{"id":1897,"date":"2018-01-27T15:38:06","date_gmt":"2018-01-27T20:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/?p=1897"},"modified":"2020-02-17T08:48:37","modified_gmt":"2020-02-17T13:48:37","slug":"polishing-the-aikido-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/?p=1897","title":{"rendered":"Polishing the Aikido Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By: \u00a0Andy Brastad, Clallam Aikikai\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Aikido Seminar with Frank Apodaca Sensei, November 3-5 2017<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body and polish the spirit.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

-Morihei Ueshiba<\/p>\n

Recently, I had the great fortune of attending a Clallam Aikikai Aikido seminar taught by Frank Apodaca Sensei in Carlsborg, Washington.\u00a0 It was my first seminar since I returned to training in Aikido after a six year hiatus.\u00a0 Six years \u2013 it may not seem like a long time.\u00a0 But time off the mats and aging (I\u2019m 63) act like a slick pick-pocket \u2013 taking your valuables from you and you have no clue that they are even gone, that is until you need them.\u00a0 So with a bit of trepidation I signed up for the 3-day training hoping that my stout-hearted spirit would indeed shield me from the feelings of awkwardness, lack of memory of techniques, and the aches and pains of hard workouts. I also volunteered to host visitors attending the seminar from nearby Victoria, Canada.<\/p>\n

The seminar began on a Friday night \u2013 suwari waza techniques. I\u2019m thinking that my training is back to square one; just do your best and don\u2019t sweat it if you make lots of mistakes.\u00a0 Throughout the session Frank Apodaca Sensei stressed the basics of good techniques; stance, posture, movement, position, timing, breath, completeness of techniques, and a martial attitude.<\/p>\n

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For the entirety of the seminar the basics would be the mantra of the seminar.\u00a0 The seminar ended Sunday afternoon with a pot-luck on Saturday night. As it turned out my visitors from Victoria, Maggie and Jody, were a couple that had stayed in my house about 6 years ago.\u00a0 When we met at the seminar it was as though we had just seen each other yesterday, not like 6 years had gone by. It was truly reconnecting with friends.\u00a0 Also traveling with them was their son Raven and one of their students, Paul.\u00a0 We all became really good friends.<\/p>\n

This brings me back to the wise words of O\u2019Sensei. As a student with a huge amount of \u201cslack\u2019 in my techniques, this seminar was just what I needed as a retuning new student.\u00a0 I definitely took in as much as I could and \u201cstole\u201d from black belts what they offered to me.\u00a0 Yes, my body ached on Monday (and Tuesday too) but I like the feeling of testing my body and learning to adapt to the limitations that I now have.\u00a0 After all I\u2019m in it for the long haul.\u00a0 However, for me the words \u201cpolish the spirit\u201d really ring true.\u00a0 The basics really extend not just to techniques and training but also to developing and renewing friendships, camaraderie, and the shared excitement of friends getting promotions.\u00a0 All of these activities are polishing (and rekindling) the spirit.<\/p>\n

I want to thank Frank Apodaca Sensei and Neilu Naini Sensei for bringing this seminar on \u201cthe Basics\u201d to Clallam Aikikai.\u00a0 I could not have enjoyed it more.<\/p>\n

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By: \u00a0Andy Brastad, Clallam Aikikai\u00a0 Aikido Seminar with Frank Apodaca Sensei, November 3-5 2017 \u201cThe purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body and polish the spirit.\u201d -Morihei Ueshiba Recently, I had the great fortune of attending a Clallam Aikikai Aikido seminar taught by Frank Apodaca Sensei in Carlsborg, Washington.\u00a0 It … <\/p>\n

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