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“Aikido is a martial art. Nothing revolutionary about that statement. But what kind of martial art is Aikido? There are many different types of martial arts. Martial art systems designed to be used in many different contexts. So what is the proper context for Aikido?
“Early foreign practitioners of the art in the Aikikai system relied heavily on this book to guide their training and preparation for testing as they progressed in aikido. This book has long been out of print. Nonetheless, it is a valuable historical document that reflects the state of aikido at this important juncture of the art’s history.”
“Since kung fu ended I have started gaining weight. My fear is I’ll end up like Ninja Matt so I had to reassess my at-home workouts.
Last Friday, June 25, 2010, I gave a small demonstration on stage not only as a martial artist but as an artist. I am a conductor, and the theme of the concert program was “War and Peace” to commemorate the beginning of the Korean War exactly 60 years ago to that day. The composition I conducted was “Ein Heldenleben” by Richard Strauss which is about a hero, his adversaries, his companion, war against his enemies, victory, reflection on his life, and death.
“The parking lot at the amphitheater in John McLaren Park was filling up with people and dogs when Ashford and I arrived last Saturday—100 or 125 people, and 50 or 60 dogs that ranged dramatically in size, from ponyesque to mini-poodle. The dogs were running around and doing a lot of barking while their persons waited for the tour of the proposed disc golf course to begin. Ashford stayed on leash, cautiously socializing.”
The interview below with the adopted son of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba has been selected from the 
“Aikido is a pretty funny creature since it tends to “become” the person. Old style (really old style koryu) systems tended to mold the student into the ryu due to the very rigid method of knowledge transmission. This is not the pattern today (for the most part) as there are time (a century or two) and cultural (Old Japan become secular Western Society) considerations that come into play and a lot of that no longer fits the need nor the moment.”
“Basic training is seen by some as boring and by others as the life and soul of ones fighting technique. We all start off learning techniques which do not require much training, much strength, much flexibility or other physical attributes. Some however, quickly want to be taught techniques which they see in MMA, or in movies, thinking that basic training is for amateurs. Is there more to basic training though? Is it really just a compilation of easy to learn techniques, or something else?”
The article below has been selected from the