July 2017 Dojo Updates

Firstly, due to summer camp the 7pm class on this Thursday 7/27 is canceled. All other classes will run per schedule.

Camp is upon us which means Sensei will be in Rochester very soon. We run an all volunteer dojo so please offer to help where you can. Please help orient our guests! We will have at least 8 people from other dojos joining us which is awesome! Be sure to avail yourself of every the opportunity to train directly under Sensei.

Last but not least, this month (7/12) we had some great testing in the dojo so don't forget to congratulate:
For 6th Kyu
Alaina Wong-Canissario
Christopher Enoch

For 5th Kyu
Tyler Mills  

For 4th Kyu
Aaron Micheau

Remember...Aikido is best when shared! 
As students we all know how much better we feel at the end of class than when we walk in, even though we are still surprised that even this day could be made better. Your friends, family and coworkers need that, too. Share it! Encourage them to come and try it out for themselves.

Independence Day

In honor of Independence Day this year, there will be no classes July 3rd and 4th. We will be back to our regularly scheduled classes on Wednesday, July 5th. All the best to you and yours and our deepest gratitude to all those who have and continue to sacrifice for the dream of freedom.

June 27th - 7pm (only) class cancelled - There will be a 6pm.

FYI, we will only have the 6pm class this Tuesday June 27th. Enjoy the rest of the evening.

The myth of a fair fight.

If you think martial arts are just for the testosterone enriched, think again. Martial arts are (supposed to be) an intellectual endeavor aimed at giving the practitioner a distinct advantage in a fight. Each of the many styles lends itself to specific a context, some to warfare, some to law enforcement, some to James Bond style license to not have to worry about paperwork, and others to self-defense. But all of them are share the purpose of giving you a distinct advantage. Don't confuse sport with practical application. Weight classes, height, and age classes are all designed to level the playing field to make the game more interesting to watch. In reality, those that would do us harm are smarter. They seek out those smaller, weaker, fewer, and apparently less able to defend themselves. This is why we train. Skill and awareness to prevail over strength and numbers. Martial arts are for all sizes, shapes, and ages. The context of Aikido is self-defense and relies on a near certainty of physics, that the aggressor is big enough to hurt themselves. We don't overpower our attackers, we develop principles and reflexes that convince them to "throw" themselves. Any strength we add is icing on the top and at our discretion to apply depending on circumstance. Come find out why we have the saying in our dojo, "You are the perfect height." #perfectheight #grrrls

Winter Camp 2017

Winter camp 2017 has come and gone but it has left indelible footprints.   In its wake are left clear and unmistakable signs of progress.   We were witness to the graduation of Jason McEvoy to the rank of shodan; a gateway to a deeper level of study.  Alone that would be quite satisfying, however the long hours and decades of cumulative dedication of two of our members were made evident in their sandan tests.  Alan Tamayo and Ray Easton clearly demonstrated their skill and competence in Sunday's testing. 

As Sensei has often said, progress is happiness.  Thanks to the continued dedication of our dojo and especially these exemplary aikidoka, we can be both proud and happy.