Aikido Yuishinkai

The Aikido Harmony dojo (Aikido Yuishinkai) at Sunnybank was officially opened on 2 November 2013. The full day of activities included a special children’s class, a demonstration class conducted by Williamson sensei (from Byron Bay) and student gradings from shodan (first level black belt) to sandan (3rd level black belt)…including my friend Sharma who performed a powerful and flowing nidan grading. The gradings included defending various open-hand attacks, attacks from a jo (staff) and bokken (wooden sword), and weapons kata demonstrations. It was a very action-packed and compelling day.

I can’t really do justice to the range of skills demonstrated at the opening day in just a few images, but these may give a few insights…

Williamson sensei demonstrating

Sharma (my friend who did his nidan grading) and Andel sensei working on a kokyunage

Martin sensei in action

Williamson and Martin senseis working together

If you would like to comment on this entry, or to contact me to photograph a martial arts or other action event for you, please use the contact form below:). I am based in Brisbane.

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

Submit

Δ

Aikido

An aikido grading or demonstration is very demanding in terms of cardio endurance, flexibility, strength (especially lower body strength) and reaction time. A distinctive characteristic of aikido is  the high fall or “ukemi” which can be part of the way in which uke safely receives a particular technique. Some of these high falls are featured here.

Not all ukemi (or falls) result from a hand technique. Some falls may result from a throw from a jo (long wooden pole) as above, or a bokken (wooden sword). Not all ukemi are falls, either. Ukemi is a way of safely receiving a technique and may merely involve repositioning the body (as below in shifting the body position to receive a particular aikido technique, nikkyo).

 

Travel in Japan

My three-week trip to Japan was a wonderful mix of the spiritual (Koyasan, temples and shrines); the traditional (onsen, festivals, ryokan), mountain passes and nature. A cross-section of photos that illustrate some of these elements follows. For a more comprehensive pictorial overview, please visit my smugmug site at http://shugyoimages.smugmug.com/Places/Japan-2010

 

 

Week-end of Aikido

Courage without recklessness

The week-end of 15-16 May 2010 saw Shimamoto Shihan, a 7th dan instructor in Aikikai aikido taking a seminar course at Bayside Budokai, a small dojo in one of Brisbane’s bayside suburbs.

While aikido is technically a “contact” martial art, the focus is quite different from those martial arts more commonly considered “contact” such as karate or tae kwon do.

The focus in aikido is on using the attacker’s energy to redirect their attack such that they move past you and the attack is finally neutralised with a throw or lock. 

Ukemi: the art of responding

A leading movement

Because the focus is on sensing the movement of the opponent, a personal connection and awareness between the attacker (uke) and the attacked (nage) is important. 

Irimi nage: a leading throw

Photographically, these images are technically more challenging in that in addition to being in low light, the subjects are usually moving quite fast – so motion blur and dof need to be watched carefully.