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Greg Jennings
26th February 2001, 05:11
This is in the seminar announcements, but there are so few Aikido seminar announcements there that I thought it would be appropriate here also.

The second in a hopefully continuing series of seminars to promote fellowship and unity in Aikido in our area.

Who: Frank Calhoun Sensei (4th dan) and Ron Myers Sensei (3rd dan)
Where: Aikido of West Florida http://www.aikidowestflorida.com/
When: March 10, 2001.
Time: First session 10:00 - 1:00. Then organized lunch.
Second session after lunch if enough interest.
Cost: Free.
Contact: Patty Heath: phterry@aol.com

See: http://24.12.212.64/mar10.html/

Hope to see you there!

Greg Jennings
8th March 2001, 18:55
Just a reminder that the seminar is Saturday, March 10th. The day after tomorrow as of this posting.

We had the predesessor to this seminar at our dojo last September. It was great. The comparison and contrast between Calhoun Sensei's and Myers Sensei's Aikido was very interesting. I'm also in the process of trying to arrange a similar seminar with the Yoseikan AikiBudo group at the University of Alabama.

I'll be staying in Pensacola all weekend. if anyone is interested in getting together for Iwama bukiwaza or just plain ol' beer waza, drop me an e-mail.

Regards,

Greg Jennings
12th March 2001, 18:13
Let me start by saying that I'm one of the organizers and a student of one of the instructors so I'm not impartial.

We had three sessions. The first was taught by Myers Sensei of Capital City Aikido, the second by Pelusi Sensei of Eight Winds Dojo and the third by Calhoun Sensei of Aikido of West Florida. Pelusi Sensei is recovering from a serious auto accident that had him in a halo for an extended period, so his teaching was a welcome surprise.

The three instructors taught about footwork and its relationship to tai sabaki.

Myers Sensei, in his normal mode, emphasized basics. Correct hanmi, why hanmi facilitates tai sabaki and generation of hip power, getting off line, how to find hanmi, how to move in hanmi, etc. The principles were taught using very basic techniques: katatedori and shomenuchi ikkyo omote, ura and a henkawaza; and katatedori shihonage. Myers Sensei, also in his normal mode, emphasized the need to practice good ukemi in order to avoid serious injury.

Pelusi Sensei taught proper footwork in its relationship to catching, leading and ultimately utilizing the energy provided by uke's attack. Pelusi Sensei used a series of blending, inside tenkan technique versus yokomenuchi to motivate his teaching. The techniques built upon a simple idea of taking uke offline to the rear but doing so while tenkan-ing. Uke was thrown by the combination of the unbalancing created by taking him off line and the centrifugal force of nage's tenkan.

Calhoun Sensei taught proper footwork in the context of randori. Getting off line to the inside or outside, aligning properly for a quick shove or atemi and moving to the next uke. He used three vs. one randori and constrained uke to shomenuchi and both uke and nage to half speed to facilitate his teaching.

The seminar was followed by an organized lunch. Can't comment on that. I had to get back home. It was my wife's birthday and I was on thin ice already.

As a last comment, all three Sensei explained to the attendees that for Aikido to grow and prosper in our area, we needed to experience and value each others' techniques and philosophies. That to do otherwise would be to stagnate and to cut ourselve's off from the Founder's concept of Takemusu Aiki.

I've heard some rumblings about another seminar to be held at Pelusi Sensei's Eight Winds Dojo in Gautier, MS just outside Mobile, AL. I'm also in the (glacial) process of arranging a similar seminar with the Yoseikan AikiBudo group at the University of Alabama.

Hope to see some of you at one of these events one day.

Regards,