Imagine this scenario. You are on the battlefield. The enemy is strong, well armed and advancing. Suddenly the general calls a meeting. The minutes reveal something like this. “Well, sir, I didn’t like the...
Archive - January 2010
Josh Gold“Ai-Ki, The Balance of Nature,” by Nev Sagiba
“Time is the great leveller. Winning and losing, gain and loss are relative concepts that miss noticing the grand picture that is the universal process of building new possibilities through mitosis.” In the...
Progress report on “Aikido Pioneers – Prewar Era,” by Stanley Pranin
It’s time for another update on our progress on our upcoming title, Aikido Pioneers-Prewar Era, one of the most important books on aikido history ever to be published. We are in the final editing phase after...
“Long Term Victory,” by Nev Sagiba
Passages from the Hagakure: Narutomi Hyogo said, “To win over your enemies is to first win over your allies. Defeating one’s allies is defeating oneself. To win over your allies is to win over yourself. To win over...
“Dojo Busters,” by Nev Sagiba
Dojo busters still exist. Many have morphed from the wild-west type of the moves where a gang of thugs stand outside yelling profanities and challenges to either the teacher or his students, into other possibilities to...
“Hara and Aikido,” by Alister Gillies
Is Aikido a relatively modern martial art that tacitly acknowledges links with its Koryu (Japanese Classical Budo Arts) antecedents? Or is Aikido a form of Haragei – the cultivation and development of Hara in the...
Update on “Aikido Pioneers,” by Stanley Pranin
Readers may remember that we recently put out a call for graphic artists to assist us with the design of a cover for our upcoming book, Aikido Pioneers–Prewar Era. This new title includes in-depth interviews with...
“Aikido is for losers,” by Bruce Baker
I know we have all heard the phrase from just about every fight fan, or jerky kid in an audience who watches fighting, Aikido is for losers! And that statement may be far more true than that idiot gives it credit for...
Francis Takahashi pick: Aikiweb discussion on Non-Japanese Shihan
“I too, was told by Senseis Kobayashi Yasuo, Kanai Mitsunari, Fujita Masatake, and others, that the traditional understanding was similar to what Leyard Shihan alluded to. Anyone who was in good standing with...