tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42913073434136717212012-02-16T08:38:32.335-11:00Recording the transition from one Japanese martial art to another.DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-55143141858808689372011-12-27T08:16:00.000-11:002011-12-27T08:16:24.605-11:00

Where to start? I started this blog this year in an effort to describe my transition from aikido to Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu. In this time I have met some fantastic martial artists, some genuinely good people and I have been given access to opportunities in both arts that make me excited for the future. Let’s start with the high-lights. Meeting and training under Robbie smith. First

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-3745884251917283282011-12-05T13:15:00.001-11:002011-12-05T13:17:46.586-11:00

At the recent seminar, I met some of you (the audience) that read my blog. I was happy to find out the blog is read and people have an interest in what I write. I checked the stats on my page and it appears at least five people have viewed my most recent blog. So here is my request. If you have read one of my posts then please leave a comment or add yourself as a follower so I stay inspired to

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-81911733939792562632011-12-04T11:56:00.001-11:002011-12-04T11:59:01.216-11:00

I have just spent a weekend attending a small seminar with Toby Threadgill, the Kaicho (head of the school) of Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu. As I only started training in February this year, it is the first time I had meet this man in person. I had viewed some video footage of Toby prior to the seminar and heard accounts by other members of our group as to what to expect. However, actually

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-32015721127955024582011-10-30T16:16:00.000-11:002011-10-30T16:16:01.370-11:00

The name 'kaeshiwaza' translates roughly as reversed technique. Basically, counters. In aikido we are practising these techniques often in preparation for a grading some time near the end of this year. The cool thing about kaeshiwaza is that you must remain relaxed and sensitive to the movements of your training partner so that you find the opportunity to exploit a weakness in their technique and

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-23511909599627234742011-09-29T12:15:00.001-11:002011-09-29T12:19:28.612-11:00

So I haven't posted for a while. I apologise. I am a father of two young children and recently illness has swept through the family.  One of my first sessions back saw a guy came across from Australia to train with us on Saturday. All but one of us was there so the atmosphere was great. Plenty of people to train with. However, being away from the dojo took its toll. I certainly felt my legs

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-16756738434326654002011-08-18T16:41:00.000-11:002011-08-18T16:41:20.718-11:00

I sit here today, reflecting on body skills. I can't remember where I heard or read this, but I was once informed that aikido is a body art not a hand art. This had a profound influence on how I continued my study of aikido. It took my concentration from that getting my hands right for a technique to getting my body in the right place at the right time and letting the hands be the vehicles for

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-22645177175191172242011-08-07T14:31:00.001-11:002011-08-07T16:51:20.983-11:00

Often during my training, I find myself being caught up in the finer details of getting a technique right. At this time my sensei, whoever it may be (aikido or TSYR) will often mention a certain prinicple of the art that will correct the technique I'm struggling with. It is easy to forget that the techniques are merely a tool or medium through which to teach a principle. This has become clearer

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-58285675646591881392011-07-06T16:15:00.000-11:002011-07-06T16:15:10.951-11:00

I recently had the privilege of inviting two of my own students to test for 5th and 4th kyu at my sensei's aikido club. I always enjoy the opportunity to see how the teenage students cope with the test conditions and it gives me an idea of how our little dojo is progressing. Both students are showing strength in the basics. They deliver such techniques as ikkyo and nikyo from katate tori with

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-63608772505456445892011-06-19T17:42:00.001-11:002011-06-19T17:44:12.152-11:00

Two significant things have occurred in my budo training recently. The first moment happened at the end of an aikido training session. We had just bowed out for the night when my sensei walked over to me and said most casually "I think you should grade for your nidan at the end of the year." Now, grades or rank have never been a driving force for why I train. I see rank as a side-effect of

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-84713323989281550302011-06-01T17:16:00.001-11:002011-06-01T17:17:15.451-11:00

It has been a while since my last post. I have still been training but haven't had time to sit at a computer and type. My basic knowledge of the first two paired sword kata is coming together in TSYR. Both sets have their challenges and principles I have yet to internalise. However, I can recall and perform all the kata at a rudimentary level now. The taijutsu is also feeling more natural and is

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-10519825689113123552011-04-29T13:01:00.001-11:002011-04-29T13:01:45.807-11:00

Just finished a Saturday training session. Often we finish with 30 breakfalls (rolls). I often train with sensei on these. However, as I reached my 30th roll today, he said "keep going". We get to 40 and I think my legs are going to give out, we keep going and get to 51. I am surprised but happy he pushed me today. The internal strength exercises continue to haunt me and I will continue to

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-2027955518500146712011-04-17T09:54:00.000-11:002011-04-17T09:54:05.582-11:00

I've only been training in TSYR since February this year and I would like to take some time to describe how my body is changing due to this practice. I have mentioned the internal strength exercises before. They are a series of exercises designed to strengthen and align the body to allow power to be generated through technique. They are hard to perform correctly and I'm making slight progress.

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-11099911573714925992011-04-03T16:58:00.000-11:002011-04-03T16:58:15.838-11:00

Saturday training at the TSYR dojo consisted of sword disarming techniques, then a whole lot of taijutsu. Here is where I feel the classical budo overlaps with modern aikido a wee bit. The techniques were against a wrist grab and I saw a variant of ikkyo, nikyo, sankyo, kote gaeshi and a kokyu nage sort of throw. However, imagine these techniques on steroids! The movement was much sharper and

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-86261279703528374322011-03-29T08:21:00.000-11:002011-03-29T08:21:47.410-11:00

I'm tired. On a Tuesday night I start a martial arts sojourn. At 4pm I teach teenagers aikido until 5:30pm. Then I drive to my own aikido training, 6pm - 7:30pm. I then throw down some high energy food and drink and drive to my final training location for the night. 8:30pm - 9:30pm Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu training. As my night progresses, the training gets more difficult as I get more tired

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-35701701763288191862011-03-27T15:57:00.000-11:002011-03-27T15:57:38.005-11:00

Saturday training was a blast. We concentrated on just a few of the strengthening exercises and then got straight into some techniques where both opponents are on their knees. Some of it was very aikido-esque and it made my life a little easier. One technique are pretty much yonkyo. After that we trained in tanto work. Now, the techniques taught in this martial art are nothing like what we do in

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-82393212460412471852011-03-17T16:23:00.000-11:002011-03-17T16:23:47.616-11:00

The sword kata continue but I have had the opportunity to draw a live sword and strike with it!  Wow, there is nothing like a live blade to hone concentration. It is true what they say...putting the sword back into the saya (scabbard) is the hardest bit. I even managed to cut my finger with the steel point. We continue to train with the paired sword kata and I now know the five kata from the

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-35515774726679772032011-03-09T14:48:00.000-11:002011-03-09T14:48:53.987-11:00

I have been away from a computer for a short time so the experiences I write about today have occurred over more than one training session. Last Saturday started with the internal strength exercises, which I am still very bad at. Then we returned to a few taijutsu techniques I had seen before and a couple of new ones. We also  practised some judo-type throws. The really new stuff was the

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-62233736112595776282011-02-25T14:10:00.000-11:002011-02-25T14:10:49.775-11:00

I had my second, 2 and a half hour session of TSYR today. I was more relaxed and really enjoyed the training. The instructor said he was happy for me to continue as a student in this ryu and we discussed how often I would train and what costs I needed to pay to join up. I was given a copy of the first sets of kata I am to learn so that I can make notes as I go. So, I have begun my journey into

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-13988806218055494232011-02-18T14:07:00.000-11:002011-02-18T14:07:18.181-11:00

Hello all. I had my first session of Takamura-ha Shindo Yoshin Ryu (TSYR) today. It is a classical Japanese fighting art that is practiced by only a few groups world wide. I heard about the ryu through an aikido forum, as the headmaster of this style has been invited by some aikidoka to teach the internal skills from the ryu. As it turns out, there is a group licensed to teach in good ol'

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-32391310146795389372011-02-12T11:16:00.000-11:002011-02-12T11:16:09.961-11:00

I wish to continue to work on relaxed power in my techniques. I guess this is an ongoing goal of mine and is not new to this year alone. However, 2010 was the year I really started to understand how to use my body completely and not rely on individual muscle groups. This is a continuum, where some techniques I feel like I am driving effortlessly from the ground up while others I catch myself

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-18887951679930782672011-01-30T19:59:00.000-11:002011-01-30T20:00:22.639-11:00

Below is a blog post that I wrote for my club's aikido website. Training has began again with the dedicated few who have not disappeared for a long summer holiday. This time of the year people often think about their goals for the year so I'm going to take the time to think about what I want out of my training this year. I will talk about one aspect of my training for each blog. Resolution 1.

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4291307343413671721.post-16505844576833173742011-01-30T14:09:00.000-11:002011-01-30T14:09:57.453-11:00

I have started this blog due to a change in direction in my training. I have been training continuously in aikido over the last eight years. Having gained a solid foundation in this martial art I have started to feel unsettled. I am looking for something a little different. More serious maybe, more complete? I'm not sure. I have started to think about how to generate internal power. I have been

DSuterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468306512135806402noreply@blogger.com0