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Articles:More Secrets from Sport Psychology Gitte WolputHideo Ohba: the aikido of ‘quiet taste’ Paul WildishCoaching Young People in Tomiki Aikido Bob JonesReports:BAA Spring School WinchesterBAA Summer School LeedsWhere History Begins National TeamSAF World Championships Osaka

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Juniors:Guess Who?

Newsletter/Journal of the British Aikido Association September 2013

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Editor’s page Contents

Editor: Paul Wildish all correspondence andcontributions to shizentai@aikido-baa.org.ukPublished by the British Aikido Associationwebsite www.aikido-baa.org.uk

Reports4 BAA Spring School Winchester

5 BAA Summer School Leeds

6 Where History Begins National Team

7 SAF World Championships Osaka

Articles9 More Secrets from Sports Psychology

11 Hideo 0hba : the aikido of quiet taste

14 Coaching Young People in Tomiki Aikido

News16 Memberships

17 Revised Grading and Examiners Regulations

18 BAA Dan Grade Promotions

18 BAA Courses & Club Events

Juniors & Youth16 Guess Who?

September 2013

Since we last published Shizentai theorganisational split in the ranks ofinternational Tomiki Aikido hasbegun to play out. Students ofTomiki’s competitive aikidopreviously used to competingtogether in a single worldchampionship have been compelledto make a decision to choosebetween two rival internationalevents. One, hosted by the newShodokan Aikido Federation led byNariyama Shihan, has already takenplace in Osaka and is reported in thisissue by a member of the Brightonbased BAA Itaikan club. While theJAA-TAIN (Tomiki AikidoInternational Network) sponsored10th International AikidoTournament, hosted by the JapanAikido Association is soon to takeplace in Kawasaki, Japan from the19 to the 23 of September.

The official BAA National Team,together with its TAIN delegates haschosen to attend the JAA hostedevent. This was the championshiporiginally proposed and agreed at thelast TAIN meeting, held in the UKduring the course of the 9th

International Aikido Tournament withmany senior figures the world TomikiAikido community in attendance. Forthe BAA this was not a difficultdecision to make in itself for it carriedwith it the legitimacy of continuity andownership as a result of collectiveinternational agreement.

Since the 1st International AikidoTournament held at Tenri University,Japan all international tournamentshave been agreed by commonconsent and held in Japan, Australia,the USA and the UK. This was anevent where the world’s competitiveaikido players could struggle infriendly open competition to discoverthe champions. To win an event atany of the International Aikido

Tournaments unequivocally madeyou the best in the world. Tragicallyfor all international players, thesatisfaction and triumph of theirperformances will inevitably bediminished by the knowledge thatthey did not meet and defeat all theirpotential rivals.

This state of affairs is not what anyof us would have wished but alas alltoo common a scenario in the worldof martial arts. The rivalries of Karatestyles and their inability to agree oneworld governing body has longprevented them from joining theOlympic family. They can only watchwhile the far more canny marketingstrategies of Korean inspiredTaekwondo has become a combatsport, internationally recognised bygovernments and world sportingbodies. Now Korea, battlesJapanese conservatism to market‘Kumdo’, the Korean form of kendo,as a world sport with Olympicpotential.

The BAA has made no secret of thefact that it believes that Tomiki’slegacy for aikido, influenced muchmore by the modernising social andsporting ethics of judo’s founderKano than his other mentor Ueshiba,demands an Olympic ambition. Tofulfil Tomiki Shihan’s vision ofcompetitive aikido as the ‘third’major shin budo (alongside judo andkendo) to be promoted as part ofJapan’s gift to the physical andsocial culture of the world,necessitates time, commitment andunity. None of which is best servedby factional rivalry andorganisational disarray.

We recognise that Olympicaspiration is a goal far beyond ourpresent capabilities but that does notnegate the ambition as a unifyingforce for the future development ofcompetitive aikido. Small as we are

Whither Tomiki Aikido?

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on the world stage, we are unlikely togrow bigger if we are divided by twoworld championships and twocompeting world organisations. Forthe aikido competitor and theaikidoka who only wishes to gaininsight and knowledge from all of theworld’s most senior and experiencedteachers this is a betrayal. Now he orshe is being called upon to choose,knowing that simple economics islikely to preclude attendance at both.From now on there can only be theprospect of half the game at any onetime.

At this point it might be reasonable toask exactly what is it we are beingasked to choose between. NariyamaShihan has suggested that his neworganisation, even without thesupport of the Tomiki family, is ‘true’to Tomiki’s ‘Shodokan’ system ofaikido training and development.They accuse Shishida Shihan andthe JAA of diverging from this ‘true’path and refusing to adhere to thecurriculum that was laid down byTomiki Shihan himself in the lastyears of his life.

Shishida Shihan and his supportersin the JAA naturally see thingsdifferently. They believe that whilethe Shodokan system has beeninvaluable as a training tool, many ofthe techniques lack a certain martialreality and fail to make effective useof kuzushi. In this camp there is alsoan interest in re-examining earliertechnical models demonstrated byTomiki and Ohba Shihan, particularlywhere they feel that teaching pointshave been misinterpreted. After all,most of today’s senior figuresbelonged to a younger generationwhen they learnt from Tomiki andOhba, with comparatively littleexperience or developed insight.Now with practical experience andmaturity gained, should it not be agood time to re-evaluate themessage?

From my perspective both cases,JAA and Shodokan have equal merit.What I obviously fail to see is whythat should lead to organisationaldivision and rival claims of legitimacy.Surely it is better to be in a big tentsharing different insights andinterpretations, testing them foreffectiveness in the one place that ajudgement can honestly be made; onthe mat in friendly competition.

Where is there only one interpretationof judo or kendo, rigidly deliveredaccording to one training system? Inboth these respected budo thesuggestion would be met withderision. As for modern sports suchas baseball, tennis, golf or football,where would they be withoutdeveloping, changing and competingcoaching styles and methodologies?

As a student of iaido, experiencingwhat is often claimed as ‘true’received transmission from acenturies old tradition, I know wellhow many times I have had to modifyor relearn techniques at the behestof the latest soke (head teacher). Noteven Koryu Budo can claim that what

A landmark in the history of Tomiki Aikido; the 1st International Sports Aikido OpenTournament hosted by the Japan Aikido Association at Tenri University, Japan 1989.

they teach now is exactly as it wasin the late sixteenth century.

Aikido and particularly competitiveaikido is an evolving tradition,tempered by experience gained fromkata and randori and the insights ofmany different teachers. It is, orshould be a collective endeavour towhich we all contribute and cannever be a passive transmission. Weneed to teach our teachers that trueloyalty is to the tradition as a whole.If Tomiki Aikido is a gift to the worldthen that can not be conditional, itmust be free for the world to pick itup and ultimately interpret throughthe perspective of their own culturaldynamic. To stifle creativeexperimentation and insist onabsolute technical orthodoxies willmake Tomiki Aikido a dead traditionrather than a living one.

I urge every Tomiki Aikidoka ofgoodwill to work for one worldgoverning body to which all canbelong, taking no account of faction.This world body should foster unitaryagreements in all member countriesto take part as national teams in oneinternational competitive aikidotournament every two years. Let usbuild an aikido movement that KenjiTomiki and Hideo Ohba would betruly proud of.

The 9th International Aikido Tournamenthosted by the BAA at London’s BrunelUniversity in 2011. Is this to be the last timethe Tomiki Aikido family meet together atone time, in one place?

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ReportsBAA Spring SchoolBAA Spring School Winchester LidoSaturday 25th to Monday 27th May

A delightful course, providingexcellent instruction from LesleyHepden 7th Dan, Paul Wildish7th Dan, Bob Jones 7th Dan,Nicole Anson 3rd Dan andDanielle Jones 3rd Dan, wasattended by over 40 membersover the three days.

Winchester is an excellentvenue with a fantastic heritagewith its wonderful Cathedral andhistoric market place. The hostsFrancis Burgess and his club didan excellent job in looking afterthe participants with plenty oftea, coffee and home made foodon tap.

Paul Wildish with extracts fromthe Goshin Ho to provide aninsight into the syllabuselements of that kata whilstLesley Hepden covered the firsttwo sections of the Dai Rokyu.Nicole Anson entertained withthe Dai Ichi as well as a sessionon refereeing and judging skills.

On a different tack Tony Davisprovided a detailed insight intoJo techniques from the Iwamaschool of Aikido and DanielleJones demonstrated a selectionof timing skills for randori as an

extension and adaptation ofShodokan drill.

Bob Jones provided a CoachingChildren course, which wasopen and attended by a varietyof other Aikido associations.

In all, high quality instruction withvariety and food for thought foreveryone and many thanks tothe Winchester Club for theirhospitality and hard work.

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ReportsBAA Summer SchoolBAA Summer School 2013

The prospect of the Summerschool returning to Leeds, witha new venue, after a four yearabsence provided a newimpetuous to training in theregion. Four leading coachesprovided a diverse range of inputover the three days. Many clubswere represented, York, Epic,Leeds, Yon Ju Hachi,Tanseikan, Tatsumaki, Bradford,Skipton, Sheffield, Wakefield,Manchester, Eastleigh,Southampton, Huddersfield andWharfedale with over 70participants.

Steve Evans entertained andenthused through theexploration balance breakersespecially for Randori anddemonstrating the importance oftechnique over strength in theexecution of good freeplay. Forthe juniors he performed randorifun drills introducing them to

active play. His sessions wereboth active and informative.

Vanda Fairchild’s sessions werequite varied and focused onhontai no tsukuri, 6 directionalavoidance, some tanto kaeshiwaza combinations, tantotsukiari exercises, tanto atemiwaza and ridatsu (escapes)against tanto.

For the juniors Vanda providedinsight into directionalavoidance, tanto kakarigeikoand techniques from grasps.

Gitte Wolput provided a verythought provoking sessionfocusing on inner power andconcentration to enhancetechnique both for embu andrandori.

Bob Jones explored aspects ofKime no Kata, a part kneeling

Kodokan Judo Kata with manyand varied links to Aikido. Thesecond session focused onkokyu techniques and theimportance of correct breathingduring the execution oftechnique.

The grading overseen by a panelof five senior practitioners,Vanda Fairchild, Bob Jones,Mark Aldridge, Paul Holding andNicole Anson led to four Dangrade promotions including: -

Natulie Smalle to 3rd Dan withDominic Cheshire, Seb Jacksonand Nathan Lomax – Cooke allto 1st Dan.

The summer school North is nowlooking forward to next year andits 42nd year of providing highquality and interesting Aikido tothe membership.

BAA Summer School North, St Mary’s School Manson, Leeds

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ReportsNational Team Danielle Jones

The BAA national team has a proudand very successful history. It wasformulated in 1987 and over theyears has contributed significantly toimproving the overall standard ofcompetitive Aikido within the UK. Thenational team provides an arena todevelop the talent, ability andenthusiasm of individuals within theBAA and it encourage theparticipation of all members incompetitive activities irrespective ofstyle, club or region. The team worksunder a philosophy that promotes theBAA’s ethics and objectives withmembers proudly representing theassociation and country at bothdomestic and international events.

During our time managing the squad(since 2006) we have been privilegedto work with some great individualsand teams. At the 2007 World Gamesin Ohio, USA the BAA national teamexcelled winning 2 Gold, 7 Silver and5 Bronze medals. Not only was thisan outstanding achievement but therewas also an amazing team spirit andmembers performed extremely well,excelling at their individual and teamevents. Everyone displayed excellentsportsmanship and professionalismand proudly represented the BritishAikido Association and the NationalTeam. At the 2009 InternationalTournament in Kyoto, Japan, theteam continued to shine and wasfirmly established a major power inInternational Aikido. The team cameaway with 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 3Bronze medals, winning the Men’s

individual randori event. The teamrose to even greater success at the9th International Tournament inLondon in 2011, coming away with 6Gold, 2 Silver and 3 bronze medals.This included becoming Internationalchampions in women’s individualrandori, men’s team randori and openkata amongst others. We alsoproudly introduced the NationalYouth Team in 2011, with memberscompeting alongside the nationalsenior team at the Internationaltournament. Two of the NationalYouth Team members came awaywith a gold medal in the KyuJunanahon event (video of this eventcan be viewed at http://www.aikido-baa.org.uk/videos/). Not only has theteam attained great success in termsof achieving medal places but it hasalso demonstrated great skill,commitment, passion and spirit inAikido. It has been a great honor tomanage such dedicated and talentedpeople and we feel extremely proud

to be part of the British AikidoAssociation’s National Team.

The team currently runs a three-tiersystem – BAA Team, National Teamand National Squad.Representatives are selectedfollowing a criteria set out at the startof the year in the National Teampack. Attainment is based ontechnical ability, fitness, competitionrecord and attitude amongst otherthings. Congratulations to everyonemaking the teams.

Where history begins…

C. Gavigan, C. Aldridge, W.Cooper, P. Myhill, J. Ockenden, L. Smalle, P.O’Hara, D. Ramsden.

N. Lomax-Cooke, R. Price, F, Kamara, M. Murphy, M. Hall-May, G.Bottomley, A. Rigby, S. Jackson, J. Parker.

M. Pratt, S. Fletcher, P. Hargreaves, S.Pearce, D. Ogunbiyi, N.Smalle, D. Jones, P. Carr, L. Beardsmore, J. Liburd

It’s that time of year again whereour training and hard work willbe put to the test on theinternational stage. The BritishAikido Association’s nationalteam will be representing theorganisation at the 10thInternational Aikido Tournamentin Kawasaki, Japan from the19-24 September 2013.

M. Pratt, S. Fletcher,P. Hargreaves, S.Pearce, D. Ogunbiyi, N.Smalle, D. Jones, P. Carr, L. Beardsmore,J. Liburd

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Reports

In July, My brother Robert and Iwent to Japan to compete in theShodokan Aikido Federation WorldChampionships as part of theBrighton Ittaikan team with oursensei Paul Bonett, and clubmembers Luke Simons and SaraKovacs.

When we landed in Japan, our firstimpressions were quiteintimidating, having to have ourfingerprints taken at the border withpolice dogs running around theairport. Despite this all the smartlydressed staff seemed very friendly.I had expected Osaka to look like adifferent planet. The outskirts didlook very foreign with Japanesestyle buildings but as we got furtherin, Osaka had an American style toit, with tall buildings and a fewbaseball pitches scattered around.

We arrived at our hotel at about9.30am. We were told check in wasat 3pm and so decided to have awalk around. After a while we satdown in a park for some shade,where a Japanese man who lookedlike he was in his early 20s startedtalking to us, asking where we werefrom, where we were staying. Lukementioned we were entering anaikido competition. He seemedquite impressed. He asked us howmany of us there were, and wereplied 8 (Me, Robert, my Mum, myDad, Luke, Luke's dad Graham,Paul, and David Findlay). He thencycled off, only to return 10 minuteslater with a bag full of drinks for allof us! I was very impressed at justhow friendly all the Japanesepeople were, they made us all feelvery welcome. By then it was timeto check in so we headed back tothe hotel.

In the evening at 5pm, Robert,Paul, Luke, David and I went tohonbu training in Showacho where

we were welcomed by TetsuyaNariyama sensei. We got on themat at 6.30pm; after the taiso andkihon kozo Sakai sensei said thattonight's class would be freepractice. The dojo had no airconditioning; it was so hot that wecould only do about 10 techniquesat a time before having to rest.

On the day of the competition werealised just how skilled everyonewas. My brother and I had enteredthe Tanto Randori no Kata, andwatching everyone perform we sawhow sharp the Japanese were intheir movement, with small pausesbetween some of techniques. Wemanaged to get through the firstround, but were knocked out in thesecond. Unfortunately Luke andSara were knocked out in the firstround of the Goshin no Kata.

In the afternoon it was the mixedteam event. Our mixed team was

me, Paul, Sara, Robert, Luke withLouise Saul, and Spike Nisbet.Wewere up against Shodokan Honbu'A' team in the first round! Althoughwe were beaten in all 5 events(Goshin no Kata kneeling,Standing, Tanto tai sabaki, ToshuRandori, and Tanto Randori) I wasimpressed that it was very closebetween us, only losing by one ortwo points in the randori and taisabaki. The rest of the afternoonand the next day was the randori. Iwas very impressed watching theincredibly fast movement of someof the Japanese players I waswatching. Their tanto strikes wereso quick that they looked almostunavoidable. I was pleasantlysurprised watching Sara's bouts, inthe first of which she scored akaeshi waza waza-ari and ippon!She was knocked out in the secondround but fought very well.On Monday it was the InternationalJunior Aikido Festival which my

Shodokan Aikido FederationWorld Championships Osaka 2013

William Hayward, Ittaikan Aikido Club BAA

The Brighton Ittaikan Team at the SAF Championships

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Reports

brother and I were also able tocompete in. We had entered Under19s Open Kata and Under 19sTanto Randori. We had some timeto practice our Open Kata beforethe event started, and managed toget some very helpful advice fromMike McCavish sensei. By this timeit was time to get on the mat. Wewon the first two rounds, but wereknocked out in the third by the pairthat went on to win gold. I waspleased with our kata though, andhow much it had improved for thecompetition.

That afternoon we had beenentered into the randori. It wasmuch harder than I had expected.My brother won his first round butwas knocked out in the second.Unfortunately I was knocked out inmy first round, but was pleased withmy performance as I felt I hadimproved since my last randori

competition and felt that I had alsolearnt a lot at this competition. Myopponent went on to win bronze. Iwas very excited for the next twodays, as they were seminars takenby Nariyama Shihan.

Nariyama Shihan emphasised theimportance of the kihon kozo. Hetold us the basics were the mostimportant part of our aikido. Thiswas something I understood as mysensei, Paul often mentions this inclass, and it was the samemessage that Fumika Yamasakigave us at her seminars in March.The seminars focused on the firstday on the junanahon from kihonand applications, some of whichwere quite technical andcomplicated.

The second day focussed on theSAF Dan grade syllabus fromShodan to Godan (5th Dan). I found

all the techniques highly technical,although I had practiced thembefore in Brighton and felt I had arelatively good understanding. Iparticularly enjoyed practicing thekumitachi from the yondan (4th Dan)syllabus. Overall our experience inJapan was a very enjoyable one.We learnt a lot about aikido andmanaged to see some of theamazing sights in Japan such asthe bamboo forests in Kyoto andOsaka castle. I would highlyrecommend anyone to go to Osakaand look forward to returning myselfin the future.

Shodokan Aikido FederationWorld Championships Osaka 2013 continued

SAF World Championships - brief resume Paul Bonett

The competition took place over 3days 13-15th July 2013 at aMunicipal Sports Centre in centralwest Osaka.

There was a good quality teamhotel, 3 stops on the subway fromthe venue, where the majority of theforeign and visiting Japaneseplayers and staff from other citiesstayed.

The organisation of the seniorcompetition, 2 days, and the juniorcompetition, 1 day, was flawlesswith start and finish times for eventsbeing closely adhered to.

There were in the region of 400senior and 400 junior players.

The standard of kata and randoriwas very high amongst themedallists but through the range,average. There were very fewinjuries and those were minor and

the approach of the players wasvery good.

Before the competition, there wereseveral refereeing courses and theUK referees were generallyconsidered very competent byplayers and senior referees.

Seminars by Nariyama Shihanwere well attended. He was takingeverything back to basics. Now theShodokan has identified itself, hewants instructors throughout theworld to ‘sing from the same hymnsheet’. So, the seminarsconcentrated on explaining therelationship between the basics,kihon kozo, and the applications,especially relating back to historicsword work and also UeshibaSensei’s approach.

We had a meeting to vote on thelocation of the next internationalevent and Brisbane was agreed.

Nariyama Shihan is hoping to runa European competition in twoyears time but this is lookingproblematic as Scott Allbright(asked by Shihan to coordinate thiswith myself), wants to run an eliteevent with 10 players per country,6 men and 4 women.

There was talk about a EuropeanJunior Competition. Since returningfrom Japan, the consensus hereseems to be that ETAN alreadyorganises such an event, andduplicating this would not providethe numbers and enthusiasm.

Overall, there was really greatspirit...the only drawback being thatmost players wished they wereplaying the whole world of sportaikido. I feel this will be the sameat the JAA games.

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by Gitte WolputMore secrets from sport psychology

The 10th International AikidoFestival is near. Are you wellprepared?... In the previousnewsletter you could alreadyread about how topsychologically prepare yourselfby using imagery (by imaginingthe execution of certainmovements you hard wire themin your brain) and building selfconfidence. This is a good timefor some advice on what to doright before a match and how tothink and act during yourmatch…

Tackle your competitioninsomnia

Nothing better than a goodnight’s sleep to wake up fit andready for a challenge, right? Aclassic advice… Unfortunatelyone that is easier said than donefor people who suffer from‘competition insomnia’! Troublesleeping the night before animportant match? Try this:- The longer you are awake, themore pressure there will be to fallasleep. So get up early the daybefore a tournament, and don’ttake a nap.- Take it easy with the booze!Yes, alcohol feels relaxing, but italso changes the structure ofyour sleep: you sleep lighter andwake up more easily after acouple of drinks, which makesyou more prone to stress thenext day…- If you are not sleepy, don’ttry to sleep. You cannot force

sleep to come. Instead, try torelax. Plan something to windyourself down 1,5 hour beforeyou would like togo to bed.- Do ‘the bodyscan’ when youlie in bed: ‘scan’ your body witha ‘mental eye’ and imagine howevery part of your body is gettingwarm and heavy, heavier andheavier, as if your bed containsmagnets that are pulling youdown…Start with your toes andslowly move up towards the topoff your head.- ‘Damned, I can’t sleep!... I amgoing to be a wreck tomorrow…’.Thinking like this is not helping!If you can’t sleep, don’t stressabout it. Get up and dosomething relaxing.Paradoxically, accepting thefact that you can’t sleep, makesit easier to fall asleep. Sootheyourself with the thought thatyour body doesn’t need thatmuch sleep to perform well thenext day. Which, of course, is noexcuse to stay up late to party.- Rise and shine! Sleep is notthe most important predictor ofa good performance. Tellingyourself you are well rested orimaging you are– even if you arenot – is much more important.So, even if you didn’t sleep well,

try to get up with a smile and tellyourself ‘I feel well rested, this isgoing to be a great day!’.Suggestive self-talk like thisworks amazingly well to getyourself in shape!

Embrace your nerves

Competitions make a lot ofpeople nervous and anxious.You may start to feel sick, youmay get a tummy ache, you mayhave to run to the bathroomevery 5 minutes. What to dowhen nerves get a hold of you?- Think stress reducingthoughts. E.g. put everything inperspective. Ask yourself: whatis the worst thing that canhappen? Okay, losing or notreaching your full potential is notfun. But is this really such atragedy?...- Do a breathing exercise.Breath slowly and focus on howyour belly rounds up when youinhale, and flats out when youexhale. This movement iscaused by your diaphragmmoving up and down, whichtriggers a relaxation response.- Use imagery (remember?...)to go over your game plan:imagine how you are going toapproach your opponent. Howare you going to react to theopponent’s actions? Of course,it is best to imagine a positiveending.- Some people prefer todissipate their tension throughactivities that have some energy

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cost, like walking or easyrunning.- Remember that how stressmakes you feel, is a matter ofinterpretation. Yes, you caninterpret that growling stomachand racing heartbeat assomething unpleasant. But youcan also choose to interpret thephysical symptoms of yourstress as something good andwanted. What you feel is a signthat your body is getting readyfor battle. Isn’t that a good thing?

A winner’s warm-up- A match can be won or lostby what happens right before…A good warm-up is crucial! Notonly to get warm, but also to getmentally sharp.- A good warm-up should raiseyour core temperature to thepoint where the skin is moist witha light sweat.- A good warm-up includessimilar movements as the asthe ones you would like to applyduring the match. According tosport psychologists, this isnecessary to fully activate your‘neuromuscular patterns’ – theconnections between yourmuscles and your brain.- Physical activities shouldincrease in intensity as the

bout approaches. Bursts ofactivity should become fasterand more intense. You shouldperform some activities at anintensity that matches thehighest effort levels that occur inthe contest. Just before the bout,you should be in constantmotion. Don’t worry that you willlose valuable energy this way.Even if the warm-up feels tiring,eventually it will help you feelmore energized!- Five to ten minutes beforethe start, you should concentrateon getting the best possiblereadiness to start. It is good toknow in advance which thoughtsand actions help you to be‘optimally aroused’: arousedenough to sharpen your focus,but still relaxed enough to beable to use your technique andfeel for timing, which are both ohso important in Aikido! Somepeople like to listen to music toget excited. Others like to focuson their bodily sensations andimagine how their body is gettingenergized, flexible and strongwith every breath they take. Apopular technique in sportpsychology is called ‘emotionalbuilding’. This techniqueconsists of selecting someassertive emotion (e.g. lookingforward to ‘battle’, wanting to‘attack’ ) and imagining itdeliberately.

During the bout: stay sharp!

What goes through your headwhen you are in the middle of about? The content of yourthoughts might have a biggerimpact on your performancethan you think!

- When you start thinkingthat you might lose, that youropponent is better than you,chances are high that your fearmight become true… Make sureto block anxious thoughts duringa bout by staying task-oriented. Focus on youropponent and what you want todo with him/her. Focus onavoiding, looking for an openingto apply a certain skill… Focuson your game plan!- Mike Tyson once said:“everybody got a plan… Untilthey get punched in the face”...Sometimes a match doesn’t goas planned. If so, don’t give upbut refocus! No matter what thescore is, mentally you canalways push the ‘reset’ buttonand start over again. Figure outas quickly as possible how toadapt your strategy. But makesure not to give up on your gameplan too soon...- If the match doesn’t go as youwant it, then remember thewords of Bruce Lee: ‘A quicktemper will make a fool of yousoon enough’. So stay cool…

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Hideo Ohba

The life and the legacy

the aikido of ‘quiet taste’ part 1Paul Wildish

Hideo Ohba: Key points of his life

1910 He was born at Nakagawa-mura,Senboku-gun in Akita prefecture as thefifth child of Teiichi and Taka Tozawa. Hewas the second son among elevensiblings. The family moved twice beforesettling in Okazaki in Kandai.

1925 Hideo entered KakunodatePrefectural Junior High School on the 8thApril as a first year student. He belongedto the Judo club for 5 years and becamethe club Captain.

1930 Graduated from KakunodatePrefectural Junior High School. He wasblessed with physical strength and powerso at this time he was unrivalled in Judowithin the prefecture. Hideo became aJudo Commissioner for his old school.

1931 Awarded his 2nd Dan in KodokanJudo and met Kenji Tomiki who came toKakunodate Prefectural Junior HighSchool to teach civic education. FromSeptember he served in the army inChina where he was awarded the Orderof Kinshi for repeatedly crossing enemylines.

1933 After demobilization, Hideoreturned to the Kakunodate MiddleSchool as an assistant instructor underKenji Tomiki. He obtained his 5th DanKodokan Judo.

1936 He married Keiko Ohba who wasfamous as a young shihan of Koto (aJapanese stringed instrument). He tookhis wife's family name as his own.

1940 He received a licence for teachingJudo at junior high schools. The followingApril he became a Judo teacher ofKenkoku University, where Tomiki Kenjiheld a professorship, in the Japaneseprotectorate of Manchukuo . Due to arequest by Tomiki, Hideo held anadditional post as Judo teacher ofShinbuden in Shinkyo.

1942 Morihei Ueshiba awarded him 5thDan in Aikibudo after which he beganinstructing the police of the Manchukuocapital in Aikibudo. A memorial budotournament for the tenth anniversary ofthe founding of Manchukuo was held

Hideo Ohba Shihan, 9th Dan Aikido,second Chairman of the Japan AikidoAssociation and Kenji Tomiki’s lifelong friend and collaborator, hasexerted a profound influence onTomiki Aikido as it has beenpractised by the British AikidoAssociation and sister organisationsin Europe since the 1970s. Indeed,in contrast to Japan, the performanceof the prosaically named koryu kata,from dai ichi to dai roku have beenconsidered to be an essentialcomplement to sport and randoriorientated practice. Within the BAAthe kata that Ohba worked on anddeveloped in addition to the koryugoshin no kata (dai san) and thekoryu nage no kata (dai yon) wroughtby Tomiki, are seen to provide a vitallink to the original forms taughtdirectly to both Tomiki and Ohba byMorihei Ueshiba, aikido’s founder.

There has always been a lingeringdisappointment in the UK that KenjiTomiki was never able to completeplans to come to Europe to teach hismethod of aikido directly. Although inthe early years of the BAA’s historywe had the benefit of long stays inthe UK by Waseda UniversityAikidobu alumni, such as Koguresensei (later to become the JAA’sthird Chairman), Ehara, Inoue andHaba, we never had the opportunityto witness Tomiki’s teaching at firsthand. When Ohba Shihan came toteach in the UK in 1976 it wastherefore an event of great emotionalsignificance which shaped thecharacter of the BAA’s understandingof Tomiki Aikido. That this visit shouldhave such consequence iscompletely understandable, for whocould be said to have stood closer toTomiki sensei than Hideo Ohba?

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during which Hideo acted as uke forMaster Morihei Ueshiba.

1943 He obtained his 6th Dan in Aikido.While instructing Aikido and Judo inManchuria, he also trained in Kendo,Naginata and Iai.

1945 Hideo returned to Japan after aperiod of forced labour at an aeroplanerepair shop near the Soviet border.During this time he looked after Tomiki'swife, Fusae, since Tomiki remained indetention. Hideo narrowly survived anattack of typhus.

1950 He recuperated for a year withsupport of his wife after which he becamea Judo Shihan for the Yokote police. Heobtained his 6th Dan in Kodokan Judo.

1954 He obtained a position of ‘Expert’at the Akita PrefecturalPoliceHeadquarters and became a JudoShihan at the Prefectural PoliceAcademy. It was during his tenure thatthe Prefectural Police Judo Club enjoyedits "Golden Age".

1959 He retired from his positions withthe Akita Prefectural Police when ShihanTomiki called him to Tokyo. He cherisheda desire to help realize Tomiki'sdevelopment of aikido kyogi that wasinterrupted by the war in Manchukuo.

1960 He became an Aikido Club Shihanand an Instructor at the PhysicalEducation Department of WasedaUniversity.

1977 He retired from Waseda Universityand became an Instructor at theKokushikan University. He made greateffort to instruct at many clubs; forstudents at Seijo Univ., KokushikanUniv., Meiji Univ., the population at largein Osaka (Shodokan), Yamaguchi,Fukuoka, Imabari and Niigata andoverseas in the United Kingdom andAustralia.

1978 He was awarded 9th Dan of theJapan Aikido Association from TomikiShihan.

1979 He became the Second Chairmanof the Japan Aikido Association and theDirector of the Shodokan upon the deathof Kenji Tomiki Shihan.

1982 He fell ill but recovered and afterleaving the hospital resumed instruction.

1985 He retired and Mr. TetsuroNariyama succeeded as Instructor at theKokushikan University.

1986 Hideo Ohba Shihan died inFebruary at the age of 75.

The BAA was not to be disappointedby his visit for Ohba Shihan seemedto completely exemplify the characterand spirit of the true Japanese senseithat we had read of in our books.Here was a polite, modest dignifiedand gentle man, who exuded aconfident command of aikido. Herewas a man of refined spirit whoplayed the shakuhachi (Japaneseflute) and yet could be playful and fullof fun. There is no doubt that duringthe five weeks of his visit he formedthe aikido mind of a generation ofBAA instructors that continues toresonate today.

Sen Rikyu, the tea master mostresponsible for defining the aestheticof chado, the way of tea, describedhis own practice as the “tea of quiettaste”. Not concerned withostentation or flamboyantperformance, but calm, simple anddirect. During his all too short stay inthe UK Hideo Ohba came topersonify for us an aikido of “quiettaste”.

To determine some of the differencesin perspective and practice that hasgrown between the Japan AikidoAssociation and the BAA, since thedeath of Hideo Ohba in 1986, is inpart to understand the importanceeach organisation has given toOhba’s legacy. For the BAA this hasbeen a determination to preserve the

study of the koryu kata hesystemised. For the JAA his memoryand legacy has been interpreteddifferently. Now in the light of theschism within the ranks of the worldTomiki Aikido family drawn betweenthe JAA loyalists and the newlyconstituted Shodokan AikidoFederation, a reaffirmation of his lifeand work seems particularly apposite.

The Study of Judo

Hideo Ohba first met Kenji Tomiki in1931, when Tomiki took a position asa teacher of public affairs atKakunodate Junior High School inAkita Prefecture. Ohba had enteredthe school when it opened on April 8,1925. He attended the school with hisyounger brother Yoshio andneighbours remembered themwalking together from their home inOkazaki, Kamishiro Village to school,wearing the peaked hats edged withwhite, black ties and white shirtscharacteristic of the Japaneseschoolboy. In this they enjoyed goodfortune as only a few were able toattend a middle school of this kind in1920s Japan, where at that timeschool was very much a privilege.

During his school career the youngHideo had become a committed andeffective judoka working his wayduring his five years at the school tobecome ‘captain’ of the Judo Club.His judo teacher Tokugoro Ito 7th

Dan, had marked him out from hisfirst year at school as likely tobecome a good practitioner. Indeedsuch was the acknowledgement ofhis talent that he was offered a parttime post as an assistant judoinstructor at Kakunodate after hisgraduation in 1930.

In order to improve his skills he wouldgo to stay with his sister in Tokyo andtrain at the Kodokan, the prestigioushome dojo of Jigoro Kano’s judo. In1931 he was promoted to Nidan (2nd

Dan) and continued to teach judo atKakunodate Junior High School.When Kenji Tomiki joined the staff hebrought with him an experience ofjudo marked also by his study of theDaito Ryu orientated aikido he hadbeen learning from Morihei Ueshiba.

Kenji Tomiki & Hideo Ohba

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This fresh approach seems to havegreatly influenced the younger HideoOhba and from then on Kenji Tomikiwould take on the role of his teacherand mentor.

War in China

Further study with Tomiki was to beinterrupted by war between Japanand China. On the 18th September,1931, a small quantity of dynamitewas detonated by Lt. KawamotoSuemori of the Japanese ImperialArmy beside the tracks of theJapanese owned South ManchuriaRailway near Mukden. Although theexplosion failed to destroy the railwaytracks and a train passed soonafterwards, this act of sabotage wasfalsely attributed to Chinesedissidents. Known to history as theManchurian or Mukden Incident, thisso called terrorist act was used byJapan as an excuse to seizeManchuria from China and set up thepuppet state of Manchukuo. Japan’sperfidy was soon exposed and facingworld condemnation forced awithdrawal from the League ofNations, the precursor of the UN.

Like many other young men at thetime Ohba found himself called toservice in China, serving with the 17Akita Infantry Regiment. He provedhimself to be an able and courageoussoldier, facing many dangers in closecombat during this bitter strugglebetween China and Japan. Ohba’sproudest moment was when he wasawarded a medal, the ‘KinchiKunsho’ for a particular act ofpersonal bravery. He was sent on areconnaissance mission that involvedexposing himself to enemy fire whilsthe signalled from behind enemylines. Not only did he win his medalfor this feat but it came with thefinancial reward of an annuity of 150yen. This annuity was to prove auseful additional support in his latermarried life.

Demobilized in 1933, Ohba returnedto Kakunodate Junior High School asTomiki Shihan’s assistant Judoteacher. During the next few yearshe dedicated himself to developinghis judo skills under Tomiki’stutelage, committing himself to longhours of practice. Tomiki broadenedand deepened Ohba’s knowledge of

judo introducing him to techniques ofincreasing complexity andsophistication. Alongside his judopractice Ohba also began a study ofkendo under the guidance of acolleague, Mr Fujiwara, who was anassistant kendo teacher atKakunodate.

Although he became a good kendoplayer his love for judo did notdiminish and it was in its practice thathe placed his major efforts. Sopowerful was the pull of his judoambition, fostered so successfullythrough Tomiki’s teaching, that hewould often spend his summerholidays honing his skills at theKodokan in Tokyo. In October 1935this dedication to judo was rewardedby his promotion to 5th Dan. Duringthis period he was at the peak of judocareer, often beating five or sixopponents in team competitions.There is no doubt that he became aconsummate judo practitioner.

The Koto Player of Yokote

While a devotion to budo was thecentre of his life’s work, Ohbasensei’s sensibilities were alsoformed by his love of music and theserious study of the bamboo flutewith a shakuhachi teacher. Describedby many that knew him as “gentleand simple by nature” his playing ofthe shakuhachi (the bamboo flute)with its haunting melancholy seemedto exemplify a character of ‘quiettaste’.

His love of the shakuhachi was tolead him to another long and abidinglove. Hideo began to take greatpleasure in visiting the well knownyoung koto (Japanese harp) teacher,Keiko Ohba in Yokote. Fascinated bywhat Shishida sensei describes asher “pretty genius” he would seekevery opportunity to persuade her toplay koto and shakuhachi duetstogether. Gradually this relationship,cemented by a mutual love ofmusicianship, blossomed intoanother natural kind of love betweena man and a woman. On the 3rd

September 1936, they were married,Hideo taking Keiko’s family nameOhba. Hideo was twenty six years oldand Keiko a little older at twentyeight. It was to prove a long andenduring marriage.

At this point it becomes incumbent toexplain that Hideo was born into theTozawa family in 1911, the secondson and fifth of eleven children bornto Teiichi and Taka Tozawa. Until hismarriage to Keiko he bore his familyname. However, as was the customat the time for young men whomarried into families who had nosons of their own to inherit theirname, or who enjoyed higher socialstatus, it was common for the son inlaw to adopt his wife’s family name.Certainly Keiko’s reputation as atalented teacher and performer of thekoto, gave her greater status thanHideo whose career was still at itsthreshold.

In 1940, Ohba’s budo career took anew and significant turn when KenjiTomiki invited Hideo to Manchuria toassist him in teaching judo at theNational Kenkoku University inShinkyo. Ohba greatly respectedKenji Tomiki, who had resigned fromKakunodate Junior High School in1934, to further his own studies withKano and Ueshiba in Tokyo inpreparation for his appointment atthis prestigious institution inJapanese occupied Manchukuo.From then on the lives and careersof Kenji Tomiki and Hideo Ohba wereinextricably linked.

In the next issue we will relate Ohba’stime in Manchuria during a formativeperiod in the development of KenjiTomiki’s thought and practice. It wasduring those years spent inManchuria that the foundation ofTomiki’s competitive aikido wasdetermined.

Hideo Ohba

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Juniors& Youth

A series of articles focusing onthe coaching of young people,

helping coaches to makepractice both safe and

enjoyable.

For many years the BAA haspromoted and developed Aikidofor young people. Juniors wereinitially introduced in the mid1970s with the first Junior AikidoCompetition held during 1977 inLeeds, with all ages competingin three events. Since then bothJunior (4 to 10 years) and Youth(10 to 16 years) grading syllabihave been developed tostructure progression andprovide a framework from whichto gauge individuals abilitylevels. The Youth syllabus endsat 1 Kyu in order to allow youngpeople to further develop freeplay and randori skills beforeattempting a Dan grading. Theintroduction of young people toAikido builds a solid foundationfrom which more complex skillsets can be developed. Indeedmany ex-juniors now play animportant part in senior aikido,with notable examples areDanielle Jones, Vanda Fairchild,Laura Beardsmore, Paul Carr,James Bird, Simon Jones, ChrisMoran, Christian Kirkham, SteveEvans, Natulie Smalle, ScottPearce and Sarah Fletcher allprogressing from junior ranks.

The grading syllabus is designedto develop key aikido skills,including rolls and breakfalls,posture, avoidance, distance,balance breaking and direction.

Coaching

in Tomiki AikidoOutline and Introduction (Part One) by Bob Jones

Young People

There is a reduced emphasis onbalance breaking especially ifthis is achieved through jointmanipulation. No pressureshould be placed on young jointsto minimize the potential risk anddamage to immature joints.

Competitive Aikido focuses onEmbu (kata) and Kakarigieko(free practice without resistance)like Ninin Dori. There are five

age groups with five eventsincluding Basic Kata, TantoKakarigieko, Ninin Dori, TantoTaisabaki and Open Kata for theolder age groups. Over 14s arenow eligible for entry to seniorcompetitions within Embu eventsand Ninin Dori. This phasedtransition to senior competitionand grading proves popular withyoung people, yet serving toprotect vulnerable joints. (for fullcompetition rules and regulationand junior and youth gradingsyllabi please see www.aikido-baa.org.uk

As coaches, all Aikidotechniques are potentiallyhazardous and have the latent

ability to cause temporary oreven permanent damage butwith adequate safeguards noproblems should occur. Thebasic techniques have beenadapted over the years toensure suitability for youngpractitioners. The mainadaptations occur within jointlocking techniques such as KoteHineri, Kote Gaeshi, Tenkai KoteHineri where Tori’s hands areplaced over the wrist to protectand prevent the technique beingapplied on the joint. Thetechniques are performedthrough movement rather thanapplying the lock itself.Techniques like Mae Otoshihave already been adapted insenior practice to removepressure on the elbow. HikiOtoshi reverts back to the Judoversion that relies on bodymovement and removes anyfocus on the elbow joint. Thesesimple adaptations provide asafe environment for Aikido tobe practised at any age. Inaddition to this young peoplerequire, whole persondevelopments relating to: -

· Physical Development(strength, endurance,speed, flexibility)

· Learning Development(technicalunderstanding)

· Skills Development(understanding bodymovement)

· Mental Development(psychologicaldevelopment)

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New Club Junior Team CaptainsBadge available now - see website fordetails

Shizentai 2

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Juniors& Youth

· Social Development(personal interaction)

Physical Development

Avoidance of injuries to growth platesis paramount. Bones have outgrowths(apophyses), which provideanchorages for tendons from muscles.These apophyseal growth plates arefound at the attachments of powerfulmuscles like the hamstring and triceps.The growth plates are the weak link inthe transmission of force and aresusceptible to injury in young people.Injuries can be caused by suddenimpact of extreme force (acute injury)or by repetitive force (chronic injury).Mild stress can stimulate growth butsevere stress can be damaging. Forexample Osgood-Schlatter’s diseaseis a condition caused by repeatedcontractions of the quadriceps, whichattach to the tibial apophysis on thefront of the lower leg. The strain on thegrowth plate pulls the attachment fromthe body of the bone. In itself it is nota cause of great concern, but it doesprovide an example of the effects ofrepeated strong contractions on thegrowth plates. (Sports Coach UK,Coaching Children Resource Pack)

Physical development of youngpeople should be a measuredprocess without using additionalweights to overload muscles,bouncing or ballistic exercise toover stretch or joint rotationexercises which are traditionalto Aikido but can cause moredamage than good.

When young people exercisethe most immediate response isto increase the oxygen supply tomuscles via the cardio vascularsystem. This increases the heartrate, volume of blood pumpedby the heart and deeper and

faster breathing. Bodytemperature must be controlledand this is achieved throughsweating, radiating heat throughthe skin and breathing out. Andwhilst in most cases youngpeople adapt well to exercisethere are elements with whichthey struggle.

Even allowing for body sizeyoung people can only supply afraction of the oxygen requiredcompared to adults. Youngpeople breath much faster andless deeply than adults andextract less oxygen from the air.A six year old must breathe 38litres of air to extract 1 litre ofoxygen, while an 18 year oldneeds only 28 litres for the sameeffect. The cardio vascularsystem must be trained in orderto become efficient andeffective. Overload can be short-term effect of over training at ayoung age.

Young people are particularlysensitive to heat stress. Theirrelatively large surface areacompared with adults means

Coaching Young Peoplein Tomiki Aikido

Outline and Introduction (Part One) by Bob Jones

they exchange heat faster.During exercise, especiallycompetition and games theability to regulate temperaturethrough replenishing water lossis essential. Plain water (notfizzy drinks) should be available(in none spill container) for useat the side of the mat. Especiallyin hot weather regular intake offluid is essential to stopdehydration.

One of the first organs to sufferfrom dehydration is the brain,hence the heightened risk ofinjury due to lapses ofconcentration occur during thisperiod. Fluid intake is thereforea primary factor in theprevention of injury.

We can therefore presume thatyoung people are better atsteady extended activity withregular breaks than repeatedintensive activities and that thecoach is an essential moderatorof exercise and ever watchful forthe potential negative sideeffects of physical activity.

To be continued

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AiKIDoLee MazacsBAA Youth Development Officer

Juniors& Youth

Guess who? Can you recognise any of these faces? Many of our current nationalsquad, team and BAA team members began their competitive careersas Junior and Youth members. See how many you can spot. Theanswers can be found on the back page.

1 2

3 4

Memberships Registrar

Leaving your membershiprenewal to the last minute? – Anumber of members are leavingrenewing their BAA license untilthe very last minute, and in somecases they are allowing themembership to lapse and onlyrenewing weeks later or morecommonly just before acompetition, seminar or grading.

If you have been training duringthis time you may well not beinsured which is more critical fora coach, membership takesapproximately 14 days toprocess but shouldn’t takelonger than 28 days. Pleaseremember new membershipsand renewals cannot always be

issued at short notice, so pleaseplan ahead.

The current membership feesare: Junior, Youth andConcessionary rates £20per year.Adult membership £30per year.

Renew now at: http://www.aikido-baa.org.uk/about-us/membership/

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With increasing internationalcomplexity and potentialconfusion the British AikidoAssociation wish to clarify itsrevised grading policy that willtake effect from 1 August 2013.

1. Junior and Youth Gradings

Earlier this year the BAAintroduced a new separateJunior and Youth Gradingsyllabus, promotion awards willremain the same with 1st DanCoaches being able to grade upto Youth 1st Kyu within their ownclubs, or in partnership withother clubs. These grades mustbe recorded in candidatesgrading book to be valid. It mustbe remembered that the BAAdoes not recognise the award of1st Dan to young people underthe age of 16 years and 6months.

To supplement the gradingsyllabus a new junior /YouthAwards Badge scheme hasbeen launched with six badgescurrently available for youngpeople to achieve. Details of thegrading syllabus and awardsscheme are available on theBAA website.

2. Senior Kyu Gradings

BAA Kyu gradings are held atclub level with qualified 1st DanCoaches entitled to promote

members to and including 2nd

Kyu and with a registered 2nd

Dan can grade to 1 Kyu. Thegrades must be recorded in thecandidates grading book.

3. Dan Gradings

BAA Dan grading will be heldat the six approved Nationalcourses. The same range ofexaminers will be used butonly Dan gradings achievedunder the BAA syllabus atthese venues will now beautomatically approved.

BAA National Courses and DanGradings locations and venues

1. BAA Winter School North – March - Sheffield2. BAA Spring School – Ireland – April - Belfast/Dublin3. BAA Spring School West – May - Winchester4. BAA Summer School – North – July - Leeds5. BAA Summer School – South of the River – September - Folkestone6. BAA Autumn School – South – November - Herne Bay

These courses will also providethe full range of deliveryincluding - Coaching, Refereeand Judging and Examinersqualifications on a rotatingprogramme. The BAA Senior

Kyu and Dan syllabii areunchanged and are available onthe website along withregistration documentation andfee structure.

4. Meritorious Awards

Grades can still be awardedthrough the meritorious route byforwarding a proposal for gradeto the Executive Committee.The outline should provide thecandidates name and currentgrade along with a descriptionof their achievements, technicalunderstanding and contributionto the British Aikido Association.These will be assessed by theTechnical Committee andawarded at the AGM each year.Individuals awarded gradethrough the meritorious routeare not eligible to act as BAADan Grade examiners abovethat grade.

5. Recognition of JAA / SAF grades

Only Dan grades awardeddirectly, at a formal grading, byNariyama and Shishida San willbe recognised by the BAA.Grades awarded throughappointed representatives of theJAA or SAF will not berecognised and are not eligibleto be Dan Grade examinerswithin the BAA.

BAA Exec

Revised Grading and ExaminersRegulations

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Contact: shizentai@aikido-baa.org.uk

Winter School, Sheffield March 2013T Houghton Epic 2nd DanM Jenner Leeds 2nd DanJ Parker Leeds 1st DanJ Paul St Pauls/Jugokan 1st Dan

Spring School, Winchester, May 2013J Withers St Pauls/Jugokan 1st DanJ Ko St Pauls/Jugokan 1st DanM Lyle St Pauls/Jugokan 1st Dan

Summer School North, Leeds, July 2013N Smalle Tanseikan 3rd DanD Cheshire Leeds 1st DanK Cox Leeds 1st DanN Lomax Tanseikan 1st DanS Jackson Bradford 1st Dan

Keep up to date withBAA Courses & Club Events19-23 Sep 10th InternationalAikido Tournament,Kawasaki, Japan

28 Sep Training for Embu &Shiai Paul Wildish 6 Dan13:00-18:00, Zion Place,Margate.

13 Oct BAA ExecutiveCommittee Meeting

Oct 26 Koryu Dai Go - ShaunHoddy 6 Dan, 13:00-18:00,Zion Place, Margate.

9-10 Nov BAA AutumnSchool, Satoru Tsuchiya 6Dan, Bob Jones 7 Dan,Shaun Hoddy 6 Dan, PaulWildish 6 Dan, VandaFairchild 5 Dan

BAA Promotions to Dan Grade

Guess Who 1

Vanda Fairchild with Scott Pearce as2 Kyu junior second from left

Guess Who 2

Mick Pratt top left with Simon andDanielle Jones as 2 Kyu (junior) infront row.

Guess Who 3

Second from left Steve Evans as a 2Kyu junior

Guess Who 4

Vanda Fairchild with Paul Carr 1 stKyu junior third from left with his sisterVictoria 3rd Kyu junior second fromleft.

Guess Who Answers

Herne Bay Judo & Martial ArtsCentre, Station Approach, TheCircus, Herne Bay, CT6 5QJ.Dojo next to railway station.

2 Nov Youth DevelopmentDay hosted by Tanseikan

23 Nov BAA Junior OpenChampionships SouthHigh Wycombe Judo Centre

1 Dec National Kyu GradeCompetition EIS, Sheffield

Dates for next year’s diary!BAA Winter School North – Mar2014 - SheffieldBAA Spring School Ireland – Apr2014- Belfast/DublinBAA Spring School West – May2014- WinchesterBAA Summer School North – Jul2014 -LeedsBAA Summer School South of theRiver – Sep 2014 - FolkestoneBAA Autumn School South – Nov2014 - Herne Bay

Satoru Tsuchiya 6 Dan

The new Herne Bay venue