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.