Our training with Jacques Payet Shihan in Aikido Del Mar came to a completion last Wednesday. Many were blessed with the opportunity to receive invaluable personal guidance from such a world renowned sensei. Our hearts are filled with much appreciation.
Congratulations to all the kids and youth attended Monday’s training. All have received a gold stripe on their belts to remember their active participation in this rare event.
A few videos are posted on our youtube site to highlight the key instructions from our training in Studio City. We hope you will enjoy them.
Note, starting this week we have returned to our normal class schedule.
We had another successful Kagami Biraki celebration this year. There was a spectrum of demonstrations on the mats from the youngest participants to well-seasoned aikidokas.
Congratulations to all the students demonstrated an aspect of aikido they were working on and we are excited to see more progress throughout the year of 2012!
A special appreciation goes to Tomoko (Thomas’s mother) for taking time out of her busy schedule to prepare this year’s mochi soup as part of our yearly Kagami Biraki tradition. It was also beautiful to see parents helping put away the mats with such vibrant enthusiasm!
Thank you everyone for making Aikido Del Mar a wonderful family community with your love and your participation.
Congratulations to everyone tested on Dec 10th and Dec 12th! It has been exciting for us to witness so much progress in our dojo. All the white belts have graduated to yellow belts in the Aiki-Kids class. Two students from Aiki-Youth have been promoted to the adult class. And we had our first ever shodan test in the adult class – congratulations to Joe Cornwell for earning his black belt!
Congrats Aiki-Kids!
Congrats Aiki-Youth!
Congrats to everyone tested in the adult class, notably the Cornwall family for supporting Joe Cornwall's shodan achievement.
To access and download pictures from the recent kyu test, please click on the link KYU TEST DEC 2011.
You can also access other pictures from 2011 through the following links.
Most students have trouble with ukemi – especially when it comes to the forward roll. Some smaller children tend to put their head down to support their body. A few older kids do not maintain the strength in their body to remain round throughout the roll. Adults tend to deal with fears of “falling” might contract the body and can end up injuring themselves.
We have published as few helpful hints and videos to help you safely practice the forward roll -
1. you can swing your front arm over your head to initiate the circling movement of the body toward the mat;
2. make contact with the outer edge of your front hand with ample strength that feels like you are pushing into the mat (it is also helpful to make a fist);
3. push with your back foot then push with your front foot to follow the circle;
4. use your core to remain circular throughout the roll in a continuous manner and do not let go the power from your abs until you are back on both feet again;
5. land with a straight back leg and walk out of the roll with focus.
Parents familiar with aikido can also help their children to practice the forward roll at home on a soft surface as shown in this instructional video below.
Another wonderful resource via “Aikido From the Inside Out” explains ukemi is not passive but an active endeavor. http://www.designeq.com/deq/aikido/insideout/ukemi.html
We have open mat time from 7:10pm to 7:30pm for anyone who wishes to practice. And please let us know how we can help.
The next test date has been confirmed – Saturday, December 10th, 2011 – so mark your calendar!
We will be preparing all three classes for the kyu test in the next few weeks. It is best for students to attend class as often as possible and focus on their training. Only those who qualify will be invited to test as a chance to progress onto the next level.
Aikido Del Mar Awards Colored Belts for the Aiki-Kids and Aiki-Youth Class
If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us!
