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Summer Camp Splash!

Birankai summer camp.2015.3.indd

UPDATE: The Registration System is now live!

The 2015 Birankai North America Summer Camp website, registration system and poster are ready!

Look out for your Summer Camp posters in the mail and arriving in the next week or two. And make sure your calendars are marked for July 16-21, 2015, the dates of Birankai Summer Camp at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. (Fly into Seattle.) Birankai favorite Miyamoto Shihan, 7th Dan, of Aikikai Hombu Dojo is the guest instructor this year.

Lots of information is available on the website: www.birankai.org/summercamp. Click on the Registration Page (coming this week) to see pricing, FAQ, and to register online. The registration system has been customized by Derek Shaw, Summer Camp registrar, for our very own needs. Enjoy the ease of registration this year.

Important dates:
Early Registration ends May 11
Regular Registration ends June 8

Any questions regarding Summer Camp should be sent to birankai@gmail.com or call 503-683-2454.

Looking to get more training before camp with Miyamoto Sensei? Come train in Vancouver, B.C. on March 6-8. Visit the East Van Aikikai website for more information.

On behalf of the Birankai Summer Camp Team,
See you in July!

Neilu Naini
Birankai Summer Camp Director 2015

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Book Summer Camp travel now!

University of puget sound loggers

The countdown has started — less than six months to go before Birankai North America 2015 Summer Camp at the University of Puget Sound  in Tacoma. The dates are Thursday, July 16 through Tuesday, July 21. Check out the Summer Camp Facebook page for more information as it becomes available.
A dedicated Summer Camp website will also be going live soon with info on the schedule, travel and pre-ordering t-shirts.
See you in Tacoma!

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A Cut Above

Birankai Aikido FundraiserOn January 3, 2015, members of Birankai dojo Fearless Heart Aikido in New Hope, Penn., participated in “1,000 Cuts for Charity Suburi-thon.” Participants committed to make 1,000 suburi cuts with the bokken and to find sponsors who would pledge a contribution for each cut.

Prior to the suburi-thon, none of the students had completed more than 100 or 200 cuts; some barely knew how to hold a bokken. For most students, a thousand cuts was pretty daunting. However, they rose to the challenge, practicing their cuts and building their endurance in the weeks leading up to the event.

Fearless Heart Aikido Chief Instructors Helen Tai and John McDevitt organized the fundraiser to celebrate the dojo’s two-year anniversary. The celebration provided an opportunity for the students to push themselves beyond their perceived limits, to improve their cutting technique, to work together toward a common goal, to have some fun, and to raise money for two very worthwhile charities.

Benefiting from the event are Fisherman’s Mark, a non-profit organization in nearby Lambertville, N.J., that offers assistance to low-income individuals and families, and the Birankai North America Seminar Endowment Fund, which supports Aikido events and scholarships.

Congratulations to the members of Fearless Heart Aikido, every one of whom completed all 1,000 cuts, and thank you to their sponsors – who donated a total of $1,820.

Learn more about the suburi-thon and watch a short movie at the Fearless Heart Aikido website.

– Helen Tai, Fearless Heart Aikido

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New Year’s Promotions

Birankai North America 2015 New Year’s Promotions

6th dan

Steve Thoms, Eugene Aikikai

J. D. Sandoval, Hayward Aikido

Daniel Kempling, At Large

Manolo San Miguel, At Large

Roo Heins, Northwest Michigan Aikikai

5th dan

David Alonzo, At Large

Jamie Fucito, Copper Mountain Aikido

4th dan

James Borders, Huron Valley Aikikai

Jamie McMahon, San Diego Aikikai

3rd dan

Misa Suzuki Anekoji, San Diego Aikikai

2nd dan

Susumu Anekoji, San Diego Aikikai

1st dan

Magnus Meier, Fox Valley Aikikai

Fukushidoin

Helen Tai, Fearless Heart Aikido

Congratulations to all from Chiba Sensei and the members of the BNA Shihankai.

Happy New Year!

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Flower Sensei in Brooklyn

Outstanding seminar this weekend at Brooklyn Aikikai with Jenny Flower Sensei of Athens Aikido in Greece. Flower Sensei explored iriminage and basic body arts and weapons movements over two days with a full mat of Birankai members from around the Northeast and Midwest.

One of the most inspiring younger teachers in Birankai, Flower Sensei will be back in Brooklyn next December – stay tuned for the date and details! Check out more videos from this weekend’s event at BiranOnline’s channel on Youtube.

Also check out Athens Aikido’s channel on YouTube for great clips of Robert Savoca of Brooklyn Aikikai, Barbara Imboden of Sakura Dojo in Bern, Switzerland, Mike Flynn of Thistle Aikikai, Juba Nour of Baja Aikido and others.

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A life in testing

Fessenden photo
Charlie Fessenden in Eagle, Colo., 2006.

By Todd Fessenden, Vail Aikikai

At its most basic, fundamental level, testing plays a key role in ensuring the consistency and integrity of any practice whether martial arts, academics, business, medicine or virtually any established system. Testing within our practice functions as an assurance that the core fundamentals are intact and documents continual progress and growth.

This is true as well for any of the aforementioned endeavors. Rigorous testing goes into every product released to the market, any educational institution, any medicine produced, vehicles, airplanes, weapons, clothing; in essence anything of value has been tested. It is important that benchmarks be set in an effort to ensure results are measurable. I believe that the test requirements established by Chiba Sensei and the Birankai Teachers Council Continue reading “A life in testing”

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New seminar video


Birankai Aikido instructors gave some powerful seminars this past weekend across the U.S.

Today’s clips include Bernadette Vargas at Aikido of Albuquerque and Robert Savoca at New England Aikikai. Birankai Midwest also gathered this past weekend for a weapons seminar at Fox Valley Aikikai — more clips coming soon.

Enjoy!

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Regional reverie

This coming weekend my dojo is hosting our Birankai East Coast Regional Seminar, and I’m about to go nuts. Details are buzzing through my brain like gnats: Who can put up visitors? Will we have enough gluten-free options at the potluck? Will the pole-dancing class next door to the seminar be a distraction?

Not to mention that we just moved Fire Horse Aikido this past week to a new location, with all the craziness that entails. Can people find the new place? Will we have enough tape? Why does every dojo space we find have some kind of leak?

But every time I start to lose it, I have to remind myself that we have the basics: people to train with and a place to train. This weekend – on both East and West coasts – Birankai Aikido practitioners will gather on a mat and practice. That’s all that really matters. Who cares about pole dancers?

In that mode, I’ll be posting new video this week from instructors scheduled to teach at upcoming Birankai regional events. By gathering to practice Chiba Sensei’s Aikido with spirit and commitment, we’re keeping Birankai strong and honoring his ongoing legacy.

Today I’ll post new video of Mike Flynn Sensei of Thistle Aikikai, who is slated to give a seminar at Alameda Aikikai Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8 and 9. The Birankai Aikido Northeast Regional Seminar will take place at Aikido Hartford this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Next weekend, Nov. 14-16, features Birankai events including seminars with Darrell Bluhm Sensei at Clallam Aikikai, Alex Peterson Sensei at Aikido of Albuquerque and the Midwest Regional Weapons seminar at Fox Valley Aikikai.

Pack up your gi bag and weapons and see you there!

Liese Klein

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New Video: Suzane Van Amburgh

More new video of Birankai North America’s many strong female instructors: This time of Suzane Van Amburgh, chief instructor at Multnomah Aikikai in Portland, Ore. The footage above is from a seminar Van Amburgh Sensei gave September 27 and 28, 2014, at Aikido Takayama in Mission, B.C.

Van Amburgh Sensei, godan shidoin, has practiced Aikido for more than 30 years and has served as Birankai Northwest Regional Coordinator and Birankai North America 2011 Summer Camp Director.

In addition to her Aikido teaching certification, she is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher.
Thanks to Van Amburgh Sensei and Norine Longmire Sensei of Aikido Takayama for the footage and keep those videos of our Birankai instructors coming!

L. Klein

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Why seminars matter

Check out the great video above put together by the Birankai Scholarship Committee. Real Birankai students talk about the benefits of seminars as a part of training and development in the art. It’s eight minutes long but full of action footage!

All of us in Birankai Aikido are working to fund seminars to raise our level of Aikido, Iaido and Zazen training through the T.K. & Mitsuko Chiba Endowment Fund. Our national goal is to raise $400,000 in four years and we are already funding seminars through the endowment.

Donate today through the endowment page on the Birankai.org website or visit the T.K. & Mitsuko Chiba Endowment Fund Facebook page.

Thanks for your generosity and let’s keep Birankai Aikido strong!

L. Klein

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Dreaming of Camp



The weather’s just getting chilly now on the East Coast and I’m already looking forward to 2015 Summer Camp… Newly posted video here from this year’s event in Oregon. Find more new clips on BiranOnline’s Channel on YouTube. Also check out my videos from a seminar this past weekend with Dang Thong Phong Sensei of Tenshinkai: He’s 80 years old and threw me so hard I got the wind knocked out of me!
Also please take note of the new calendar listings on the right side of this page — this calendar is maintained separately from the main Birankai.org listings so let me know if your event needs to be added.
Enjoy!
L. Klein

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Chiba Sensei on weapons

One of Chiba Sensei’s many gifts to the Aikido community has been his weapons system, and we teachers vowed to further polish and emphasize our bokken and jo work at this year’s Birankai Summer Camp.

Below is the full text of an essay by Chiba Sensei first published in a 1999 issue of our Birankai newsletter. Also posted here for the first time are videos from Chiba Sensei’s advanced weapons class at the 2011 Birankai Regional Seminar at Long Mountain Aikido in Granby, Mass. (The second video is at the bottom of the text.)

Also be sure to check out the great videos from a personal collection being posted in recent weeks on the Facebook page of Sonoran Aikikai.

Then get out there and pick up your weapons!

L. Klein

The Position of Weapons Training In Aikido

A Consideration of the Unity of Body and Sword

By T.K. Chiba

Many people have asked me about the relationship between body arts and weapons training in Aikido. Most of those questions were influenced by the opinion (either positive or negative) towards weapons training by professional Aikido teachers, both those who positively incorporate weapons training in their Aikido practice and those who do not. These opposing practices inevitably create confusion among Aikido practitioners Continue reading “Chiba Sensei on weapons”

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Heins Sensei in R.I.

Birankai Aikido practitioners and friends from four states gathered this weekend in Providence at Main Street Martial Arts for intensive weapons training with Katharine Heins Sensei of NW Michigan Aikikai.

Classes focused on underlying principles like hand rotation, weight shifting and arm position in both jo and bokken forms.

Instructors attending included Phil Traunstein Sensei of Long Mountain Aikido, Liese Klein Sensei of Fire Horse Aikido and Eric Karalius Sensei of Connecticut Aikikai, along with a crew from Brooklyn Aikikai – a three-hour drive away.

Thanks to Michael Werth Sensei and Sherry Waldman Sensei and the students of Main Street Martial Arts for their hospitality!

See more videos of Heins Sensei at BiranOnline’s channel on Youtube.

L.Klein

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Uchideshi needs help!

Fundlypowered by

Birankai is lucky to have several dojos that offer uchideshi programs: A chance for students to immerse themselves in the practice of Aikido. Uchideshi life is hour after hour of training, interspersed with hour after hour of cleaning and other dojo chores — all designed to build martial skills, awareness and the true spirit of Japanese budo.

Now one of our Birankai uchideshi needs some financial support from our community to continue her program. Lola Shapiro from Brooklyn Aikikai works very hard and has been a real credit to her dojo and teacher with her strong training at Summer Camp and other events. (See the clip below of Lola taking ukemi for Didier Boyet Sensei at Fire Horse Aikido earlier this summer.)

Lola’s a third of the way to her goal of $3,000  with only two weeks left — let’s get her the rest of the way!