Nagare-keiko In the exercise of our Aikido, the ultimate goal is of course to obtain the ability to perform under full control in a perfectly flowing manner without conflicting not only with the partner but particularly with oneself. This perfectly flowing motion could well be out of reach, but we must strive to master it, … Continue reading Nagare Keiko
Category: texts
Dojo and Kamiza
Dōjō and kamiza Early in 2020, when the Covid-19 virus started to spread in Europe, the French government ordered a lockdown of the country, including the closing of all “nonessential” activities, including businesses, sport venues and dōjō. It is clear to me–having practiced and trained in Aikido for fifty years–that the dōjō is an … Continue reading Dojo and Kamiza
L.A. (Podcast) (Oct. 2022)
PART1 PART2
Part 3: Private Classes With Chiba Sensei
Shortly after my arrival at Hombu Dojo, having earned the trust of the small group of foreigners who attended Chiba Sensei’s class on Friday evenings, I learned that some of them had formed a working group to practice privately with him. This group included several Americans: Paul Sylvain, Lorraine Sylvain-DiAnne, Meik Scoss, Bruce Bookman and … Continue reading Part 3: Private Classes With Chiba Sensei
First class at Hombu after my arrival in Tokyo.
Leaving for Japan Summer 1977 In 1976, Chiba Sensei had been recalled to Japan from England by Hombu, which needed his linguistic capabilities as they sought to solve the problem of Aikido’s unruly development around the world. Back in Tokyo, he started to train in Iaido under the guidance of Mitsuzuka Takeshi at the police … Continue reading First class at Hombu after my arrival in Tokyo.
Fall 1970: A Discovery
I spent several months in Africa before returning to France. I was at the time a draft dodger, but was betrayed and welcomed into the Army with open arms by the infamous General Marcel Bigeard and his paratroopers. The disciplinary unit of this regiment, which numbered roughly twelve “non obedient” members, was given the “privilege” … Continue reading Fall 1970: A Discovery
King Arthur and Aikido
Presentation Jacques Roubaud is arguably one of today’s most well-known French poets. He is also a member of the Oulipo and a novelist, a mathematician and a theoretician of verse; a great admirer of Japan, he is a recognized scholar in ancient Japanese poetry, which he read and commented at length : the famous poets … Continue reading King Arthur and Aikido
On Form and Substance
When Robert Savoca Sensei, the chief instructor at Brooklyn Aikikai asked me to pen my thoughts about the term “form”, the first thing that came to my mind was the famous (and surely apocryphal) anecdote that opposed the late 19th/early 20th centuries composers Claude Debussy and Erik Satie. According to the legend, in answer to … Continue reading On Form and Substance