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Show Sage Rng : 21 December 1996 black belt Aikido who to Ea Picoes meditate a align your shakras: they play hard there, albeit Young, a 3rd degree has since ie aa been teaching safely. “Safe practice is our number- administra- one priority,” says Young. “In eighteen years of teaching I’ve only had one serious injury in my dojo, a separated shoulder.” That’s an impressive his picture adorns the walls of most Aikido dojos (training facilities) as tribute to the founder. The literal translation of Aikido is “The way of harmonizing the spirit or life-force.” In terms of physics this means blending with oppositional forces and harmonizing with them, or using an ageressor’s strength and momentum against him or her. As such most of the techniques have a circular, fluid motion, neutralizing attacks with minimal injury. Rather than ending with strikes and kicks designed to do maximum damage, Aikido tech- niques usually culminate in a lock or pin which only injures the opponent to the extent that they contmue to heart, clear mind, and an versed in many methods of dealing death. Nonplused that the Aikido Sensei (teacher) was as old as my grandmother and two inches shorter, I nevertheless gaped in awe as he nimbly manipulated his opponents onto — the mat with barely-perceptible movements. One of the fall guys was my two hundred twenty pound stepfather, an accomplished amateur wrestler in his day, who was continu- ously tossed to the floor like yester- most of the classes himself, from children’s classes to Sensei, leav- ing little time for other passions such as backcountry skiing. Eloquent and soft-spoken for Vermonter, a day’s news. Sensei Kuboyama glided about the mat like some odd combi- Young nation of Tinkerbelle and Superman, ambassador his half-smile never leaving his face. Yet despite his apparent invulnerability, no one was injured by his throws and most picked themselves up laughing. The Salt Lake valley has many martial arts dojos, but only one true Aikido facility. Utah Aikikai, located for on 3638 South Highland Drive, is run dren and adult classes, beginner and advanced, open-handed and weapons classes, which incorporate wooden knives, staffs, and swords. Thursday’s training other is an effective his. art, especially when you see him on. the mat... 7s. iJ learned from the _ get-go, Utah Aikikai Come to the Hungry i to try the finest ae and meditaranean Cuisine Gon: Think ys liced vib eye marinated in our own blend of Greek erbs, topped with tzitziki sauce $6.50 : Charbroiled skewer served over pita bread with veal Souv demi-glace. $6.75 : Breast of Chicken braised in white wine, garlic mushrooms, tomatoes and basil tossed with oregano GSO « cream sauce over pappardelle | $6.99 Banquet Room and Catering Available Hours: Ilam - 3pm & Spm - 10pm Daily. Sat & Sun Open at ae 1440 South Foothill B 801-582-8600 is not a place (ea) fpetpel pel ele pel pel pel fel fel fel pele fel fel fel fed fed fe fe fe ped feeEEeaeeaerele Page5 _— a indomitable spirit.” He teaches day, six days a week. They teach chil- PEPE Sensei (great teacher), as Ueshiba came to be called, died in 1969 but ces a at hefner Prreny Tie eee aetna, ott oa students of O-Sense1, Young ran a dojo in Vermont before studying in Japan at Aikido World Headquarters. He established his Salt Lake dojo in 1993; its membership has since grown to 140 students. The mission statement of his dojo is to promote “a strong body, an open dojo, as rank beginners and black belts often practice together. When asked how long it took him to learn a . technique, Sensei particular Kuboyama cryptically replied “I have been practicing it for forty years, but I am sorry, I have not learned it yet.” Utah Aikikai teaches several classes a k American Morihei Ueshiba, was a faster of several martial arts disciplines such as Karate, Jujitsu, and Kendo (sword fighting) and was considered invincible. Late in his life he became troubled with the idea that winning a battle at another’s expense was not really winning at all. Meditating on this dilemma and deeply analyzing the mechanics of his martial arts, he developed the technique of Aikido which blended the best qualities of all of them. Through Aikido he achieved his goal of a method to divert harm from oneself without inflicting permanent injury to an aggressor. O- unique sense of humility in an Aikido tion. Studying under the late Terry Dobson, one of the few a fitness, bolsters your self-esteem and relationship skills, and improves:your performance in other sports, then Aikido is your answer. Originating in Japan in the 1940’ S, Aikido is a relatively new form, though it is based on centuries-old Samurai training. The founder, pS shit; I’d spent countless hours mimic- ne king Bruce Lee’s lethal nunchaku routine, and considered myself well a If, however, you aspire to learn an incredibly effective form of selfdefense that increases your physical icine aaa Try Tae Kwan Do, Karate, Kung Fu. rough-and-tumble world of martial arts. A typical Aikido class begins with warm-ups and stretching, the students facing the Sensei and mirroring his or her movements. The Sensei will then demonstrate a practice, choosing an uke (opponent) to attack him or her and to take the fall. The students then pair up, practicing both sides of the technique, while the sensei helps perfect the students form. There is a on the island of Kauai while visiting my parents. Eighteen years old, I was chock full of testosterone and bull- in the ATR statistic devastating as any other martial art. I witnessed my first Aikido class et age dance of sorts, the results can be as snc Poni performing airborne spinning kicks to multiple attackers like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris? Wouldn’t it feel good to know you could kick the stuffing out of anyone in the bar? If your answer is an unequivocal “Yes!” than Aikido (pronounced “Aye-key-doh”) is probably not the martial art for you. by Sensei Hugh etna hands? Have you always dreamed of fight. The main premise of Aikido is — to get close to your opponent, where you can most effectively blend with their movements and stay out of harms way. While many of these techniques appear to be a nonviolent a ikido: “Sipping tea in Are you itching to break bricks and cinder blocks with your bare eye ofa hurricane” |
