Editor's Comment
Aplogies for the late arrival of this issue but my job consumed most of my time over the last six months. However we do have a cracking interview with Mike Lloyd 5th Dan who runs St Helen's Club. We also have an article by Peter Bates that puts the Japanese concept of Shugyo into a modern perspective.

Can anyone tell me what happens to all the photogrAphs that get taken on courses etc. I have been on several of these myself and never hear of them again. Perhaps it would be an idea for somebody to collate and produce an archive of pictures of the Lancashire Aikikai over the years. .. perhaps put it on the website, we could even print some here..any takers?

I am sure there are more clubs that have gradings other than Altrincham, St Helens's and Chorley. You can post them to me at the addresss below.

Please keep your information coming, if you would like to write an article, do an interview, review a book or video or anything at all just send it to use at the address below.

Alan Lock
5 Longworth Street, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 2HT

Mike Lloyd Interview By Alan Lock

Alan Lock: Mike, what is it about Aikido that has captured your imagination and kept you training all these years'

Mike Lloyd: It is the different aspects that Aikido contains, the physical, philosophical and spiritual levels.

I enjoy the physical side of Aikido. I think keeping fit is an important part of our well-being and Aikido provides a good all-round workout, covering all the major components of fitness, suppleness, stamina, strength and speed.

I am also interested in the philosophical and spiritual teachings of Aikido. The more I learn about the ethical code of Aikido and read about the thoughts of Uyeshiba, the more I realised it mirrored the values I hold in life and the way I try to conduct myself, principles such as harmonising, blending, respect, self discipline and compassion for others.

Another major thing that has kept me interested in Aikido is the fact that I have bad excellent teachers, especially Mr Mucha and Mr Spence, met many good people and I have made many friends, and continue to do so, of all grades and from ad the clubs. There seems to be a good bonding throughout Aikido.

Alan Lock: Morihei Ueshiba was a very spiritual man and Aikido has a very definite spiritual aspect to it. To what extent if any do you practice this side of the art?

Mike Lloyd: I am very interested in this side of the art. In my earlier years, I was very influenced by a political view of life, how you conduct your life, how you relate to your fellow humans and how you overcome conflicts and injustices. However, I was not fully comfortable with the divisions and conflicts that politics (even those perspectives that present a collective view of society) creates between people. The more I learnt about Aikido and Zen, the more their philosophy and spiritual side took over from my political beliefs. It was within the teachings of Aikido that I found the answers to my questions and a code of practise that I could apply to various situations and problem solving.

I work in a job where there can be a lot of conflict, anger and emotional turmoil present in people's lives. I find now that I apply the principles of Aikido to deal with that conflict and help with problem solving. It is a little like what was referred to in the article in the last magazine (Aikido - a growing addiction by Helen Nicholson), which related Aikido and mediation.

When people ask me, "Have you ever had to use Aikido?" I always used to reply, "No, I haven't." (Fortunately I have never been in a fight since I was a youth), however, I now realise that I use Aikido everyday. I use the principles, such as irimi and tenkan, not in a physical sense, but as a mental strategy to blend and harmonise, and to take peoples balance, control situations and defuse situations (some of which contained a lot of anger and aggression). This is probably why I haven't had to put Ikkyo on anyone off the mat. To quote from an Aikido book I state, "Your Aikido off the mat is as important as your Aikido on the mat."

Alan Lock: How long has St. Helens club been running?

Mike Lloyd: The club was established in the early eighties. Mr Mucha was asked to start a club in St. Helens by some students of his who had trained with him in Skelmersdale.. Peter Street was just opening so they obtained premises there. I started in their first intake of students and have been there ever since. The club is very much tied up with the Chorley club, there is a close relationship between the two, that's not to say we don't relate to the other clubs, but just like the clubs in other districts benefit from mutual support for each other in respect of sharing teachers and students, likewise our two clubs have a lot in common. We have sometimes been very low in numbers and I remember asking Mr Mucha once if he would continue when only two of us were attending and his reply was, "We will always continue!" and so we have and always will.

Alan Lock: Who or what inspired you to take up Aikido?

Mike Lloyd: Prior to taking up Aikido I was involved in the martial arts learning Shukukai Karate. I had also studied other styles as I was moving round the country and they didn't always have a Shukukai Ryu there. I had a good Karate teacher but I became disillusioned with the way the art appeared to be going, competition, money and egos seemed to be taking it away from its true spirit. This is no disrespect to those true martial artists, who still practise this art, but was my personal experience at the time. I stopped training at the clubs and started training privately with a group of martial artists from a range of different styles and disciplines. It was to one of those training sessions that an Aikidoist came to practise once. I was impressed by his art and he told me that there was a demonstration coming up in the district and that they were hoping to start a club. I went to watch the demonstration by Lancashire Aikikai. I was both impressed and inspired by what I saw. So it was the skills, knowledge, presence and art of Mr Mucha and Mr Spence that inspired me to take up the art and they continue to do so today. Since that first experience of Aikido other things that have inspired me are various books about O'Sensei and Aikido, and other Aikidoists who I have trained with. Aikido still continues to promote a traditional path, a true budo spirit and a genuine martial art.

Alan Lock: Talking about Mr Mucha, Bill Smalley in a recent interview gave us his personal interpretation of Mr Mucha and his teaching, what are your recollections of him?

Mike Lloyd: I have many good memories of Mr Mucha. He was a true martial artist in soul and spirit. He lived his budo. His Aikido was both practical and aesthetic. His teachings went beyond Aikido and he was always willing to give advice or wise words on many subjects ranging from marriage contracts to broken exhausts. My memories contain many moments on the mat as well as more private chats during an after training drink. I am proud and glad that I knew him and my only regret is that I couldn't have known him longer. Like everyone else in the Aikikai I miss him greatly.

Alan Lock: Do you think there is a way to introduce the benefits of Aikido to more people or do you think it will always be a minority interest.

Mike Lloyd: Compared to the other martial arts such as karate, Judo, kick boxing etc. Aikido will always play a minority or fringe role. To become more popular may mean losing some of its traditions and in so doing may also mean losing some of its appeal to the ones who practise it at the moment.

I think the benefits of Aikido may reach a wider audience through other related subject matter who see a glimpse of its teachings or come across Aikido via an "alternative" interest such as Reiki, meditation, and Shiatsu or through a control and restraint or self-protection course. That exposure may be enough to wet their appetite or spark their interest. I think more people will come across the concept of Ki in the future and may want to take this further. It is through these related areas as well as Aikido's own advertising and promotion done by ourselves and the likes of the B.A.B that will increase the numbers studying the art.

Also I have noticed other sports adopting or emphasising training we have known to be important from O'Sensei's teachings i.e. correct - breathing, relaxation, centralisation, extension, the one point (core power) and so on. Again people's imagination maybe triggered and their curiosity may lead them to our dojos.

Alan Lock: How do you feel about children learning Aikido,

Mike Lloyd: I think Aikido should be open to all. We have to be conscious of "Age appropriate training" and safety. If we can encourage or attract children we then may have those same people training into their adult life. We also may appeal to those same people who want to do an activity together as parent and child. I think Aikido is difficult for juniors to grasp, especially some of its concepts, but this should not disqualify them from learning the Art. However I don't think we should compromise the art just to attract children or do so at the expense of losing our adult members. Good session planning is the answer and the presence of senior students who are willing to assist.

Alan Lock: Weapons have been integrated back into the Aikido syllabus. How important are weapons and weapon training in your opinion?

Mike Lloyd: I think it is fundamental really. I have always thought of weapons as being part and parcel of Aikido. I think each class should contain some weapons practise. I always try to relate my body arts to Jo and Bokken. It is important we continue to keep this knowledge alive and pass it on to our students. Ti, Ken and Jo training are integral to one another and should be taught as such. One of the things that attracted me to Aikido was the weapons and Iaido training.

Alan Lock: You were on the Steve Magson course, what did you think of that?

Mike Lloyd: I enjoyed the course for various reasons. It was different in the sense that it was the first time I had seen a guest instructor come to Lancashire Aikikai. It was very interesting to see both the similarities and the differences between our style and Sensei Magson's. I thought on his part he treated the differences with respect by saying,

: "Look, this is what I am teaching and just for today this is how you will do it." But he made it clear that this wasn't an arrogant way, not saying "This is better" or "That is wrong!" He showed the respect of a welcomed guest.

Alan Lock: I think it put everybody on a par regardless of grade or what you knew. Everybody came away having learnt something on the day?

Mike Lloyd: Yes, I found it particularly good as it put me right back in the role of the beginner. It refreshes you seeing it done in a slightly different style. It was put across in such away that I could see the reason for the differences without feeling compromised.

Alan Lock: In an increasingly violent and disparate society has Aikido got a place as a martial art and a self-defence system?

Mike Lloyd: The simple answer is yes, however whether it is used as a defensive or an attacking art depends on the motivation of the person using it, it can be "the sword that gives life" or "the sword that takes life". I am a pacifist at heart but also respect fighters of a good cause. I come from a working class pit village background where both men and women could achieve a lot of esteem from being a good fighter. They didn't have martial arts training, there were no rules and they were no different than people the rest of you know. But what I've noticed about the good fighters, as well as they pack a hard punch or a tough head was their psyche, they were confident, single minded, determined and many other attributes -some good, some bad - but these helped them prepare mentally for the fight. Most of them didn't or wouldn't recognise this, situations happen so quick they didn't have time to prepare, some just had this state naturally, even permanently.

What I'm trying to refer to is the mental preparation for self defence not just the physical training or knowledge of holds, locks or kicks, it helps, but its also about having a clear head and understanding your motivation. In times of stress the body reacts by 'flight or fight'. For me zanshin is your best and first defence. If you have developed good zanshin that will help you with the three A's of self-defence - Awareness, Assessment and then Action. - This isn't just about fighting, but also about defusing, avoiding, controlling and other strategies of self-protection. If all this fails a good atemi helps.

Alan Lock: Finally Mike, any advice for those of us coming up the ranks behind, you?

Mike Lloyd: Enjoy your Aikido. You are very important in the organisation, in the art, as it is you who are the next to pass on the art to those who follow you. At times you may reach a plateau where you think you may not be progressing, you may even feel you are regressing, but keep on. It's about perseverance and believing in what you are doing. Everyone has their own level, their own skills and you get out from it what you put in, the longer you stay on the path, the further you will go. Enjoy the teachings, enjoy the practices, enjoy the company, enjoy what you are doing and always keep an open mind.

Alan Lock: Mike, thank you very much.

Shugyo - Commited training By Peter Bates


We all have different reasons for wanting to practice a martial art and different requirements we want that practice to fulfil whether it be for fitness, self defence, or spiritual growth , or all of these things. Training goes through certain stages the first being that of Gyowhere we are learning the basic movements and techniques of the art. After many months, sometimes even years of trying to master the basics there comes a time when things click into place, when the information has been absorbed into the subconscious and the kinaesthetic memory and the movements become reflexive. It is the time when we must move on to the next level of training, that of Shugyo – committed training or austere training in the Classical budo.

We must not forget that Aikido is a Do – a way of self development or as Don Graeger puts it ‘The Do forms urge their advocates to seek an understanding of the whole of life through a segment of it, a sphere of personal activity in which the cadence of nature can be sensed and experienced. The Do forms thus invove transferring an attitude towards life from the particular to the universal and absolute’. We must also bear in mind that we are being taught a traditional Japanese martial art that maintains the discipline and etiquette inherited from the ancient samurai traditions. What we are being taught is potentially lethal; the more we learn the greater the responsibility for the knowledge we have. Just because we practice a traditional martial art does not dilute its effectiveness as a self defence system. Martial arts are not just about training the body to perform certain movements, it is about cultivating Seni or fighting spirit, in the western vernacular – “Bottle”

Throughout our training we should try and apply Shugyo and be committed to our training. It is not always possible to practice as often as we would like, must of us have other commitments like our jobs and our families. This should not hamper us from applying the principles of aikido in our everyday lives i.e. to harmonise our Ki with the universal Ki. In the words of Sheoda Sensei “To harmonise with the universe means to be in balance – aiki – i.e. harmonising of energy means to lose your own ego, it is the technique of submitting to the natural flow of the universe. By doing that you can effortlessly realise your own natural self depending on the situation that is in front of you and it is by developing this harmony that we find the realisation of Aikido”.

Musa-Shugyo adds a further aspect to our committed training. In classical budo it means submitting oneself to natural hardship, testing oneself. In the days of the samurai Shugyosha or “austere exponent” would travel to other dojo and test their skills against other practitioners sometimes to the death. These days we do not need to go to those extremes. We can travel to other dojo, attend as many courses as possible, and train with as many different people as we can. This way we get to test ourselves and our aikido does not stagnate. By doing so we are not only testing our physical abilities but our mental resolve as well. In order to learn we must Do, you cannot learn Aikido from a book or a video, or a computer game! As the computer becomes more and more a part of our lives, our children are becoming less and less physically active and seek a virtual experience of reality thus becoming more and more inactive. To quote Dreager again “Inactivity is to be exchanged for relentless participation in prescribed disciplines in order to obtain first hand experience by doing”

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of Shugyo is mastering humility, which can be a difficult concept to accept for westerners. By humility we do not mean being made to look small or stupid or making other people feel that way. It is about losing one’s self importance, losing one’s ego for it is the ego that constructs and maintains self importance. Any grandiose ideas of self importance should be left at the side of the mat with your flip-flops.

Beginers often feel uncomfortable with the rei or bow but this is the first step in humility. We rei to the Kamiza out of respect for those that have gone before us and left us the legacy of their knowledge. We rei to Sensei out of respect and gratitude for the teaching we are about to receive (oniegai shimasu) . And finally we rei to our partner with whom we are about to train out of mutual respect.

In our time nobody expects blind unquestioning obedience to one’s sensei as in classical Japan. It is good to ask questions, sensible questions but beginners and kyu grades should never claim to know more or better than the sensei teaching on the mat at the time, or obstinately refuse to admit that they are wrong when their sensei tries to politely correct their mistakes. Equally having a fear of performing a particular ukemi or technique is nothing to be ashamed of but obstinate refusal will result in never learning at all. Fortunately such students are few and far between and usually fall by the wayside as Shugyo is obviously not for them.



Grading Results

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


COURSES

Bury Club Sunday 2nd September - Beach practise
Outdoor Practise at St Anne's between 11:00 and 15:00
Coming from the south along the promenade; past the pier; where the road turns sharply away from the coast. Park / meet just before this turn its right next to the Sand dunes.
Gi; weapons and sunglasses required.
On the day Cathy's mobile number of 0794 102 0463 can be used to make sure you join up with others
Further details from Graham 0148 484 2519

Aikikai Course Sunday 23rd Sept at Altrincham Leisure Centre 13:30 to 17:30.
The Leisure centre is behind the rail and Metrolink station in the middle of Altrincham.
Web site has map and directions.

First Aid course 30th Sept Sunday. St John's HQ at Library Street, Chorley
10:00 to 4:00 Fee £47
Course leads to St Johns Life Saver and a Sports Injury module. --- based on continuous assessment.

This is a single day course. All those that attended 3 year ago qualified on the Life Saver Plus course but the British Aikido Board is added the proposed course with the module to its approved list. Application forms being sent out to club and will be available on the web site in the next day or so and as a pdf file attached herewith.

All those who instruct or expect to instruct if you haven't got a current First Aid qualification should consider coming on the course but is open to all grades. If we get more than 10 coming then the fee drops to £43.50

BAB Course 13th Oct in London - Details being posted out to the clubWeapons Course - 21st Oct 10:30 to 16:00 at Chorley Communiity CentreChiba Sensei - BA Winter Course in Newcastle Friday to Sunday (26th Oct to 28th Oct) - Details being posted out to ClubsAikikai course and AGM Sunday 25th November 2001 12:00 at Sugden Sports Centre, Manchester - (provisional)

Steve Magson for a return visit for a weekend course following his successful course earlier in the year.
This will be the weekend of 10th / 11th November and at Wythenshawe. More details in September

The Aikikai General course and AGM will be at the Sugden Centre, Manchester Sunday 25th November at 11:30 to assist laying the mats for a Noon kick off. Course finishes at 16:00 - put the mats away and then straight into the AGM. The Sugden Centre is the one where we had our first course this year.

16:00 (You might ask why the St Helen's course is in Manchester
.... Answer Mike had problems getting a centre for us as last year's excellent venue was already booked.

NEXT ISSUE

Another Dan Grade profile/lnterview
'The Power of Atemi' by A.D.
Bleasdale ....plus all the usual
Grading results, reviews and more..

BOOKS

Martial Arts Teaching Tales of Power And Paradox
By Pascal Faulio
This is a book collating some of the myths and legends that have grown up around the martial arts from China and Japan. Many you will of heard or read before. It will appeal to the philosophically minded student who understands the teaching of allegory, and the old ways of passing on knowledge.

The Mysterious Power of Ki By Kouzo Kaku Do not expect to have the secrets of Ki revealed in this book. It simply goes over old ground explaining the history of the emergence of the concept of Ki in Japanese culture with anecdotes quoted from various masters with the emphasis being on Ueshiba There is a lot of space dedicated to the scientific research and explanation of Ki. In the final analysis we are back to trying to describe the indescribable. It is Kaku's own personal research that he is showing us here which is nothing most students do not already know.

VIDEO

Apprenel L' Aikido By Christian Tissier Filmed when Tissier was 5th Dan. This is a cracking 60 mins worth of accomplished Aikido performed by one of the best that was taught by the best in Japan. Tissier runs through the gamut of his syllabus. His technique is precise and measured but have your finger over the rewind button as the techniques are fast and performed only once. Well worth watching and available from 'Blitz' video library. The narrative is in French but as 99% of the techniques are Japanese it is not difficult to understand.

Movies

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Directed by Ang Lee
This was one of those films you just had to watch because of the hype and good revues it has received. Yes it was well filmed, well produced, well acted, and unusually well dubbed. It was traditional Chinese cinema with a Hollywood budget thrown at it and I must admit that the highflying martial arts acrobatics were impressive.

Sadly though I found the fight sequences uninspiring although well choreographed It was typical Kung-fu stuff- fast, snappy, exaggerated and unbelievable. It follows a trend that is in vogue at the moment to exaggerate the fight sequences and make them fantastic using the new tools of computer generated graphics which have been used in such like as 'The Matrix', 'Charlie's Angels', and the newly released 'Tomb Raider'.

The last three decades have produced a martial artist / movie that is a watershed In the 70's it was Bruce Lee in 'Enter The Dragon'. In the 80's it was Van Dam in 'Blood sport' and 'Kick boxer'. And in the 90's it was Seagal's turn in 'Nico', 'Hard To Kill', and 'Under Siege'. All of these martial artists presented the audience with movements and techniques that anybody can learn and use rather than a reverse spinning roundhouse descending from a two story building catching bullets in your fingers - which you can only do in virtual reality!




Weapons Weekend 31st March -1st April 2001

Other bits

Blitz martial arts supplies 112 Bellegrove Road Welling,

Kent DA 1 6 3QD TeL 020 8303 22 76
Blitz produce quality Katanas for Iaido practice (at a price) they also have an extensive video library with some good Aikido titles& By the likes of Ueshiba, Saito Yamada and Sheodaetc, Etc. and what is more the prices are reasonable too.

Barringtons PO Box 5480, Southend-on-sea, Essex SS2 4GD Tel/FAX: 01702 322595 Importers of folded steel Katanas and Wakasashi and other blades are available from this company. They look impressive and the prices reflect this. The proprietor is very helpful and very talkative.

Back Page

Outside the takeaway Saturday night
A bald adolescent asked me out for a fight.
He was no bigger than a two-penny fart.
He was a deft exponent of the martial arts.

He gave me three warnings,
trod on me toes,
poked me in the eyes,
and punched me on the nose.
A rabbit punch made me eyes explode.
Me head went dead
I fell in the road.

I pleaded for mercy as I wriggled on the ground,
He stole my chop suey and said something profound

Through rivers of blood and splintered bone,
I crawled half a mile to the nearest telephone.
Pulled a corpse from the call box,
held back the bile,
and with a broken index finger I proceeded to dial.
I couldn’t get an ambulance, the phone was screwed.
The receiver fell in half, it had been kung fu’ed.

A bamboo karate cop opened the door,
Demanding information about the stiff on the floor.
He wore a bamboo mask.
He was genned on Zen.
He finished his devotion then he beat me up again.
Thanks to that embryonic Bruce Lee
I’m a shadow of the person that I used to me.

I can’t go back to Salford,
The cops have got me marked.
Enter the dragon,
Exit Johnny Clarke.

Original words by John Cooper Clarke