Aikido Technique Videos and Self Defense Training

Over the past few years, as I've finally hit my thirties, I've found that my need for stretching has increased. That led me to find a local yoga class; I tried bikram and I thought it was a good practice, but I found it a bit too extreme. My local bikram teachers pushed a harder style of yoga where I found myself really hitting the poses. It was vigorous but not quite what I was looking for.

So, the search was back on, and I ended up finding a small yoga group at the Whately MA , town library. It was a slower practice, more affordable, and really emphasized building core strength. The prefect compliment to my aikido practice, and I'd highly recommend the pairing of yoga and aikido to anyone else. For more info on the Whately MA yoga classes, click here.

If you're interested in some goods geared towards the Yogic lifestyle, click below.

I just found the image above over at SFI, and wanted to share it here as well. There are many forms in aikido and ken-jutsu that use a tsuki attack. But, it is very rare to see it used so effectively in contact. Were that blade steel or even a wooden bokken, an attack like that could have been deadly.

Today I read an article about Japanese Archery and thought I should share with my blog visitors. Here's a quick quote:

ZUSHI, Japan – It is about as far from the Olympic sport of archery as it can get. The bow is taller than the person shooting it, and, to the uninitiated, it appears lopsided and unbalanced. There are no sights, no high-tech stabilizers.

And, of course, it is done on horseback, at upward of 40 mph.

It's called yabusame, and it is the sport of the samurai.

Each year, archers in feudal shooting gear climb atop their decorated mounts for a lively competition on the beach of Zushi, a town just south of Tokyo, galloping in the sand as thousands of onlookers cheer and shout. The first competition was held here in 1199.

The scene is like something out of a movie by the great Akira Kurosawa. Banners flap in the ocean wind marking the beginning and end of the shooting runway. Little boys in bright robes and black hats scamper about collecting the arrows and the debris from the wooden or clay targets destroyed by each hit.

"There is nothing like this outside of Japan," said Ietaka Kaneko, who heads the Japan Equestrian Archery Association and the Takeda School of Horseback Archery, which traces its origins back more than 800 years.

You can find the entire story here

Last night I was unexpectedly promoted in my Ken-jutsu class. Sensei taught a great class, Aaron (my kohai) and I had a good workout with some very good lessons learned. Now that our ken-jutsu class has changed to Fridays at 5:00 I am very hopeful for paired practice and larger classes.

At the end of class sensei lit some incense and called me to the front of the dojo with him. At that point sensei signed my sensu with my new rank and appologized for the burden (I now have another rock to carry). All in all it was a great day!

On Sunday, December 7th the instructors, staff, and students of Castle Rock AIKIDO, as well as some friends from a few other Colorado Aikido schools gathered at a student's home in Castle Rock for a Japanese 'sake' tasting event.

The event was hosted by sake specialist, Eric Dutton. In addition to being certified through the Sake Education Council, Eric is also a Level Two, Certified Sommelier (pronounced 'som'-maul-'yeah'), or wine steward, through the Court of Master Sommeliers (a French wine designation).

Eric is currently the bar manager for the restaurant, Sushi Den in Denver. Sushi Den, by the way is one of the top three sushi restaurants in the United States! Visit Sushi Den's web site by clicking HERE.

Eric guided us through the history of sake, how it is made, what makes one sake better than another, and how best to serve and taste sake. There was a lot challenging Japanese terminology to remember, but it was all quite fun.

For those of you who don't know, sake (pronounced 'sah'-'kay') is a popular, traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice. The rice used to make sake is called 'sakamai' and is typically higher in starch and lower in fats and proteins than rice grains used for food preparation. The most common type of sake is called 'futsu-shu' and would be considered a common table wine by comparison. But what Eric brought with him to our sake event was definitely the furthest thing from common table wine!

Eric brought four bottles (180ml each) of 'sake' each from a different region of Japan. Each sake was distinct in its flavor, aroma, and presentation. Unlike beer, sake is 16% alcohol, so it really packs a punch! It didn't take much to get everyone a bit tipsy.

Eric's presentation was first rate! He is available for your social event or gathering. We highly recommend him. You can contact Eric at: dutton.eric@gmail.com for more information.

Thanks, Eric!

At Castle Rock AIKIDO we strive to create not only an authentic martial arts experience but also provide Japanese cultural events. To find out what other activities we've hosted and future events, visit www.CRaikido.com.