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Griffith Shukan News
Thursday 3rd September 2009
CONTENTS:
1. Aikikids Grading Summary
2. Gradings Summary for Saturday at Nathan
3. Transport For Byron Seminar
4. Daylight Savings During Byron Seminar
1. Aikikids Gradings Summary
I had already graded some children to yellow and orange tip the previous Saturday to last Saturday. As I indicated last week in the Shukan News last week, some of the kids in the nippers class seemed to be somewhat challenged by the grading and rather distracted despite plenty of preparation, but I'm thinking it was just the heat. It is an opportunity to explain again that gradings are not a pass/fail exam, but are a demonstration of proficiency, and how the kids go in their preparation, including attitude and application, is very important. It is not just about grading days. The nippers worked very hard in the weeks prior to grading. The older kids class also graded some children, and perhaps some extra years helps, as they did some very strong gradings.
The kids gradings last Saturday were conducted before the adult kyu gradings, as usual. It was a fantastic day weather-wise. Rod arrived to take part in the aikikids gradings and of course most of the senior kids know him from last year and early this year when he and I ran the kids classes at Nathan, before he set up similar classes at Everton Hills dojo. With plenty of kids to still grade, we got straight down to it. Again, the gradings were very nicely executed, all the way through to our three nippers grading to green tip, Nicholas, Ben and Dayne. What can I say, they all did very well, and good to see the application on show from these young but experienced aiki-nippers. Well done. Equally impressive was the support shown by classmates in being at the grading, the assistance provided by partners in the grading, and the quietness and lack of fidgeting from the kids watching from the edge of the mat. It's not easy at that age, and the lessons in aikido about respect and calmness are clearly being absorbed!! Wonderful. Nice one nippers.
We then moved onto the Aikikids and Aikiteens, also very well supported by their classmates. The gradings were impressive. They all performed very well. When we got to green tip level, Tri and Alexander demonstrated their skill very well. We were then treated to blue tip gradings from Blair, Blaney and Jadyn, who have all been in the kids program for quite a while, and it is showing. They performed very strongly. Finally, young Lachlan, who graduated to the teens class - as well as some adult taninzugake - on Saturdays some time ago despite his age (not yet a teen), stepped onto the mat for his brown tip grading. He was champing at the proverbial bit to show what he can do.
Lachlan showed he has learned aikido very well since he started a couple of years ago. He clearly loves aikido and that shows too. He confidently worked through his techniques and impressed the instructors, as well as all the watching parents, I'm sure. He moved onto his jo kata, counting loudly and completing it with good precision. Nicely done. When I called for adult ukes for his futarigake (2 person attack - adult ukes, Rod Sensei and Chris Sensei (our teens instructor), who were sitting with me suddenly disappeared, and reappeared on the mat. A nice compliment. Lachlan didn't disappoint, throwing them around with abandon, despite the considerable size difference. We'll be waiting for your black tip grading with great anticipation Lachlan. Well done, and congratulations to you, and Chris Sensei.
We always follow a gradings Saturday with a games Saturday. It is a reward for the kids, as well as being important to their aikido. This coming Saturday, the kids will have a whole session of aikido games. Aikido games always have a strong purpose, and every game develops one or more aspects of aikido in a fun and active way. After working so hard towards their new belt tips over the past few weeks, it's deserved. See you there.
Steve Mitchell
2. Gradings Summary for Saturday at Nathan
Congratulations to all our newest members in the beginners group who graded last Thursday night. You did a very good job, ably taught by Eric Sensei. You have taken your first step in what we hope will be a long and fruitful Aikido journey. It is great that you will now join us on the main mat each Tuesday night and in the white belt class on Thursday nights. We look forward to training with you.
What a wonderful display of grading demonstrations we witnessed on Saturday morning. 27 people graded from 6th kyu to 1st kyu.
Rick, Matt and Robert opened proceedings. Apart from a couple of instances of not getting off the line and throwing the hand across the throat in irimi nage, the gradings were performed extremely well. Jaime, Mike and Naylan also did a first class job. The commendable traits that are showing through at this early stage are some very good footwork and the ability to cut Uke through the centre. A special mention to Ozlem who did her 6th kyu grading last Thursday night. She did it by herself in front of the entire class and did it in style. It was a first class demonstration.
I would like to say a very big “Well done!” to Bonjana, Andrew and Emma who all graded particularly well for their 5th kyu. It was a wonderful display and difficult to fault. They all train regularly and have practiced very hard. It showed on Saturday. Welcome to the main mat on Thursday nights and the seniors class on Tuesday and Thursdays. Some good fun also awaits you at Taninzugake.
It has been a while since our largest group grading has been the 4th kyu’s. It was really enjoyable to watch. The 8 members who graded to 4th kyu were - Dean, Son, Krishna, Narelle, Daniel, Emille, Stephan and Erwan. There were some really good flowing techniques and overall the standard was very high. Everyone showed significant improvement since their yellow belt grading. Daniel is developing an interesting style of standing in the middle of his own universe and letting Ukes fall around him. Good work Daniel, you are making your Mum and Dad proud. I think I will stop picking on Narelle soon. She is now looking like a lady that you don’t want to mess with. Erwan and Son are developing very smooth movement. Their prior martial arts backgrounds are certainly holding them in good stead. Stephan has softened a lot and his technique is really starting to flow. Dean, Emille and Krishna have all come such a long way in their training recently. Your great improvement is very pleasing to watch. To all of you in the orange belt group - it is your commitment to regular training that has made such a big difference to your Aikido.
The challenge for your green belt grading is to soften and to work to the rhythm of your Uke. From here on, attention to detail will improve the effectiveness of your technique, which includes awareness of your centre and focus on your own posture and movement. An example is to maintain the integrity of your balance by not allowing your body to rise up as you enter. Anyway, all of that is for next time. Well done to our new orange belts. Goodness knows we need you all to strengthen our intermediate ranks and help those coming up behind you.
Next up were Fleur, Sybille and Adam for their 3rd kyu grading. It was an first class display all around – for the most part very soft smooth technique. Congratulations to all of you on a great job. What is it about girls and wrist locks? They are naturals! Maybe it is their latent desire to inflict pain, which I used to think was directed at blokes only but Fleur wins my Wrist Lock Award for the devastatingly painful Yonkyo she put on Sheree. After internalising the pain with an appropriate expletive, poor Sheree even had to hide her wounded arm behind her back for the next technique so Fleur couldn’t reach it. And I thought you guys were friends.
Enter the team from Everton Hills – Sylvie, David and Michelle. Their motto is “If it hurts, Rod taught it to us!” And they didn’t disappoint us. Our EH friends brought their A-game and put on a wonderful 3rd kyu display. Again it was soft, smooth and precise. And all of the wrist locks were ON! But did we expect anything else? I loved David’s grading. As an old bloke I can appreciate his preference for biggest result with least energy expended. Good on you mate! Congratulations to all of you, I enjoyed watching your grading. We finally have some green belts on the mat. Although I suspect that in the not too distant future one of those Nathan green belts will encircle two people.
Saturday’s main event was four 1st kyu grading demonstrations. I have been waiting for quite a while for these four guys to grade to their Hakamas. The day finally arrived and they didn’t disappoint. Keita and Sandy were first onto the mat to show some really good hand art techniques. However, I must deduct points from Keita for throwing Eri far too close to the strategically placed Shukan News reporter. You know he doesn’t move quickly. I might have said I wanted to get a little closer to Eri but Keita I didn’t mean for you to deliver her flying through the air rolling across my note pad. I must be careful what I wish for! Keita and Sandy’s tanto and bokken tori were pretty to watch, as were there weapons katas. I admired the way Sandy came back unfazed after a small slip up to absolutely nail his jo katas. Great work guys!
Craig and Eric were up next. They were both very entertaining also and showed some good taninzugake. Craig was his usual laid-back self. Nothing fazes that man! He has big Aikido and big weapons katas. Eric did a wonderful job in all areas of his grading and looked focused and in control the whole time, both with open hand and with weapons. We were treated to weapons katas from two pretty confident guys who were striving to raise the bar just a little for each other. It was good stuff guys. The time and effort put into your training really showed through. Both are now teaching in their respective dojos and there will be a lot students who will benefit greatly from them in the future.
The ability and confidence displayed by our four newest hakamas was impressive. I am so looking forward to your Shodan gradings this time next year. Congratulations to all of you, there was a lot of sweat, scarifice and plain hard work went into those gradings.
I would like to say a huge “Thank You” to all the Ukes who toiled diligently through the heat. I can hardly wait until this winter cold snap finishes and the weather warms up in November. Thank you also to Sheree and Eri who provided lunch afterwards. Your kind efforts are always appreciated. The egg and lettuce sandwiches were a hit, closely followed by the chips, cheese, dips and everything else.
And finally a reminder that anyone wearing a coloured belt who doesn’t know how to fold a hakama should learn as soon as possible. Not only is it a mark of respect to your instructors who freely give their time to you, but it will be no time at all before you are folding your own. It is only 2-4 gradings away! Now is also a good time to start learning your weapons katas which you will first demonstrate at your 2nd kyu grading and that looms up a lot sooner than you think. To perform weapons katas under pressure like you saw on Saturday takes endless hours of practice. So it is never too soon to start.
Congratulations once again to all who graded. It is a day I look forward to and I enjoyed it immensely. See you in November!
Gary
3. Transport For Byron Seminar
Hi guys,
For the national seminar happening in Byron Bay in October, I’m collecting details of people who are interested in car-pooling for the trips down and back.
If you are driving down at some point and have a spare seat you’re happy to have filled or if you want to head down but you need a lift, please send me an email or or see me before/after class so I can compile some details.
Essentially, I need to know:
When you are leaving
When yo are returning
Do you need a lift or are you offering a lift
How many spare seats do you have
If you haven’t previously thought about car-pooling, give it some consideration. As the seminar is during school holidays, petrol is likely to be more expensive so splitting the bill will cut the cost quite a lot. Also, I’ve found that I’ve had many a valuable insight from the post seminar conversations in the car on the way home. It’s the perfect time to debrief and compare notes and get something from other people’s experiences rather than just mulling over things in your own head.
So if you know for certain when you are leaving/returning etc and you want to be included in the car-pooling, let me know and I’ll add you to the list.
Paul
0432 780 369
4. Daylight Savings During Byron Seminar
As many have been caught in the past, please note the time difference between Queensland and NSW during the Byron Seminar. Daylight savings will take effect on Sunday 4th of October at 2 a.m. Essentially what this means is that all clocks wind forward one hour and the Sunday classes therefore run one hour earlier than Brisbane/Queensland time.
So if you're planning a day trip or even if you're staying in Byron Bay or surrounds, don't let daylight savings get the better of you!
Shirin Mohebbi
Griffith Aikido Newsletter Editor
Email: shirin(AT)internode.on.net
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