Following: Wait, you're doing what?

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Wait, you're doing what?

Yes, we really are going on a road trip to follow (not stalk!) a Swedish teacher of a Japanese martial art down the West coast of the US, while eating (primarily French) pastry. The mission is 5,277 miles, 11 dojos, uncountable bakeries, and too much camping, all in three weeks.

Why? Well, it all started with feather falls. When we heard about a kind of ukemi that let you take high falls without the pain that so many people complained about, I wanted to see what everyone was talking about. It began with watching YouTube videos, and practicing the couple of exercises we had been taught (thanks, Charles Sensei!). Then I saw that Jan Nevelius Sensei, one of the creators, was going to be in Berkeley at a time of year when we could travel (October of 2013), at a dojo that everyone said I should train at. Although Jan Sensei only taught a one day seminar, we stayed in Berkeley for about a week, training at the dojo there, and eating pastry (do you sense a theme?). Between the ukemi drills we did in classes, and working with people at the seminar, that’s when the feather falls really clicked for me. This led into practice at home, getting more people here in on it, Aikido of Madison hosting a soft ukemi seminar, following Jan Sensei to Seattle and New York, and more.

But why, you still ask, when there are lots of opportunities to practice at home, or at least in this time zone? The issue we’re running into is how to teach this stuff. Sure, there are a few people who can practice the ukemi and help others with the exercises we know, but there’s still a big gap in the middle. It’s like you’re at practice level three, and then the next step is eight. Yes, some people can bridge that, but we’re looking for a way that everyone can do it. That’s a lot of what I’m hoping to get out of this trip (although Jan Sensei personally doesn’t really teach feather falls anymore, many of his students do).

This really is a mostly Aikido road trip, but that’s not the only motivation. There has been talk in the Lynch residence for a while about doing some kind of driving trip, but I don’t think any of us expected the idea to grow to these kinds of proportions. Over the course of the three weeks we’re planning to visit friends and family all over (MT, CA, KS, and MO, at least), and visit some famous places (Chez Panisse, anyone?), explore state parks, find new places to eat (and go back to our favorites), wash a LOT of Aikido clothes, and who knows what else.

At this point we’re pretty much planning the Aikido, and seeing what kind of adventures might befall us in between. (I guess we’re back to that following business again, huh?) More details to come!

And if you’re interested in more info about feather falls:

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Aikido Glossary

These are the most common terms you'll see here. We've also prepared a more detailed glossary (see below).

Dojo: “The place of the way”. The training hall where we practice our art. In the US, many dojo are decorated with a Japanese aesthetic, but some are in racquetball courts or gyms. In the end, the dojo is wherever the people are who show up to practice.

Gi: Training uniform consisting of jacket and pants (normally plain white for aikido) and an obi, or belt. In our federation, belts are either white or black, but in many federations, there are colored belts, most commonly blue and brown, but sometimes there are more gradations. Some aikido practitioners also wear a hakama.

Hakama: The pleated pants (that look like a skirt) worn by some aikido practitioners. In some organizations, it is (or can be) worn by students of any rank. In others, it is reserved for black belts, and in still others, there are different rules for men and women (which are derived from some interpretation of Japanese ideas of modesty). It has no real practical purpose, but serves as a sort of historical link to samurai tradition.

Hanmi: “Half body.” We use it to mean an aikido stance which is sort of triangular. Front foot faces the partner, back foot points out at about a 45 degree angle. It provides a great balance of agility and stability, while offering only half the body as a target for attack.

Musubi: “Connection” or “joining”, although the word is also used to mean “knot”. A key principle of aikido because it helps avoid confrontation and collision, which lead to destruction.

Nage: The person “doing” the technique, generally the person being attacked in some way.

Seiza: Formal sitting posture, kneeling with a straight back. Tough on the knees if you are not used to it.

Shomen: The focal point of the dojo, the proper direction to face. Most aikido dojo have some sort of shrine to the founder on the shomen. Shomen is also shorthand for Shomen uchi, which is an overhead strike to the forehead with an open hand, like a classic karate chop. It's a stylized attack when performed with an empty hand, but would be devastatingly effective with a weapon.

Uke: The person taking ukemi. A good uke is more precious than gold, because he or she will help you learn better aikido not by teaching, but by creating the conditions that allow you to discover how to make sense of Sensei's teaching.

Ukemi: “Receiving” is the closest translation from Japanese. When someone performs an aikido technique on you, your are taking ukemi. It encompasses a lot of stuff, including the punches, grabs, and kicks that we use to simulate attack, as well as the falling and rolling we use to keep ourselves safe.
On a deeper level, it refers to the act of connecting with and following your partner. Great ukemi keeps you safe, allows you to be alert for opportunities to reverse a technique, and helps your partner learn better.