The dojo was closed for about 17 months. The NY Aikikai offered zoom classes for most of those months. After all the effort done to re-open the dojo, finally Yamada Sensei got to teach on Tuesday June 8th. It was a very festive day at the dojo.
Donovan Waite Shihan, 7th Dan AikikaiNovember 1957 – February 2021
Cartoon courtesy of Jutta, from Gobopictures.
(All photographs Copyright © Javier Domínguez, 2017)
At the beginning, I didn’t get him. His aikido was different, so different from what I had seen in those early years practicing aikido. And I had barely heard of him. When I took my first class with him, I was there, at the New York Aikikai, to train as an uchi-deshi under Yamada Sensei. Oh, how things … [Read more…]
(All photographs Copyright © Javier Domínguez, 2016)
Getting your Shodan is like being a recent graduate. It is the culmination of a long process of dedicated study. Hours of practice, and lessons learned from your teachers. No wonder we feel so accomplished. The graduate gets a diploma, and a degree. We get a black belt, and a most precious hakama. And, for … [Read more…]
At some point in my practice I decided I wanted to be the perfect uke. I’m still far from reaching that goal (very far); but, that thought helped me change the way I was training – for the better, I think. Now, it begs the question of what the definition of a perfect uke is. … [Read more…]
This is not your basic level etiquette in Aikido article. There are already many such articles devoted to its basics. I want to go a step deeper, if you will. Consequently, ‘201’. Etiquette is no other thing than manners. Each society has its own rules of propriety. Burping during dinner could be seen as disgusting or … [Read more…]
(All photographs Copyright © Javier Domínguez, 2014)