Weapons Training

When I first joined the West Midlands Aikikai in 1971, I would sit in awe watching Chiba Sensei explain the relationship between weapons and the body art of Aikido.

It fascinated me how the Founder’s mind must have worked to create the beautiful circular and spherical movements of Aikido from the cutting, slashing and thrusting movements of the Bokken and Jo. That fascination has never gone away and today I am just as enthusiastic about this relationship as ever.

My belief is that practising with weapons enhances the body art making it sharper and more positive. I think that the mechanics of a correct cut and thrust with a weapon makes understanding the principles of extension and projection in Aikido easier.

It is with this in mind that I have made the decision to incorporate weapon work into the grading syllabus (see below), for MYO SHIN JUKU.

Some of the forms on the sheet have been altered since they were first taught some twenty years or so ago but my philosophy is that if they were good enough to be taught then, they are OK now. In any case, changes that I am made aware of will be passed on as a matter of course.

A decision was taken in January 2000, by the Technical Committee of the U.K.A., to include the first three Uchikomi as failable parts of the Shodan grading. I, as Shidoin for MYO SHIN JUKU, would like our students to be way in excess of the standard thus required.

As of 1st January 2001, the weapons syllabus is a mandatory part of a grading conducted within MYO SHIN JUKU.

Any students who are unable to train with weapons at their own dojo, for whatever reason, will need to attend the bi-monthly courses at the Rover Dojo as these will be the only opportunity, not only to train, but to take gradings accordingly as part of their overall promotion requirements.

PETER BRADY,

MYOSHINJUKU SHIHAN.