Griffith Shukan News

Thursday,1^st May 2008 

CONTENTS:

1.     Volunteers Required For International Day

2.     Our Club Library

3.     Why Do We Train Barefoot

1.     Volunteers Required For International Day

Hi everyone

Campus Life has requested that we provide a stall for international day, which is at Nathan Campus on Tuesday 20^th May.  If anyone is interested in staffing the stall 10am to 2pm or part thereof, please let me know via steve@....

Steve Mitchell

2.     Our Club Library

I have had a few requests recently from people asking whether they can borrow books from our library.  The answer is yes, provided that you are a member of the club who has graded at least once (that means that you have been with us for a few weeks at least) and you follow the correct borrowing protocol.  We do exercise a reasonable level of security over our library because in the past we have had books go missing or have not been returned.  This is a shame because there are several books in the library that are not easy to find and repurchase.  Also in our end of year stock take we noticed that several Syllabus DVDs had also gone missing.  For those reasons we keep the library / stock cupboard locked and at present it is located behind the stored mats.  If you would like to borrow a book, please ask your instructor or any of the senior students at your class.

We regularly update our library and will do so again soon.  Gabby has proposed a few new titles which will be discussed at the next committee meeting.  There is a large selection of aikido, martial arts and Ki books as well as some DVDs.  I have read quite a lot from the library and it has certainly given me a wider perspective of Aikido and a good understanding of its background.  I invite anyone to write a short review for the Shukan News on any of our library books or any other Aikido or martial arts book worth reading.  Ben Hamley has written some great book reviews in the recent past and we look forward to his next one (are you reading this Ben?)

Gary

3.     Why Do We Train Barefoot

Why we practice Aikido barefoot?  The answer is partly cultural and partly technical.  The first reason is that Aikido is a Japanese budo which developed in a country where shoes are not worn indoors.  The Japanese have for centuries worn geta, thonged wooden clogs when walking outdoors.  They also developed zori, similar to modern flip-flops, which could be slipped off and on easily when entering or leaving a building.  Like any feudal agricultural society, where climate permitted, the peasant class in Japan most often went barefoot.  Shoes could also cause damage to the smooth wooden planks and tatami mats inside their buildings.  The second reason is to do with the physics of the art.  There can be no power in an Aikido throw without a solid connection to the floor through the feet.  Energy is transmitted through the solid base supplied by the feet.  Thirdly, balance and coordinated movement depends largely on particular parts of the feet, especially the toes.  There is a reason that we gently pummel the soles of our feet during the warm-ups.  We are stimulating the points on our feet that assist us with weight distribution and balance.

This fascinating viewpoint comes from Dave Lowry's book called 'Traditions', which is an interesting series of essays on the Japanese Martial Arts and Ways.  I also enjoyed and recommend Dave Lowry's 'Moving Toward Stillness' which is in our library.

Gary

Griffith Aikido Newsletter Editor

Shirin Mohebbi

Email:  shirin(AT)internode.on.net