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Big Seminar Weekend with Mary Heiny Sensei PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jay Lindholm   
Thursday, 23 February 2012

This weekend we hosted our fifth annual seminar with Mary Heiny Sensei from Seattle, Washington. The seminar focused on keeping our own vertical line by maintaining good posture. In doing so, we allow Uke’s energy to pass into our space as opposed to attacking Uke by leaning in and pushing.

Sensei looked at this aspect of technique through a variety of techniques and talked a lot about the philosophy behind the movements. My favorite part of the seminar was when Sensei asked for questions about aikido or any technique because her responses were very thoughtful. My favorite was her answer about "how can you call aikido a Martial art when you are not fighting with each other during practice?" She responded with O Sensei’s thoughts that aikido is "shin no budo" or a new martial art. All arts before were about fighting and defeating an opponent, representing "Satsujinken," or "the sword that kills." Aikido is about defending yourself and your partner in a manner consistent with "Katsujinken," or "the sword that gives life." Through this practice, O Sensei believed we could develop into better people and bring peace to the world.

The turn-out for the seminar was incredible as people from many affiliations came. Thanks to everyone for coming to participate and a special thanks to Mary Heiny Sensei for sharing her aikido and philosophy of the art with us.

 
New Year's Day training PDF Print E-mail
Written by Tim Schmelter   
Wednesday, 04 January 2012

On Sunday, we kicked off 2012 with the traditional "throw the Sensei" class. Jay Sensei took ukemi for each of the students as we picked our favorite techniques (and how hard it was to choose just one!) and demonstrated them for the class. Sensei said he needed a nap that afternoon, so I think we all did our jobs!

Jay Sensei closed the class with a quote from O'Sensei to set the theme for our next year of training:

It is my wish for all those who forge themselves through Aikido to wholeheartedly devote themselves to fostering universal love and nurturing the spirit of Aiki within their body and spirits; and to use the budo of the past based on haku [physical effort] as a foundation for releasing the light of kon [soul/higher spirit] within themselves. It is my hope that through persistence and tenacity, those who practice will endeavor to make this a reality by grasping the logic of the universe, purifying their hearts and spirits, reaching a state of mind without conflict, and further developing and spreading this great way of Aikido around the globe to bring about an age of peace.

—Morihei Ueshiba, quoted in Enlightenment Through Aikido, by Kanshu Sunadomari

It was a great way to end a great class, and an inspiring way to start our training for the new year. Thanks to everybody who participated, and we look forward to seeing everybody on the mat in 2012!

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 04 January 2012 )
 
Holiday Dojo Schedule PDF Print E-mail
Written by Todd Kammerer   
Sunday, 18 December 2011
 

It "Tis The Season" and soon it will be Christmas.  We will have a modified schedule to provide some extra time for friends and family over the holiday season, as well as some special training time on New Years Day.  See our schedule below. 

From South Austin Aikido to you and your families, may you all have a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season and a prosperous New Year!

Holiday Schedule

  • December 20th, Tuesday: Normal class schedule 
  • December 22nd, Thursday:  No Kid's class; we will have adult class at 6:00pm
  • December 25th, Sunday:  No class
  • December 26th, Monday:  No class
  • December 27th, Tuesday:  No class
  • December 29th, Thursday: Normal class schedule (kids and adults)
  • January 1st, Sunday: Special New Years Day training from 1:00PM to 2:30PM
  • January 2nd, Monday: The dojo returns to its normal class schedule

See you on the mat!
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 03 January 2012 )
 
Big Training Weekend - December 10th & 11th PDF Print E-mail
Written by Todd Kammerer   
Tuesday, 06 December 2011

We will have open mat for kyu test preparation and kyu testing this weekend (see schedule below).

Saturday, December 10th: Open Mat 10:00AM to 11:30AM: We will have open mat time available for reviewing the upcoming kyu tests as well as general open mat time. All are welcome to participate in this 90 minute training session.

Please note that we share the parking lot with several businesses that operate on Saturday morning so our members/guests will need to park in the Broken Spoke's parking lot (next door to our dojo) for the Saturday morning class.

Sunday, December 11th: Kyu Testing 2:15PM to 3:15PM: We will have kyu testing during the second class. We plan on going out for dinner immediately following and all are welcome to join.

 
Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule PDF Print E-mail
Written by Todd Kammerer   
Wednesday, 23 November 2011

The Thanksgiving weekend is upon us and with it comes a long weekend.  South Austin Aikido will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but we will be open for our normal schedule on Sunday, 11/27.

Whether you are working, traveling, spending time with family or getting an early start on holiday shopping, South Austin Aikido wishes you and your family a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.

 
Black Belt Testing in Fremont California PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jay Lindholm   
Wednesday, 09 November 2011

This past weekend several of us traveled to Fremont California for a seminar with Ikeda Sensei. During the weekend SAA had two students testing for Dan (black belt) ranks: Todd Kammerer for Sandan (3rd degree) and Tim Schmelter tested for Nidan (2nd degree).

The tests were as intense as any that I have seen before. Ikeda Sensei had them all test at once, dividing them into pairs so that each test candidate had to play the role of both uke and nage. The pace of the test was not for the faint of heart, as everyone involved attacked with a lot of energy. They started with tanto dori, then moved on to tachi dori, and after the takeaways, Ikeda Sensei had them all participate in randori for each other, taking turns as nage. The randori included all strikes (shomenuchi, yokomenuchi and tsuki), and took a lot of energy to both attack and defend. It was like a 15 minute sprint, and all the test candidates were completely spent at the end. The mumblings from the watching crowd often included things like, "I'm glad it's not me out there!"

It was difficult to keep up with both test pairs going on at the same time at such a torrid pace. However, from what I could see, both Tim and Todd performed admirably and it is safe to say that just surviving a test like that is a victory. We should all be very proud of their efforts in preparing and testing in Fremont as they both represented our dojo very well.

Way to go Tim and Todd and Congratulations!

Photos and videos coming soon.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 November 2011 )
 
Roll-A-Thon Recap! PDF Print E-mail
Written by Tim Schmelter   
Sunday, 23 October 2011

Thanks to you, the 2011 South Austin Aikido Roll-A-Thon was a success! We raised $3,500 for the American Red Cross of Central Texas, and had a blast doing it! Be sure to pay attention at about 30 seconds into the video below: Stephen shows his true colors at last.

Thanks again to everybody who worked hard to make the Roll-A-Thon successful. Let's do it again next year!

 

Image
From left: SAA President Todd Kammerer, Jessica Levine of The American Red Cross of Central Texas, and SAA Head Instructor Jay Lindholm.

 

[Update 9-Nov: Added photo.]
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 November 2011 )
 
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