Thanks and Congrats

We are happy to announce that Harold Leve will be taking over administration of our Kids Aikido Program in January. Chris Steerman will continue to teach some of the time. We want to take this opportunity to congratulate Harold and to thank Chris for her many years of service to the program.

Brian and Judy
Co-chief Instructors

Monday Coffee

Join us for coffee after the Monday morning class tomorrow.

We are going to check out Java's at 16 Gibbs Street after class.

So we'll see you at class and then there!

Ever want to practice at a different dojo?

When was the last time you went to a morning class? Are you a morning student? How about visiting one of the evening classes? Different classes can be like visiting a new dojo without the travel. I have met students from the morning classes for the first time at Camp!

The week between Christmas and New Years many of us have some extra time off from our normal daily schedule. So, why not add an extra practice session with people you don't normally practice with and gain perspectives from teachers you don't normally get the chance to learn from? Let the invasion begin! :)

Happy and safe holidays!

...and don't forget the New Years Day class at 10AM.

Could there be some Darkside served up for breakfast on Monday? Only one way to find out....

Happy Holidays!

Our dojo is closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
We will reopen with Adult Class on Saturday at 10 am.
See you then.


(No Kids Class this Saturday)

David Nachman Sensei Seminar

Reminder to all that registration forms are in the dojo. Contact Candy if you would like to pay via paypal. See here for details.

The seminar is open to all levels. Instructors have a special schedule on Friday so blackbelts should see Judy or Brian for details (and homework).

Merry Christmas.

Snow Cancellations

It is that time of the year again and yesterday was a good reminder!

Here is our 'official' snow cancellation policy:

Our dojo rarely cancels classes due to snow - even in the mornings! If we are having blizzard conditions and you are wondering if classes will be canceled, then you probably shouldn't be driving and should just stay home and use the time to practice some weapons kata.

Our dojo phone message will not give you information on cancellations. Some instructors will post a note on the blog if they are canceling classes due to snow, or they may give you their cell phone numbers so you can check with them directly. Check with your instructors to see how they will handle snow emergencies in the classes they are responsible for, but, in general, just use common sense and err on the side of safety.

Special upcoming dates for the dojo

January 1 - New Year's Day class at 10 am. More info to follow.

January 9-10 - Workshop with David Nachman. More info to follow!

News to Share!

A message from Rick Packard:

Kokikai Chief Instructor Judy Warner has posted notice that Kokikai International Founder and President Shuji Maruyama Sensei has approved Brian Marten's appointment as Co-Chief Instructor of our dojo.

As dojo president, I want to extend Brian congratulations on behalf of the entire membership. Please give Brian your personal best wishes when you see him.

And also, "Happy Holidays!" to you and your families.

Thanksgiving & Black Friday

Attention all, there are no classes this Thursday or Friday. Enjoy your families' festivities and shopping excursions (great times to practice conflict resolution, breathing, patience, and nikyo!)

T-shirts are here!!!

Our new dojo t-shirts are here!

Please be sure to stop in and check them out.

(prices are available in the dojo)

Saturday Testing

Testing will take place in the dojo tomorrow, Saturday, November 14th. Please plan to come and cheer and uke. (10 am class)

Fall Open House This Monday

Get a head start on your New Years Resolution! Martial Arts training, and Aikido in particular , is extensible to almost every facet of our lives. Winter is coming. That means snow and ice season. Learning to fall is the first and most widely applied skill you will ever learn. All the big companies will start their annual "Slips, Trips, and Falls" poster campaign soon. You know the ones posted by all the doors to the office reminding us to be careful not to fall. But guess what, it still happens. The best strategy is to be prepared.

Now is the time to see what Aikido practice is all about. We have many high ranking instructors, a friendly and supportive student body, and a wonderfully forgiving mat conveniently located off the inner loop just minutes form anywhere in town. We have no contracts so there's no reason not to give it a try.

Please join us for our annual fall open house on Monday night, November 2nd from 6pm til 9pm. Bring a friend! We look forward to meeting you.

Halloween Kids class

Hey
Thanks to Brian, I think I've finally "posted"
We had a great Kids's class - Halloween, special treats and techniques!
Including "steal the obi" from under the "scary spider"
Chris Steerman

Open House this Monday!!!

Get a head start on your New Years Resolution! Martial Arts training, and Aikido in particular , is extensible to almost every facet of our lives. Winter is coming. That means snow and ice season. Learning to fall is the first and most widely applied skill you will ever learn. All the big companies will start their annual "Slips, Trips, and Falls" poster campaign soon. You know the ones posted by all the doors to the office reminding us to be careful not to fall. But guess what, it still happens. The best strategy is to be prepared.

Now is the time to see what Aikido practice is all about. We have many high ranking instructors, a friendly and supportive student body, and a wonderfully forgiving mat conveniently located off the inner loop just minutes form anywhere in town. We have no contracts so there's no reason not to give it a try.

Please join us for our annual fall open house on Monday night, November 2nd from 6pm til 9pm. Bring a friend! We look forward to meeting you.

Halloween Kids Class

Double treat, Halloween & Aikido Class!

Fall Open House

Have you been thinking about checking out Aikido for a while? Now is the time to see what Aikido practice is all about. We have many high ranking instructors, a friendly and supportive student body, and a wonderful mat space conveniently located off the inner loop just minutes form anywhere in town. We have no contracts so there's no reason not to give it a try.

Please join us for our annual fall open house on Monday night, November 2nd from 6pm til 9pm. Bring a friend! We look forward to meeting you.

Thanks to Dave Comi Sensei

Thanks for a wonderful seminar. We had over 9 hours of practice this weekend and came away with many unique perspectives and some great teaching exercises.

Additional thanks to Peter and Sanpisa for visiting with Dave Sensei.

-The Rochester Dojo

Seminar this Weekend!!

Come see Dave Comi Sensei at the Rochester Dojo on 10/24/2009

October 24th
10:30 to 12:30 Class
12:30 to 2:30 Lunch (TBA)
2:30 to 5:00 Class
5 till ?? Open Mat and Order-In dinner at the Dojo
October 25th
10:00 – Noon Open Mat

Download the flyer here

Women's Seminar

Check out Kokikai International's website to read about the Women's Seminar that was held in early October in Philadelphia. Three women from Rochester attended: Rose Pleninger (Eastern Sky), Marcella Mosher and Judy Warner (Rochester).

Read all about it!

The Fall 2009 Edition of Nikyo Quarterly is now available.

Click Here to Download your copy

Sign up for our Google Group to receive email notices of our newsletters and to read back copies. Use the subscribe box on this page or follow this
link.

Semnar With Dave Comi Sensei

Come see Dave Comi Sensei at the Rochester Dojo on 10/24/2009

October 24th
10:30 to 12:30 Class
12:30 to 2:30 Lunch (TBA)
2:30 to 5:00 Class
5 till ?? Open Mat and Order-In dinner at the Dojo
October 25th
10:00 – Noon Open Mat

Download the flyer here

Congratulations in Order

Shane Bournial tested for 6th kyu on Monday morning. It was a great test!

Upcoming Events

Open your datebooks and make sure you write these down:

This weekend: Dennis Embert Sensei at Eastern Sky

October 5th at 8pm is a Women's Class with Judy, Marcella, and Rose Sensei, who will be sharing what they learned/discovered at Cecelia Sensei's workshop for Kokikai women.
-(Guys (as in men) - you wanna do something?)

October 15 - 8 pm class - Brown Belt testing in our dojo!

October 17 - Mind/Body Class with Mike Lewis - drumming

October 24th: Dave Comi Sensei in Rochester, stay tuned for details

Further along the way - David Nachman for weekend of January 8-10.

Mind/Body Class Scheduled

There will be a Mind/Body class on Saturday, September 19 at 11:15 am in the dojo. Everyone is welcome to attend!

Congratuations!

Congratulations to the following people who tested on Thursday night:

4th kyu
Cyndi Lovejoy
Ted Leroy
Peter Veazie

3rd kyu
Mark Panek

All did a GREAT job!

Reminder - Testing Thursday Night

We will be doing some testing in the dojo on Thursday night during the 7 pm class. Please come to cheer and uke!

There will be no 8 pm class Thursday as we will be having an Instructors Meeting after testing.

Latest Kids Testing

Congratulations are in order! The following children tested successfully during August:

India and Shai Sizer 8A (Green belt) on 8/08/09
Michael Dinh 10A(Yellow belt) on 8/15/09

Chris and Harold report that they did wonderfully.

Monday 8pm Aug. 17th.... Darkside

Blue Belts and Up.

Review Class

Tuesday's 6 pm class will focus upon material from Summer Camp and Sensei's seminar in Rochester. If you attended either and have questions, techniques you would like to review, come with your requests. If you were unable to attend, come to learn!

A picture from this weekend's seminar. Taken from Saturday morning's class.

Our Newest Shodan!

Anna Ka!

Summer in the Dojo

With vacations and all, we will have four weeks of special instructors on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 pm. Be sure to create time in your summer schedules to come in and train with Anthony Chirico and Brian Martens. They will be covering 7 pm classes beginning on Tuesday, July 28 and ending with Thursday, August 20.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Five members of our dojo tested at Sumer Camp this past weekend. They all did wonderfully!

Bobby Stearns - Nidan
Anna Ka - Shodan
Brad Dingman - 1st kyu
Ann Marshall - 1st kyu
Karl Sarkozy - 1st kyu

Please congratulate them when you see them in the dojo.

PS. We will be giving Anna her black belt on Tuesday during the 7pm class and acknowledging some of the other testees then as well. Hope that you can join us.

Big Summer Clean-up!

Maruyama Sensei's visit is only a few weeks away and that means...

It's time to clean-up again in the dojo!

Please join Andrew Sackett and crew on Saturday, July 18 at 11:00 AM for a dojo clean-up.

Questions or concerns, you can reach Andrew at amsackett@gmail.com or 585-305-1150.

Thank you,

Marcella

Reminder - Black Belt Meeting on Tuesday

There will be a black belt meeting on Tuesday, July 7 at 8 pm. Hope that all black belts can be there!

Nikyo Quraterly, Summer Edition now Available!

Click Here to Read the latest edition!

you do need a free Google account to view this, check the link on the right side of the page to sign up!

We were lucky to have Dan McDougal in town last night. He stopped by the dojo and taught a great class. Thank you, Dan!

Reminder

Our dojo will be closed for the 4th of July and happily reopen on Sunday for Open Mat.

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Congratuations!

Congratulations to Brandan Paris and James Botsford who successfully tested for 6th kyu on Saturday.

Next Adult Testing in Dojo

We will have our next round of adult testing in the dojo on Saturday, June 27 at 10 am.

Kids Testing

There will be testing in Kids Class on Saturday morning, June 20. Please come and cheer and uke!

Sensei in Rochester!

The Aikido Kokikai of Rochester and Eastern Sky Kokikai
dojos are pleased to announce an upcoming visit by
Shuji Maruyama Sensei,
Founder and President of the Kokikai Aikido International.

Sensei will be holding a two day seminar in Rochester on July 25th and 26th.
All kokikai students are invited to attend and experience
the beauty and strength of Aikido.

If you have any questions please e-mail us or register online.

We look forward to seeing you!

New Keys in the Dojo

We have a new second lock on the dojo door that requires a new different key from the other lock on the door. Rick Packard has a supply of the new keys. So if you have a key to the dojo, please make arrangements to get one of the new ones from him in the next week. We will start using the second lock in about a week and you will then need both keys to get in. Please remember - we don't want anyone locked out!

It's Time Again for Test Prep Mondays!

Please join us for 6 weeks of test prep beginning Monday, June 1 at 7:00 pm.

All students are welcome to participate in test prep; however focus will be on the test candidates and new students should consider attending another class just for the duration of test prep.

Test prep is not mandatory but it’s a good challenge whether you are testing or not and most importantly it does take a village/dojo to raise a brown/black belt.

Come uke, run a video camera/stop watch or simply cheer from the sidelines.

Week 1 – Set the baseline for fitness and technique – Class will be co-taught by Marcella and Brian and will run from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm, more details to follow.

Week 2-Week 5 – 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm classes will focus on various aspects of testing: goal setting, techniques-quality v. quantity, presence, signature throws, etc.

Week 6 – Re-visit the baseline for fitness and technique – Class will be co-taught by Marcella and Brian and will run from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm, more details to follow.

Questions, see Marcella or Brian.

Next Dojo Testing

We will have some more testing in the dojo during the week of May 25.

Russ Perkins, Chris Giordano, and Mick Yerdon have all been invited to test for 6th kyu. Testing will be both on Tuesday and Thursday during 7 pm classes (Mick on Tuesday, Russ and Chris on Thursday).

Memorial Day

Hello All!

Just a reminder that with the holiday there will be no classes next week on
Monday May 25th!

If you have any questions please email us.

Regional Practice on Saturday

We have a regional practice on Saturday. Everyone is welcome to attend! Paul Gardner and I will be team teaching and we promise to build to some line work/freestyle oriented drills. Paul and I plan to teach till 11:30 so if you can stay the extra time, we would be delighted.

Seminar with Leon Brooks Sensei

Photo from our recent seminar with Leon Brooks Sensei. It was a great seminar!

Congratuations!

Four students tested in the dojo this past Tuesday.

Congratulations!

6th kyu
Leigh Broomfield
Cathy Anatra
David Porter

5th kyu
Jordan Bell

Saturday Mind/Body Class

Next Saturday, April 25, at 11 am we will have a Mind/Body class.

Mike Lewis and Judy Warner will coordinate once more for the program.

Among the topics to be covered will be some moving meditation movements, some mind/body exercises around discovery and story, and some exercises on maai (proper distance) both on and off the mat.

Testing on Tuesday

We will be testing candidates in the dojo on Tuesday during 7 pm class.

Invited to test are:

6th kyu
Leigh Broomfield
Brandon Paris
David Porter

5th kyu
Jordan Bell

Please come uke and cheer them on!

Thank you Leon and all!

Thank you Leon Brooks Sensei for a great seminar. And thank you to everyone who contributed to the great attendance by their presence.

And an extra big thank you for Candy Martens for her stellar job at coordinating the workshops plans (not to mention great cooking).

Leon Sensei Arrives in 5 days!!!

Just a friendly reminder that Leon Brooks Sensei will be here this weekend! You have until Tuesday to preregister and order a box lunch. After Tuesday money will only be taken at the door on Saturday.

To preregister Send e-mail. or fill out the form in the dojo.

Thanks to all who helped with the dojo spring cleaning

Thanks to everyone who was able to pitch in to help do some much needed spring cleaning! I expect we kicked up 1/2 as much dust as we were able to clean, so please take a moment this week to tackle the residuals as it attempts to retake its foot hold and coalesce into killer dust bunnies.

Big Dojo Raffle Results

Thanks to everyone for their participation in our Big Dojo Raffle.

Here are the winners in the order in which their tickets were drawn:

1. Mark Grey, who selected the limited edition Raymond J Easton reproduction art print.

2. Bob Martini, who selected the handcrafted daito and shoto bokken and wood tanto by Brian Martens.

Winners not present at drawing:

3. Jim Austin, who has since selected the certificate frame

4. Leigh Broomfield

5. Paul Gardner

They will get to choose from the following: Aikido Uniform, Weapons Bag, Certificate Frame.

Reminder - Big Spring Clean-up!

Please join me on Saturday, April 11 at 11:00 AM for a dojo clean-up.

I'm still looking for a few blue belts to help organize the clean-up (ex. make a task checklist, evaluate what supplies we may need, bring in some simple refreshments, act as project manager, etc.).

Questions or concerns, you can reach me at sixmts04@hotmail.com or 585-905-1392.

Thank you,

Marcella

Special Events for the week of April 6

Please mark your calendars for these special events:

Tuesday, April 7 at 8 pm - Quarterly black belt meeting

Thursday, April 9 - Raffle drawing during Mark Grey's 8 pm class.

Special Note: The bokken will no longer be offered. Instead, it will be replaced by a tanto, wakizashi, and a bokken!

Remember Maria?

If you happen to remember Maria Kanakis (used to practice with us, friend of Jesse Yang), she has a new website, Paper by Maria, that you might enjoy browsing. Congrats, Maria, on your new enterprise. Hope we see you in the dojo again too!

Congratulations in Order

We had a great round of testing in the dojo last week. Please remember to congratulate each of the following when you see them in the dojo.

Patrick Warren 6th kyu
Peter Veaszie 5th kyu
Ted Leroy 5th kyu
Cyndi Lovejoy 5th kyu
Dan Rozman 3rd kyu

Visiting Instructor - Sensei Leon Brooks

Hey all! Just wanted to update everyone
on our visiting instructor

Sensei Leon Brooks.

He will be here on Saturday, April 18^th

The class schedule will be as follows:

9:00 – 10:00 kids class,

10:30 – 12:30 general class,

12:30 – 2:00 break,

2:00 – 4:00 general class,

4:15 – 5:15 weapons class,

7:00 - ??? Potluck Party.

You can preregister by April 11th for a discounted rate,

you can also order a simple box lunch.

If you don't preregister for the seminar no lunch will be provided.

To preregister please call (585) 325-9160 or click here to send an e-mail. We are excited to note that for the first time we will be able to accept paypal transactions for preregistration.

New Nikyo Quarterly is Available

Click here to read the Spring09 Edition of nikyo Quarterly

Big Spring Clean-up!

The dust bunnies under the radiators are starting to get out of hand! There is probably a Monty Python joke in there some where about evil bunnies...

It's time to clean-up the dojo and get ready for spring (and Leon Brooks Sensei)!

Please join me on Saturday, April 11 at 11:00 AM for a dojo clean-up.

I'm looking for a few blue belts to help organize the clean-up (ex. make a task checklist, evaluate what supplies we may need, bring in some simple refreshments, act as project manager, etc.).

Questions or concerns, you can reach me at sixmts04@hotmail.com or 585-905-1392.

Thank you,

Marcella

The Monday 8pm Class theme will be .............
part 1.... all thing shomen
part 2.... kumitachi (don't know what that is? good, come find out!)

Don't forget testing is Tuesday night.

Testing on Tuesday

Tuesday we will be testing students in the dojo during the 7 pm class on Tuesday, March 17.

Invited to test are:
Patrick Warren 6th kyu
Peter Veaszie 5th kyu
Ted Leroy 5th kyu
Cyndi Lovejoy 5th kyu
Dan Rozman 3rd kyu

Please come join us to cheer and uke.

Leon Brooks Sensei - April 18th

Check out this Aikido!!!

We missed Leon Sensei last Halloween but we have the opportunity again to experience his unique expressions of aikido. Please join us on April 18th for a full day seminar and Pot Luck Party. Details will follow.

Winter Camp 2009

Congratulations to our students who tested successfully at Winter Camp this past weekend:

Anthony Chirico - Sandan
Alan Tamayo - 1st kyu
Ray Easton - 2nd kyu
Craig Steinberger - 2nd kyu

And, congratulations also to Eastern Skies students who also tested:
Rosemary Pleninger - Nidan
Rich Savacool - 2nd kyu

U of R Students to Visit Downtown Dojo

Bob Martini will be bringing his Tues./Thurs. night U of R class to the downtown dojo on Tues. March 3 at 8:00 pm.

For many of the students this will be their first visit to our dojo, let's help Bob to make them feel welcome, please come and practice if you can!

For more information please contact Bob Martini at 585-507-7730.

PREMIERE BIG DOJO RAFFLE

Premiere
Big Dojo Raffle
5 Fabulous Prizes

• Candie's Select Custom Bokken

Meticulously handcrafted by Brian Martens Sensei

• Beautiful Limited Edition Print of Original Art

by internationally acclaimed artist, Raymond J. Easton

• Comfortable Cotton Rich Traditional Aikido Uniform

• Elegant Faux Leather Aikido Weapons Bag

Holds tantos, bokkens and jo staffs

• Certificate Frame

Proudly displays your rank promotion certificate


Tickets are available for purchase in the following amounts:

• 1 ticket: $3.00

• 2 tickets: $5.00

• 5 tickets: $10.00

Best Value and increases your chances of winning.

Proceeds from your ticket purchases go toward the dojo expense of hosting visiting instructor seminars.
This enables the dojo to lower seminar fees and make it more affordable for more fellow aikidoka to attend.

To purchase tickets, please see Judy Warner, Marcella Mosher, Christian Haacke, Andrew Sackett or Alan Tamayo after class.

Drawing will take place Thurday, April 2, 2009.
First winner, gets first choice of prizes and so on.

Thanks to Brian Martens Sensei, Ray Easton, Andrew Sackett and Continental Sporting Goods for their generous donations.

And now for something completely different...

Our test prep classes have concluded. You are ready. So, back to my Monday night shenanigans at 8pm. This week's category is Potpourri. I have some fun stuff planned, so come out and play.

Please click here to review the following lesson before coming to class as the material will not be covered during.

5th & 6th Kyu Test Requirements DVDs

5th & 6th Kyu Test Requirements DVDs will be available in the Dojo Monday Morning. As usual, we ask for $2 per copy to cover the duplication costs. There will be a Dojo copy as well, please do not remove this. If we run out of them, please let me know. (Same goes for the Weapons Kata DVD).

Thanks,
-brian

Regional Practice on Next Saturday

February 14 marks the last in our series of winter regional practices. (Does that mean that winter might be drawing to a close?)
Please join us on Saturday, February 14 at 10 am for a class with students from RIT, UofR, and Eastern Skies.

Thanks for a Wonderful Regional Practice

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Regional Practice today. Our next one is on Saturday, February 14 and I hope you will be able to attend then.

This practice was special – a number of our nidans lead practice. As I watched, I smiled as the dedication of our instructors was obvious in their presentations.

I am not sure how many appreciate that all of our instructors are volunteers. It has been a hallmark of our Rochester dojo that no instructors receive pay. This has always allowed us to keep our dues relatively low. So, our instructors are a very special group of people who have chosen to give their time to an art that they are dedicated to.

Another reason that nidans are special is that their rank reflects another choice – to have devoted themselves to continued growth and learning beyond receiving their black belt. It was readily evident in today’s teaching that all of our nidans give careful thought simultaneously to the art they are studying and how to share that art with students.

So, next time you are in class, be sure to acknowledge your instructor. – whether shodan, nidan, sandan, or higher – they are special people and we are lucky to have them all serving in our dojo.

Congratuations!

Mark Panek and John Christensen both completed their tests for 4th kyu last night. A wonderful group of students gathered to cheer and uke.

Congratulations Mark and John!

Thanks to everyone who attended.

Regional Practice on Saturday

Saturday marks our first regional practice of the New Year. Please come and join in. Practice begins shortly after 10 am. I was over at RIT last night and there is a dedicated group of students there who hope to find rides and show up on Saturday. Please join them and others from the region as our nidans lead us in practice. It is Nidan Mania day.

Remember your presence makes this a success!

Class Notes

Wow, 19 people on a Monday night! Doesn't get much better than that. Thanks to all for a great kick off to our Test prep regimen.

Also, we learned after class that this week is Alex's birthday, so let's make sure she has nice full classes this week for her Birthday Throw.

Photos from Jan 6 class

A few photos that Chris Steerman took during the January 6 class. Can you guess who is upside down?

Testing is this week!

Please make time in your schedules to attend Thursday's 7 pm class. We will be testing both John Christensen and Mark Panek for 4th kyu.

Winter Camp Test Prep Starts Monday!

Please join us for 6 weeks of test prep beginning Monday, January 19 at 7:00 pm.

All students are welcome to participate in test prep; however focus will be on the students testing at Winter Camp.

Test prep is not mandatory but it’s a good challenge whether you are testing or not and most importantly it does take a village/dojo to raise a brown/black belt.

Come uke, run a video camera or stop watch or simply cheer from the sidelines.

Week 1 – Set the baseline for technique and fitness – Class will be co-taught by Marcella and Brian and will run from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm. Wanted: Volunteer to run video camera.

Week 2-Week 5 – 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm classes will focus on various aspects of testing: goal setting, techniques-quality v. quantity, presence, signature throws, etc.

Week 6 – Re-visit the baseline for technique and fitness – Class will be co-taught by Marcella and Brian and will run from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm. Wanted: Volunteer to run video camera.

Additionally there will be test prep on several Thursdays between now and Winter Camp as well as a short workshop on goal setting, watch the blog for specific dates and times.

Questions, see Marcella or Brian.