2013 Jan - 1st Session - Makati Aikido Club

2013, Makati Aikido Club (MAC), Traditional Aikido
I found the MAC website last year and had been meaning to visit the dojos. I never had the will thinking that the venues will require some amount of time walking, and not worth the ride as well. But come the first day of work in January 2013, because of a family errand in Bagtikan, I realized the dojo's are just a few corners away from my office which is about 5-7 minute walk. After my initial visit, I decided to enroll. The fee is so minimal (P100 per session - contribution for mat maintenance, and P500 as membership), that I have no reason in the world not to enroll. I am very glad because Sensei Royce gave me a warm welcome last Friday, January 11, during my first session. Sensei Troy's welcome and that of the Bagtikan students when I observed last Wednesday, January 9, were heartwarming as well. I am so glad that I found Aikido in Makati, after working here for 6 years.

I have already viewed and downloaded the videos in the club website. It was easier for me to read the words then memorize them. Last Friday, I had difficulty learning the terms the Sensei asked us to perform. Now that I've read the five basic steps... i felt much better:
1) Okuriashi - 2 steps forwards or backwards, with leading foot moving first (half step), followed immediately by the other foot (half step). This step could also be diagonal both forward and backward.
2) Tsugi ashi - 2 steps forwards or backwards, with the foot behind moving first (half step) as if pushing the leading foot to move next (half step). A variation is the Kendo style Tsugi ashi - where instead of the foot behind using the leading foot, it is stepped on the side of the leading foot.
3) Ayumi ashi - 2 steps forwards or backwards, almost like a Tsugi ashi, but the first foot to move will have to have a full step followed by a full step of the other foot.
4) Tenkan - 180 degree turn with the foot behind making a half circle turn, instantaneously when the leading foot twists towards your center
5) Tentai (or Kaiten)- - still 180deg turn but with only one count of both feet twisting 180deg
and a sixh important variation, though not technically another step:
6) Tenchin - a diagonal Okuri ashi (to the right) with half Tentai (to the left) - and vice versa

I borrowed an illustrated Aikido book by Westbrook and Ratti (1994) entitled "Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere". And voila, ayumi ashi and tsugi ashi are there under Motion and Aikido Posture. Tenkan is somewhere under Centralization, together with Irimi. I did not find Okuri ashi, though.

I also found there the preliminary stretching exercises we did in Bagtikan (which we did not do in Cagayan de Oro) and has read 7) migi gamae and 8) hidori gamae for the first time. Although, I now recall that we had several basic exercises like the rowing, high parry and the hapo undo ones.

I am super excited to train again. I will read the club articles and look forward to the club trainings and discussions.