Welcome to South Austin Aikido

I was fortunate enough to get to visit the Aiki Shrine for a special training session with Saotome Sensei the first weekend in March.  The weekend was absolutely incredible. 

The Aiki Shrine is a beautiful training area which has removable wall panels on three sides.  The design is rather clever and as I watched panels being removed, I sat in awe wondering who thought of that. 

The weather was warm and humid which made it easy for us older guys to loosen up.  The people from northern climates were suffering a little but for me it was pretty close to perfect.  It was like training in a dojo and training outside all at the same time. 

The message Saotome Sensei presented was on hamni and how it improves your relationship to uke from a martial perspective.  Good stance and focus are needed to train in a martial sense. 

Sometimes we forget about the martial aspects especially early in our training.  However, later we need to refocus and remember that a grab leads to a kick or punch and be positioned and alert enough to navigate around the second attack. 

There were many good aikidoka present to practice with which made the weekend a truly enjoyable and memorable experience. 

• Click here for Jay Sensei's Pictures