January 1987 - Lancashire Aikikai Newsletter

Principal's New Year message

My best wishes to all members for 1987. I hope that you will make good progress in Aikido, in the forthcoming New Year; to achieve this progress you must make an effort in your practice, together with helping each other both on and off the mat. Good relationships of course will help, for example, when your friend gives you a lift to courses or to an other club for a practice it is only fair that everybody contribute to the expenses of travellintg.

In the New Year I am hoping to see more of my dan grades and the higher kyu grades where I am instructing.

In March we will be celebrating the 21^st Anniversary of the Lancashire Aikikai. On the 18^th of March there will be a demonstration free to all members. Tickets will be available at £1.00. On Saturday, 21^st March there will be a disco and buffet. All these activities will be held at the CHORLEY BUDO CLUB.

I should like Dan Grades to ascertain the number of people wishing to attend the disco and inform me as soon as possible.

M.Mucha

Dates

Chorley Sunday Course

Provisional Dates for Summer School

22^nd May to 25^th May if School goes ahead the June Courses 13^th & 14^th June will be cancelled.

British Aikido Board

Gerry Hinton and myself went to London on 10^th January to meet the committee. The Board consists of about ten associations each of which is independent like our own. I gather there are about 7000 members, which makes the Aikido Board the second largest board in the Martial Arts Commission (MAC); the largest being the Karate Associations. The Commission in turn is recognised by the Sports Council. Each Aikido Organisation sends two representatives to the Board's meetings, the proceedings once over there is a practice for about 90 minutes.

This we both found interesting with Yoshinkan and Tomiki styles being represented t6here as well. The Secretary of the board maintains a list of clubs so we will get referrals and if you find yourself in a different part of the country there should be a contact we can give you.

Andrew Baird

"Aikido Moves Forward" by Robert Forrest-Webb.

" Very few teachers relate techniques to the individual physical requirements of their students, e.g. a technique that may be effective for a tall person dealing with one of equal height or shorter but quite useless for a small person who normally must expect to defend himself or herself against taller people.

Aikido should not be taught for the sake of Aikido. The job of an instructor is not to re-create a historic Aikido library of techniques, but to turn out effective martial artists. Harmony does not mean a uke who hurls himself through the air simply because someone holds his hand and mentions the name Kotegaeshi. Aikido, the beginner is informed by the Instructor, is harmony and co-operation between students so over the next few weeks, months, years the student allows himself to be thrown by every technique whether it be effective or not. The Uke mentality becomes so ingrained that the student will be totally incapable of even deciding whether the technique being used them is working."

I have recently read with interest the article, which contained the above views. Would any of the high grades like to comment on these quotes and help other students who are setting out to learn "The Way"?

Andrew Dunham

EDITORS REPLY: Hopefully the first point is one all our teachers recognise, our Aikikai is particularly fortunate in having held for a long time teacher's courses when various methods of teaching are instilled into us from an early stage. The point made in the second paragraph is I think valid in respect to Uke mentality but necessarily the other points. Anyway I will be pleased top include other peoples views if you write to me.

ABOUT THE CLUBS

HAZEL GROVE...... Mr Mucha will be taking our class on Sunday mornings on the 8th February and the 10th May. The class starts at 10AM.

ACCRINGTON......The Club has now been using its new mats and you have an opportunity on the 14th February to try them out when we give a demonstration.
(PLEASE NOTE YOUR SUPPORT IS REQUIRED)
However, the Club will be pleased to see you any Saturday morning between 10.30 and 12.30 at The Civic Hall, Pickup Street, Clayton-le-Moors. The Club was helped tremendously be the Sports Council to whom we say thank you.

GRADINGS -

Chorley - 30 November 1986
Hazel Grove - 10th December 1986

Grading details were published in the paper version - Not published online under Data Protection Provisions

In order to promote a greater following between our Clubs I had hoped to be able to include dates of when our Principal was visiting other clubs so that members could travel to gain this extra instruction and to meet with other members. However, I am only able to publish the dates for Hazel Grove. Could other Clubs please do a bit of forward planning for the next Newsletter!? Articles, gradings, news etc should be in my hand no later than 15th April for inclusion next time.