Training with Shihan 

Training with Shihan

Our Aikido organization has been visited by Shihan from Aikikai regularly once a year. At that session we conduct training sessions, examinations for grade promotion; later we watch embukai (demonstration) by Shihan and we perform demonstration for invited guests to promote Aikido to society. I like that event, I always try to attend it when I have time. There is so much to learn from Shihan that one occasion a year would not be enough.

I was at fourth kyu when I first attended training session led by Yoshiaki Yokota Shihan, DAN VII. I was so curious and very enthusiastic. At that time, I had learned Aikido for a year. I was very interested in learning various techniques. I wanted to learn as many techniques as I could. I was hoping that at that training session I would be able to learn some 'killer' techniques from Shihan. I prepared myself by training my techniques, I didn't want to get caught by Shihan doing incorrect techniques. Before the event, I prepared myself by having health supplement for vitality to anticipate should there be rigorous training session.

Then there I was in the training session. Shihan was around 40 years old with his younger uke. Like I suspected, their physical appearances were lean just like ordinary people: not over-muscled and not overweight. Shihan was agile in his age in my opinion. Shihan led the warm up. He led the warm up with spirit. His ikkyo undo and fune kune undo were sharp and energetic. He shouted 'hip - ho, hip - ho' deeply when doing those movements. As I heard that shout and I followed shouting, I felt awakened inside. We never did those movements as high - spirited as he did. Even in the warm up phase, I had already learned something: to do warm up with spirit.

He began demonstrating techniques. What he showed us were some basic techniques not some 'secret' techniques like I thought. Once he showed us how to do Katatedori Tenkan. He said that this simple technique was the basis of many techniques. He showed us that when doing this technique, your eyes should be aware of your surroundings; at the end of the technique, you should be in a ready position and stable enough not letting uke to push your hand upward and raise. He taught us the importance of ma-ai (combat distance) and how to position our body when doing techniques so that uke could not counter attack. He showed us how to do Yokomenuchi Shihonage - Tenkan correctly: he showed us how to blend with the yokomenuchi attack, unbalance it and then perform the shihonage. I found that very useful because at that time I felt that I could not do that technique correctly. I corrected my technique from that time.

Shihan's techniques were smooth and energetic. The techniques were really flowing yet were powerful. I was truly amazed seeing the techniques performed. When he did a technique, I could not notice any suki (opening) for uke to counter attack. I tried to watch each technique carefully to learn something. The interesting thing was when Shihan performed technique with our Shidoin as uke. We all knew that our Shidoin always resisted a technique to some degree so that if we performed a technique with him we would be overwhelmed. He was around 30 years old, strong with big forearms and wrists. We were thrown and pinned easily and helplessly when training with our Shidoin. But that day (and on many occasions later with other Shihan), it was him who got thrown easily. We knew that he resisted but it was of no avail. Somehow Shihan managed to throw him. I guessed strength alone was not sufficient in Aikido. As I watched Shihan, I remembered a phrase in one of my Aikido book: masakatsu agatsu katsu hayabi; loose interpretation of that phrase is 'the one that is so full of energy and spirit that will never give up.' I thought I saw that in Shihan and I'd like to be like that too, in Aikido and in everyday life!

That was the first time I attended training session with Shihan. I have attended several training sessions since that time. I have attended training session with T. Kuribayashi Shihan, DAN VII and Koichi Toriumi Shihan, DAN VII twice each. I had my black belt promotion test with Koichi Toriumi Shihan. On several training sessions when I had achieved Shodan, I was requested by Shihan to be his uke. I was excited and curious about how did it feel to be thrown by Shihan. The first one that I remembered was to be Koichi Toriumi Shihan's uke when we practiced Morotedori Iriminage. I tried to grab his hand strongly with both of my hands but when I got my hold on his hand he began to do tenkan movement. I didn't have the chance to subdue his arm. When he did tenkan, I tried to hold on to his arm and trying to stop it by giving resistance. But it didn't work. His arm was stable during the tenkan movement and not over-extended; trying to stop the hand was like trying to stop his whole body. I kept giving resistance but it didn't affect his movement at all. Then I felt that it was useless to resist and I stopped resisting. Exactly at that time, he did the irimi movement gently but very timely! I had to perform ukemi at that time. If he performed the irimi strongly, I would have been falling and lying flat on my back because exactly at that time I stopped resisting and I could be unbalanced easily. It is as if he read and felt my movement and perform the technique accordingly. If he performed the irimi when I was resisting, the technique would not have worked so smoothly. The second one was being T. Kuribayashi Shihan's uke when he demonstrated Ushiro Ryotedori Kotegaeshi. He first demonstrated the technique slowly and I performed ukemi slowly too. Then he began to demonstrate the technique in full speed. I grabbed both of his hands from his back. As I suspected, his arms were 'stable' and he stood firmly. He began to over-extend my arms, turning his body and grasping one of my wrist. I didn't have any idea where he was going to turn and which one of my wrist was going to be grasped! His movement was smooth. The next thing I realized was that I was in an unbalanced position with one of my wrist grasped and he was ready to perform the kotegaeshi (wrist turn). I saw no opportunity to retaliate, like to deliver atemi, with my freed hand or to deliver a kick. There was a distance, I was very unbalanced and he stood there safely. Then he performed the kotegaeshi; I was so unbalanced that I had to take a little step forward and then performed nagare ('jumping' ukemi) in order to fall safely. He performed the kotegaeshi safely by holding my hand at the elbow joint. In both occasions on being Shihan's uke, I got the chance to feel the powerfulness of the techniques and yet they were done gently and gracefully. The saying in Aikido that says 'In order to be a good nage, one must be a good uke' is very true.

That was my experiences on training with Shihan. I have learned something from them and I value the lessons. I remember once T. Kuribayashi Shihan said, ''Do not be overwhelmed with this and that technique. It is the quality of the basic techniques that matter. It is what the people is training all over the world!" I always remember that saying. I never bother to train various modified techniques or to search for 'killer' techniques, instead I pay attention to the basics. By mastering the basics, I believe I could advance to the next level more easily. I am grateful that I have chances to meet and to train with Shihan.