Ny Aikido virkelighet i Stavanger

Etter det jeg vet så har det vært flere dojoer iStavanger, men det hadde ikke blitt etablert ett stabiltAikidomiljø? Men det virker som om i de siste årene er etablert seget fast miljø?
Bob: This is a long story. Starting at the age of10 with being sent to Judo classes for discipline and coordination.50 years later I’m still trying, but that is the nice thing aboutAikido – there is always the quest for understanding the manychallenges to mind and body within our techniques.
Back to the story. lliving in Southern England Itrained in Judo and then Karate in local clubs up until leaving forUniversity in Brighton. There I was introduced to the world ofAikido in 1969, attracted initially because of the use of weapons.Due to early development of Aikido in UK at the time, choice oftraining was limited and I learnt and practiced Tomiki aikidogaining Shodan in 1978.(Professor Kenji Tomiki obtained 8th Danfrom ”O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba and later developedan Aikido formthat concentrates on fixed Koryo-no- Kata and Randoricompetition.). During this period Aikikaialso developed in Brighton under Kanetsuka Minoru Shihan and thisintroduced me into the world of Hombu dojo Aikiai . However, duringmid 80’s to 1996, Tomiki Aikido system and weapon trainingdominated for me. The martial arts of Iaido and Jodo were practicedtogether with Aikido in Seminars and clubs throughtout southernEngland. In particular, I was a founder member and instructor ofthe ‘Yawara’ Aikido dojo in London under the guidance of Dr LoiLee.
During this period studying under sensei Hideo Oba,Takashi Inoue, Tetsuro Nariyama, and Fumiaki Shishida.I was alsoinvolved at a national and international level with the competitionside of Tomiki aikido within the JAA and Europeanassociations.
Then came the big change – In 1996 I moved toNorway full time based in Stavanger. To my surprise no one hadheard of my Aikido, but there was one Aikikai club running withconnection to aikikan federation and this marked my return to thetrue path. Unfortunately within a couple of years the club closeddue to instructors leaving the area. So rather than no Aikido Istarted my own dojo in 2000 within a local sport club called’Stavanger Aikido at KI’ . Due to the lack of Aikidoka inStavanger, this was based on soft Tomiki Kata and no competition tointroduce beginners into the world of Aikido together with basicelements from the older style of Aikikai practiced inBrighton.
In 2004 Patrick returned to Stavanger and togetherwe re-opened an Aikikai Aikido school in addition, however due tolack of local support and minimal students the school could not besustained and closed in In 2005.

Og så flyttet Andrea tilStavanger, fra Oslo?

Bob: I met Andrea in 2006 on his arrival in Stavanger. Through hisenthusiasm and will to travel away to seminars, I have been able toexpand into the world of Aikido in Norway and shared the mat withmany fine Aikidoka here in norway .
Andrea: After living for about 7 years in Trondheim, I movedto Oslo looking for more work experience. The date of the movingwas quite special: I traveled from Trondheim to Stockholm forChristian Tissier sensei seminar at Vanadis dojo, with a hugebackpack and bokken/jo, because my flight “back” had Oslo as finaldestination! The Monday after my first experience with Tissiersensei (april 2004) I started my work experience in Oslo. InTrondheim I lived excellent Aikido years, meeting people that bynow are among my best friends. I learnt Norwegian (not enough itseems!) on the mats.. better than any boring language course. And Ibrought to Oslo, together with my luggage, my 1.kyu Aikikai fromTekisuikan NTNUI dojo, and the Aikido “style” that for many yearshas been a sort of trademark for Trondheim: a quite nice ukemi, avery open mind, a good knowledge of all the techniques and.. anextensive messiness in performing them!!!
In Oslo I joined Oslo Aikido dojo, since two of my bestfriends from Trondheim, Karsten Sørbye and Pedram Bagheri, were inthat club and Erik Vanem’s Aikido and way to improve and practiceAikido have always been the best for myself. In Oslo I could share quite a few “adventures” of Oslo Aikidodojo, when we lost the first training place, when we practiced forone summer in a park, next finding the new place and basicallytransforming into the dojo that is now. I met and practiced withgreat people and experience first hand the growth of both theAikido family and the real families of the people practicing in thedojo.
I can say that in my 2 years in Oslo my Aikido really improvefrom a deep technical point of view, combining the great practiceat Oslo Aikido with the many trips I took both in Norway andespecially abroad for practice.
During these 2 years, my Aikido reference expanded also fromKanetsuka sensei, with whom I graded to shodan in 2005 (the bestgraduation ever for myself, and according to friends watching, oneof the best they had ever seen, where the evaluation was not basednot only on a syllabus every shodan should know by heart butespecially on the ability in facing new things from an Aikido pointof view). In Oslo years I had a chance to travel a lot to EndoSeishiro sensei, Christian Tissier sensei seminars, and takingadvantage of the extremely high level Aikido present in Oslo andStockholm.
But then, in 2006, I moved to Stavanger, again for workreasons. I joined at once the local Aikido club, Tomiki ShodokanAikido and the main instructor, Bob Johnson, patiently taught methe basics of Tomiki Aikido never forcing me to forget my Aikikaiway. And in some way I brought him closer to the aikido I lovetraveling together to some Endo sensei and Tissier sensei seminars.Furthermore, toether we went also to the summer schools of both NAF(Brandbu) and Aikikan (Moelv): it represented a sort of “comingout” for Aikido in Stavanger, even if Aikikan people had profoundroots here, roots that needed anyway to be watered a bit,refreshed!
And next, Bob always supported me when I organized two smallseminars with Jørgen Nyhus (Grenland Aikido) and Erik Vanem, bothmy previous instructors and inspirations. And he still supportedwhen together we organize the coming seminar with Ulli Kubetzek,5th dan Aikikai (25-26 Oct.2008).
Fra seminaret med Erik Vanem, Andrea til venstre for O´Senseibildet og Bob til høyre.
Så dere samarbeidet bra, og miljøet vokste, men derevar missfornøyd med lokalene?
Andrea: The environment in our previous location was neverideal for a martial art club: the place is basically a music-basedaerobics kick-boxing center, where most of the classes are (loud)music based and there is no real division between the trainingareas.
Investment for a more dojo solution had been promised, manytimes, but nothing was never done, and the last year the situationbecame worse when our training area was occupied even during ourclasses by people stretching or warming up for earlier and latersessions. And the word “respect” seemed to be unknown especiallyfor the young ones attending some of the more funny, acrobatic andless martial classes.
So we needed a new place, since we were losing members becauseof this situation.
Begynte dere å lete etter nye lokaler? Eller hvaskjedde?
Andrea: The bad situation was not affecting only Aikidoclasses, but also other activities pushing one of the instructor toinvest for realizing his own dream: to own his dojo. So HanspetterPettersen MMA instructor, started this project with keen support from Bob and myself. We were involved in matand dojo layout and together with Hanspetter wanted to create aBudo atmosphere.
Hvordan er de nye lokalene, og hvordan trivesdere?
Andrea: The new dojo is in the big red building (the oldrubber factory) under the town bridge, right by the Kjelveneskating park. The address is: Harald Hårfagres Gate 15. Thelocation is great, being easy to reach by foot, car or bus. Thehigh ceiling in the dojo allows bokken and jo practice (in thefuture we hope maybe to start practicing again Iaido and Jodo, acommon passion for both Bob and I).Den store røde bygningen.
Hvordan har treningene vært i de nyelokalene?
Andrea: Considering that is a “new born” project and we areall learning on the way, we cannot complain for the training area,the mats are very good, much better than before, especially for theknees and toes.
We got quite good training times,. covering all week days, atan acceptable price.
Jeg forstår det slik at dere nå viltrene Aikikai Aikido, og du vil værehovedinstruktør?
Andrea: Bob and me together decided that the new club should beAikikai, in order to get closer to the main “Norwegian” style andorientation of the federations (NAF and Aikikan). Being myself1.dan Aikikai with all my Aikido background coming from this style,I am the main instructor and technical adviser for the club and Bobis instructor and board leader. We are going to practice and teachAikikai Hombu dojo basics. And Bob, who is actually graded intoAikikai system too, is going to refresh those basics and teach themtoo!
Furthermore, since we maintained the core group from ourprevious location and it would be stupid to cancel more than 40years of Tomiki Aikido experience for Bob, we will always have oneadvanced Tomiki Shodokan Aikido class, open only to the people Boband me think are enough advance to not mix the basics. After acertain level I saw myself that Aikikai and Tomiki style have a lotin common, and the combination of some elements of the two style isan improvement.. for both styles.. but this is maybe topic foranother issue! 🙂
Så forholdet mellom deg og Bob er fortsattstrålende?
Andrea: I think so 😉
I am not an easy person, but Bob is, thanks God, much moremature than me and with more patience.
Dere har funnet et nytt navn på dojoen, kan du ikke silitt om meninga bak JūShinKan?
Andrea: Bob from his experience in judo, 柔道 ( じゅうどう, jūdō) andTomiki Aikido is very fond of the term yawara, やわら, that is thekun-reading of the kanji 柔 [jū]. Also Inaba sensei at the Kashimaseminar in Norway used this word a lot!
In a way our experience here in Stavanger has been based onbeing open minded, and it is the same spirit my closer teachershave always transmitted to me…
Therefore the name is: 柔心館 – Jū Shin Kan and the kanji wechoose are:
柔: -ジュウ [jū], やわ(ら) [yawa(ra)] – tender; weakness; gentleness;softness
心: シン [shin], こころ [kokoro] – heart; mind; spirit
館: カン [kan], やかた [yakata] – building; mansion; large building;palace.. intended as school..
“Jū Shin Kan” then means “Soft (flexible) heart (spirit)school”, converging toward the feeling I receive from EndoSesishiro sensei practice.
For more information:
Aikido.no ønsker dere lykke til videre, og håper atAikido-miljøet virkelig slår rot i Stavanger. Det fortjenerdere.
Andrea: Thanks with that and we hope we will receive visitfrom many other Aikidokas from all over the country!
Our target is keeping an alive environment and trying toorganize seminars with instructors maybe not too well known inNorway but great people we had a chance to meet and know during ourtrips to seminars especially abroad.
So, if you are in Stavanger for work or vaccation, just visitus: visitors at practice are not charged anything! This is ourpolicy, a bit more “American” dojo style!
Welcome to Stavanger Jūushinkan Aikido!

For redaksjonen: Erlend Hove Lillebø
Bilder: Andrea Raviglione

September 2008

Share on Facebook