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Here are some pictures from a recent seminar by two teachers: Jacek Wysocki, Aikido (Poland) and Antonio Garcia, Soke Hakko Ryu Denshin Ryu (Belgium) from 6-9 June 2003 in Prague, Czech Republic.
Click on the images below to get a larger picture.
Thoughts on Hakko Ryu: 6-9.06.2003
This past weekend I attended a seminar in Aikido and Hakko denshin ryu aikijujutsu in Prague Friday night, and Saturday morning, then drove 120 kms to the Bohemia Aikikai Shinsakai, (“grading seminar” in Japanese.) where I took my Shodan aiki to ho exam, stayed overnight and drove back to Prague for the final classes of first seminar.
For me personally the most important event at this seminar was that I met Soke Antonio Garcia and trained with him for three classes.
I had heard of him before of course, as he is the most accomplished practitioner of Hakko denshin ryu aikijujutsu in Europe, but the barriers of space and time had always prevented me from attending his seminars before so I was eagerly awaiting this one.
He taught te kagami (“hand mirror”), ude (shodan) osae dori (“first level pin”), yoko katate osae dori (“side arm pin”, since uke grabs your arm from the side before you wheel him around you and throw him, looks like shihonage but a completely different feel) and a few henka waza. Also taught a Sandan technique from yokomen called mochi mawari (You might know it. where one enters to the inside, blocks the attack. Then taking the fingers, curls them down around and back to partner in a kind of reverse shihonage movement?)
After spending a few hours training under his careful eye, he began to take some interest in me, (and basically told me I was making all kinds of mistakes, so I know he cared!) Anyway, I got a chance to be uke several times and I can give you some impressions.
First, his techniques really worked. He obviously had mastered the movements to the point where he seemed to move with slow deliberation while always being ten steps ahead of his attacker.
His lines and angles were clean and clear, while his connection seemed deceptively soft. He requires no dynamic movement and works just fine from static attacks. He has a very subtle art with all the action inside his body and uke’s. What you see on the outside is just the deceptive shell, and it requires direct transmission from teacher to student to really get it.
Still, once, I didn’t move fast enough and several bones in my wrist quickly released with large “popping” sounds. No damage, but a split second more of unintentional resistance on my part and I might be wearing a cast now.
In many ways this seminar was like coming home to meet a childhood friend that one hadn’t seen for many years. There was a lot of catching up to do.
I had previously studied Hakko Ryu with my first real martial arts teacher, Mike Hanna in Heidelberg, at the same time I started aikido, almost 10 years ago.
I had done other stuff, karate as a teenager and in college, then judo at a German club when I was stationed with the army in Stuttgart, but Mike was really special and the first guy I have met that really followed the path of budo, not just teaching his skill mechanically, but living the martial way.
Mike was an excellent teacher, set a fine example, living and breathing the Asian martial and healing arts. I used to spend a lot of time with him, not just training, but also just hanging out, talking and learning.
Even though the last time I practiced with Mike Hanna was over seven years ago and even though then I was a complete beginner, I have tried to retain the techniques over the years and so, with Soke Garcia’s encouragement, I was able to make some progress and to correct a few of the mistakes that time and inexperience had created.
For any practitioner of Aikido who is interested in the various historical lines that branch out from Sokaku Takada’s Daito Ryu, I recommend investigating Hakko denshin ryu aikijujutsu.
Best regards
Larry Kwolek
www.aikidojo.info
webmaster@aikidojo.info
”Saru mo ki kara ochiru.”
(Even monkeys fall from trees)
Here are some web links to Hakko denshin ryu aikijujutsu:
http://www.hakkodenshinryu.com/ Belgium, Europe
http://www.hakkojujutsu.com/ Ohio, USA
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