Over the past weekend, John Riggs Sensei, John Couch, Lan Powers, Corey Madrid, Brandon and myself all went to Houston, Texas to visit Jorge Garcia at his dojo and to see and work with Hiroshi Kato, Shihan. A "Shihan" is a master instructor in the martial arts, and boy... is he ever!
At the ripe young age of 72, Kato Shihan is well known for climbing Mt. Fuji twice every year, traveling the globe teaching aikido and for picking up and throwing people around like ragdolls. It's incredible! Very much unlike anything I have ever seen, this man will very calmly and in a relaxed manner re-direct an attacker in such a way as to throw them upwards of six to eight feet away.
For those of you unfamiliar with aikido, I'm sure this is all boring as hell and unbelievable. But then again, that is the purpose of my little bullhorn (blog): to make you aware!
Aikido is the Way of Harmony. Harmony with many different things and on various different levels. It is something that needs to be seen and experienced in order for it to be understood.
Aikido is self defense. Aikido is problem solving. Aikido is a means to resolve conflict, both physical and psychological. Once you have delved into the finer points of the philosophy behind aikido, it can really open your eyes to the world around you and give you a confidence unlike anything you've known before. I've been training in this art for almost four years now and it never ceases to amaze me.
Check out www.aikiweb.com or my instructor's website at: http://members.cox.net/aikidoc1/home.htm
Men, women and children of all age groups stand to learn a lot about something that is more than "self defense." It truly is a way of life.
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