Abertillery Aikido Club. Bushinkai.

Newton Abbot 4th & 5th of October, 2008.

Simon Puffett Sensei, 4th Dan Shidoin, New Zealand Aikikai.

We received the invite email from Ray Brown Sensei, confirming he had invited Sensei down to take a weekend course. Although we were going to travel down to Torquay towards the end of the month, Andrew would have missed the course, due to travelling to Vietnam. We were also fortunate enough to receive instruction from Puffett Sensei on the Shin Gi Tai Summer School, so we decided to change our plans, and attend this course instead.

We all knew before we even arrived, the instruction was not only going to be very much different to what we are normally use too, but would mark a change in our ways. For some time now, we have continued to follow the older way of practice, which is not wrong. We will still continue to do so, but with even more added concentration of hip movement. Most would have seen, the ideals I use on Kokyu Ho, were passed all the way through the Aikido techniques. Moving the hands through centre, and lowering the elbows for greater effect. This will be experimented with, and passed on to all our techniques.

The weapon work was something we were always going to find difficult. Throughout the weekend, whatever I was pulled up on, it was going to be a knock on effect for the rest of the group. As we all do the same and you follow me for example, it only went to show that was the case on many occasions! There is not that much of a difference, but we have plenty of areas to work on, and bad habits to loose. I suppose we were lucky in knowing Saito Sensei's main parry. We recognised that, and were able to get on with the piece of weapon work unaided. Many people had not seen that aspect before, so I'm sure they will feel the same as we did, when it was first shown. It seems very easy do, and looks quite simple, but as we all know, takes a long time to roll the back hand instead of the front! Once you understand the principle, it is just as easy as any other technique.

Our Saturday evening was the usual drunken beano! Debating Aikido life, and club matters. We always seem to make more progress on these occasions, than doing a sober AGM. Perhaps we are doing something wrong? New ideas were born, and we will take them forward for the future.

We arrived slightly late on the Sunday morning. Due to waking late and being force fed a nice cooked breakfast. Some were worse for wear than others. I unfortunately had to sit out the morning session. Although I woke up later in the morning, I was not 100%. Luckily, it gave me an opportunity to take some photos for memory sake. I am always chastised for attending courses, taking the camera and never using it. They are not perfect, so it's probably a good time to buy a new one!

I would like to thank Ray & Barry (Sensei's) on behalf of the club members, for having the fore sight in organising this course. It's never easy to make such a decision, but if you like something, you have to go with gut feeling. I hope they enjoyed the course just as much as we did. I cannot finish without thanking Simon (Sensei) for travelling down, and giving us his time. He is someone who has Aikido running through his veins, which is very much evident. We thoroughly enjoyed the practice, and more importantly the tuition. I have already approached Puffett Sensei to take a seminar in our Dojo on the 16th & 17th of May, 2009. I am glad to announce he has agreed to do so. Further details regarding this seminar will be published shortly.