Kuribayashi Shihan Aikido Seminar March 2013

This was the first time that I participated at a big seminar with so many aikidoka attending. I loved the silence of the mokuso and the swift sound of the hakamas as we were doing the stretching and preparing for the techniques. There was a variety of styles and approaches that I could see. I had to adapt to each new person, take the fall, execute the technique, take the fall again, switch, listen, concentrate, understand… or at least try to better understand. It energized me a lot. Gave me new perspectives and a lot of motivation, too. I do want to get better. When you train with people who have been doing it for 10 or 15 years, you feel small, but you also feel motivated because you see that people can hang on and follow this path. I find that great. I also had the opportunity to be thrown once by Kuribayashi Sensei. He was concentrating for a few seconds when I took hold of him, I think he even closed his eyes, and then I flew in the air. There were many associations present from whole Hungary and also from abroad. However, the associations in Hungary need to be more united and there is still a lot of work to be done. I am hoping for a brighter future!

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Aikido on Saturday

Those of you who follow me on Tumblr. know that I usually post my training notes there. But this time as the event has a certain importance, I dedicate a whole post to it. We had a training camp in a town near by and it was awesome. Students from several different associations gathered and trained as one big family. It was great to see all the hakama students doing their flowy moves and swirling around in shiko dashi. The Senseis leading the demonstrations present there were the following: Elsner László Sensei (6. dan), Várszegi Rudolf Sensei (6.dan), Shidoin Pivony Attila Sensei (5.dan). 

We did all the five teachings in suwari waza, then some knife techniques and and the end our Sensei was demonstrating a few more intricate techniques. The camp had as a purpose the preparation for the dan exams. At the end we all gathered in a big circle, held each other’s hands and did some breathing exercises. It was all very exciting. As for how it was for me personally, sometimes I got confused with the techniques, but then I asked for help. Before the whole seminar started I felt butterflies in my stomach, a feeling of uncertainty and eager to try out something new, it was all really new and intriguing to me. Each time the technique changed, we changed partners, too. This way we had the chance to blend with a lot people who were around and practicing. Somehow I felt connected to them through the fact that we all dedicate a big part of our life to this martial art. I hope this was the beginning of a series yet to come and the path towards a unified aikido in Hungary.

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