New Year’s greeting by Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba at Aikikai Hombu Dojo Kagami Biraki

“I am pleased that a great number of people were able to participate in the Kagamibiraki this year. Last year, I had many opportunities to visit domestic and overseas dojos. At those times, it was encouraging to see that Aikido has taken root and is well understood by many people.This is because Kisshomaru Doshu laid the foundation for the dissemination and promotion of the Aikido Kaiso founded. It is important that we keep in mind the ideals and spirit of Aikido as founded by Kaiso in our daily practice. It is our responsibility to transmit this true Aikido to posterity. It is my wish that this year we preserve the above state of mind.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

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“Our mental representation of a man attacking or defending is a visual process based on the conception that we have of the human body when it is resting but this static vision is fundamentally flawed. Even though the human body is indeed a composed of a torso fitted with four limbs and a head in the way that has been immortalised in so many statues around the world, this representation does not translate the reality of the dynamic aptitudes of our body. This is however by this motion that we must represent our adversary.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

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“Ask some people how they envision their life at 82, and some say they hope to accomplish their life’s goals long before that, or they mention senior centers and nursing homes. Not so for Bernie Mulligan of Salem. Last week, Mulligan reached the highest level of achievement in Aikido, a Japanese martial art. Mulligan, 82, was designated as “Shihan” or Master Teacher from Aikido World Headquarters in Tokyo.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

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“The word mindset is often bandied about in combative training, though it doesn’t seem to be easily defined nor well applied in practice. We prefer the term combative intent. While most people who use the term mindset seem to be referring to a “correct” mindset, inherently the word itself is basically neutral: one can either a positive mindset or a negative mindset. Combative intent, however, implies the will or volition to carry out a combative action. Nevertheless, whether using the word mindset or intent, a rose by another name is just as sweet…”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

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“John Stevens is an internationally acclaimed Aikidoka and one of the foremost authorities on Aikido and Buddhist studies. He is the author many famous books of Aikido which are available in many different translations. He is a respected member of academia, a professor at Tohoku Fukushi University, in Sendai, Japan (just north of Tokyo, on the east coast). I have always found his literary works interesting, thought provoking, and very educational in the study of Aikido and other cultures as well.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

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“One of the challenges that all Aikido teachers face is how to get students to stop relying on brute strength to move their partners. It was this challenge that led me to develop an exercise that I call “Aiki Push Hands“.

In this exercise both partners place their hands together and try to push each other over. It is exactly this kind of training that shows how reliance on muscular strength will not bring you to your goal.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

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“From the hoplological perspective, we clearly distinguish two primary types of combative systems, (fighting arts). As raised several times over the years in HOPLOS, and most recently in Donn Draeger’s article, “Understanding East Asian Combative Culture,”1 martial and civil fighting are two areas of combative behavior that have evolved for different applications under stimulus from different combative contexts. More importantly, however, I intend to show that their distinctions are based in biological adaptations though certainly influenced by cultural mechanisms.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

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“Often when an individual thinks of influential characters in kendo, more likely than not, that individual will think of Japanese kenshi like Mochida Moriji or Takano Sasaburo, or even present day heroes like Eiga or Miyazaki (rightfully so as these people have left a tremendous mark). However, few would think of an American named Dr Gordon Warner. Little information is readily available about Dr Warner and therefore his contributions go unnoticed for the most part. Dr Warner was a pioneer and is largely responsible for bridging the western world to Japanese kendo”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

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“Most people involved with the study of fighting arts are familiar with the name Donn Draeger . For some, they only knew him as ‘that guy who wrote all those martial art books’. To others he was one of the most highly trained, knowledgeable and experienced professional warriors they ever met. Through out his life he focused his energies on the fighting arts. In fact, Donn Draeger became known as the founder of modern hoplology.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

Click here to read entire article.

“The idea of the wristlock is to use these physical devices to control a person. This is done either through pain compliance or by locking the joint directly, linking to the subjects core, and physically controlling him . While many of Aikido’s wrist techniques do have some application in this area; thinking of them simply as wristlocks seriously limits their true potential.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

Click here to read entire article.

“Aikido is a Budo (martial art) created by Morihei Ueshiba. After the Founder’s passing in 1969, his son Kisshomaru Ueshiba was inaugurated as Aikido Doshu. At present, Moriteru Ueshiba, grandson of the Founder, has succeeded his father as Aikido Doshu. The Aikikai Foundation, officially recognized by the Japanese government in 1940, was founded in order to preserve and promote the ideals of the true Aikido created by the Founder. As the Aikido World Headquarters, it is the parent organization for the development and expansion of Aikido throughout the world.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

Click here to read entire article.

“So why would anyone grab your wrist? Maybe they grab your wrist to pull you somewhere, or to put you in something. While some Aikido techniques may come in handy for this, usually it’s not important to the attacker that he be grabbing your wrist in these situations. He could just as likely be grabbing your hair, shirt, leg or whatever he can easily grab in order to drag you off to where he wants you. Aikido does have grabs from other place’s like collar and cuff, but wrist grabbing are heavily emphasized in Aikido forms.”

Brian Kagen is an avid web researcher with a particular interest in martial arts. His training background includes both judo and aikido. He has contributed hundreds of article links over the years for AJ readers.

Click here to read entire article.