Mr Mucha opened the meeting by commenting on the past year - not a bad one. With around 130 members, there has been a big increase over the last two years - but - only a small percentage on courses.

British Aikido Board

Mr Spence is the board's Coach-Tutor in charge of conducting courses and Mr Baird is Coaching Liaison Officer. Minutes of Board meetings are sent to club instructors who should ensure club members see them.

The BAB is now not connected to the MAC, and is truly representative of AIKIDO in this country (except the Ki Federation) - 26 associations are now represented by BAB.

BAB is the only body recognised by the Sports Council, which means the Board can obtain grant-aid.

Richard Kacparek the instructor at Poulton, wishes to thank Marian, Bob, etc. for their instruction at Poulton.

We wish him a speedy recovery.

LANCASHIRE AIKIKAI

There are eight clubs in the AIKIKAI and more are needed so that AIKIDOKA can move on, train others, and develop further. Whilst at the junior level, membership is 50% male and female, female membership falls off at senior level. We therefore need to retain/attract more women.

FINANCE

Income for 1992 was £2,554, expenditure £2,310 leaving a balance of £463 (in rounded figures). In addition the AIKIKAI holds the following stock:

Badges £84, Bokken £127, Jo £96

GRADINGS

ALTRINCHAM

HAZEL GROVE AND MARPLE

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

1993

There is no change in fees and the following are the course dates for the year.

CHORLEY COURSES

06.03.93 Teachers
07.03.93 General

03.04.93 DAN grades weapons

22.05.93 (Weapons)

19.06.93 Teachers
20.06.93 General

10.07.93 (Weapons)

11.09.93 Teachers
12.09.93 General

27.11.93 Teachers
28.11.93 General

ALTRINCHAM
09.05.93

BURY

October Details to follow

In addition Sports Centre sessions will be booked occasionally throughout the AIKIKAI to promote AIKIDO and Inter club practice and varied tuition.

IS AIKIDO COMPLETE

In the following article I hope to show that the roots of present day AIKIDO lie in a rich tapestry of highly developed techniques. These techniques have been developed and proven on the battlefield in combat where the loser invariably does not survive.

I also will discuss some of the motives that may be responsible for the development of AIKIDO away from the battlefield techniques, towards internal defensive techniques. It is not my intention to suggest that this development is bad or wrong it is however a common criticism that AIKIDO is purely defensive. My argument is that the AIKIDO syllabus is less well rounded than it could or should be, like having YIN without YANG.

AIKIDO can trace its roots back one thousand years, to YOSHIMITSU MINAMOTO the founder of the TADEKA clan and direct ancestor of TADEKA SOKAKU. KTADEKA the master of DAITO RYU AIKIJUJUTSU and teacher of UESHIBA MORIHEI spent much of the middle of his life touring Japan proving his art against the foremost martial artists of his day.

TAKEDA AIKIJUJUTSU developed on the battlefield from actual combat and was considered so powerful as to be kept secret from low class SAMURAI and retainers. The range of techniques numbered some 2000 odd offensive and defensive moves many of which would be recognisable to AIKIDOKA today.

O-SENSEI UESHIBA studied the arts of combat including TAKEDA DAITO RYU AIKIJUJUTSU in which he received a teaching certificate before studying the OMOTO-KYO religion with DEGUCHI ONISABURO its founder. DEGUCHI taught that all life is sacred and denounced war, this caused him to be targeted and harshly treated during World War II by the establishment in Japan.

The Japanese always considered filial and family loyalty to be more important than the individual and were barbaric in their treatment of the lower classes, foreigners and prisoners.

When the war was over, the Japanese people were fearful and expected the same treatment at the hands of the Americans as the prisoners of war had suffered in Japanese camps. Instead the Americans helped them to rebuild the nation, for which the Japanese were profoundly grateful.

During this period the traditional martial arts were banned by the Americans as being excessively militaristic and had to survive underground for many years and at that time it was thought they might be lost to the nation.

It was at this time that the BUDO taught by O-SENSEI UESHIBA changed. Instead of a combat effective martial system, it how became martial self-defence for enlightenment and the techniques themselves changed, much of the offensive attacking moves were abandoned, or altered to be defensive in nature.

How much these changes were due to the religious influence of DEGUCHI ONASABURO and how much they were due to the need to adapt the style to be acceptable to the American powers is not known, what is known however is that the new AIKIDO was one of the first martial arts to be endorsed by the occupation forces.

Nothing exists in a vacuum and martial arts exist no less in real life. It is my opinion that given his spiritual background, and that society was fuming its back on the old ways under American influence, he felt the old arts had little relevance to the needs of modem civilised life.

It is difficult today to understand how profound this change in emphasis was from AIKIBUDO to AIKIDO, we can only conjecture. It is a matter of record however that before the change the UESHIBA DOJO was called the HELL DOJO and serious injuries were commonplace, whereas today we can look back on decades of injury free practice.

In. recent months I have read much of a seemingly irresolvable debate concerned with whether or not AIKIDO is really effective. I also suspect that some DAN grades are actively exploring the techniques of other arts for a new perspective on AIKIDO technique.

I believe that to resolve this debate and gain new insight into our art and perhaps bring back the YANG, we need only to rediscover this BUDO of UESHIBA, UESHIBA-HA AIKIBUDO and if this article serves any purpose, it stimulates research in this area.

Brian Morris
2ND Kyu

AIKIDO - PRACTICE AND ASPIRATIONS

Over the period of my association with the training and teaching of martial arts, mainly AIKIDO, I have observed various facts.

People join for very different reasons:

- Self defence
- Keeping fit
- A desire to be a black belt

1 There is nothing wrong in wanting to learn self-defence. Everybody has the right to defend himself or herself. To those people I would say..."Don't be in a hurry" It takes a long time to become efficient in general self defence. Your instructor not only has to teach you technique, but also eradicate the fear from your mind when you are attacked.
2 To those who wish to keep fit, I can only say carry on practising.
3 But if you wish to train in AIKIDO to become a teacher, you will have to work hard, practise regularly and attend general courses and teachers' courses, after 3RD KYU. There also weapons courses and it is important that you learn the relationship between weapons and TAI-JUTSU.When you eventually get your DAN grade, it is not the end of the journey. There is still more hard work and your attendance is necessary for your assessment for further grades.Grades at the Lancashire AIKIKAI are not obtained on the basis of friendship or the length of membership. So if you have great aspiration, work for it, practise regularly, diligently and be helpful to lower grades. In the past I have taught you ZEN meditation, so as you can practise at home. See into yourself and find the truth about yourself

I wish all AIKIDOKA a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing all of you at some time.

M MUCHA
PRINCIPAL

In response to the editor's plea for help with the newsletter the roles of editing and production have been taken on by three members from the Altrincham club. Input from all over the AIKIKAI will be welcomed and should be passed on to Altrincham. Alternatively the new Ed's contact numbers are:

Gary McClarnan
John Scanlan

' If I could have a volunteer I will show you how to harmonise with an opponent.'