Forthcoming General Course
The next course in the Lancashire Aikikai calendar is to be held at the Altrincham Sports Centre, Oakfield Road, Altrincham on 18th June 1995, which is very soon. Practise begins at 1.30 pm and ends at 5.30 pm the juniors will start at 2.30 pm and there will be short breaks as appropriate.

The prices are: Seniors £8 (£5 for the unwaged) Juniors £3.50

As always this course will be acknowledged as part of your training and grading system. The mat will be very spacious and there are shower rooms etc.

The Last Weapons Course at Chorley.
The Weapons Course ran on 2nd April and concentrated on stick in the morning and Boken in the afternoon. I have always felt that weapons practice is particularly useful in extending and improving normal aikido techniques because of the awareness developed. Other benefits also flow from such practise not least as an understanding and development of one's own Ki is accelerated.

As a teacher who gets involved with normal techniques If find I have disappointed my students on occasion by running out of class time for Weapons. I try to make sufficient time available by making a mental note and also in my lesson plans ? perhaps this is why my class gave me a clock for Christmas. Or maybe it was because they want to go home the same day?! So I welcome the opportunity to practice for a whole course because of the benefits that flow. Unfortunately this is not universal as the recent course was short of YOU? we missed you as only a few turned up. Mr Mucha is concerned with the low numbers and will have to consider the viability of future Weapons courses if the numbers do not improve.

Hopefully I'll see you there.

Andrew Baird

All the Club Instructors should encourage members to attend Weapons Courses. It makes a great difference to your Aikido and it is greatly to your benefit to make the time to attend.

Mr. Mucha

British Aikido Board Changes
There are now 25 member Associations and I understand there are six new applications to join. The Board has had problems over the past 12 months particularly with Coaching administration and changes are outlined beneath to improve this situation. There is now basically a new Executive and the new brooms are out to improve things and take the Board forward.

All instructors must hold Professional Indemnity Insurance if they take solo classes. The sale of this insurance is being moved to Associations with effect from 1st June; Mike Lloyd who issues the current brown registration slips will take on this new role and sell the PI insurance, which will be green slips of a similar size to the brown ones.

Renewal notices for Instructors will therefore no longer be issued by the Board and Associations will make their own arrangements for this in February which is the month PI expires. The purple slip, which currently is a combined coaching and P.I. Recognition certificate, will be revised only to recognise the Coaching award. These new purple certificates will be issued for a period to coincide with the expiry of First aid competence that all Award holders have.

For a Coaching Award to be recognised by the Board Instructors must maintain competence in First Aid and hold current PI insurance. Your First Aid should be renewed before it expires. However a period of grace of 6 months is given after its expiry but your award is recognised during that period. If your award lapses i.e. at the end of the period of grace, an application to resurrect the Award should be made on form E/1 obtainable from me. Renewal of these purple certificates will be on application form C/1 (R) available from me, as the Aikikai's Coaching Liaison Officer - a copy of your First Aid certificate is sent off and I receive back from the Board your new certificate. This is intended to result in less direct contact of members with the Board.

If you receive Mr Mucha's permission to attend a Board's national course, details can be obtained of future regional courses by sending off a stamped SAE to Mandy Lowe at 30 Sycamore Close, Towcester, Northants NN12 7BW with your course name you want on the bottom left hand corner and your phone number on the inside of the flap. Details will be mailed backed when a course arises. If you can't go on it a further stamped SAE needs to be sent in.

The Board's Coaching Record Book will now no longer be supported and certificates of course attendance would now be issued. Hence the new amended certificates would in future go in the membership books. The end stock of Coaching Record Books have been distributed between Associations and any instructor wishing to have one who doesn't already have one should contact me with a passport sized photograph.

Andrew Baird

Anniversary
At the Dan Grade meeting on 27th April. Mr. Mucha announced that this year was the 30th anniversary of the Aikikai and that by demonstration would be held as had been done in past years. The date provisionally fixed was Thursday 11th September.

Bury Aikido Club
The Wednesday class has been moved to Tuesday evening 7.00 pm till by 9.00 pm at the Bury Art's and Crafts Centre. Broad St, Bury.

Gradings
Congratulations to these students on reaching the following grades.

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

If your name isn't on it's because I haven't been sent your club's progress. Ed.

A Word From Our Principal
I have noticed that some membership books have been signed and stamped by other associations. The Lancashire Aikikai membership book can only be signed and stamped by authorised Lancashire l Aikikai officers. Courses run by other associations are not accepted. Our courses are organised for the benefit of its members and a minimum of two attendances are required prior to grading. I have also noticed that some of you are very stiff and have trouble staving on your knees for longer periods of time. The reason for this is insufficient practice. If you practice only once a week you must at least do some stretching exercises every day to keep supple.

Mr. Mucha
Principal

MISOGI
Misogi, originally a religious term related to Shintoism meaning purification often involving asceticism (self discipline). It is the method of attaining self-realisation anon through sheer mental and physical exhaustion in the training of self-denial. For example standing for hours under a waterfall concentrating one's mind despite the severity of the cold water or sitting in meditation for hours.

As Misogi is part of important tradition in budo training O'Sensei based aikido on the Misogi principle. To purify the world by Aikido he clearly stated, "I want considerate people to listen to the voice of Aikido. It is not for correcting others it is for correcting your own mind"

One an attain self realisation by forcing oneself to train hard, forcing oneself to leave a good TV programme and the comfort of a soft chair to go training.

Mr Mucha
Principal.

Exercises

The last two newsletters have advised on what dangerous exercises can do to you but we are still doing them. Remember if you are coaching it is you that takes responsibility should a person get injured as a result of your lack of knowledge of safe exercises. To highlight the point here's another one we're still doing and shouldn't:

Double straight leg rises - Lying on your back raising your legs of off the floor and holding (or scissors). This exercise works the hip flexors and does little to strengthen the abdominal muscles. These muscles do not attach to your legs. Abdominal flex your trunk and only isometrically contract during straight leg raises to help reduce the pressure on your lumbar-sacral spine. All you are doing is straining your lower back muscles and ligaments. You should question anyone you see instructing in this way.

Lawrence Robinson.

And Finally
Thank you to the few who have contributed to the summer newsletter. As always if you have something to say or announce just send it to this address

Lawrence Robinson
30 Crossfield Drive
Worsley
Manchester
M28 1GP