VKS TRAINING NOTES DEC 1999

JANUARY INSTRUCTOR'S CLASS The January class will be held on Saturday,
the 22nd at 1:30.  I will discuss my approach to randori training in
our program and my approach to rank grading..  Please try to make this
class - it is important.  This is a carry over subject from last
November since I covered something else then.

SUMMER CAMPS

Summer is over - this feature will return next year.

CHIEF INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

I have been a bit out of it these past few weeks and so did not
prepare a November issue and an quite late with this issue.  My mind
has been on other things.  Norma, my wife of over 41 years, has
recently been diagnosed with ovarian cancer - a nasty disease.  After
some uncertainty on the part of our medical support staff because they
were having trouble making an effective diagnosis she has embarked on
a treatment approach which involves nine weeks of chemo therapy
followed by surgery to remove any remaining malignancy and then more
chemo therapy to zap what ever may remain.  My sincere thanks to those
of you who have been remembering her in your prayers.  Her spirits are
high, being held up by your concerns and her own positive nature.  Ki
Training has been paying off in that she has not had the bouts of
depression which normally accompany treatment for this disease.

As you can probably imagine, I am not traveling to teach for a while
since I need to be here for her treatments.  This will give me a time
to reflect on my understanding of Aikido and Tohei Sensei's direction
into the next century.  I currently have committed myself to providing
seminars for the folks in Arizona and Kingston as well as weekend
visits to those clubs for which I have instructional and testing
responsibility such as the Hampton area, Charlottesville, Richmond,
and Elkton in Virginia, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania,
South Bend, Indiana and Dayton, Ohio.  Scheduling is up in the air
until I determine exactly how things will be going with Norma.

I have been informed by Headquarters that I will be promoted to
rokudan on January 3.  I will try to live up to their expectations as
well as those of Kashiwaya Sensei who had a role in my nomination.  We
have a number of American instructors who now hold this rank,
something that many thought would never happen.  Within the Aikido
community in general there has been a recognition of the contributions
being made to Aikido by foreign teachers who have no familial ties to
Japan.

TRAINING THOUGHTS

When I was participating in the Aikido-L Second Annual Seminar here in
Merrifield, I was asked why, during Ki Testing we don't give way to
the testing force.  The questioner came from a discipline which
teaches that you always give way to opposing force.  I answered to the
effect that we were testing Ki and stability and not participating in
martial arts training.  He was satisfied with the answer but,
apparently I was not because two weeks later, when I was sitting in a
Church service in California I was struck by the thought that:

WHY I STUDY KI DEVELOPMENT

IT GIVES ME THE POWER TO DO:

SOMETHING I CHOOSE TO DO

NOT SOMETHING I MUST DO!

When I returned to Virginia I taught my first class on this subject
with good results.  We don't have to give way but rather choose to do
so.  If we do not the uke's body recoils back on itself, forcing
weight upperside and creating an unstable posture which nage can use
to advantage.

You will notice that if you resist uke with strength the instability
will not be present as it is when you maintain one point and "do
nothing".  If you have questions about this ask me by e-mail and I
will try to respond.

FROM THE INTERNET (No column this month) TRAVELS

October 21 - visit the Ki Aikido Club in Chatham, Ontario.  Norma and
I had a very good time with Tony and his students.  He has a small
group of followers who are diligent in their training and have a
wonderful attitude.  I look forward to seeing them again.  They are
about 80 kilometers outside Windsor, Canada - near Detroit and just
off of the main ro between Windsor and London..

November 20 - visit Hampton for testing and seminar.  The club in
Oyster Bay (Newport News) and Matthews joined for a session.  There
were several tests which went very well.  Steve and Chuck are doing
wonders with their students.  The highlight of the day was Guy De
Wolf's retirement from active teaching due to illness.  I have
appointed him an "Instructor Emeritus" for the area so that he may
have an active role in the clubs and their development.

No trips scheduled for the winter months.

A FINAL NOTE:  

Thank you for your support to Aikido and pursuit of excellence. You
have a gift to give the world so do it in 2000!