Katori Jedi

31-count jo kata

Peggy submitted this funny pic of the 31-count jo kata! I guess we all recognise that slide from confidence to confusion midway the kata :)

And here's how Saito Sensei used to do it:

Aikido in a Transformers comic

I found something in a Transformers comic, that looked like Aikido to me:

(click to enlarge)

One year after the events of Maximum Dinobots, a traitor in the Autobot ranks has given the Decepticons the means to conquer the Autobots, win the Great War, and do as they will on the unprotected planet Earth. The Decepticons conquer New York City and hold the population hostage, and the United States military proves unable to stop them. The attack spreads to other cities around the globe as well. Meanwhile, the Autobots are in a sorry state on Cybertron, with Optimus Prime in critical condition, the Matrix of Leadership in Decepticon hands, and a traitor suspected in their ranks. Tensions and tempers flare. The arrival of a second group commanded by Kup finally provides them with the energon needed to repair Optimus Prime, as well as more information about the betrayal, but the coming of the Insecticon Swarm drives the combined Autobot forces onto the defensive.
(~Transformers wiki)

Buy: Amazon.com

Crazy Sword skill ;)

Vrolijk Kerstfeest!

(kalkoen: now remember, the kote gaishi technique can come in handy, especially at christmas, when you're more likely to come face to face with a knife)

Aikido dancing ;)

Extend ki foward

Cat versus aligator. Cat wins by taking the centre line and extending ki forward :)

Bregje's Baby

Bregje sent us this beautiful picture of herself. She looks happy and healthy, doesn't she? Bregje says her little Aikidoka is doing a lot of mai and ushiro ukemi and that she's doing yoga to stay fit. She's due February 5th and hopes to rejoin us on the mat as soon as possible. Maybe we should start baby Aikido classes?

Japanese Marching Precision :)

Ai-Kid-You ;)

A Fractured Introduction to Aikido "Terms":

General Words
Aikido	"Aikido" means "the path of spiritual harmony" except when it means "the way to unite one's inner energy" or when it means "the way of unity with the universal force;" unless you have a Chinese grandmother, in which case it means "the way of holding breath." Which is why we are drowning in arguements, sorry, philosophical discussions about the existence of "ki."
Marital Art	Aikido is a marital art (that's why there is an altar in the dojo) that grooms you for unbridled self-defense.
Ukemi	The history of ukemi: A big fat bully was really tired. He saw a skinny little guy who looked like he had a lot of energy. He grunted "You carry me" as he went to climb aboard the hapless fellow's back. The skinny little guy executed a perfect forward roll. Being too focussed on the predicament in which he had found himself he never did make exact sense of what the bully said, replying "ukemi, indeed!" as he walked away. And to this day we call our rolls and falls "ukemi" in his honor.
Tai Sabaki	Similarly, "tai sabaki" results from the mis-hearing of "Thai souvlaki," which everybody knows is actually Satay, or chicken on a skewer; the significance is that in olden days if your footwork was done chicken-toed, the teacher would skewer you. Nowadays they just glare.
Aikido "Styles"
Aiki-Just-So	For the finicky; they never progress past ikkyo because nobody ever does it well enough.
Bike-ido	Developed by bicyclists tired of being run off the road; the only style that does a "true" kaiten-nage.
Boo-do	Stealth techniques, possibly ninja-influenced, in which uke initiates attacks by leaping out of hidingwith a shout.
Haikudo	Appeals to enthusiasts of Japanese culture who cannot decide if they prefer to study poetry or martial arts.
Iko-Iko-Ido	Bizarre regional style of New Orleans characterized by rythmic technique and brightly colored costumes.
Nike-kai	Practitioners wear gis made in special sweatshops; during practice of kokyudosa are heard to make a loud "swoosh" during exhalations.
Reikido	Tntegrates body work and body arts in one discipline so you can throw your back out and put it back into place in the course of one technique.
Waikikai	Hawai'ian regional style, done on long boards.
Aikido "Techniques"
Tushie-nage	This technique is never taught, but beginners invariably discover it the hard way.
Baptism-nage	Kaiten-nage done in a body of water. Potentially lethal.
Ten-pin-nage	Randori against ten attackers in a long narrow dojo, scored as in bowling. "Strikes" do not mean "atemi" in this application.....
Jujube-nage	Uke is distracted by offers of candy, then thrown hard; likely inspired by Dr. Who Sensei and his famous "jelly baby atemi."
E-I-E-aido	The Old Macdonald style; the art of live blade drawing and quartering, with livestock as uke.
Go-flya-kaitenage	Technique in which uke is projected out of the dojo, outdoors into a thunderstorm (with Ki of course). First cited in Poor Richards Alamanaikido.
Delicate-tessen	Technique favored by southern belles, in which uke is distracted by the fluttering-eyelash atemi, then flattened by whipping forward of the iron-ribbed fan. Nage settles back into rocking chair, murmuring "my, my, my..." (with thanks to JonM, Blake, and Chuck)
Cacciattori Chickennage	Italian dish prepared one-handed by Aikido-Listers being tested for rank (with thanks to Ivan.....)
RyeOatTandori NoChickennage	East Indian vegetarian variation of the above.
Rant-ori	Multiple verbal attackers (when performed seated, known as "Seiza Who?")
Tai-No-Hankie	Basic technique for blending your nose with the sleeve of your gi.
Rokyo	You will be pinned by a drunk chanting "We will rock you"
ChiChikyo	You will be pinned by a high-heeled nage in a Chanel gi.
Hatchkyo	You will be pinned by a brood hen named Sky
Queuekyo	You will be pinned by a whole line of people
Jukyo	You will be pinned by the legendary Rabbi sensei, Matt Burn
Aikido "Attacks"
HeyManUchi	Attention-getting strike
HeManUchi	Repeated strikes, closed fists alternating, to one's own (hairy) chest
LikeCoolManUchi	Left-of-center strike to the bongos
EthelMerManUchi	Show-stopping stike that gets you right here
YesManUchi	Strike with a rubber stamp
NormanUchi	Sat next to me in third grade at P.S. 269, Brooklyn

Source: http://www.aikiweb.com/humor/rosen2.html

How many Aikidoka? ;)

Q: How many Aikido students does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: None. Aikido students don't attack problems.

Q: Ok, so how many Aikido students does it really take to change a light bulb?
A: One, but the light bulb must initiate the attack.

Q: How many Aikido students does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: Two. One to perform the technique, and the other to take the fall

Q: How many Aikido Instructors does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One. But first he (or she) will show you five wrong ways to do it before showing you the right way.

Kenjutsu training ;)

A GREAT comedy sketch by Katocha and Kenchan (from the band/comedy group Dorifu).
It is about a disciple trying to be taught in the sword arts, but his master does not consent.
Any resemblance to actual facts, people and events is purely coincidental.
English subbed. Enjoy!

Robin Bush geslaagd voor shodan

Robin Bush is vandaag in Amsterdam geslaagd voor zijn shodan examen. Caroline Jongsten sprak namens de commissie over Robin's examen:

"We waren verrast, het was meer dan voldoende, een gerijpte shodan en het was een plezier om naar te kijken."

Robin van harte gefeliciteerd!

Squirrly-ryu Aikido ;)

Hoe vouw je een hakama ;)

(Ik heb ook een random cartoon blokje aan het blog toegevoegd. Elke keer dat je het blog bezoekt, zal er een andere grappige aikido gerelateerde cartoon getoond worden.)