Daily Message - November 2007

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The Aiki Dojo December 2007 Newsletter is available.

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 29, 2007

Hope everyone had a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving weekend. Paul Major and I went to Mexico to visit with Veracruz Aikikai. They have a great group practicing Aikido in Veracruz. We were most impressed with their attitude and training. Their children's Aikido program really impressed me. The overall level of intensity, attitude, and technique on average was higher than our own children's class. It was both humbling and inspiring to see. My intention was to analyze their dojo and see where they could make improvements. I knew it would be a great learning experience for me; but, I certainly did not expect to see them doing something better than us. Here at the ACLA we have been discussing expanding our children's program for some time now in anticipation of the move into the new dojo. I am happy that I was able to witness the benefits of having several classes available for children. It has certainly reaffirmed my decision to add additional classes for our children at the ACLA.

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 27, 2007

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
The dojo is closed today and we will resume practice Friday evening 5:15pm November 23.

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 22, 2007

DECEMBER 1 SATURDAY

10:30am Yudansha (black belt) certificates awarded
11:00am Dan and kyu examinations will be held
6:00pm Holiday Party - Please sign up by the end of this week

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 20, 2007

Goodbye SeaMonkey, Hello Nvu!

This is not a commercial for Nvu (pronounced N-view); but oh how I love this program. (for now). This is my first post to the Daily Message done completely by myself. With Thanksgiving only a few days away, dojo members please send your December articles to info@aikidocenterla.com. We will be publishing the December newsletter soon!

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 19, 2007

SeaMonkey?

Well I attempted to learn how to update the "Daily Message" by learning how to use Mozilla's SeaMonkey program on Sunday. I did not get very far. As a matter of fact I got as far as the start page which said, "Welcome to SeaMonkey Congratulations! You've downloaded (or compiled) a stable version of SeaMonkey". From there I did not know what to do. There is no user's guide or how to manual to download. Consequently, I had no idea what to do or where to start. I went to Amazon to see if I could purchase a "Dummies Guide to SeaMonkey;" but, that book does not exist. There are no books on SeaMonkey that I could find so I could not even teach myself how to use SeaMonkey. Who would have thought that writing what is essentially a blog would be so difficult? Maybe I should just start a Myspace page.

I feel so old.

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 18, 2007

"I want hard training; just don't hurt my feelings."

Reverend Kensho Furuya would often lament at the fact that many students would proclaim that they wanted extraordinarily difficult training; but, as soon as he said something they did not like they would quit.

One of the dojo old-timers told me at dinner the other night, "Furuya (me), Sensei use to treat you like s@$&!" We both laughed loudly. We miss those days. We miss being yelled at. The dojo seems so quiet now.

The sempai are now the sensei. And as we attempt to maintain discipline and order in the dojo, our challenge is the same. That is to make the students grow in spite of themselves. Students lose sight of what is right, because they are so concerned about being right and protecting their egos.

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 18, 2007

DOWNTOWN BLUES
JAKE LA BOTZ
AND HIS BAND
MONDAYS 11/19 11/28 12/03 12/10 @ 9PM
THE REDWOOD BAR
316 W. 2ND ST

The Redwood Bar and Grill is one of the dojo favorite spots to frequent after a hard practice (don't forget to order the sweet potato french fries which are the best in LA). Our own Jake LaBotz, will be singing the blues and playing his guitar with his band for the next four Mondays at the Redwood Bar. For you dojo members who have never heard Mr. LaBotz sing, then you have really missed out. Mr. LaBotz is a black belt candidate and will be testing on December 1st for shodan. Also, Mr. LaBotz has a starring role in the upcoming movie Rambo (2008). Please join us Monday nights as we listen to Jake LaBotz sing the blues at the Redwood Bar. The Redwood Bar and Grill is a couple blocks west of the dojo.

Jake LaBotz playing the guitar...

...and singing the blues

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 18, 2007

Construction Update

These pictures were taken on Thursday, November 15. The two pictures are of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) ducts for the new dojo. The new dojo will be a traditional styled 16th century mansion (shoin-zukuri); but with all the modern amenities. The old dojo was one of several lofts in an old brick warehouse with a corrugated steel roof which retained very little heat in the winter and became very hot in the summer. The ventilation was poor and the dojo would get dusty very quickly. The very hot summers inside the dojo will not be missed. Many people think the dojo was hot this year or in recent years; but, many years ago we did not even have the ventilation ducts that exist now in the old dojo. Most importantly, the HVAC in the new dojo will filter the air inside the dojo. As anyone who has ever been to Los Angeles knows, we do not have the best air quality in the world!

view of the ducts

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 15, 2007

The 2007 October and November newsletters are available under the Newsletter link

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 15, 2007

Members please sign up for the party on Saturday, December 1 starting at 6pm. Your family and friends are welcome. Please check the dojo bulletin board for details.

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 15, 2007

Veterans Day is Today!
We are closed tomorrow for practice.
We are thankful for our veterans' service and contribution to our national security. In observance of Veterans Day, the dojo is closed for practice tomorrow Monday, November 12.

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 11, 2007

Let there be light! Electricity is up and running. Now the lights are installed into the dojo.

We have lights at the new dojo!	The view from the Mezzanine
View from the front entrance	View of the front entrance
The view from the Tokonoma

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 10, 2007

Aikido is a life long practice. Think of practice as an ultra ultra marathon; don't sprint and burn yourself out.
- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 8, 2007

Breakfall, Breakfall, Breakfall!

Many students tell me, "I gotta work on my breakfalls!" I don't remember seeing breakfalls listed as an examination requirement or basic technique. I could be mistaken, though. Yes, we should certainly practice more than just what is listed as an examination requirement. Breakfalls are fun; but, let's try and practice what we have been focusing on in our practice. However boring that it may seem to you. I think that in general we need a lot of work on ikkyo, nikkyo, sankyo, and yonkyo.

Also, weapons should only be practiced before, during, and after weapons class. The time before and after regular class should be spent on basic techniques without a weapon. The mat in our temporary space is crowded and we do not want any accidents. This is an old rule so please abide by it.

Without me saying anything, I have noticed that the level of intensity has increased in practice which is good. Still work on clean technique and do not sacrifice the integrity of the technique by taking shortcuts or using too much strength and speed (i.e. too stiff and hurrying). Overall everyone is making good progress; but, I wish everyone would relax their shoulders!

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 6, 2007

View from the top of the stairs


View from the top of the stairs	View from the bottom of the stairs


View from the entrance	View from the middle of the mat

- Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 4, 2007

Holiday Schedule

November 12	Veteran's Day	Closed
November 22	Thanksgiving Day	Closed

-Posted by Kenneth Furuya on November 1, 2007.