Review: Puzzle Mats from WeSellMats.com

I recently got a bundle of puzzle mats from WeSellMats, and I'd like to share my impressions with my readers. (A relative placed the order on my behalf, so in this article, I say "we" at several appropriate points.)

First, for those unfamiliar with them, "puzzle mats" are floor mats that are made with interlocking edges, so that they resemble jigsaw puzzles. This allows for considerable versatility in covering all or part of a floor in mats, all firmly locked together, including oddly shaped floors, if need be... within the limit of the size of the individual tiles, of course. If one has different colors of tiles - of the same size and pattern, the colors can be arranged either for esthetic reasons or to mark out distinct areas for sparring, or the like.

Since a fair part of my solo practice includes ukemi rolling, I have wanted to get some mats for quite a while now (until now, I have practiced directly on the wood floor, much as in some of O-Sensei's early dojos - but even with that example, the thought of it makes some of my friends and mentors wince). So, from time to time, I have browsed a selection of martial arts and mat suppliers. A few weeks ago, therefore, I was pleased to find the Overstock section on the WeSellMats site, where the products are considerably discounted from regular prices.

I won't link to the particular product that we ordered, because although it still in stock as I write, who knows how long it will remain? However, if you're in the market for mats, it is certainly worthwhile to see if anything in the Overstock listings fits your needs. In any case, it is the product that is most important here, any discounts are merely a bonus.

The mats we got are blue, 3/8-inch thick EVA foam, and 1 square foot in area, each. This company normally sells their mats in bundles that will cover 24 square feet; in the package this size come in, they are in six squares of four tiles each. There are also edging pieces to provide a smooth edge, including corners. (These are their 'small' mats; the regular size mats are the same as these squares of four of the small size.)

Now, I was pleased and impressed with the mats immediately upon opening the shipping carton, all the more so considering their discounted price. They were precisely as advertised, and better than I had visualized. They suit my needs very well, cushioning the floor against either repeated rolls, or the occasional misjudgment and hard impact.

It is safe to say, I believe, that if a discounted shipment of the thinnest mat of this type that they sell is so pleasing, that the thicker varieties are just as good or better, and therefore worth the price. The company sells several thicker varieties, including 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch, with are both categorized as intended for martial arts use. A dojo or anyone taking throws would doubtless prefer one of those thicker and more heavy-duty mats. Of particular interest to dojos might be this special size consisting of 100 square feet of 3/4 mats, of 40"x40" tiles.

On that note, as a fairly short person, I find that this one bundle of 24 sq ft is quite nice. I would imagine that people who are significantly taller might feel a little constrained at that space, and might prefer using a larger number of mats. Similarly, if two people are practicing together, they may prefer more mats, though with care, it might do.

In short, I do firmly recommend the WeSellMats products, based on my experience with the particular variety we ordered. If even the thinnest variety they sell is so nice, I'm sure that the thicker and larger mats will be well worth the understandably more expensive prices, for those who may need or simply prefer them.  

Martial Arts of the Society for Creative Anachronism and the Family Tradition

Today's topic fills in an important part of my background. At this point, any reader who hasn't done so, should read the first post on this blog, entitled Introduction. My family's tradition of martial art interest and practice has two main sides - real life defensive and combat arts, and the martial arts that are part of the activities of the Society for Creative Anachronism. The SCA is an organization that in effect mixes historical education and recreation in the form of a massive, multi-generational role-playing game, with an active, dynamic culture and social structure. Among its many activities and elements are several types of martial art.

The most famous and popular of them is called 'heavy combat', and involves armed combat with simulated blade weapons (and a few other hand weapons like maces) made out of rattan and where needed padding, while wearing armor. In the SCA, rank can be earned through excellence in a variety of activities, but arguably the best and highest honors are earned through heavy combat, including - via tournaments - six-month terms as kings of the regional divisions of the SCA, aptly named 'Kingdoms' (after serving a reign, one has a permanent noble rank of Count or Earl, and after a second reign, Duke); and the rank of Knighthood, aka the Order of Chivalry.

The most common armaments for heavy combat are sword and shield, but many other weapons are also freqently seen: many varieties of swords, spears, other pole-arms, maces, and axes. Other martial arts in the SCA include archery and medieval Western styles of fencing. However, it is primarily heavy combat that is relevant to this blog. Combat archery is practiced in some places, wherein, for melees, archers shoot heavily-padded arrows at the fighters in the field.

When my father was in high school, he and his family heard about this new group called the SCA, put some effort into making the best costumes they could, and headed to their first SCA event. It was not long before my father and grandfather tried their hands at heavy combat, and discovered talents at it, so that in time, my grandfather had become a Count and my father a Duke. My father went on to train many others, and many of them in turn went on to achieve knighthood and noble rank. As one example, here is the website of an SCA household founded by one of my father's former "squires" (apprentice fighters, or "deshi' in Japanese terms). The history section on the homepage refers to my father (known in the SCA as "Akbar"); there is a brief page about their martial art activities.

Now, the significance of all this for us here is that my father attributes a significant part of his skill to principles learned in his time studying Aikido, and also particularly from Aiki Ken and Jo as given by Morihiro Saito Sensei in his seminal Traditional Aikido series of books. To be clear, what he did in the SCA was NOT Aikido - for one thing it certainly stands outside the pale of non-competition. Nevertheless, his understanding of handling of weapons, and of footwork and timing, etc. are unmistakably (and would be even if he hadn't said so) influenced by Aikido. Certain techniques he has used are recognizably adapted from standard waza. Meanwhile, the other major influence he cites is Miyamoto Musashi and his Go Rin no Sho (Book of Five Rings).

Since knights in the SCA have the particular qualification and privilege of formally training other fighters, as squires, (many fighters don't go that route, but many do) the effect, though not always realized as such, is to form martial art lineages, organized in households, thus roughly paralleling the many clan-based martial art lineages of pre-Meiji Japan. Since my father was an early knight and duke, there is a large and increasing body of lineages coming from his, which all, whether they know it or not, owe a debt to the Aikido Founder and to his deshi, Saito Sensei. When teaching me, even in SCA contexts, my father has generally included much more of the Aikido influence. For example, he made a point of teaching me a tachidori method at the start of one of our periods of SCA practice in my youth - it was something of a pleasant shock to discover several years ago that the Aikikai Hombu Dojo considers tachidori a type of technique suitable for testing for third-dan black belt, especially since that is one of the few definite Aikido techniques he taught me, aside from some of the suburi exercises. Much more usual was for him to point out Aiki principles inherent in things he taught me from all areas of life, martial art or otherwise, though he did teach me various preliminary basics and exercises. This was not oversight or neglect - he certainly had not, in his study of Aikido, reached a level qualifying him to safely teach taijutsu techniques; also there was no Aikido dojo available close enough in my childhood, so it was not possible to arrange training for me in one.

Our family stopped being active in the SCA before I was old enough to actually engage in heavy combat, and although there were several periods in which we started up some degree of that style of training, we never took it as far as becoming truly active again as fighters. Nevertheless, it forms an essential part of my background, and my family's, and is one aspect of our martial art tradition. It has generally been the only public face of our tradition, other than when we have been (or will be!) students elsewhere. There is clearer Aikido influence in our non-SCA practices - especially since I started to pay attention to and be attracted by it!

Germ of a Supplementary Training Method?

Several thoughts came together this afternoon, as I read this Aikido Journal post and watched the video clip therein. I hope my readers will take the few minutes needed to do the same. Stanley Pranin Sensei's main point, though, is that many Aikido practitioners all-too-often resort to brute force in order to make techniques work, rather than using aiki (which for the sake of simplicity, and the aspect that is relevant for this point, means using the attacker's energy - not our own - by absorbing, harnessing and redirecting it).

The problem, then, according to Pranin Sensei, and a number of other high-ranking Aikido instructors, (in a paraphrased and summarized form) is that in many cases, while people easily enough learn the motions of the Aikido techniques, it appears that many have difficulty with doing them in the way that is necessary to achieve aiki. This includes - again following the opinion of these eminent instructors - such major points as relaxation, and kuzushi, or putting the attacker or partner off-balance. I'm not going to elaborate on those points in this post, but if anyone needs more information to follow this, I suggest checking the Aikido Journal website and its archive of excellent articles.

Some of these instructors, including Pranin-Sensei, have been developing different methods of training to put more emphasis on how to do Aikido properly, without resorting to exerting power to force a result.

Now, the streams of thought that came together for me started with remembering the examples my father has always given me for seeing and using aiki principles in other kinds of actions and work in daily life, by which I mean effective and efficient use of balance and various, mainly physical, kinds of energy (ki) in the handling of different objects, primarily heavy ones. Just as importantly, he taught me to look for and recognize aiki principles in action around me (as well other concepts from other types of budo). An interesting and significant thing is that in some cases, there is little or not difference between these applications and core movements of some Aikido techniques - doubtless with more to be discovered with some focused research.

And then - I thought about the classic Karate Kid movie. I suspect and hope that most readers will at this point know exactly where I am headed with this! For the sake of others, I will explain that in the movie, a teacher of karatedo teaches his student several fundamental blocks, and conditions them into 'muscle memory', by having the student perform a number of very repetitive chores ("Wax On! Wax Off!") with specific motions.  

So, at the moment these thoughts merged together, I realized that there could be benefit in taking these applications of aiki principles with inanimate objects and adapting them as exercises that could be useful supplements to Aikido training. While some might correspond to actual and recognizable Aikido techniques, or portions of them, the really important thing would be the additional conditioning to using balance and energy without the additional tension found in working with a partner, and far more so in a true confrontation. It could only be a supplement to regular, traditional training, very secondary, but I see potential for it to be helpful to many.

This is something that must be properly worked out by qualified instructors. I most decidedly am not one such, however much I might hope to become one in the future. I can perhaps hope, at least, to be able to work in some capacity with those who might be interested, qualified, and able to put these things into practice properly.

This post is vague on details; that is conscious and deliberate, since this is just the beginning of an idea, and I've only just started thinking of it myself. I hope to expand on it soon enough, particularly if there is interest. Meanwhile I would of course be most interested to hear if similar ideas or even experiments have occurred elsewhere.

Mitori-geiko: Observation-training - eyes, videos, books

I'm inspired today by the common thought that "you can't learn martial arts from books" ... or even videos, according to some. Yet, most of us know well enough that there are vast numbers of martial arts books and video materials in the market, and they are usually written or made by, or else feature, highly-credentialed and often well-known expert teachers. Would they do this if it were useless?

That would be at best dishonorable to do, flying in the face of professional and martial integrity.So, let us presume that our respected teachers, seniors, comrades, etc. who have made books and videos do in fact believe that they are benefiting fellow martial artists with their works, and further, that they are correct, as is expected of experts.  At the same time, the "can't learn" dictum also comes from experienced people at times, and there is some truth there as well. So, let's try to understand and reconcile them, and then consider how these materials can be used effectively.

For me, the truth of this matter is apparent by looking at it from two sides. First, there is the truth that in order to learn to do something, we must practice doing it. And this is best done under the guidance of a teacher who can observe us and tell us how to avoid mistakes and do it better. Second, careful observation is also a valid way of training, under the right circumstances. We'll look a little more deeply at each one in turn.

Again, the way to learn to do something, or at least to do it well, is to practice doing it. The best way is with the help of a good teacher. Some would have us think that this is the only way. That is not true, since if it was, there would never been any innovation nor progress, and all martial arts would be identical - and far inferior to what we have today. Nevertheless, to learn it is far better - quicker and easier - with a good teacher helping us. With or without a teacher, though, we have to DO it in order to get better at it over time.

Next, we look deeper at mitori geiko, the Japanese term for training by intent observation. In short, this means learning by watching carefully what another does. It may be a teacher, or classmates, or especially in the case of duels and sporting competitions, observing the other party. If someone is injured and cannot physically practice, they can still benefit greatly by attending the dojo and doing mitori geiko.

In fact, one of the modes of traditional training, in which teachers don't explain, but simply demonstrate, and then have students try to emulate what they saw - often called "stealing the technique" uses mitori geiko followed by physical practice.

As I see it, using videos and books is really another form of this same mode of practice! In all cases, you pay attention to what you see, and then try to practice it, to duplicate the technique or exercise.

Still, the best way is to learn under a teacher who does explain and actively helps us to improve, rather than just hoping we'll manage to successfully "steal" the technique. The problem is that without active guidance, whether we are trying to copy an uncommunicative teacher, or a video, or a book, we can very easily miss crucial, but subtle points, or get into bad habits when we don't realize we are doing something wrong.

Now, bringing all these things together, mitori geiko of any sort, including using books, is far more useful and effective if you already have a foundation in actual practice. As such, I would say that, while it is not impossible to learn - as a beginner - from a book, it would be very hard, and the process would have many potential pitfalls. If, however, we have relevant experience and practice, then we can use the information to adjust what we have already learned and practiced.

For example, in my youth, I studied Tae Kwon Do for... perhaps a little under a year, earning several promotions. I have continued, over the years, to occasionally practice the poomse (Korean for 'kata' or forms) that I was taught in that time. Recently, I acquired a book giving one of the newer official sets of forms (the Tae Geuk), which my school did not use, at least not at that time - just before I had to stop going (due to an injury sustained elsewhere) there was talk of the school switching to a new system of poomse. In any case, although they are not the same, there is a strong overlap between the forms in this book, and those I learned years ago. As such, it is not a major leap for me to practice these "new' forms by carefully following the directions and paying close attention to the pictures. Even so, it would be far easier if I were to enroll in a dojang that uses the Tae Geuk forms and get proper instruction. However, if I were a beginner with no experience, it would be far harder to learn these forms from the book, and I would surely make far more mistakes.

In the end, it is again best to learn from a good teacher. If you can do that, do it! If you can't get a teacher, sometimes it is possible to observe classes. This depends on the art and the particular school. Aikido dojos tend to be very open to visitors; some other martial arts, especially certain very traditional ones, tend to be very closed and secretive, not allowing non-students to watch. If you can't watch instruction in person, then video materials are next in usefulness. Finally print materials, books, ebooks and magazines. Again all of these are much more effective if you have experience to build upon, if you already have some knowledge and practice.

And if you are an absolute beginner? It is truly best recommended to join a school or otherwise find a teacher, but if you must try to learn in one of these other ways, involving mitori geiko, I would offer these thoughts:  Observe not only the teacher (even if that be a book, etc.), but also, very intently, yourself, your body. Try to feel what you are doing, and to do it with care, attention and precision. No matter what the art, I would strongly recommend first of all carefully learning breakfalls and rolls; that way, you are less likely to be injured if you lose your balance or otherwise fall while practicing other techniques later, and certainly if you have or get a training partner. I've seen some good videos online on how to safely ease into rolls and breakfalls particularly made by practitioners of Aikido and the Russian art Systema. Go slowly, try to pay attention to any subtle differences due to variations in your stance, position and movements. Pay attention to balance and to your center, so that you can maintain balance. Along with this, pay close attention to footwork. And when your situation allows you to get a teacher, do it. ;)

As a proof that it can work, I've read of a number of Aikido dojos and clubs in the US that started with groups of friends training together from the few early books. This was particularly before there were more than a handful of teachers.

As a final note, current technology now allows for even personal instruction at a distance, to some degree, with the availability of video calling. A number of prominent martial artists, such as Stephen Hayes and Jet Li, have started online schools that allow for teachers to periodically evaluate students via video, and doubtless others will do likewise. This new option in training, in effect, combines training-by-teacher and training-by-observation. It will be most instructive to see if it is indeed viable and effective after some time has passed.

Online Martial Arts Shopping

This is a little outside my usual range of topics, but since it might help others...

I've spent a considerable amount of time over the past few days doing a lot of comparison pricing on a list of martial arts goods, and from this experience I've reached some general conclusions.

First, by and large, with the exceptions of either rare and scattered deep discounts, or high-end products, and taking into account shipping and handling fees, it seems that prices tend to be close, and to even out if you're in the market for a list of things. As such, this kind of intense shopping around is probably not really worthwhile most of the time.

It seems that many dojo websites are now affiliating with martial arts vendors, too, so that the dojo can sell what is needed to their students without managing their own store and stock. (Several suppliers seem to have affiliate programs of this sort - Century seems to be everywhere, while high-end supplier Tozando also has a similar program.  If you belong to a dojo that participates in such a program, it would be worthy to use its site unless there is a compelling reason not to.

Also important, if you belong to a dojo (or otherwise have an instructor) and you are shopping for things to wear or use in that dojo, it is very wise to consult with the instructor on any preferences, or even just for advice.

If your dojo has no such program, on a similar principle, unless there is a significant reason not to (huge difference in price, for example) it's a good idea to buy local. Interestingly enough one item I am interested in is cheapest (aside from a sold out clearance sale by one supplier who was discontinuing the item) at one of the stores here in New York City, where as a general rule prices are higher than in most other parts of the USA. So, even here, buying local can be a savings.

On the other hand, if you do want or need to do comparison shopping online, it's important to make the effort of adding everything together, AND any shipping and any other fees. Also, in many cases, you'll see a basic price in a listing for an item, but the actual price for an item may be higher for different details, such as size or color, so make sure you check the options you want and get the full price for the exact version you want. Some sites have flat rate prices, but others will have those variations I just described. Some sites will automatically calculate the correct price from your chosen options and show it on the page, others will have a note in the drop-down menus for choosing the options telling you what the additional cost is, which you have to add to the base price yourself.

Always check the size charts, since there is some variation between different manufacturers ... aside from there being some different size systems from different countries that you may encounter. Also check any customer reviews, as I found several sites where customers consistently recommending ordering a size higher than indicated by the chart, either because the fit was tighter than expected, or because (in the case of cotton garments) they might shrink in the wash when first laundered.

Finally, to repeat my main bit of advice from this week of price-shopping - I have my doubts if doing this will be worthwhile most of the time. If you don't have a source through your dojo, then find either a local business if possible (if they carry what you're specifically looking for) or a trustworthy online business that has the items you need... it is not likely that price differences will add up to any greatly substantial difference. However, if your budget is very tight, you may luck out if you browse around for closeouts and clearances.

Readers are welcome to comment with any additional tips, or questions.

Historic First Shodan Demonstration at Shugyo Aikido

I would like to share with you this video of a historic ranking at the Shugyo Aikido Dojo

Shodan Embu (Demonstration)

There are several reasons this video is significant and interesting. Personally, I find dan ranking demonstrations to be among the most interesting of video materials on Aikido. While instructional videos may be of more immediate practical use, especially for the beginner, demonstrations or tests for dan ranks are chances to see the art as practiced by people with proven experience.  As my earlier article on the meanings of the belts explains: the kyu-grades (colored or white belts depending on the school) are those of novice students who are still learning the basic, standard range of techniques, while dan-ranks starting with the first  (shodan) are those of experienced and dedicated students who are able to practice the art as a whole, and who are presumably working toward and achieving mastery. In short, those who have achieved a dan ranking (black belt), know enough to be able to train at a more mature level of art.  So, out of the numerous dan-testings that we can easily find online, why is this one significant enough to be singled out?

First, it records a historic occasion: the first shodan to be earned and awarded in the new, independent style named Shugyo Aikido. It includes the presentation of Shodan certificate number 1!  In addition, there are certain aspects of the student’s performance and how he got there that are particularly commendable, and which are inspiring to me, and perhaps to others. I’ll elaborate on these points.

This video clip, again, shows the first dan-ranking within this new style or branch of Aikido. Naturally, readers will be curious as to why there should even be another new style in the first place. My opinion is that one of the strengths and glories of Aikido is its sheer versatility: it can be beneficially trained in a great variety of ways, for different reasons and with corresponding different results. Even training styles that are sometimes derided as ‘aiki-bunny’ deserve more respect: they serve their purpose well for those who choose to train that way. There is nothing wrong with it, provided those aikidoka do not expect the same results as might be found from training in other styles with other emphases. And even at that, the Founder of Aikido, and many other later teachers, insist that the true value lies in strong mastery of the basics – and the significant basics are widely shared among styles, ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ alike.

This particular new style was, as I understand it, created to incorporate within its training regimen, elements that most schools of Aikido shun. I am not a student - at this time - nor a representative of Shugyo Aikido, so these interpretations are my own, and may or may not reflect the views of the style’s founder, James Neiman. 

The main difference is that students of Shugyo Aikido learn fighting techniques drawn from other arts alongside the standard Aikido core; because of this, Neiman Sensei calls it a ‘Mixed Martial Art’, though its name accurately indicates that Aikido is the core and framework of the art he teachers.   This kind of thing is taken as very controversial at best by many Aikidoka. While I can see and understand their point, I also see and understand Neiman Sensei’s point and choices. And I believe that the versatility I mentioned earlier allows for even such sharp differences, provided that Aikido and all that It means is not lost sight of.

One important truth that I see in Neiman Sensei’s way of teaching is that it compensates for a crucial difference between early Aikido and its present general traits and practices. Namely, in the early days of Aikido, students had to be recommended to the Founder, and many of them were already accomplished martial artists in other schools, and in some cases are said to have been sent by their teacher to Founder Morihei Ueshiba for advanced training. I repeat, advanced training. In later years, the Founder’s son Kisshomaru Ueshiba Sensei took steps to open Aikido to a wider audience, and this meant that many students start with no background in martial arts, and mainstream Aikido teaches only the pure Aikido.

Therefore, some teachers, including Neiman Sensei, choose to supplement Aikido with techniques from other arts, giving their students a wider range of basic physical skills. On a pragmatic level, this can be very important for those who may face self-defense or other combat situations.

This should not be misunderstood!  People have saved their own lives with basics as simple as Aikido’s standard ready stance, which looks attentive and confident, but not threatening nor aggressive; or basic footwork with which one can sidestep attempted punches. The Founder himself won a duel in which he was unarmed, against a swordsman, by simply avoiding every cut until the expert swordsman admitted he was outclassed. This does not even require lengthy training; Nev Sagiba Sensei tells a story in one of his articles of someone who took a single class from him before life circumstances forced him to stop – that lone class focused on footwork, and within a few days after that class, the one-class student was attacked by a large, belligerent drunk at a party, and neatly avoided each punch with this single skill he had learned in a hour or so of practice. Respect the basics!

Despite that great potential in Aikido in and of itself, some modern-day Aikidoka do practice and teach elements from other arts, and they do indeed have good reasons. This should be seen as a personal choice – there is neither cause nor right to condemn either ‘pure’ or ‘mixed’ Aikido. Consider, too, that the Founder himself studied several arts before and in the course of developing and refining his Aikido. He also taught a wide variety of people with very different needs, ranging from military, intelligence and police personnel to dancers. (Yes, actual dancers – there are photos of the Founder instructing classes of Japanese dancers in formal kimonos, so even those who do Aikido like a dance really shouldn’t be criticized – but all students should be aware of how they are training, and be sure that it is the kind of training they actually want and need.) A final point here is that many aikidoka practice cross-training, by also studying other arts at other dojos. The Shugyo Aikido method appears to simply bring, in effect, cross-training into the aikidojo.

 Now, on to the more personal side of my interest in this video – senior student Neil Remolar sets a very nice example in sheer dedication and attentiveness to his study of Shugyo Aikido, resulting in rapid progress and unusually quick attainment of the Shodan degree. As Neiman Sensei explains during the promotion ceremony after the demonstration, a student practicing at the normal rate should earn Shodan in about five years, but through his dedication and extended and intense training, Neil was able to fulfill all the requirements of in about one and a half years. This is an extraordinary achievement.  Alongside earning the shodan degree, he successfully worked towards the requirements of becoming a Senior Instructor of Shugyo Aikido.  His example should be inspirational even to the many who for whatever reason cannot do the same. He did this, as I understand it, with intensive training as often and as much as his life allowed, under the close personal guidance of Neiman Sensei. He would have been an uchi-deshi (live-in disciple, traditional-type apprentice) if their circumstances allowed, but Neiman Sensei arranged a program of instruction and other activities to keep him well-rounded that came as close as possible to the uchi-deshi experience, and having similar effect. All this came at Remolar-san’s own request – which he followed through on, successfully reaching this milestone.  

Furthermore, life threw at him a special obstacle in the form of a respiratory illness; he could no doubt have postponed his demonstration, and even in the course of it was offered the option to opt out of certain portions of the demonstration because of the illness, but he chose to press on with the entire program as planned.  This is not surprising given the force of character and will that got him there so quickly in the first place. In harsh reality, we can’t choose when we may need to engage with a hostile attack, so it is good for a martial artist to be able to act as needed even if distinctly unwell. An enemy, unless possessed of a chivalry rarely seen these days, would only take advantage of illness. Nevertheless, in practice, many choose not to practice when unhealthy, on the reasonable grounds that it can be much more dangerous. Neither choice is bad or wrong, but it is inspirational to see someone take the harder road in search of better gain.

Another aspect to this accomplishment is to the credit of Neiman Sensei and his teaching methods. In contrast to many schools that hold testings infrequently on a set schedule, and in many cases seem to even discourage students from focusing on advancement in the art, Neiman Sensei allows student to advance in rank as they meet the curriculum requirements. Thus, they aren’t held back solely because of an arbitrary schedule, and their actual advancement in knowledge and skill is acknowledged as the milestones are reached. To be complete and fair, those teachers who test rarely have their reasons, which some of them have explained in interviews, articles or books. Some have said they want to be sure the students have patience, or aren’t rushing ahead solely out of a belt-collecting ego-trip, etc., and some have pointed that many Westerners misunderstand the meaning and significance of a black belt, in particular inflating its meaning, making them over-confident upon achieving their first black belt – so that forcing a longer training time before it is achieved will result in that much less “over’’ in their confidence. Thus, there are pros and cons to each method; it seems wise for teachers and students (some of whom will be future teachers) to know about different possible teaching methods and to carefully consider those pros and cons.

Going back to Neil’s demonstration, let’s not forget that, whether we call it “mixed martial art” or “cross-training” or something else, the effect of the curriculum means that a shodan in his art of Shugyo Aikido is considered to have learned and demonstrated competence in the important basics of not one, but a whole range of martial arts with different emphases,  bringing a variety of skills, and a state of well-roundedness, to students. And is this not an ideal demonstrated by a number of the best widely known martial artists, ranging from Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei, to Bruce Lee, to Jet Li, and many others with less fame?

So, let us congratulate Neil Remolar on attaining the first shodan in the independent style of Shugyo Aikido! I look forward to seeing his future progress, as well as other students in their art who will follow in his footsteps in due course.