I'm 31 years old and I train kendo and iaido, I would like to return to aikido, I trained for 4 years in a dojo linked to Wagner Bull Sensei's Takemussu Institute but I didn't like it because I felt an approach more linked to the military police and less philosophical and opened a dojo linked to the Aikido Research Association founded by Ono Sensei, I would like to know if you know anything about Aikido Research Association ? Note: I will continue in kendo and iaido submitted by /u/Felipeam26 [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

Yoshio Sugino appears in Aiki News: Yoshio Sugino in Aiki News Given a teaching license by Morihei Ueshiba in 1935, after the war he opened the second official branch dojo of the Aikikai, where he taught Aikido and Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu. A skilled Judo competitor, his contemporary Minoru Mochizuki called his Judo "divine technique". “If it isn’t so good that it makes people think it’s fake, then it’s not true aikido. Ueshiba’s techniques were truly alive, whether he was empty-handed or holding a staff or sword. You could almost ‘see’ the ki flowing from his hands.” He continues: “P ..read more

Newbie here with low kyu grade Aikikai experience (many many years ago). Need help selecting between Iwama style and Yoshinkan dojo (both are close to me but Iwama dojo is closer). This Iwama style dojo follows the lineage of M. Saito sensei and is affiliated with Aikikai (but dan grades are graded by Ulf Evenas sensei who is an Iwama practitioner but affiliated with Aikikai just like Saito sensei). The Yoshinkan dojo is headed by a very well known sensei in the Yoshinkan world. I like that they are both more “martial”(ie direct) as they are considered “pre war” aikido, compared to the more c ..read more

In this video around 1:06: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WoQQlOEnSFI there is a fascinating exchange that ends in a “drop” shiho nage (by analogy to, e.g., drop seoi nage and drop kata guruma in judo). Is this technique common outside of Tomiki? Is anyone aware of instructional material for this technique? Are there other techniques that have non-standard “tournament” forms like this? submitted by /u/sideband [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

60 Canteloupes One day you walk into Algebra class and the teacher hands you a list of 118 word problems. They inform you, with great solemnity, that these word problems have been handed down in their exact form from the Founder, and that if one wishes to do Algebra than they must do these word problems, as they define Algebra. "Couldn't we use 20 apples Instead of 60 canteloupes?", you say, but sadly - that would be a departure from the principles of the Founder, and would no longer be Algebra. Here's the question - would you think that defining Algebra this way would be...irrational? Oddly ..read more

Morihei Ueshiba in kimono and hakama at the Rikugun Toyama Gakko (Toyama Army Academy) in 1931 where he was an instructor. Morihei Ueshiba at the Rikugun Toyama Gakko in 1931 Here's a 1924 film of a Kendo demonstration at the Rikugun Toyama Gakko for the Imperial family which features Morihei Ueshiba's close friend Nakayama Hakudo: https://filmisadocument.jp/films/view/110 submitted by /u/Sangenkai [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, purported to have founded Daito-ryu almost 1,200 years ago, which we know now to almost certainly be a myth. Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu Interestingly, in 1957 Morihei Ueshiba claimed to be, not the founder of Aikido, a new and original martial art, but the successor to an art founded by...Shinra Saburo Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, Daito-ryu, in other words. When asked directly in an interview when he started Aikido he replied "50 years ago" - in other words, when he began training under Sokaku Takeda in Daito-ryu. As an aside, during this time in the ..read more

Hello everyone! I have started doing aikido after finding a dojo that I like, and I have really resonated with the core principles and practices of aikido. I want to continue on. (the dojo practices shinshin toitsu aikido, for reference). How often should one practice aikido to make steady progress? Currently, I’m only able to make it to aikido once a week for 90ish minutes based on my schedule, but I’d like to do more. Are there techniques that I can practice at home by myself? Are there books, YouTube channels, websites etc, that you can recommend for learning? Thanks! submitted by /u/Tcha ..read more

Masaru Takahashi, a direct student of Yukiyoshi Sagawa and a martial arts researcher, examines the historical roots of Daito-ryu in his latest book on Daito-ryu Aiki Kenjutsu and concludes that there was no organized martial tradition pre-dating Sokaku Takeda, that Sokaku Takeda himself was the founder of Daito-ryu. Daito-ryu Aiki Kenjutsu He is one of only three students to have reached 10th Gen (the highest level certification) under Yukiyoshi Sagawa, and has published a number of books in Japanese researching Daito-ryu, as well as being a regular contributor to Hiden Magazine. More from Ma ..read more

Any fun seminars going on? Feel free to share them here! At a minimum, please indicate date and location and how to sign up! Couple of reminders: Please read the rules before contributing. Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.) submitted by /u/AutoModerator [visit reddit] [comments ..read more