full time sensei in our art (In other words, “Aikido IS his day job ~ and he’s teaching 6 days a week”) has been building his inventory of instructional videos on the Classical Techniques. He has posted three here to which we have permission to provide direct links for.
The covered Classical Techniques are the Pull Down from the Rear, The Two on One, and The Two Hand Wheel Throw. The uke is Tyler Wolfe. See Videos on the left hand side.
2. Sensei Gary Boaz ~ a main line aikidoka’s take on traditional aikido training
I make a distinction of "traditional" aikido and "practical or modern" aikido. Some people take this that I feel that traditional aikido is not practical or effective as a martial art. Nothing is further from the truth. What it comes down to is a matter of technique, or physical movements. I have said, and will continue to say, that neither physical technique, nor association membership makes your art aikido.
It is the Aiki PRINCIPLE that makes these physical techniques work which makes aikido unique and powerful.
In a self defense situation, technique may fail you. But...the principle of the technique can be.....Click Here to keep reading Sensei Boaz’s article.
3. Why Are You Holding Your Breath On the Forward or Backward Roll?
I think it is interesting that the first bad habit a new student often develops when learning to roll is that they hold their breath when they do a forward or backward roll. I think the idea is a bit of a protective/ nervous instinct, and maybe even a misconception that somehow a hard, somewhat round object will roll better than a soft, somewhat round object.
In my personal practice however, I’ve found that softer is better, and exhaling while rolling is the way to go. That said, try it yourself. All it takes is a simple comparison to come to your own conclusion as to what works best for you.
Take a deep breath and hold it ~ then do a forward roll.
Then take a deep breath and blow it out ~ as you do a forward roll. Compare sensations, and determine your preference.
Further down in the left hand column, there are 2 rolling instructional videos that might provide some training insight.
What say ye?
4. My Aikido Christmas Shopping List
I figure someone out there might want to generously buy me a Christmas present for all the hard work I’ve put into the Nihon Goshin Aikido Clearing House (known world wide ;) as NGAexperience.com We accept cash among other things.
Of course the truth is I’m not actually expecting anything, but you might take the items on my Nihon Goshin Aikido Shopping List to make your own Christmas list. Now most of the things I recommend are also listed in the NGA Experience store. Click here to access the store and get your NGA Christmas bling.
My Nihon Goshin Aikido Christmas list has two items on it, and both are DVD video series:
- Item #1: Mr. Weber’s Nihon Goshin Aikido Applications Series. This is the Applications companion set to his Classical Techniques DVDs set.
- Item #2: Mr. MacEwen’s 8 DVD Applications Set ~ Called “Dynamic Aikido”
Both of these DVD series are listed on the NGA Experience Store; with direct links to checkout.
* My thoughts on Mr. Weber (as someone who has never even met the man): “Mr. Weber may not be affiliated with the main association any longer (for that matter neither am I), but he did not forget what Mr. Bowe taught him. Furthermore, Mr. Weber is the second longest active practitioner of the art next to Mr. Bowe. To borrow a phrase from Musashi: “If you think you would study this ‘Way,’ you should be mindful of learning everything about it.” I submit that Mr. Weber is a resource that should not be discounted based on present affiliation, or otherwise. The man is a resource. Make sure you leverage his knowledge and understanding.
Got a suggestion for my NGA Christmas List? Well Let’s hear it! Comments below, and “no” Mr. Bowe will not be upset if you comment.
Onward!
5. Weird Stuff I Get In the Mail
You Won! You Won! You Won!
I can distinctly remember the first thing I ever won. It was 1993, and I was getting a set of tires at the Goodyear Tire Store. While I was in the waiting room, I entered a drawing on the table that was too good to be true. The drawing read: “Enter to Win a Free Bag Phone!” You had to fill out an entry form which was a piece of paper that asked for your name, address, phone number, occupation, and annual salary on it. I really wanted to win that phone, so I entered myself, my wife, and our dog Josie.
Imagine my surprise the very next day when I got a call from the contest manager. It turned out that I won the drawing for the free cell phone! I couldn’t believe my luck! I even remember telling the guy, “Holy Cow! I’ve never won anything in my life!”
After congratulations were reinforced, I was then told that “while the phone was free there was a monthly access charge of $75 per month, and a 2 year contract agreement that I needed to sign.”
Cell phones were brand new commodities at the time, so I had no idea that you had to pay for it monthly. To me “Free Phone” meant “FREE” phone. This FREE phone was going to cost me over $1,000 per year! I turned down the offer out of sheer cost. It turns out that there actually is no such thing as a free lunch, and I simply could not afford a free phone. The contest manager tipped his hand when he next asked, “Well can I speak to Josie?” (not realizing that Josie was my dog), to which I said, “Well, Josie is unable to speak with you at this time (which was technically true as she never did learn to talk on the telephone),” to which he added, “Well she won a phone too!” Ahhhhh, imagine Josie’s extreme disappointment when I hung up on the salesman.....
Fast forward to 2014. So it seems that not a month goes by that I don’t receive some sort of letter notifying me that I’ve received an award for being an exceptional financial planner, or an innovative business leader. I had no idea I was a respected pillar of the community, the type of Who’s Who people would want to read about in the Who’s Who Book, etc. Apparently the criterion for such awards is as follows: “Hey, are you breathing?” Yes! “Well then we’ve got an award for you!”
Now to get all of these great awards and the recognition that comes with it, (like the free cell phone offer), “All I have to do is simply pay $95 for the trophy to be sent to me.” Well, I guess I don’t really need a trophy that says You’re a Great Person” that badly.
That said, I get these “awards” so frequently that I’ve concluded a simple truth: “there must be big market in the ‘trophy for trophy’s sake’ crowd.” Hopefully you have not fallen victim to the “XYZ Most Respected Ring of Honor.”
By the way, I don’t think you have to pay for the Noble Peace Prize. In fact, if you win it, I think they actually pay you! I guess if they ever want to give me that award, I’ll accept it. Until then, I will remain trophy free.... Unless you want to get me a trophy for Christmas (postage paid), and if so, please see the Christmas list referenced above.
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?
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 your forward to all your training buddies, and would be training buddies).
Announcements:
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Let's meet on the mat together soon!
Best,
Jonathan Wilson
ngaexperience.com
2014 - 2021 ngaexperience.com
I wonder if Takeda had a newsletter? ~~~ lol
NGA Classical Technique Explanation:
2 Hand Wheel Throw
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.
NGA Classical Technique Explanation:
The 2 On 1
NGA Classical Technique Explanation:
Pull Down from the Rear
Forward Roll Instructional Video:
Nakayama Sensei ~
Leveraging Unbendable Arm Ki Technique
Another Forward Roll Video:
Christing Dyer Sensei
The Parkour Roll For Aikido Forward Rolling
Here’s a what a real gun defense might look like ~~~~ Shazam!