Chris' Story
By Chris Sims – Taken from Texasnewmedia.org
Lightsabers. Honestly it all began with lightsabers. And it ended with Aikido. The fascination with swords and swordsmanship entered into my life through the glowing blades of justice once carried by the mighty Jedi. When I was three it did not really matter there were no Jedi or Evil Emperor. I wanted to learn to use a lightsaber. I wanted to be a Jedi After almost twenty years, I found, Aikido, a Japanese martial art in which all the moves are based upon sword forms and the students learn to practice extending their ki or life force. I had also dreamed of using the force to move space ships.
uchi kaiten nage
I was three at the time. The archetypes of Star Wars transcend national and cultural borders. The allegory of earnest and sincere followers of good being able to overcome hardship and other individuals bent upon violence and destruction is a comforting story in this sometimes maddeningly absurd and painful world in which we live. The films taught me to want to help, to do something about the troubles of our existence. I wanted to be a Jedi and wield a saber and battle the bad guys and get the girl and make a sequel where we knew in the end the good guys will win. But that is not really possible. I do have a certificate proving my Jedi Knighthood, but I got it from a sticker book after I placed all the Star Wars characters into their proper outlines within the pages of the book. I still can't move things with my mind, I know I try about once a month. Still hasn't kicked in. I grew up and I grew older and I found Zen; a path of transcendental meditation designed to calm the spirit and allow for spiritual release from the painful world of day to day existence. I bought a book, read it, sat in a funny position and breathed, and it worked. It left me feeling centered and more focused. The inner sensations of my body became more apparent and my posture improved. The more I meditated the quicker I found it was to relax, even in stressful situations. It did not always work though, if there were too many thoughts in my teenaged mind or my heart was left pining after the most recent young lady to catch my eye, meditation was near impossible, I began to be "other" focused. I also got the feeling that I spent all of my Zen time just sitting. I needed something more active. Some where around this time a friend of mine, Meletus, introduced me to a movie called "Highlander". Shortly after seeing the film the same friend turns up a book titled "Bokken: Art of the Japanese Sword" by Dave Lowry. It is page after page of techniques on attack and defense designed to hone the senses and improve reflexes. Bokkens, wooden Japanese practice swords, were in short supply in our neighborhood. Meletus and I found a pair of wiffle ball bats that were close to the proper dimensions for a katana even though they were pretty straight and very definitely yellow plastic. We had fun battling it out in abandoned parking lots and back yards. Yet we were unfocused with only book teaching. The introduction to Lowry's book mentions a few existent martial schools that still use bokkens as training tools. Aikido caught my eye as a more modern practice that had an open handed component. It is much more likely to encounter a fist than a sword in today's Texas. Now that I had discovered an actual sword system existed I was reticent to practice much with out trained guidance. I was concerned I would develop bad habits that would be hard to unlearn. I found an informal class at ACC in Aikido. It was great but two weeks into the course I broke my leg in a motorcycle accident. During my recovery thoughts of practicing guided me through some painful rehabilitation. After I had renewed myself I began searching for a school. I finally found a school that had every thing I was looking for. Chiisai Aikikai (it means small place to practice Aikido) is full of students who are really serious about the art. The head Sensei Leslie Libby has studied Aikido for years including a five year sojourn to the founder's dojo (school) in Tokyo.
kyoku nage
The Sensei for the beginning classes, Jay Lindholm, studied different martial arts before finally finding the one he enjoys the most, Aikido. In Aikido, all the open handed forms are based upon sword moves. The bokken is part of the practice. Aikidoka, students learn to protect ourselves and the attacker. Bone breaking, fist slamming defenses are not taught. Training focuses on moving an attacker's energy away from harming the defender and to disable an opponent with throws and pins that do not cause serious or permanent injury. The man who founded this art is remarkable. O'Sensei (the Great Teacher) Morihei Ueshiba was a man of peace and compassion who saw martial arts in a new light. (This story will be continued) Chiisai Aikikai meets at the Austin Yoga School on 1122 South Lamar Austin, Texas 78704, next to Fiesta Grocery Store and Suzy's Chinese Kitchen. Beginners classes are 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. Advanced classes are 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.