TenshinkoiHeodquorters lUestminster,Colifornio, U.S.R * lssue#5 * Spring93

z': :.:.:.:: :...: :.:-....:.:':.!t?

l ..'. -'. '.....'.....:.Jlfn'l:::W.'9|lifick,t ,..'.'i.'i...:ii:....i....l...... ,i...ii,.i....t,it:...Ngta:.'WCntlibX'':....l,l'..,,,'...,.''..,,.,...... :...... :l::.::::::;l.::.:...... :.ll::::::l..r :.....:.''...'...',..'.,.,.,:,.'....'.,...,.RiChaid....El..:.Sfnith.,...,...... ''',,...,.'.'..'...... :.''...

The 24th commernorationin Memory of O'SenseiMorihei Ueshiba (1983 r L969) EDITOR'S NOTE: 1993Internatlonal Martial Arts Festival Thetestival will be held on the 21st and Ailcido Insights welcome its readers. 22nd of May, 1993 at the Shera- ton UniversalHotel, in UniversalCity. In this issueyou will read about the PhongSens ai and Tenshinkai N kido Federationhave thehonor to par- Commemoration of O'S e ns ei p as s ing ticipatein thisgrand event. Phong sensei will give a demonstrationwith a group the SilverAnniversary of Tenshinkai of studentson theevening of the 21 st. on saturdaythe 22nd, phong senseiwill Ailcido Federationand Ailcido train- givea two-hourseminar. ing. Othernoted rnasfers include WallyJay, toth Dan, SmaltCircte Jujitsu; KarlMan,9th Dan,Keichu-Ryu Karate; John Williams,qth Dan,Shinto- Ryu Nki Dang ThongPhong Sensei opens this Juiitsu;Wai Ming Chau,lnheritor and Prof.; PegW Chau, Situ,Wu Mui KungFu issue by sharing his reflection of and many otherswill participate. O'Senseiduringhistrip to theHombu Thereis a specialrate for Tenshinkaimembers. If you are interested, Dojo in lapan in 1967. pleasecontact Phong sensei tor advanceregistration before May 10th.,1993.

N. Ho follows Sensei'sarticle with his reportof the SilverAnniversary Cele- My SecondFamily bration of TenshinkaL By Mai Chi Hong, 8yrs.old Twoyears ago I wentto seemy cousins Insteadof practicingtechniques with the Hoa Na,veru,DanelTantorl BethHall, practiceAikido. lt lookedfun. I wenthome adults,my brother,his friendand I prac- BruceMacLeod Alqander MacLeo{ andthought about it. Then I askedmy mom ticedwith the"sticks". I wasthe onlygirl Genevieve MacLeod share their permissionto jointhe Budo Center. there.I feltvery speciall My Sensei is very memories and impressions of the niceand smail. He teaches really well too. Onthe first day I wasscared and lonely. I anniversaryevent. Sometimehe playswith us. My Sensei's didn'tknow anybody. There were lots of nameis DangThong Phong. people,both American and Vietnamese. Finally, Mai Chi Hong Robin Sarac, Twoweek later I metLynn. She is niceand A boyin myclass, name David, who wears Gary Welbomand QuangHai Nguyen helpedme get used to beingwith people I glasses,told methat he livesin Anaheim have written about: Foundation of didn'tknow. I havefour newfriends that are butlthought he said "Bannahim." Helives in nicetoo. Technt4u€,and the Budo Centeras OrangeCounty. My SecondFamily. Theexercise is fun but sometimes difficult. Onemonth after I startedin , my dad Afterthe warm-up exercises the rolling and joinedin. He practices with my brother and Ailcido Instghts staff warmly thanl

As you continueto learn and growin Aikido, we would appreciatehearing from your experiences.Your articles cAnbe sentto Aikido Insights.

It'sspring time again!Aikido Insights wishesyou the bestof the season.

Jim Wenrick AFew Dayswith O'SENSEIMORIHEI UESHIBA By SenseiDang ThongPhong On thisverydaytwenty-fouryears ago in on the mat,seeing the diligenceand as- 1969,O'Sensei ,founder siduity of Doshu KisshomaruI wasen- of Aikido left his disciplesfor eternity. couragedto train veryhard. Also, I made Until now and forever,O'sensei will live everyeffortto go to the dojo nvicea day. gloriouslyin our hearts,and in my heart as a bright exampleof learning.He ex- The secondday as we were doing exer- celledin the art ofself-defense,aswell as cises,myblack belt companionsuddenly beinga proponentof a martial art phi- madea bow. Under the dojo custom,it losophyserving peace, private and pub- meantthat hewas either too tired or for lic welfare. some other reasoncould not go on. I looked around and saw that everyone I arrived at Hombu Dojo on November wassitting down.And to my great sur- L7th, 1967at 4:00 pm. Becauseof the prise, I saw O'SenceiMorihei Ueshiba Flowever, I could comprehend him geographiclatitude, Tokyo was almost cominginto the dojo. through his demonstration of throun, nvilight at 4:00pm. Lightswere on in the and I wasable to deducethe theories. streets,bright white here, red there. It Hewasover eightyyears old. At that a5e, was colder in than in Vietnam, O'Senseihad the appearanceof all aged All the techniquestaught by O'Sensei making me ill at easeof an isolatedfor- men, with wrinkles and hollow cheeks. required "Ki". To combine theory and eignvisitor on the streetsat dusk. But therewas a profounddifference be- technigue,the black belt made a step tweenhim andother teachersI hadmet. fonrard to grasp O'Sensei.In the nn'in- However, I felt a gteat warmth when I The differenceconsisted of O'Senseiex- kling of an €I€, the blackbelt studentfell enteredthe Aikido Headquartersbuild- traordinarypoiler andfor@. It is a strength on his back.Time after time, he roseup ing. I was received by a woman from I could not believeexisted if I had not and attackedO'Sensei. Each time the California,to whom I introducedmyself seenwith my own eyes. attackwas neutralized. andafter someconversation, learned that shewas the editor of their qrumerlyneun- O'Senseiwaved his arm to the right, and EventhoughI alreadyknew that O'Sensei paper"Aikido'. Shewasundergoing train- a black belt studentimmediately stood was an expert at defending himself. ing everyday and held a seconddegree up andmadeabow. Hebegan his lecture Nevertheless,to watch a strong young blackbelt. in Japanese.I understoodnothing. man attackinga very old man mademe feeluneasy. To myam azement,O'sensei Half an hour later, I wasreceived by Mr. KisshomaruUeshiba, son of O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba.When hewasinformed of my desire to see the dojo, he was greatlypleased. I took that occasionto askpermission to train at the dojo.

The next d.y, I arrived at the dojo at F(o o) 6:00amand spent half an hour doing F calesthenticsto warm up my muscles. o Aftenvards, came to ct, a senior member F\. o greetme and the trainingbegan. As I sit cn writing, I canstill seeclearly the "shiho- o, c nage"movements. Thewrist of my part- o c ner wasso thick that I could only lvrap a- my fingershalf way around it. B^ c o \ The morningpractices lasted two hours, o lha and I had alreadybeen weakened by two o rhf o weeksstay in Korea,because of the unfa- q miliar climate,drink andfood. But back a- madesome throun which madethe opponentfall without touching I arrived at the Aikido World Headquartersfirst as an him. No one would suspectthat his inner force was so strong.I individual havingthe honor of returning to the mother thought that his body must conform to the lawsof nature. schoolto be trainedand apply for the third degreeblack belt examination.Second as a representativeof Aikido Vietnail, I presenteda photo of all themembersof the Aikido dojosin Vietnam. He looke,dat it and raisedit over his headfor everyoneto see. Then O'Senseispoke with his eyeshalf closed. It seemedthat he waspraylng for the peaceof Vietnam and the world.

Time elapsedquickly. It wason my fourteenthday and I was allowed to take the examinationfor third dan by KisshomaraUeshiba.

Fifteenminutes had passed. Iwas on the edgeof exhaus- tion--tootired by havingto matchpartners several times strongerand taller than myself.

Aftenpards,I wasinvited to havelunch with the staff of the Aikido newspaper.In a cordial atmospherethey Kisshomaru lJeshibademonstration Doshu askedme about the expansionof Aikido in Vietnamand Photo takenbY Phong Sensei (1967) aboutmy personalimpression of Japan.

Beforeleaving Japan, I attendedan Aikido exhibitionby O'SenseiMorihei Ueshiba,Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Senseis of the Hombu Dojo, In attendantwere several hundred balck belt studentsfrom various universitiesin Japan. O'Senseiperformed during this exhibition,using only a fan to fight againstdaggers and swords of his opponents.

At the endof the demonstration,I bid farewellto O'Sensei, the Fatherof Aikido. He warmly advisedme and other Aikido disciplesto wholeheartedly develop ourselves in one spirit of mutual assistanceand peace.

I rememberO'Sensei, his goldenwords, and the taskI havetaken upon myselfto dedicatemy life to Aikido.

On this duy,with a heartfelt remembranceof O'Sensei Senseiat Hombu (Nov. Phong Dojo 1991) passing,I wisheach student to practicewith diligencein order learnand grow in Aikido. I

ryp ? ru * Tenshinkai Aikido Federation Celebrateslts 25th Birthday By N.Ho an organizationto be called the "TEN- berta,Canada. In addition, many black On the 1.6thand lTth of Janu- SHINKAI AIKIDO FEDERATION.'' belt grade former students of Tensh- zty, L993,at the FederationHeadquar- The nameTenshinkai, meaning "God's inkai Aikido Federationcame ftom geat ters Dojo in Westminster,California, Hean Associatiorq"wils gven by O'sensei distanesto asist at the @remony.Among the Tenshinkai Aikido Federation cele- Morihei Ueshibaand DoshuKishomaru them were Mrs. Cathie I-e Minh Anh, *AO brated the twenty fifth anniversaryof its Ueshiba to the Vietnam Aikido affili- Vietnamese DAI" designerin Paris, foundation. ation in the 60's. They also entnrsted ;Mr. Vo TruongTho ftomMchi- SenseiPhong \Mith the duty of organiz- gan;Mr. Truong Dai Hyfrom Texasand It is known that in L967 Sensei Dang ing andpropagating the Aikido art in the Mr. Tran van Quangfrom Oklahoma. Thong Phong,after havingstudied Aikido spirit of "Love" and "Peace." with Grand Master Mutsuro Nakazono At 10 a.m. sharp the celebration was and Nobuyoshi Tamura from 1960 to More than two hundred Aikido mem- inauguratedbya majorspeech ftom Sensei 1963 in Vietnam, went to the berswere present at the inaugurationof Dang Thong Phong, prosident and Hombu Dojo in Tokyo,Japan, to attend the celebration. There was participa- founder of Tenshinkai Aikido Federa- Aikido classesunder the instruction of tion by manyAikido groupssuch as those tion. He beganhis speechby greeting O'SenseiMorihei Ueshiba and Doshu of the followingchief instructors: Sensei the guests,the friendly Aikido teams, Kishomanr Ueshiba It wasat the Hombu Frank McGouirlq 5th dan, of the Aikido- and the Federation memberswho had Dojo that he gainedhis 3rd degreeblack AiDojo in Whittier;Sensei KimPeuser, come ftom great distan@s. Then he belt after an examinationtyAikido Dmhu 5th dan, and SenseiHoa Newens,5th summarizedthe formation of the Fed- KisshomaruUeshiba. dan, both of the Aikido Institute in eration and its trrenty five yearsof con- Oakland;Sensei Nakayama James Mori- tinuous history including its five year After returning to his native Vietnam, taka, 4th dan, of ChushinkanDojo in presencein the United States. He did SenseiDang Thong Phong compiled a Anaheim and SenseiVan Duong of the not forget to praisethe Aikido philoso- text of regulationsand statutes to found Fort SaskatchewanAikido Club in Al- phy and the Aikido practitioners'con-

-5- could be seenby their mirthfully ception of life, which is to know how to She brought it from Paris as an offering This countenance.A fact deserv- live in harmony with others. It goes to the Federation from a student to the passionate was that NO without sayingthat Aikido is a martial Mother Dojo. All members who had ing everybody'snotice was heard in the art, but the aim of this martial art is not contrlbuted their labor and their merit SHOUT, NO ROAR heard in some to seekvictories through comPetitions to the Federation since its foundation dojo that day as is often All the'TE s,' as most other martial arts do. Aikido were issued certificates of appreciation. otherl\dartial Arts schools. teachesus how to win over our bad na- turesand undesirable behaviots. It stresses We thenwitnessed out- thedevelopmentof our abilityto mingle standingAikido exhibi- with society and to live harmoniously tions by the Aikido dele- with others in everydaYlife. gations. To begin, SenseisKimPeuserand In a tensesociety, a societyof stress,a Hoa Newens of the societyin which violence is seen as a Aikido Institute in legitimatemeans of makingwealth, and Oakland performed stu- a societyin which honor is won by domi- incrediblywith their I natingand subduing ingenuous people's dents. Then Sensei wishes,Aikido is a perfect meditation. JamesNakayamaMori- Aikido is "TAO," it is "ZEN" and it is taka and his students the wayto serenityand relamtion. Aikido from Chushinkan in is not merelya martialart asmost people Anaheim presentedan think. Aikido is seenas a Martial Art amazingenhibition. This because it is a perfect self defense. wasfollowed by Sensei However,looking into the matter thor- TruongVan Duongand oughly,w€ must concludethat Aikido is his studentsfrom the NOT a Martial Art. Sayrng"Martial Fort Saskatchewan Arts" is suggestingthat force is used. In Aikido Clubof Alberta, Aikido we never use force, especially Canada Finally,the host force of the muscles. We only use the Aikido teamfrom Sensei powerof our mind. We concentrateour Dang Thong Phong's mind in "K['s WAY," in the Power Tenshinkai Aikido emanatedfrom our spirit, in the motion FederationHeadquar- of our body in circlesaround the central tersin Westminsterfas- point of our being which is our brain cinatedthe spectatorswith its admirable the "WAA's" and the "LJKEMI's" were from where all orders are given to our extribition.The ceremonyended at 1'1,:30 performed through soft and gentle limbs which act in conformanceexactly a.m. movementsin a peacefulatmosphere. with thoseorders. The spectatorshad the feelingof being In the afternoonan Aikido seminarfor in a dancehall, not a Martial artsstudio, Following his speerh,Sensei Dang Thong adults was held. About 70 Aikido althoughthe glitter of daggerswere very Phong respectfullyhanded each of the membersfrom variousdojos enrolled, often seen. aforementioned Aikido delegationsa andthe Senseistook turnsteaching Aikido bouquetand a picture to keepas souve- techniquesto the participants. Each On the next dty, at 2:00 p.m. sharP,a nirs marking the maturity of the federa- Senseidemonstrated his or her special black belt awardingceremony was held tion. After that, Mr. JamesWenrick, method,showing his or her own way of at TenshinkaiAikido FederationHead- Editor-in-Chief of Aikido Insights,the realizingthe Aikido art. Aikido mem- quartersDojo. Most of the guestswere official 'toice" of the TenshinkaiAikido bers of eachdojo realizedimmediately parentsand relativesof Dojo members. Federation, presenteda silver cup to that the proverb "MIGHT IS RIGHT" SenseiDang Thong Phongemphasized SenseiPhong. This presentwasgiven to is wrong. Smallpeople, usually seen as in hisspeech the importantdaily duty of symbohzpthe unceasingnrenty-five year weak, could see their inferiority com- the black belt holdersto exchangetech- activity of Master Photrg,a period filled plexesvanish immediately. Furthennore, niqueswith classmatesor partners in with pain and difficulties. Many other they felt themselvesflytng in the air. order to develop and grow. Attaining presentswere offered to SenseiPhong They had the feeling that their limbs the degreeof blackbelt is only the first by the Aikido Delegationsto welcome suddenlybecame light andnimble. They stepon the stairsleading to the thresh- the elebration In partiarlar, Mrs. Cathie wanted to participate in the "Aikido old of the door to the Aikido commu- I-e Minh Anh offered a very beautiful dance,"the dance of cranes,of peacocks, nity. Blackbelt bearersmust sense and portrait of O'sensei Morihei Ueshiba of Phoenixspreading their wings lei- understandtheir duty toward the Dojo which she had painted in color on silk. surelyabove all the brutal attacksof life. and toward the community. They must -6- cooperatewith the Boardof Instructors to teachand help newstudents in order to propagateas soon as possiblethis nobleart to all classesof the society.

SenseiDang Thong Phong read the nominativelist of practitionerswho had just passedthe lst andZnd degree black belt examination. First degreeblack beltsand hakamas were official$ awarded to Mr. Au DuongDi, Mr. ChanSam Way and Mr. Ngo Chien by SenseiDang Thong Phong, os Presidentof Aikido Federation.Second degree black belts wereawarded to Mr. NguyenMinh Hai andMr. CaoXuan Chieu. This wasthe first time in the United Statesthat the TenshinkaiAikido Federationhad is- suedsecond degree black belts. A ses- sionof Aikido exhibitiontook placeafter theblack belt ceremony.This exhibition wasperformed exclusively by the Tensh- inkai Aikido FederationHeadquarters Dojo members.The exhibitionwent on in an enthusiasticatmosphere. A gitt of Osensefportrait by Mrs.Le MinhAnh, Paris,France. (Above) After two daysof celebration,the 25th A demonstrationby JamesFis her andJim Ogborn. anniversaryof the foundation of the (Below) TenshinkaiAikido Fbderationended with Shodanadvancement, Mr. Au DuongDi a toast of cocktailsoffered by the Fed- (Below-Left) erationto all assistingmemben and guests in a friendty,merry atmosphere. It marked the affirmationthat the TenshfurkaiAikido Federationhas attained a stable posi- tion in the internationalcommunity of Aikido andhas shown itself to beworthy of admirationand respect.

fty w*fc*ffitffis fitr}drn*rfimf'$,**. - *';'f *ffi .'it"l,u'''"'#ili!ifiii,'''"'""'tTfl .:::',:'j:::: .::

.::::'i:::::

!:illi'

-7 - Ai kido-Ai, Whittier, California by Frank McGouirk Sensei. (Above-Left)

Aikido lnstitute, Oakland, California by Km Peuser Sensei and Hoa NewensSensei. (Above-Right)

Fort Saskatchewan Aikido Club, Alberta,Canada by Van Duong Sensei. (Above)

Chushinkan Dojo, Anaheim, California by James Nakayama Sensei. (Right)

A demonstrationby members of the Aikido lnstitute and Km Peuser Sensei. (Below-Left)

NidanAdvancement, Mr. Cao Xuan Chieu and Mr. NguyenMinh Hai. (Below-Right)

-8- Seminarby FrankMcGouirk Sensei. (Above-.Left)

Demonstrationby JamesNakayama Sensei (Above-Right)

Seminarby Dang ThongPhong Sensef (Above) Demonstrationby membersof TenshinkaiDojo (Right) DemonstrationbyVan Duong Sensei (Below-Left) ShodanAdvancement, Mr. NgoChien (Below-Right)

-9- periencearthitic pains or other ailments. TO BEA STUDENT... may be needed Memoryof the Longerwarm up exercises By Robin Sarac cold weather.Another impor- in extremely Fort SaskatchewanAilcido Club. SilverAnniversary tantitem is the training area, specifically the Edmonton,Alb erta, CANADA mats.Judo matsmay be too hard and less Celebration shock absorbing as compared to other of Aikido requiresthat trainingmats designedto soften the fall To be a student attributes,including Darrel E. Tanton from variousthrcwing techniques. We must onepossess certain By and a Fort Saskafc hewan Aikido Club bear in mind that the harderthe landing patience,dedication, humility' sufface,the lesserthe amountof repetitive willingnessto helPothers. Recentlyfellow student returnedfrom a re- fallsthehuman body canwithstand. Finally, wardingseminar in L.A.with SenseiDang we musthave a good,sensible attitude and In my case,patience was the first trait Thong Phong. Some students were im- be enthusiastic. that wasput to the testduring the initial pressedatthe skilllevel of the L.A.Aikidoist stagesof my Aikido training. Having as Aikido;we must help who endure regular,rigorous training, We areall students of takenKarate, Iwas used to seeingan im- deliveryspeed. eachother ! Theremust be continualcon- well as enhancedtechnique mediatepractical end to everytechnique cernfor our uke'swell- being. We should I wasshawn. While manyAikido tech- This isfine, if a studenthas obtaineda high alwaysrespond, react and harmonizewith niquescan be very practical,these are levelof skill and conditioningenabling him the uke. Thus lesseningthe chance for in the trainingproc- or her to respond and react to this type of injuries! usuallytaught later willing training.This skill levelis not attainedover- ess.The Aikido studentmust be nightl For instance,before attemptingto Remember,we train for fun, fitness,as a to practicbasictechniques overand over delivera techniquefast you must develop hobby, a vocationand then self-defense. again until they fell natural and fluid' timing, coordinating,control and concen- We arenot in competition,we do not spar! This takes me to the next imPortant trdion. without these skillsspeed only leads The definitionof Aikido is the way to har- quality,dedication. to an iniury.Once a studentdevelops tim- monywith Kl. Kl is the lifeforce, the univer- powerwhich lies dormantin ing, coordination,control and concentra- sal power,the Any student,newcomer or veteran'will speed,or shallI most humans and waits to be awaken. tion, he then has achieved requirededication. Dedication to put in sPeeds! Therfore,there is no competitionin Aikido' say controlled many hours of training requiredto onlyharmony! lf onewishes to be competi- the perfectthe foundamentalsof Aikido that Our goal as students must be to acquirea tive,he or she should be practicingan art verygraceful, and make high levelof skill to implementtechniques that encouragescompetition, tournaments, makeit look so swiftly, correctly and with total considera- and sparringsuch as Karateor Tae Kwon it sucha potent form of self defense. tionforthe uke,who must respondaccord- Do! In addition,a studentswill needto grown ingly.There are manyvariables to consider in humility to accept instruction and when discussingthe path to hard training Hopefullyin time we willachieve high skills criticismfrom fellow studentsas well as and controlledsPeed ! in Aikidowhich will encompassapplying your sensei--regardlessof their rank' techniquesand respondingto techniques Humility to realizethat we are all stu- mustbe good must react and flow lwillstateSomefactors I believewe properly.A uke dentswe mustwork togetherto achieve in Aikido.First of all, the techniqueappropriately. This could awareof whentraining with the harmonythat is the heartand soul of monthsoryears of trainingdoes not consti- be inthe form of breakfall,backroll, frontroll Aikido. This bringsme to the final qual- tute a high skill level.Knowledge and skill etc... Most importantly, the techniques must I will disscus:the willingnessto help attainedand retained are most impoilant. be applied correctlywith concern to the ity This requirescontinual, repetitivepractice skillslevel of theuke. This is criticalin order others. both physicallyand mentally.We musttake to preventiniuries. Please understand iniu- note of the various physical capabilities riestake time to healresulting in setbacks Aikido is not aboutcompetition, it cen- and inabilitiesof others.Some may not be or permanentdisabilities. Iniuries also could ters around harmony.To achievethis in good health, may not be as flexible or preventa personfrom working,resulting in harmony, studentsof Aikido should may be sufferingor healingfrom previous financialcatastrophies. Therefore, please possessa willingnessto help othen. They injuries.Size is anotherinteresting factor, a try to developthe basictechniques, skills muststrive to help other studentsprog- enableone elsewillfall into smallstature or lightframe may andawareness. Everything ress and gain a solid knowledgeand greaterspeed, agility and flexibil- place! to achieve understandingof the philosophybehind ity. This may also be an advantagewhen Aikido. Aikido is not just a setof move- completingvarious breakfalls. Age brings I concludeby stating,"Do unto othersas designedto neutralizeor project otherareas of concernsuch as lessflexibil' you would have do unto you!" Try to re- ments A WAY ity, lessendurance, brittle bones, or possi- spectAikido, your senseiand fellowstu- an attacker,it is a PhilosoPhY: bly reduced speed. Another variable to dents. Be concernedfor their healthand OFLIFE. consideris priorskills and training.People well being.With hope, luck and persever- who have backgroundsin othermartial arts ence,we can be togetherfor many years Theseare by no meansthe only qualities or sports may adapt quickerthan others. enjoyingAikido as well as sharingthe artof requiredto be successfulin your Aikido We could also consider the weather,-30 TenshinkaiAikido with future generations! training,but theyare someof the most degreeCelcius could cause peopleto ex- n obviousin life. I 10 - trasbeen a long, busyweekat when Senseiphong arrived in ^It the united I thought that for a relativelyyoungdojo work.Theweather has been veryinclem_ States,he was52 yearsof &go,was still to organizesuch a major eventwittrout ent: three weeksof continuous recoveringfrom the effects storms of phpical any noticeableglitch, the studentsmust and showersin the middle and mental abuse of a record- from the communist have been guided by an impeccable cold winter. r wasstill recovering prisonsand reeducation€mps from a' andhardly teacher.I do not recall having seena throat infection that Friday evening, h1d any material possessions. yer Shortly similar caseof successfuldojo leader- Iwas excitedabout our trip to after reuniting with his westmin- wife and two ship throughourmy twenty-sixyear Aikido ster. children after a 13 yearseparation, he career. undertookthe monumentaltask of re- Upon leaving work, I grabbed buildinghis Aikido life a sand_ from scrarch.He Not being one who restson his laurels, wich and caught a ride with starteda dojo, which had some Aiki to be moved PhongSensei intends to open a branch friendsto the airport The rain was throughseveral locations, pouring and after five dojo in a nearby town. He also has a down.There wasstanding room years,attracted a student only ai roll of over vision of going back to Vietnam some the airline gates.The planewas 170.In addition, he revived an hour the Tensh- day and helping revive Aikido there.A late. When we landed the storm inkai Aikido Federationand was rallied many normal personwould shudderat such there to greet us too. But of his former studentswho despite this were scat- thgughrs:going back to teachat the place ominous start, it proved teredall over the world, to beI heart_ senseilabored whereone was so atrociously persecuted warming hard to and memorableweekend.I was fulfill his Aiki mission.r heard just five yearsago. from the students that it is not un- ReviewingPhong sensei's rife thusfar, I usual to find him canonly marvelat the powerofhis spirit. in the dojo at Indeed, being a physically diminutive 4:00AM or person,Sensei must be endowedwith an 11:00PM. unusualspirit in order to overcomethe numeroustrials and tribulationsthat have Duringthisvisit to comehis way. the Tenshinkai Headquarters BecauseSensei's life strugglehas taken Dojo I sawthe fiuir him in and out of the darknessof com-

An ImpeccobleSpirit 4 Hoa Newens, Ailcido Institute, Oakland, Califomin

looking fonvard to this day of Phongsensei's unceasing since three effort in the munistjails severaltimes and to a differ- monthsago when phong sensei pastfive years.I knew that told me senseiwas a ent continent, it is hard for one who that he was planning the zsth verydeterminedperson with anniver- anunbend_ comesinto contactwith him recentlyto sarycelebration of the ing spirit and so I expected TenshinkaiAikido to seewon_ get the proper perspectiveon his Federation life and in Janu rgg3.Thatwould dersin his dojo.What I sawexceededmy realizethe "ty, steadfastnessof his spirit. be the first reunion of renshinkai mem- expectationsand wasso spiritually up_ bers outside of Vietnam since lifting that it instantly cured the war me of my It is my hopethat all his studentsand all endedin 1975.I could five-week-oldcold and not miss this at made my wife thosewho comeacross his path under_ any cost, especially since suspiciousabout my jubilant Sensei had moodupon standthe worthy causethat this man is formally invited our my return. dojo to the event. consecratinghis life to and join hands The members of our parry, which in- with him wholeheartedly. cluded our chief instructor, were also Iwasimpressed notonlyby the technical eagerto meet again proficiencyof the with this man who students,but also by I am mostgrateful to Senseifor inviting had left sucha powerful their buoyanttraining impressionon spirit and their me to this specialevent, for it allowed themwhen he cameto give espritde corps. In addition i seminarin to theclasses me to witnessthe extraordinaryaccom_ Oaklandlast October. Rain for the seminar,the program or shine,we includeda plishmentsof an impeccablespirit and were determined longlist of demonstrations to attend. and@remo_ renewedmy faith in the Aiki path. nies.Yet everythingwent like cloclavork In reality, attending was both a lesson The guests,including chief instructors and a boosr to my sluggishspirit. and studentsfrom severaldojos, were r extremelywell taken carefor. - 11- her mind is, the rcalization comesthat ent viewpoints. teaching brown and black In this is just a smallopening. In addition, DangThong Phong learnedbyevery student belt students,Sensei cultivating a sincereand concentrated Patiencecan be .We werywhere,and ftom daily.Howeyer,-I have said: can learn heartwhichregards our strongandweak simplyby training ranking black belt sharingwith the begin- everyone,ftom high points is necessaryfor improvement'It to confessthat white belt students. children I learn and ine beginning is in this way our selfishnessis shaped' ner, and especiallyyoung Irarning is promoted when the brown wonderful lessonsabout [email protected] belt student takesthe oPpor- I think to myselfthat I am and black I find that it is dangerouswhen facing an aretimes when teachand sharewith others.In cool." Ibelievethat tunity to opponent to focus primarily on his or verypatient or'aery studentwho teacheswill learn my calm.In fact I am fact, tne ha; weaknessand not regardhis or her noining can shake becauseteaching is learn- it by expecting-some- much more strengthsseriously or vice versa.There ready to prove big to happen' It does ing.-.tt is a needto seeboth in order to obtain a thing, anything unexpectedmoment,a complete evaluationfor the benefit of not takelong.An sgo, when I first heard these my "ool'and teaches Sometime everyoneinvolved. )oung child shatters wordsfrom senseiPhong,Iwas puzzled. me how easilyI can losemy patience'

I admireall of my friendswho are shar- ing their knowledgewithchildren. They are not only patient, they arevery crea- tivewith theii ability to captureand hold a child'sattention. Theyteach me agteat deal by their examPle.

Learning ThroughSharing There is a story that demonstratesmy by Qtang Hai NguYen case.Yoritomo Tashi told a tale of Lao who is one of his students,who is very dedicatedto folow the way of calmness' but hadnot yet grownto a higherlevel of The benefitsof learningftom high rank- calm. the only place learning oc- I thought ing studentsor "the best of the best" was at the dojo or school and curred cannotbe denied,however' many times onedayhecametoseeTashiandsai.d: else.Besides, who are the quati- to your teachingand nowhere I did not understandclearly what the "...SenselI tisten of Aikido and how could a everyday' Noy I thinkl fied teachers "best"was talking about or demonstrat- -havepractice very hard learneverywhere? When I wanted right' I am com- student ing. Sometimesthe gap was too great gotteneverything something I wanted to learn of mysetf.today I would to learn benveenmy leveland "the best." Mean- ptetetyin controt high ranking students and resttlts'" only from while,many things close by offered much like to showYou mY from "the best." It would be a teachers, to learnas longas therewas awillingness of time to be involved with "nov- becareful' Do not waste to learn.I foundwhen I did not restrict "Lao, you better fall could not teachme! pride and of beingover ices." They myselfby anylearning situations or per- into the snareself lotowthat in order sonsand simplyseized the moment' I confi^dent.You should after a period of practiceI calmnesspeople have Fortunately, learned! to reachthe fullest foundthese thoughts were short-sighted to standon top of alt obstacles.Anything driven. It was like Sensei or small?" and selfishly When I wasa beginningwhite belt and no matterhow big said: "In practice we provide the has intermediatestudent I thought I made for the lessonsto sink in and be- lotow that' Right time the most mistakesof anyone. In fact, "Sensei,I alreadY part of our behavior." Therehave try anyofyour teststo come am still makingmistakes. Now when now,I am wiltingto manytimes in the pastwhen I was " been seethe opportunity I can sharewhat proveit. and suddenlyunderstood more practicing havelearned. lnan the technique.I realuedwhat Sensei Tashiaske$ "AreYou sure? Have You meant, ffiY surface understanding had As different as people are in size and won overatt of Yourfeelings?" and actionschanged' wasdeepened shapeso are the mistakes.When a stu- "f am verysure' I denl asksme what is wrong or why is it Lao resPonde4 a must oPen and thes lcyw ouldfall onmy In learning, Person not workingI maynot instantlyhave the believ e t hat even if the mind sohe or shecan be recep- shakemY calmness'" clear answerunless I havemade a similarmis- headI wouldnot to new ideasand actions.However' tive take.To obtainthe answerI haveto put important to understandthat as "AIl right, if you in' it is myselfin his or her position.In sodoing Tashiresponde4 anb clear as a personthinks his or sitdownoverthere- open I alsolearn valuable lessons from differ- sisf,thenwhy don'tyou -12- Iust besilent andwaitformy test.I will see howyouare goingto handlethis incredible TheFoundation of Technique test." by GaryWelbom,Ailcido of Nonh OrangeCounty, Catifornin lfter the initial movementto tionwillresultintheattackerbeingeasily get off the line of attack, Tashithen called one other student and the foundation thrown. of techniqueis breaking whisperedsomething into his ear which the balanceof the attacker'sposture. Without madehim look terrified Afrer that Tashi accom- With regardsto timing, the imbalance plishingthis, the Aikido technique saidaloud; "Sit downnext to Lao, thereis ap- mustbe accomplished as an extensionof pliedwillnotworkas intended. a good chance you to learn another If theat- the attacker'smovement, coming as a for tacker's imponant lesson,too." postureremains firm, only the part of the attack. Making your move- use of excessiveforce, with a resulting menta part of theattack is what I believe mechanical modification away Tashisat4 "LAo is a son of a veryrich from is meant by the term "blending." The correct movement,will allow you to attackerneeds to be and high classfamity. He wearsexpensive off balancebefore overcomethe attacker. clothes many of which are beautifully Aikido techniques he or she realizeswhat has happened. appliedin conjunctionwirh an decorated" Tashi instntctedLao to lay underly- The attacker's movement becomesa ing useof excessivepower establishes hiscoat nextto wherehe wassitting The a subsetof your movement,losing its origi- mechanicalflow of movetnent otherstudent walkedtoward Lao in order inconsis- nal intent in the overall flow that you tent with the technique,making to sitdown as he had beeninstructed by his its re- nowcontrol. Theattack loses it's subjec- sultsdifferent than what senseLOn the way to sitting hepretended wasoriginally tive powerin theflow of impartialpower intended. If you fail to to acci^dentaltystep on Lao's clothingwith break the at- andthe attackeris nowjustalong for the tacker'sposture, you have a fight his dir-tyshoes. Lao, not wastinga second, onyour ride. hands. andlookingveryupset hunidty pushed the otherstudent out ofthepath of hisclothing Other items of importanceto consider To accomplishan imbalan@ andyelled: "How carelessyou are!" in your during the attackand your responseare attacker,you needto rotate his or her the distancebetween you and your at- upperbody off the line of the Tashiraisedhis hand and said, "ThAt,s origninal tacker,lour postureduring the entire attack. This breaksthe attacker,s enough.I do not needtotestyou any more, con- process,and proper breath control on nection to the ground, Lao. You made two mistakes. disturbingthe your part. Distancemeans maintaining structuralintegrity of the body,and tak- the correctspacing between you and the ing the powerout of the First,you were to breakyour attack. Move- attacker,allowing your continuedcon- forced menr is initiated either by silenceby this awlcward situation. Secone leadingthe trol of the process:Too far and the at- attackerphysically off line your angerovertook and controlledyou. ar the mo- tackercan not be brought into the flow ment of contactor by leading the Theseare two veryimportant mistakesof at- of your movement;Too closeand you tacker through a reactonto the srudentof calmness. Thereis a third do some- canget in eachother's way. Proper dis- thing you do, by influencing mistakewhich you should avoid;allowing his or her tancecan only be learnedthrough prac- percerptionof reality. To lead otherpeople to suddentyshakeyour calm- the at- tice as it is personal,different for each tackerphpically, you make ness.You did not lotow how toprepare contactalong individual,differing with eachattack or for the line of attack and redirect the theunexpected I understandif thereis an at- attacker. Your posture must remain tackerby movementsof your rmed mnn wln wanldwalkin andtlneatm body. This uprightand in balanceor you maylose canbe as simple as grcsping the you he would not take awoyyour calm- attacker's your advantage"If you need to lower wrist,taking it with youas you ness.Or whenyouhear terrible news such turn away your body,you do not do so by bending or enter. The "something"that you as the earth almost blew up. It may not can your back. Your body shouldmove up do to influencethe attacker's movement and down during shakeyour feelings of calm. Vl/henI told the flow of movement is "atemi." As the attackcomes in, you asa result of flexingyour you you beprepared for an incredibletest, by knees. If moveoff line and respondwith intentionwas to makeyour mind uimag- a strike needto be lower you bendyour knees, (atemi)of your own. Your strike ineyou will seesomething big brry bit to does tall you straightenthem. Your breath not needto makecontact to be happen.Butyou did not expectto seesome effective. should remain calm and controlled. Ifyour strike(atemi) is perceived as real, Breathein asyou draw sillyand funny thing like that to defeatall the attackerin, hisor hermind will reactas if hit andthe pulling yourtraining. Youmust memorize this les - out the attack and strectching body son." will moveaway, creating an open- out the attacker'senergy. Breathe out as ing as the attacker'smind bouncesbe- you turn the attackinto your technigue, tweenwhat is actual and what "...Teachingis learning.And ifwe learn is per- asyou throw or pin. Considerwhat has ceived. This opening need only with the intention of teachingin the to be been said as you practice;notice what momentary,just long enough future,and spreadthe wonderfulart of to allow effect your awarenessof creating an your entry.With either approach,once Aikido, our wayof learningsure will be imbalancein your attackerhas in the an imbalanceis created,the minimum outcomeof your techniques. different."I-et us do it together.I f useof forceapplied in the correctdirec- - 13- est dream that some day we would be tion to you,to comehere, So that we can North of Forty Nine acceptedinto the Tenshinkaifami$. That try to repayyour kindness. certificatemarked the realizationof the BruceH. MacLeod ?he big ne\rnthis time is that some dreamand, in return, we will try to up- of uswere South of Forty Nine; in West- holdthe goodname of Tenshinkaialong The Difference Between the top of the world here. minster,California for celebrationscom- Force and 56Kitt memorating the Fifth Anniversary of the Budo Center. Did we enjoy our- I was personallyvery impressedby the I havefound with doing Aikido that my selves? quality of Aikido in Westminster.So nincrediblen ability to usemy strengthhas increased. My dictionarydescribes as: manypeople took the time to help me It isnot somuch musclestrength itself as 1.. beyondbelief or understanding; (alongwith other membersof our group) how I usemy body.For instan@,I could unbelievable andgave such good advice that I had the not pick up a 100kg. man in myarms but 2. marvelous;amazing. ovenvhelmingdesire to moveto the US I canon my hips doing Koshi nage. Any of these terms (but in order to further my training at the partiarlarlythe later) could Force is the ability to overcomeresis- describethe hospitalitythat tance with strength. Force is negative our groupwas shown. One and not helpful to techniquesin Aikido of our memberscommented unlessit is used properly. Force is fte- that she now knows how quentlythe last refugeof the incompe- Chuckand Di feelwhen they tent. Ki is the ability to focuson doing travel. From the moment what hasto be done.Using Ki will allow we left the plane we were your mind and body to act togetherto treatedlike royalty.Not only find the bestway to accomplishthe task. in food, lodging,and con- It cangive you power in self-defenseor versationbut also in Aikido the ability to staywarm in an ice cold training. Given that Sensei river.The useof forcemay obscure learn- Phongand his students had ingwhilethe useof Ki will enablelearn- a majorseminar to present ing. andother gueststo look af- ter, we would have under- Aikido hasbeen helpful in my other ex- stoodifwe hadto occasion- tracurricularactivities such as dancing ally fend for ourselves.But becauseof the strengthand attitudesI no, we were alwayslooked havedeveloped from it. after--evento the extent of GenevieveS. MacLeo[ 12Yr. Old shopping.A verybig'Thank you" from all of us from Fort Saskatchewanto all of you in Westminster who Seminarin Westminster, madeour stayso enjoyable. California I remarkedto severalstu- dentsfrom the Budo Cen- On January15,1993, Iwent to train with ter that I thoughtour treat- SenseiPhong. FIe and his studentsare mentwas phenomenal and verygood. Some of the studentsare called Budo Center.It is no wonderto me why therecurrent commentwas "That is how "high flyers"and they literally live up to SenseiPhong's students progress so rap- SenseiPhong is"; therefore,the biggest their name,in rolls and break-falls. thanksof all to SenseiPhong. idly.There is ample opportunity to prac- tice and the quality of practice(if my I did a demonstrationwith one of our experienceis anythingto go by) is excep- Fromour point ofview,the mostimpor- students.His nameis Calvin.It wasen- tional.From these aspects alone the trip tant presentationreceived by our club joyable.The training was very hard; I waswell worth while. duringthe celebrationswas a certificate tried to copewith the seminarbut I was from SenseiPhong to Van Duong (our pooped.We stayedin a motel.The hos- In summary,our visit to Tenshinkai instructor)officially rerogntzngthe Fort pitality was great,and so were all the Headquarterswas a memorableexperi- SaskatchewanAikido Club asa member peoplewe met there.I hopeI havethe encefor us all. We wish to extendour of the Tenshinkaifamily. We all value honourto go andwork with SenseiPhong mostgrateful appreciation to all of you that recognitionvery much but I think again. who madeit soworthwhile. Perhaps one that Van valuesit most of all. Whenwe AlexanderT. MacLeod 9 Yr. Old first startedthe Club, it wasVan's fond- daywe will be able to extendan invita- -14- |lly Trip to Tenshinkai Headquarters Dojo By Beth Hall Aikido lnstitute,Oakland, California

On January1,5, my ftiend Nina Beckand During the openingceremotry, our dojo dynamictechniques once again. I flew down to OrangeCounty to attend waspresented with a postercommemo- the 75thfuuriversary elebration of Sensei rating the eventas well as a lovely bou- I waspretty tired by the time of the last DangThong Phong's Tenshinkai Aikido quet of flowers (which, I must add, I class,but the powerand fluidity of Phong Federation.We weremet at the airport broughthome to Oaklandwith me and Sensei'sAikido woke me right up. We by one of SenseiPhong's students. He placedthem on our altar therefor our all trainedin groupsfor that sessionand took us first to the dojo, wherewe were whole dojo to enjoy!) I really enjoyedgetting to practicewirh greetd by Sensei,then to our hotel to so manynelv people. All of the Tensh- rest before eveningclass." After the openingceremony there was a inkai studentswere so considerateand public demonstrationin whichwe were helpful, it wasa really enjoyableclass. later, Sensei'swife picked us up and honored to take part. It wasalso very took us to the dojo where we had an excitingto watchthe other demonstra- PhongSensei and the Tenshinkaidojo opportunityto train and meetmore of tionsby differenrdojos as well asphong were very hospitable,providing us all the Tenshinkaistudents before the ac- Sensei'sdojo. Following the demon- with breakfastand lunch, as well as a tual seminarbegan. Nina and I were stration,the actualclasses of the semi- lovelybanquet style dinner. I wasper- both astoundedby the ukemi we saw. nar began. sonallytouched by the wonderfulsense Sensei'sstudents were very strongand of communitythat was so pervasiveat gracefuland had some of the mosthigh- The first classwas taughr by Frank PhongSensei's dojo. All told, it wasa flying falls I hadever seen. That wasan McGouirk Senseifrom Whittier Cali- trulyenjoyable day, and a greathonor to enjoyableclass. fornia. I haveknown Frank Sensei since havean opportunity to takepart in such I wasa younggirl growingup in South- a momentousevent. I-aterin theevening the rest of our group ern California,and it wasa pleasureto from Aikido Institute in Oakland ar- seehim again.The nextclass was taught We,at theAikido Institutehope rhat we rived. In the morningwe hadbreakfast by both of my teachers,Kim Peuserand will beable to hostPhong Sensei at our togetherbefore heading to the dojo for HoaNewens. Then came the last class of dojoagain soon. We also extend an open the openingceremony of the day'sevents. thed.y, taughtby Phong Sensei himself. invitationto all of thestudents of Tensh- We weregreeted warmly by everyoneat We hadhosted him at our dojo overthe inkaiDojo, it is alwaysa specialrreat to thedojo. I knowwe all feltverywelcome summer,and I know we had all been havevisitors. f there. lookingfonvard to experiencinghis - 15- Aikido demonstrations

presented,by SenseiDang Thong Phong and his studentswill be on Friday May 21st as part of the International Martial Arts Festival, The SheratonHotel, Universal City. 8:30pm

:...::.i::::'':.:'.[61..::.:.:.:.:.:.:...:I$tttu::mu;.i2ip '.'.'....'..:.oiojb.':||:|'.|||||||||:.:''|:.:::;::'...':.;ii:i.:....'''..'..':.:...'.''.''''''

.tr,T}.{3 tfi. *grgUfst*, ffi,w ffi Hffi:#ffirm,,,,:t:k{#jf,,:,h ;,i{. t

E!KE EiF TEESHilHHAr FEEEEETF{iH Affili"t"J *ith AikiJo*oJd H"oJqro,"lensTokg" - Jopon AIKID(ITRAII{I}IG SCHEDULI Chlef lnsfructor Mondoy thr. Fridoy DANGTTTONG 8 - 9:SOAIVI Adutts PHONG 5 6:3OPM Juniors Self Defense trolnlng - Adults IVind & Body coordlnoflon 6:30 - 8PM Solurdoy & Sundoy 8536Westminster Ave., Westminster,CA 92683 10 - 1l:SOAIVI Juniors (comerof westminsterAue. & Newland,nut to StaterBros tr[arket) 11:30 - lPM Adutts