Philippe Gouttard will be back in Dublin on March 13th & 14th 2010
Start Time:
Saturday, 13 March 2010 at 11:00
End Time:
Sunday, 14 March 2010 at 12:30
Location:
Dublin City University Sports Complex's minor hall
Seminar with Cyril Lagrasta Saturday April 24th
Start Time:
Saturday, 24 April 2010 at 10.30 am
End Time:
Saturday, 24 April 2010 at 3pm
Location:
Foley Street - large dojo 175m2
We are glad to present to you the brand new version of the DAA website. It contains all the resources that made the old website, a must see for anyone, member or friend of the DAA, but we've pumped up the engine to make it a real portal for all the Aikido community in Ireland and beyond. If you wish to help us and contribute to the content of this website, please find all the information here.
The Dublin Aikikai is absolutely delighted to announce that a new branch dojo will soon open in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the creation of its new website.
I felt a bit like a pilgrim arriving at the destination of her pilgrimage when I made my way to the Aikikai Hombu Dojo on a Monday morning in September 2009. It was very early on that Monday morning, as the class that I had chosen to attend was scheduled to start at 7.00am.
Olivier Gaurin is a scholar of Aikido, author of several books on Aikido as well as historical fictions set in medieval Japan. Concerned about a drift of our art towards the sport, he reminds us about the cultural aspects that are an intrinsic part of Aikido. Having lived in Japan for over 20 years, he has immersed himself into the ancestral culture of his country of adoption and shares his thoughts on how 21st century Aikidoka should apprehend their practice.
This article is the first of a series written by Cyril Lagrasta, head instructor of the Dublin Aikikai Aikido. It is a great opportunity for all of us to complete our understanding of his teaching on the mat with more in depth concepts and personal reflections. The first of this series deals with the different processes of learning Aikido, in particular, the differences between a dynamic and static pedagogy.
Please accept my apologizes for the voluntarily provocative title but I think it sums up well what a little research on the word Budo can teach you. The word Budo is now ubiquitous in the popular culture and it is safe to say that along with sushi, karaoke, bonsai and manga, it figures amongst the most successful exports of the Japanese culture. It is however one of the most misunderstood of all. Today I would like to provide some clues on what Budo is really about. I will first try to explain the origins of the word and then, discuss their implications on nowadays practice.
I first thought of writing something on this theme after realising that contrary to what I thought initially, there were some interesting differences in the way my techniques were performed and intended according to whether I was demonstrating them as a teacher, or performing them as a student. Of course, for the experiment to be meaningful, these techniques had to be applied on the same partners each time. What struck me most is that the sensation was totally different according to the status I was assuming on the tatami.
The beginning the month of May saw the realisation of a very old dream of mine. As far as I can remember, I have always been interested in Asian countries, in particular Japan, and always had the wish to travel there. The way things turned up, it ended up happening much later than I had hoped, at the age of 27 and after 12 years practicing Aikido. In fact, things happened quite quickly and without me giving it much thought. A group of students from the Dublin Aikikai Aikido, led by Cyril Lagrasta had been plotting a trip to the Aikikai for some time and quite spontaneously, I ended up buying myself a ticket along with them, never mind my PhD thesis that I was supposed to be working hard at completing.
This article is the first of our series written by DAA members. Many thanks to Carol, from Foley street dojo who is leading the way. Don't hesitate to submit your own articles for everybody to enjoy. All info on how to do this is available here.
The literary connections between Ireland and Japan seem few and far between. Yet Ireland produced one of Japan's strangest literary curios in the shape of Yakumo Koizumi (小泉八雲), aka Lafcadio Hearn, journalist and folklorist.
The Dublin Aikikai is absolutely delighted to announce that a new branch dojo will soon open in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the creation of its new website.
I felt a bit like a pilgrim arriving at the destination of her pilgrimage when I made my way to the Aikikai Hombu Dojo on a Monday morning in September 2009. It was very early on that Monday morning, as the class that I had chosen to attend was scheduled to start at 7.00am.
This article is the first of a series written by Cyril Lagrasta, head instructor of the Dublin Aikikai Aikido. It is a great opportunity for all of us to complete our understanding of his teaching on the mat with more in depth concepts and personal reflections. The first of this series deals with the different processes of learning Aikido, in particular, the differences between a dynamic and static pedagogy.
