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BAMA Advanced Class, Mondays 7.45pm
This Monday saw Richard San teach the ‘Budo Karma’ series of cuts to the blackbelts in the advanced class. Its nice to take a break from the ‘rough and tumble’ of advanced combat and take the blackbelts for a journey along the more spiritual path of sword once in a while!
These 5 cuts are based on the life and death of killing cuts, so the swordsman must demonstrate the speed and spirit required for that act. So these have a very different feel from the more traditional Iado movements of sword. Each draw and cut is followed by a finishing ‘men’ cut that is also very different to the normal approach to this cut in previous sword work. Most of the higher grades don’t do much sword, but they had no trouble with spirt of this lesson!
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After a number of weeks working upon exercises to improve focus and projection, it was rewarding to go back to the basic patterns and see the vast improvement in understanding and performance the students showed. Mention again must go to Dohigh Tam who is just coming on in leaps and bounds, despite some very challenging trials back at home, well done and keep it up.
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Holistic martial Arts Class, Tuesdays 6.30pm
Each of the movements taught in this class are all linked to a greater whole, they are so much more than just physical shapes, when performed with understanding they will improve breathing, physical strength and suppleness, even the focus and concentration required to go through the movements will develop and improve concentration and focus. So good to see some of the attendees in this class starting understand the lessons taking place, and then feel the benefits!
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Reflective Aikido, Tuesdays, 8.30pm
This week the class worked on a couple of dynamic and fluid locks that brought all of their skills together. Each required a good grasp and understanding of “motion”, “centeredness”, “fluidity” and of course “focus”. More and more as the weeks go by it is great to see our students getting the knack of how the 7 Elements play a vital role in their aikido practice.
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Japanese Sword, Tuesdays, 9.30pm
Even this sword class had a ‘holistic’ feel to it tonight! A ’mushin’ lesson on sword was what Richard San was teaching. To move this slowly through a sword pattern can be more more challenging than speed cutting, as often momentum can carry you through stance transitions and cuts, but when having to perform mediative sword each shape must be carried through with total physical control and concentration. It might look beautiful and gentle, but as the class would tell you, its bloody hard work, and thats before you can enter the meditation aspect!!
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BAMA Karate and Aikido Te Class, Wednesdays, 6.45pm
Another great session this week as students worked toward their gradings. A particular mention for Kohigh Matthew who is now well on the way to taking his orange belt first stage in a couple of weeks. And the polishing continues for our brown belts as they fine tune their katas. Excellent work by all.
This Wednesday also saw the introduction of our “combat skills drill” which we will be adding to as the weeks progress. Great spirit was shown by all and their focus is growing stronger, a key element for this exciting new drill.
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An interesting discussion as always in this weeks class which was began when Richard San posed the link between; efficiency, grace and power. Starting of course with nature, to watch any creature in the wild is always a privilege, and the watcher is always in awe of their seemingly effortless movements, as they always seem to appear so beautiful and graceful. Yet it is only because they have very limited reserves of energy and power to call upon, survival demands that they must be efficient in all their actions. What a contrast too developed man, who is now so dominant and powerful across this planet, with all his energy resources to call upon, his inefficiency of course comes at a very high price to this planet and eventually too himself!
The lesson became as usual a mirror to our own lives, the egotistical power which we so often use to propel ourselves through our lives comes eventually at huge cost, as all inefficient fuel sources must do, and the first price to pay is of course…grace and beauty.
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