Need something for that special someone...

...or even the office secret Santa? Friend? Neighbor?

Any one who would like to give the gift of Aikido for Christmas, you can do so easily by sending us an email at aikidokokikairochester@gmail.com.  You'll get a numbered certificate good for a year for our beginners' special to give to a new or even long lost student to get them into the dojo and experiencing how Aikido can be a positive influence on their life.  The offer is good for our Rochester dojo only as we obviously can't, well shouldn't, take your money for a different dojo!  :)

Happy Holidays!

Dojo Year End Holiday Schedule

Wed. 12/23 – Bōnenkai – 7:00 pm

Thurs. 12/24 – Christmas Eve – dojo closed

Thurs. 12/31 – New Year’s Eve – dojo closed

Saturday 12/26 - No Kids Class, there will be adults class at 10AM.   UPDATED

Fri. 1/1/16 – New Year’s Day Class – 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are the things your are thankful for?  (Sorry Sam) For what things are you thankful?

I have the honor and privilege of exploring this state of being we call Kokikai Aikido with a group of people that aren't just my students, not merely my peers, but my extended family.  For 20 years my wife and I have been affiliated with our dojo.  We not only found a practice which has changed our demeanor, our outlook on life, how we interact with others, how we do other crazy tasks like blacksmithing, how we design products (ask me about the device for firefighters inspired by nikyo), but most importantly, we found a home.  The experience of walking through those doors to the foyer and immediately feeling the comfort of being at home is not our unique story, but one that has been the grace of most everyone that has been with the dojo for any length of time.

So, on behalf of myself, my wife Candace, and all of us, I want to thank each and every person that has ever made the Rochester Dojo the Home that it is while never compromising the goal that is the elevation of the art of Kokikai.  To all those that came before me, that sweated beside me (or on me) over the years, to those that remain, and to those to come.  THANK YOU!


While I have you attention, there are a few announcements:

Congratulations to those who have tested in the past few weeks! Progress makes the dojo.  We look forward to participating on your continued journey.

6th Kyu
Mark Douglas
Kristina Karekos
Richard Douglas
Tracy Karekos

5th Kyu
Scott Andrews

4th Kyu
Michael Dorren


There are no classes on Thanksgiving, but please join our extended family on Saturday from 10-Noon for an extended class.  Both Alan Tamayo and Steve Perino will be back up from NY City.  Hopefully a few others may join us as well from our satellite programs.  Though not a formal regional practice, any and all Kokikai students are welcome, as are new comers.

Please enjoy the holiday and may you survive your adventures in shopping!  BTW, if you have someone that has everything on your list, maybe they would benefit from the gift of Aikido.  Think hard  though, it's so awesome you better really like them.  :)

-b

Halloween Seminar 2015!

We were not able to schedule Leon Brooks Sensei for our annual Halloween Seminar. However Brian Martens Sensei and Paul Gardner Sensei (Eastern Sky Dojo) would still like to hold a special class.

When:  Saturday, October 31, 2015

Where: Aikido Kokikai Rochester (aka Downtown Dojo)

Fee:  No Charge

Class Times:                

• Kid’s Class 9:00 am - 10:00 am
• Adult Class 10:00 am - 12:00 noon
• Lunch Break 12:00 noon - 12:30 pm (bring a snack to share)
• Adult Class 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Format: Brian Sensei and Paul Sensei will alternate every ½ hour, senior students will also join into the teaching cycle.

Party: After class at the Genesee Brew House, remember Sensei says, “Sweat makes the beer better”. Costumes are optional but encouraged.

Bring: Bring a snack to share for the lunch break and your weapons

Please come, all are invited. Let Brian or Marcella know if you have any questions.

Dojo Fundraiser

Our fundraising auction is now OPEN.  Check out all the cool hand crafted items and services that have been donated to support the dojo.

You may ask, why is a martial arts dojo having a fundraiser?  The answer is simple, we are an all volunteer run organization funded solely through member dues.  Martial arts practice is typically a function of people's disposable income.  The past few years have been tough economically for the country and Rochester in particular.  We have seen a migration of people away from Rochester for work which has directly impacted our membership.  In that same stretch the dojo had to invest in new mats, foam, and lighting.  The dojo looks great but we have been unable to re-build our reserves. 

Our mission is to teach Aikido to as many people as we can, so we have resisted raising dues.  This auction, along with some other activities on the drawing board, is intended to help fix that.  We need to rebuild our monthly operational reserve, rebuild our scholarship fund, and start saving towards our next mat replacement in a few years.

Please consider supporting our mission.

Thanks,

the dojo

This week in your dojo...

It's the middle of September and the weather is firing a warning shot across our collective bow, so it's a great time to hit the mat to warm up a bit.  This week we also have some notable happenings to mention.  First, Thursday night's class will end at 7:45 so we can go and celebrate Marcella Sensei's 4th Dan promotion and welcome back our newest Shodan Sam who will be visiting from the left coast. 

Looks like dinner will be at Alladin's on Monroe.  There is a sign up sheet in the dojo.  Len and Bob are coordinating.

Candy will be continuing  to explore the first bokken kata in the second half of her Tuesday night class. Come and brush up on the kata as well as see what it teaches us about movement, ki exercises, and open hand technique.

Also, we are kicking off a fundraiser to re-build our reserves and scholarship funds.  We will be opening an online auction of items donated by members.  Please share this with your friends and families and some total strangers, too.  There will be a variety of items to bid on from artistic to more practical, many are hand made by dojo members.  Please let Candy or I know if you can donate something.  Events like this helps us keep our dues as low as they are so please help support  your dojo.  The auction starts September 16th.

Labor Day - Mon. 9/7 - Dojo Closed‏

The dojo will be closed on Monday 9/7 for the Labor Day holiday.

NOTE: There will be adult class on Sat. 9/5.

Thank you,

Marcella & Ray

Mark your calendars...

Sam "blackbelt" Dressel will be visiting us Thursday September 17th and Monday September 21st.  We are arranging to go out for dinner after class on Thursday the 17th.

Details to follow.


Remember folks, get there while the Hakama is still fresh.  If you wait too long she'll be to good to see her trip!  :)

Appreciate Our Warm-Ups!

For almost 30 years, I have done the traditional warm-ups at the start of our classes. We do those warm-ups to get our bodies ready for practice and to give our minds an opportunity to get present and re-capture the four principles after whatever de-centering experiences we have had in our days. These past weeks I have had an opportunity to appreciate some additional benefits of those rituals.

Some of you are aware that I have been dealing with a leg/hip problem this summer. At some point I realized that soreness was becoming pain and I decided to get an x-ray for some additional perspective. Along with the x-ray came some dismal medical opinions that included ‘moderate arthritis,’ ‘stop running,’ ‘your aikido caused this.’  I didn’t feel these opinions made complete sense, given what I was experiencing in my body. I thanked all, took a few deep breaths and had a physical therapist suggest some exercises. They definitely helped and I was able to attend Camp.

After Camp, I had an opportunity for a session with a body worker I knew in Spokane who added a few more exercises. Funny thing….one of those exercises bore a strange resemblance to ude mawashi. Hmmm. This started me thinking. I began to consider all of the exercises suggested to me in the past few months. I realized that they all bore some sort of relationship to stretches covered in our opening warm-ups.

In 2015, as many of you know, I have had to cut back significantly on my teaching in the Rochester dojo as my husband and I built a second home in Spokane. In January I gave Marcella my Thursday night class. This summer I had to change my teaching status for Saturdays from ‘here are the dates when I can’t teach’ to ‘assume I am not teaching unless I show up.’

So after 30 years of performing those warm ups at least twice and often three times a week,  they had pretty much disappeared from my weekly exercise regiment despite my continued running/walking training. Hmmm. That is a petty drastic change in conditioning training. Could this have set the stage for my current problems?

I will probably never have an answer to that question but I now start each day with our warm-ups/ki exercises. Interestingly, my hip and leg are responding very well. I can feel mini-realignments taking place and movements that caused pain a few weeks ago now just have a residual soreness.

I have a new respect for the value of our warm-ups in my physical conditioning. I strongly feel that over the years they have been a contributing factor in my agility, not just on the mat but off.

So, please, whether you can make it to practice or not, consider taking the time in your daily routine to run through our warm-ups and ki exercises.

Congatulations Marcella Sensei, Yondan

We have just received notice that Sensei Marcella Sarkozy has been promoted to the rank of Yondan (4th degree blackbelt).

Marcella has been an integral part of our dojo for many years and this is a well deserved recognition of her continued growth and dedication to Kokikai.

-b

 

Sweat Equity

August is always a great time for Aikido and for our dojo. We kicked off August with the exhilaration of Sensei and the rest of the Kokikai community coming together for four days of immersive and intensive training.  Then, with just a few short days in between, we get the opportunity to have Sensei here in our dojo along with welcoming several members from the greater Kokikai community to train for another intensive weekend.  These seminars are a crucial part our individual and collective growth as students.  They push us harder than we normally train, for longer hours, and with people's bodies that we aren't familiar with from thousands of throws and falls throughout the year.  All this under the watchful eye of Sensei as he provides guidance and helps us improve the quality of our principles and technique.

Now, not even half way into the month, we enter a phase where we try to internalize and process all that we saw and felt as both uke and nage.  It sparks healthy debate on how to lead, to move, to be still, and how to feel.

I grew up near Philadelphia.  Summers are as hot and sticky as our winters are cold and snowy, August was always unbearable.  If you didn't notice how drenched you were in sweat, the rhythmic sound of the locusts in the trees is always there to add insult to injury as their song rises with the mercury.  In Rochester, however, August seems to usher in a break in the heat.  The weather was absolutely perfect for our Seminar.  Being in the high 70s made every bead of sweat that much more earned. 

I want everyone to cash in on all the hard work of the past couple of weeks and we should double our efforts to be in class such that we can collectively work on all the nuances and tips we have experienced and integrate them.  Summer is always big for vacations and events, so consider going on another night if such things disrupt your schedule.  Also consider going to extra classes this month to see other people you may not normally see and find out what they saw and felt.  The sharpness of our experiences fades quickly with the passage of times so don't let any of this spark escape you!  And as I mentioned above, no, it's not that hot.  :)

Finally in August, we get to cash in on years of sweat equity in the form of rank promotions.  This summer we had the pleasure of seeing three of our own test at camp plus many old friends test as well.  Please join me in congratulating those that have worked with such dedication to show that they have earned their new ranks.

1st Kyu:
Kerman Bharucha
Andrew Robertson

Shodan:
Samantha Dressel

I'd also like to extend our congratulations to Tara Liddell (1st Kyu) and Natan Krishchenko (Shodan) from our sister dojo, Eastern Sky.  Also to our (formally) very own Alfred Lee who tested for Nidan.  Alfred started his Aikido career in our RIT class and now practices with Dennis Embert Sensei in Silicon Valley.

Like Alfred and many others before, Rochester is sending yet another Aikidoka out in to the world.  Samantha, with her shiny new black belt, is settling near Los Angeles with her new husband.  She is in the good company of our friends Sanpisa and Greg where they are working to build the next entry into the growing directory of Kokikai dojos.  We certainly look forward to having yet another dojo to visit!

Please Welcome...

Please welcome our newest orange belt, Alex lord.  Alex had a great first test last night.  Please congratulate him and formally welcome him to Kokikai!

6th Kyu
Alex Lord

Independance Day

There will be no classes this Saturday, July 4th, in observance of Independence Day.  Please take some time to enjoy family and friends, yard work, grilling, mowing...

...and to remember to take stock in what we all have; the benefits of being born into a free society and the solemn civic responsibility and duty to keep it that way.


-b

Progress on Progress

Please join me in congratulating Bill Bechdel on his great test for 3rd kyu tonight!


3rd Kyu
William "Bill" Bechdel


We still have 2 more tests to go this week.  See you at test prep / testing this Thursday night!

-b

Congratulations!

Please join m in congratulating our fellow students on their latest kyu rank tests today.  Everyone did a great job and it is always a joy to see the progress of our dojo.

3rd Kyu
James Keeler
Gill Crespo

5th Kyu
Curtis Jacobs
Mikel Dorren

We have 3 more people to fit in this week so please make sure to be there.  Two of them will be Thursday.

We also had a great turnout today for our Regional practice.  Thanks to everyone who made it possible. Special thanks to Matt, Len, and Kerman fo all of the cleaning they have done over the past couple of weeks.

-b

Insights from the Past

While cleaning out some computer files, I found some material that we posted from time to time  on the dojo bulletin board back in 2007. It was drawn from a version of our dojo handbook. Not surprisingly, the thoughts are still relevant. So, I thought I would share:

Relaxation

Western culture tends to generate the attitude that tension and strength are related to each other while relaxation is associated with sleep, laxness, spacing out, or some form of vulnerability.  In actuality, the more relaxed you are, the more effective you can be in just about any activity.  All masters, no matter what their artistic skill, perform best in a totally relaxed and alert state.  Only beginners try hard.  Masters try easy.  It is the mark of a master to be calm, relaxed, and in a deep state of peace while doing what he or she does best, be it a defensive art, painting, music, dance or any sports activity.  By giving yourself permission to be relaxed and alert now, you will facilitate your advancement in aikido and enjoy your training much more.

When learning new moves, take your time.  Go as slowly as you want to, and see how relaxed you can be in your learning.  Especially play with how soft you can be in your breathing, face, neck, and shoulders.  As these relax, your personal movement patterns will become more comfortable, while your actions on the mat will quickly gain ease, speed, and effectiveness.  At the same time, your attentiveness will increase.

Aikido is a defensive art which requires your full attention, readiness to respond, and willingness to be flexible.  In your training as an aikido student, it will be beneficial for you to cultivate a new level of sensory attentiveness.  This is facilitated by your relaxation.

This does not imply that you should not train hard or push yourself.  In order to learn any defensive art, you must train very hard.  There will be plenty of sweat, challenge, effort, pleasurable exhaustion and much to overcome.  Work hard on yourself.  Simply remember that you are doing something completely new and that its results will be evident in you when you are ready to replace old patterns with new ones.  This is accomplished as a release, as a relaxation of old, unnecessary tension and patterns of struggling with your life.

Thought for the ... well forever, just add it to the list

Slow Gets Smooth
Smooth Gets Speed

We all have that little voice inside of us that says "I want to throw fast like Sensei."  But like with all things, you can't start there.  If you do the chain becomes....

Fast gets Choppy
Choppy needs Muscle
Muscle means Effort, and not everyone has Muscle

That thought chain doesn't sound good at all.  Especially not for the "minimum effort, maximum effect" mantra.  But alas, we (all) still want to go fast and get to fast faster.  But we must recognize that while working through a "throw", we need to feel comfortable that we can practice it slowly.  We need to capture and process a lot of information during the throw if we are going to learn from doing it.  We unfortuantely can't do a throw, then after wards analyze what went well or not so aftewards.  We need to be conscious and aware during the throw. 

We need to feel uke's balance and process how that relates and responds to what your are doing, where you are relative to uke, where you are leading uke to next, simultaneously and instantaneously.  For that, we need need to slow things down because that's a heck of a lot of mental work.

But the other guys are looking and I can't look like a noob!  Cut it.  We're all noobs. (that's pronounced noo-B, btw).  Why are we all noobs, because if you are constantly learning then you are always treading on new ground.  Like the word "throw", "practice" is a poor word as it implies there is a set and known procedure that you just have to learn to rinse, wash, and repeat.  Well, that's why long ago they decided to call these martial "arts" and not martial recipes.  That and recipes doesn't very warrior like at all.  I'm not even sure there is a word for recipe in Klingon.  (please don't write me about the etymology of the Klingon word for recipe)

So, you have permission, from me, and from uke, to practice slow without any baggage but remember, slow does not mean stop animation.  Slow still means continuous.  Uke attacks, we lead them to start falling, continuously, from the moment of connection to the moment that we allow them to finish falling.

Smoothly....

stay tuned to this same AKR channel for the next exciting installment

Testing and Open Practice to all Kokikai

All,

We are having testing on June 27th, Saturday, at the 10AM class.  We will also be extending the class to 2.5 hours and are inviting anyone in Kokikai to come practice with us.  Beginners are welcome and there is no mat fee for the event.

Please come and support your fellow students and hopefully meet some new ones.  Keep an eye on the blog as we are looking to have a post class social event as well.

-b

Dojo Closed - Memorial Day - Mon. 5/25/15

Just in case you haven't seen the white board or email or Face Book...

The dojo will be closed on Memorial Day,  Mon. 5/25/15.

Enjoy the day off and see you on the mat Tuesday!

Thank you,

Marcella and Ray

P.S. Normal class schedule for Sat. 5/23/15!

Send off for two of our family...

All,

As most of you know, Samantha Newmark has been preparing to start the next segment of her life out in LA with her soon to be hubby, Justin.  But perhaps fewer of you know that Ayano Ninomiya has recently obtained a new position and will be living in NYC.  Probably also having something to do with TJ being there.

So, this Tuesday, before their lives get too crazy with moving next week, we will be ending classes by 8pm so we can enjoy a nice evening out with them before they wander off.  We'll be heading to Shema on Alexander next to the Old Toad.  Please join us to get your last throws of them in for a while, at least until camps, tip a glass, and share some food and good company.

Best Regards,

-b

PS. Given these unacceptable losses, the rest of you may only date people from Rochester!!! :)

Congratulations!

Last Saturday (4/4) we had a "surprise" test, Aiala Levy‏ tested for 6th kyu. 
If you have a chance, ask Aiala to throw you tsuki kotegaeshi with pin. Aiala has an excellent 3 palms up pin!
Please join me in welcoming Aiala to the ranks of 6th kyu.

Mark Your Calendars - Important Dates:

April:

Sun. 4/12 – 1:00 pm-3:00 pm – Self Defense with Brian Sensei’s fraternity brothers

Fri. 4/24-Sun. 4/26 – Seminar with Rick Goodman Sensei, see posters for details

May:

Fri. 5/1 – Arcade Aikido Kokikai‏ (Arcade, NY) - Trade show - 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm - only a 15 min. slot, if you are interested in helping out see Bill Bechdel

Sun. 5/3 – Arcade Aikido Kokikai‏ (Arcade, NY) - Trade show - 11:00 am to 12 noon - one hour slot, perfect for demo with Grand Opening to follow at 2:00 pm, pizza provided, if you are interested in helping out see Bill Bechdel

June:

Sat. 6/13-Sun. 6/14 – Workshop with Senior Instructors – Rowan University, NJ - details to follow

July:

Thurs. 7/30-Sun. 8/1 – Summer Camp – Rowan University, NJ - Details to follow

August:

Fri. 8/7-Sun. 8/9 – Sensei in Rochester! – Details to follow

Congratulations!

Last Thursday (3/19) we were treated to three great 6th kyu tests.   Please join me in welcoming our newest orange belts and celebrate the growth of our dojo.

Samantha Turley
Curtis Jacobs
Scott Andrews

Testing in the Dojo

Reminder...There is testing in the dojo tonight (3/19) during the 7:00 pm class. I hope you can join us!

Camp Crew

This year's winter camp crew.   Don't forget to look for other opportunities to train with Sensei while he is stateside this month.

Camp Testing

All,

Please join me in congratulating Peter and Jason on two outstanding tests this weekend at Winter Camp.  I'd also like to thank all those who helped prepare them during test prep and continue the Rochester tradition.   It is a continuing pleasure to be practicing with such dedicated, high caliber students.

-b

Nidan:
Peter Veazie

2nd Kyu:
Jason McEvoy

Guest Instructor Dennis Embert Sensei, 7th Dan

Just a reminder, there are 2 opportunities this week to practice with guest instructor Dennis Embert Sensei, 7th Dan:

• Tues. March 10 at Eastern Sky dojo - 6:30 pm-8:30 pm, dinner after TBA
• Wed. March 11 at Aikido Kokikai Rochester dojo - 6:00 pm-8:00 pm, dinner after TBA

Important March Dates

Important March Dates:

• Fri. March 6-Sun. March 8 – Winter Camp, Lawrenceville, NJ-see brochures or a black belt
  
• Sat. March 7 – DOJO CLOSED, no kids or adult class
  
• Mon. March 9 – Camp belts in 7:00 pm class
  
• Tues. March 10 – Dennis Embert Sensei at Eastern Sky dojo-All are welcome-6:30 pm-8:30 pm (suggested donation $10), dinner after TBA
  
• Wed. March 11 – Dennis Embert Sensei at Aikido Kokikai Rochester dojo-All are welcome-6:00 pm-8:00 pm (suggested donation $10), dinner after TBA
  
• Thurs. March 12 – Camp belts in 6:00 pm class
  
• Thurs. March 19 – Testing in the dojo during 7:00 pm class
  
• Wed. April 1 – Maruyama Sensei’s Birthday, need to get card in the mail by 3/23

No Classes Saturday 3/7/15

We have a large contingent of folks traveling this week to Winter Camp with Sensei.  As such, we will have to cancel classes on Saturday.  All other classes will be held as usual. 


PS. Since Len is going to camp, there will not be open mat on 3/8 either.  As usual, check with Len for the Sunday open mat schedule.

For those going to camp.  We just got word that parking may be an issue due to a second event on campus that weekend.  Please arrive to class early as you may have to walk a bit farther than you are used to.


Thanks and stay warm!!!

-b

Visualizing the fall...

Tonight, as we started warm-ups, we did so with a purpose.  Starting with misogi breathing, we used that moment to visualize an uke falling.  Then we started to picture kote gaeshi.  Leading uke's balance to the point at which they fell without any effort from us as nage. 

As we continued on with stretches and ki exercises we kept that visualization going.  Which leg stretches felt more comfortable, which less?  Which of those feelings could be capitalized on during a technique?  As we did fune kogi undo, we pictured moving uke's balance back with it.  We pictured the beginning movements of tsuki kote gaeshi as we practiced tenkan (turning about the point of connection) and tekubi kosa joho undo.  We felt how the connection with uke should feel as we did the kote gaeshi ki exercise.  And then, as we did standing ukemi, we took notice of how fast we fell to the ground without any assistance from a nage.

Finally, we practiced tsuki kote gaeshi.  Though we really had already been practicing for it 15 minutes.

Warm ups can be very useful.  It's not just a time to make a perfect shomen uchi movement, but a time to reflect on how that movement is used in a given technique.

This is rochester...

Class is on tonight.   Ray Sensei will be there.   Be safe and sensible,  but the dojo is open.

(Feb 2nd)

Thank you!

All,

We had a very successful meeting for the dojo this Saturday morning.   We had a great turnout and had many people step up to take care of the various tasks needed to operate the dojo.   It is a testament to how much Aikido and having the dojo means to everyone.

Thanks to the entire dojo for your continued support!

-b

BYOK

A Keurig machine was just donated to us.   Please feel free to bring in k cups or tea or hot chocolate.  There are Styrofoam cups.   Great for a cold night or while watching your child during kids class.

2015 Winter Camp Test Prep

It’s that time of year!

Winter Camp is scheduled for March 6-8 in Lawrenceville, NJ and that means…

The 2015 winter session of camp/test prep kicks off next Thursday, January 22.

All are welcome and as usual, we will kick it up a notch for camp/test prep classes. Beginners will be taken good care of so don't hesitate to come as well.

Camp/test prep will run for 6 weeks, every Thursday night from 6:00 -7:00 pm and continued in the 7:00-8:00 pm class.

As usual, week 1 and 6 we’ll have video review for baseline and progress. Please be prepared to stay a little later those nights.

Remember, if you are not testing, we will need ukes of all types, so please come and support your fellow aikidoka.

Camp/test prep has been a long standing tradition in Rochester which, with your support we’ll continue to enhance everyone's quality of practice.

Thank you,

Marcella and Brian

Dojo Meeting Saturday 1/24/2015

What sets our dojo apart from most is that we are an all volunteer run organization.  We are not just another "belt factory."  This means we can keep the focus on what's important, advancing the martial art. 

The flip side of that is that we need your help to run the dojo.  Tasks range from making sure the place is clean to monitoring attendance to doing the finances to help with the websites...  You get the idea.  It's the stuff you don't need a black belt for to excel!

We're inviting all the members of the dojo to come and discuss these issues, event planning, and serve as a open forum for everyone.  So, please make an effort to come and participate in making our dojo the home away from home and haven for training it has been for 30 years and counting.  I'll put a pot of coffee on!  :)

Date: 1/24:15
Time: 11:15-12:15pm  (right after the Saturday adult class)
Where: Right in the dojo


Thanks!!!
-b