Aikido Shudokan Emag 2012

Aikido Shudokan
EMAG 2012
Artwork by James Phoenix
Joe Thambu Shihan 40 years of Aikido
From all of the students

and instructors at Aikido
Shudokan
Congratulations to Sensei Jon Marshall,
on receiving
Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Editors Note
Sensei Joe Speaks
Special Events
Congratulations to
Sensei Joe
16
Personal Reflections
19
Aikidemics
27
Student of the Year
29
International News
33
Kids Corner
45
A Year In Photos
49
Grading
Achievements
57
Final Word From

Sensei Joe
58
Final Word From

The Editor
59
Holiday Calendar
60
That Was The Year That Was

A Letter From The Editor
Note: some information may be out of date by the time of publishing
As yet another year draws

to a close, those of us at
Aikido Shudokan can look
back on 2012 as a particularly eventful twelve
months; we danced the
Gangnam Style, Obama was
re-elected,
Felix
Baumgartner jumped from
space and after a long series of disappointing results
the Large Hadron Collider
once again failed to deliver
its much anticipated black
hole.
Closer to home, many of us
have been honing our martial arts skills in preparation for the battle for survival in
the
p o st apocalyptic wasteland of
2013
As such, it is truly an honour and a privilege to be
appointed the editor of
Those cannibals arent going to

sankajo themselves, you know.
what will not only be the

final Shudokan Emag (at
least, until Marcin and
David can rebuild the internet), but also no doubt a
valuable insight into our

way of life for historians of
the future. With that in
mind, I feel compelled not
to dwell on our own imminent and inescapable
deaths, but to reflect upon
the year that was, with all
its ups and downs and
highs and lows and, most
importantly, to take a look
at the numerous happenings that we at Aikido Shudokan have had the opportunity to experience in this
year of years.
2012 blasted off with a special treat a visit by none
other than the esteemed
Inoue Kyouichi Kancho a
delightful, gentle and above
all humble martial artist
who is nevertheless tough
as nails. Im sure few of us
will ever forget the hours
spent staying so still it hurt,
be it in kamae or seiza, as
this Aikido legend regaled
us with stories of his
younger days; stories which
were as entertaining and
funny as they were profound. I suspect everyone
(myself included) was
somewhat surprised by his
emphasis on the absolute
fundamentals of the art,
and how the application of
the pure basics could be so
completely integral to the
beautiful, subtle technique
that we were so lucky to
observe (and in a few very

fortunate cases, experience
firsthand). Speaking for
myself, I will say simply
that I walked away from the
seminar with a completely
new appreciation for what
Kancho Sensei often referred to as budo training.
As with every year, the Annual Demonstration was a
resounding success. With
the Kancho in attendance
and the added importance
of Sensei Joes 40th anniversary of Aikido, those
who participated certainly
had to operate under a
great deal of pressure; however, everyone stepped up
to the challenge admirably.
Highlights include Sensei
Joes demonstration (I still
cringe when I remember
the floor shaking as Nick
Pennas body, which remains inexplicably intact to
this day, came crashing
down from a powerful kokyunage), as well as the
once in a lifetime experience of watching Inoue
Kanchos calligraphy skills
in action.
Of course, it would be remiss of me to skip over the
Malaysia/Thailand Trip.
While I couldnt be there
myself, it certainly would
appear that those who were
fortunate enough to go
managed to enjoy themselves in my absence; an
assumption I drew from the
fact that no-one seems to
be able to remember anything that happened. Those
of us who were forced to

EDITORS
NOTE
Thank
you for
being part
of our
lives
A Letter From The Editor, cont.

stay behind in
sunny
Melsay a big thank you to Senbourne can only
sei Joe and everyone else
imagine the beer
who helps make Aikido
-fuelled
mayShudokan such a fantastic
hem
that
a
community. Congratulagroup of plastions to all of those who
tered aikidoka
tested or are testing on the
can wreak in
classic
Greek
22nd, and big congratulastyle on the
tions to Dr Sensei Joe
streets of Kuala
Thambu Shihan on his
Lumpur. I unOne consequence of the Malaysia trip may be the addition
40th anniversary of Aikido.
derstand
there of a bar to the Thornbury and Oakleigh dojos. Concept art
On behalf of everyone who
was even some courtesy of Joanna Sumner
has ever been taught, inspare time for a
(fortunately for the dojo) in
little bit of training, alfluenced, scolded, inmany cases an expensive
though Im sure it didnt get
spired, thrown, hit, conone. With the Cameron
in the way too much. Those
fused and amused by you,
blessed with a strong memfamily walking away with
Id like to say thank you for
ory and an even stronger
enough loot to rival Ali
being a part of our lives
stomach mentioned vague
Baba
and
Martin
your incredible skill and
hints of some sort of 100
Givemeyourmoney Rice
dedication is matched only
Year Anniversary, but
putting auctioneers the
these rumours are yet to be
by your inimitable personworld over to shame, the
confirmed. They are howality.
party was certainly a social
ever, supported by the odd
photograph, although the
high point of the year. SenTo you, dear reader, I urge
idea that Thamby Rajah,
seis danced, the band
you to read on. Contained
Ramlan Ahmed, Jon Marplayed that funky music
herein are stories of boneshall and Joe Thambu were
(but didnt die), drinks
chilling terror, profound
all at one event together
were downed and flips were
suggests such a potently
wisdom, side-splitting
falled til late at night. Nick
amazing seminar that I find
comedy and matit difficult to accept that we
didnt get to do
thumping excitedidnt hear more about it
his famous stripment. I wish you
on our end. Consequently, I
tease due to back
luck for the imhave deduced that the phoinjury (or the
pending
apocatographs on facebook are
promise thereof),
the handiwork of that oh-so
lypse, although if
but the night was
-cunning photoshopper
you are doing a dan
nevertheless
a
George Salama. At least,
grading on the 22nd
thats what helps me sleep
success.
Ray Ill break your bank
that may be the
at night knowing that I
Cameron and Huy accounts or your wrists least of your worwasnt there.
Nguyen finished
ries. Either way,
the evening with a lifetime
may
the
odds be ever in
And who could forget the
membership each, so exyour
favour.
famous Auction Party of
pect to see a lot more of
12? Well, once again, apthem on the mats as they
Osu!
parently most people. Loosfeverishly protect their inening inhibitions and walvestments.
Jack Lavery
lets, the free shots at the
door certainly made the
Ill take this opportunity to
night an experience, and

SENSEI JOE
SPEAKS
A Few Words of Wisdom

Sensei Joe 40 Years On
For Senseis 40th year of
learning Aikido, the editor,
breaking with tradition, has
decided to forego the usual
Word From Sensei Joe, and
has instead attempted to delve
deep into the psyche of Joe
Thambu Shihan. In typical
Aikido fashion, the editor has
the sneaking suspicion that his
own questions were subtly
turned around and redirected
elsewhere, which for the purposes of enjoyable reading can
only be a good thing.
I understand youve also
studied various other martial arts including Judo
why did Aikido appeal in
particular, more than any
other martial art?
Ive been
lucky to
have
discovered
it
Firstly a correction there, I

dont think Ive really studied
any other martial art Ive
done just a very little bit of
Judo, a little bit of Jiu Jitsu,
some Kendo, some Shindo
Musu Ryu Jodo; but for me,
doing something for a year or
six months is not enough you
cannot say youve done it. I
cannot even say I tried it; I just
did it for a little time. So I dont
really think its a fair comparison to say that I picked Aikido
over those other things, I just
did Aikido and stuck at it because it suited my character.
For me, doing something for
one or two or three years is not
enough to say that youve done
it.
When did you decide that
this was what you wanted
to do, professionally?
I dont think it was ever a conscious decision as such it was
just that one thing led to another, and I really never in my

career made a conscious decision that I was going to do this
or that. Things just led on, and
circumstances and opportunities presented themselves
sometimes necessity took over
and it was just something
that rolled on. I guess what
they say is true, sometimes you
dont find a career, a career
finds you.
What particular aspect of
Aikido appeals to you personally?
Thamby Rajah Sensei. Since

then Ive met lots of good people like Don Draeger Sensei,
who I learnt off personally,
Obata Sensei, Inoue Sensei,
Chida Sensei just to name a
few. There have been a lot of
people who Ive learnt many
many a good thing from, and a
lot of people that Ive taken
things from. But Ive never
emulated, or said I wanted to
be like this person or that person. I dont know if Im answering your question, but its
never been in my psyche to
have a mentor or a guru.
I think, like any art form, if it

touches a chord in you and you
feel passion towards it and you
find it constantly intriguing
and constantly challenging
you, you do it. Theres lots of
things about Aikido that I like,
theres some things about Aikido that I dont like, but ultimately its that constant challenge, its that constant need to
improve myself and to improve
what I can around me. Its
given me opportunities. Its let
me express my beliefs. Its
helped me fix my beliefs. And I
think all these are marks of a
good art form. I think, because
of the person I am and because
of the art that it is, it suited me,
and Ive been lucky to have
discovered it.
Do you still feel that youre

learning Aikido, or do you
feel that youve completely
switched to the role of
teacher?
Youve
probably
been
asked this plenty of times
before, but who do you
think was your most influential teacher, and why?
Do you think there could

ever be a point where you
stop
learning
Aikido?
Ive never ever had a mentor in

my life. Ive met lots of really
really good teachers you
cant go past my first teacher,
To be honest, the best teachers

never stop learning, and I still
learn from Aikido I learn
about myself and its that that
keeps me going. I also tend to
enjoy the process of learning, I
enjoy discovering new things, I
enjoy just doing Aikido. And
also, a lot of that is the people
around me, both here in Melbourne and overseas. The people who I move with, I rub
shoulders with, I train with, I
teach and who teach me
these people also make learning a pleasurable experience.
I dont know about that my

crystal balls a bit cloudy at the
moment. But I think that if I
stop learning, then its time for
me to give up and go fishing.
Part of what intrigues me

SENSEI JOE
SPEAKS
A Few Words of Wisdom

Sensei Joe 40 Years On, cont.
about Aikido is the fact that I
still learn. And so if I stopped
learning, then maybe its time
to give up.
What did you learn from
the Inoue Kancho visit?
I always learn a lot from Inoue
Kancho. I think this time, the
most poignant thing that came
across was the calligraphy
which he wrote, which roughly
translates as happiness or
unhappiness, follow your destiny. This is pretty much saying that sometimes happiness
or unhappiness is immaterial,
and youve got to do what
youve got to do. It came at an
appropriate time for me, and I
think he has a knack for saying
the right thing at the right
time.
Is there any particular
aspect of Aikido that you
feel beginners should understand from the outset?
If we look at
whats
practical all
the time, we miss
out on so many
aspects
Yes I think that a lot of us

want practicality out of Aikido,
and out of any aspect of life.
We want what is practical and
what will work in the here and
now. But, I think that can be
selfself-defeating sometimes. If we
look at whats practical all the
time, we miss out on so many
aspects of Aikido. I think this is
one of the reasons why its
taken me so long to learn Aikido, because growing up I was
always after what worked, and
what would help me get the job
done, so to speak. And its
taken me a long time to understand the subtleties (but we all
know Im a slow learner). I
think that if beginners understand that, then they will start
to grasp the roots and the essence maybe not faster but
a lot more holistically.
How do you decide what
message you want to bring
across with your demonstrations?
Everything depends on the
audience in front of me, and I
try to look at who Im demonstrating to. Some Aikido teachers believe thats wrong and
that you need to do what you
do full stop. I believe a demonstration is about reaching out
to people, so I try and get in
tune with the audience and
who the main target audience
is. I try and explain Aikido in a
way that theyll understand.
Having said that, I tend to do
two types of demonstrations.
Ones an entertainment demonstration, where I will do
something for maybe three or
four minutes, and it might be
in front of a group of people
who have come to see karate or
kickboxing or something, or
its a martial arts expo and you
just do Aikido as a small part of
it. Thats an entertainment
demonstration, where theres
no explanation or anything.
When we do stuff like the annual demonstrations, and I
have a chance to speak, then
its what we call an educational
demonstration, where we get
to explain what we do and
explain some concepts of Aikido. Obviously you cant explain everything, but you try
and inform the audience as to
what you think and what you
believe they might be interested in. So, from that point of
view, who they are is very important in what I deliver.
Getting back to this year,

has there been a particular
highlight in your 40th year
of Aikido?
I think all the overseas trips
are always really enjoyable.
The highlights would have to
be doing the 100 year anniversary celebration in Malaysia
that was really amazing. So
many people came from so
many different countries, and
it was a humbling experience.
Going to Inoue Senseis 77th
birthday in June and having
the honour of making a speech
in front of 400 distinguished
martial artists that was also a
big moment this year.
And I have to say, something
that stands out is having met a
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teacher
named Pedro Sauer he really
is an amazing man, he strikes
you as a very humble, sincere
and proficient martial artist,
and meeting him was also a
highlight
this
year.
Do you have any stories
from your 40 years of Aikido that youd like to
share in the Emag this
year?
When I was maybe 13 or 14, I
got a little bit slack at training.
I was watching TV one day,
and after the class, my uncle
came over and said to me, If
you dont want to train anymore, wash that dogi and give
it back to me. That was the
only time Ive ever had to be
induced or encouraged or admonished about Aikido. And I
never want to go through that
again.
Hey!
Time to take that santa outfit off!
Boris is here to wish everyone at
Aikido Shudokan a Merry Xmas
and a Happy New Year!
All of us have our own path and
values. Make sure you follow your
path and values, instead of chasing others dreams.
Greetings from the dark and cold
Oslo; and missing everyone (well,
almost everyone) at Aikido
Shudokan!
Specifically, I would like to thank

SPECIAL
EVENTS
Special Event:
Inoue Kyoichi Kancho Visit
In March this year, the Shudokan had
the extreme privilege of hosting Sensei
Inoue Kyoichi, Kancho of the Shinwakan
school of Aikido. Rather than recount
what will no doubt be an unforgettable
experience regardless, Marvin Oka has
instead provided us with an extensive
record of Kancho Senseis most memorable quotes.
All is from
kamae
The spine
must be
straight. The
training for
this is seiza.
Train the spirit. This

is Budo training. Train your spirit
over pain. Focus your
will and spirit over
pain and discomfort.
Apply yourself 100% in

all you do, even if in pain
or exhaustion. Do this in
all aspects of life for total
Budo training and Budo
living.

In hiriki no yosei, the dynamic power comes from
your left (bottom) hand, in
both raising and lowering.
This holds true even
when your partner grabs
your right hand. The raising and lowering/cutting
with the sword is from
the left/lower hand. The
upper/right hand only
guides the sword to stay
straight
Before doing
the rest of any
technique, the
first thing you
must do is take
Uke's balance
Be an ukemi
sandan
You are learning to

train yourself in Aiki
connection in everything in Aikido. Train
your spirit and your
Ki power. Develop
your Aiki power
10
That which you

cannot believe that is Aikido.
11

SPECIAL
EVENTS
All in all
it was a
fabulous
night
Special Event:
Auction Party
Almost everyone reading this will
probably already know how awesome
the Nostradamus 2012 Auction Party
was for those of you who dont,
well, I suppose its my job to tell you
exactly what you missed out on. For
starters there was the fine food of St
Georges Reception Centre, good
music, the fine company and humour
of our Samurai/Auctioneers, loud
music, an auction of rare and wonderful items (shock horror) some
amazing music (did I already mention that?) and the always entertaining sight of Sensei Jon on the dance
floor.
For those of us who arrived on time
there were a multitude of shots
passed around (courtesy of Sensei
Joes extensive personal liquor collection) each one going down with a
cheer and a laugh. The show sprang
off rather quickly after this with an
opening fanfare from the band, and a
Bidding got pretty

heated between The
Monagle and George
Salama over the weekend holiday...
Most memories of the night look something like this.
quick speech from Sensei, then it was

straight into the food, (I did mention
how good the food was didnt I?) followed closely by the first round of auctions and more music, more jokes
from the auctioneers and more food.
By this stage everyone was at least a
little drunk and by the second round of
auctions we started to see some rather
heated competition over various auction listings, the most interesting of
those being over a weekend holiday, a
gong, and of course the two lifetime
memberships to the dojo.
All in all it was a fabulous night, during
which every ticketholder got more than
their fair share of the promised
laughter, mayhem, 4 course dinner,
beer, wine, soft-drink, laughter and
mayhem. So for those of you who
missed out now is the time to start
asking about the next Auction Party,
and to start saving up for your chance
to bid on the next lifetime membership...
12

SPECIAL
EVENTS
Zach Hannan Presents:

Malaysia/Thailand 2012
This article was only ever going
to go one of two ways, either it
would read like the pre-edited
script for a prime-time, channel 7, B-Grade drama from the
seconds pile that documented
the tear jerking challenges and
achievements of a young mans
adventure into a brave new
world or it would ramble incoherently about buckets of rum,
exotic islands, Russian dancers, colourful forms of Greek
abuse, a continual chorus of
Maasssaaagge, the wonders
of coconut juice and the farm
yard exploits of a young John
Murray.
So naturally I opted for the
first...
8 months ago a young man
who knew little to nothing of
Aikido woke up in the usual
hung over state and scowled at
the sea of empty low carb lager
bottles that littered the floor of
his bedroom.
There were
simply too
many holes
in my
memory
He was the kind of guy you felt

needed something or someone
to care about in his life but his
inability to take care of anything or anyone left him with
only one suitable partner... a
succulent.
were on and the doors were

open but no one was home.
I called out once... nothing,
twice... nothing and then after
the third time a loud and angry
voice bellowed from behind a
door to my left
Can I get dressed first!
...um... please do I replied in
a mild state of shock.
When the man finally appeared
(clothed) he turned bitterly
and said
What do you want?
Ah, nothing I must be in the
wrong place, thanks anyway. I
turned and left.
There is just no excuse for
being a [heavily edited expletive].
However, being a man who
does not believe in luck, I look
back at these sorts of moments
as important steps that got me
where I am as opposed to a
series of unfortunate interactions with dickheads.
So I moved on to the second

closest dojo, which obviously
turned out to be the greatest
dojo in the world! That would
surely not fail me on my next
grading.
The vast array of knowledge
and skills from each and every
Sensei that I have had the
pleasure of training under at
the Shudokan dojos is something I will forever be grateful
for, but for me the most important thing is the people. Over
the past few months I have met
and come to know an extraordinary, global community of
individuals who practise aikido
on the mats and (in their own
unique way) off the mats.
I have a long way to go in the
world of Aikido and thats the
best bit knowing I have so
much more to look forward to.
Osu!
And apologies to anyone who
thought I was going to reveal
what really happened in
Malaysia and Thailand, there
were simply too many holes in
my memory.
Zx
Well, 8 months later and that

young man is... doing exactly
the same thing and I still haven't bought him that succulent
because Im far too busy with
Aikido.
I think of him from time to
time with gratitude as his actions and consequences served
as a warning for my own future.
So rewind again 8 months.
I wandered down to the local
aikido dojo which operated a
few nights of the week in a
small church at the back of the
Clifton hill shops. The lights
It was a very good trip, though.
13

SPECIAL
EVENTS
Zach Hannan Presents:

Malaysia/Thailand 2012
Sir John:
So a Greek, an
Irishman and a
martial artist walk
into a bar...
Marty:
My life is
complete
14

SPECIAL
EVENTS
These two
remarkable
personalities
drew the
attention of the
entire world
Special Event:
100 Years of Aikido
The biggest event of the year
if not the century, was held
between the 11th and 14th of
October, 2012, in Kuala
Lumpur Malaysia as Aikidoka from all over the world
had amassed to celebrate the
anniversaries of two of the
great inspirations in the
modern history of Yoshinkan Aikido. As the name
of the event suggests, a century of Aikido was the combined 60 years of Aikido for
Thamby Raja Kancho and
40 years of Aikido for Joe
Thambu Shihan. Not many
people can dedicate themselves that long to a MartialArt, profession or any relationship at all for that matter. Hence, was this to be an
Aikido Ruby and a Diamond
Celebration of sorts, and
rarely can this celebrated by
two family members together in the same year,
making this occasion a truly
unique one. The combined
100 years of Aikido knowledge between these two
remarkable
personalities,
teachers and sources of inspiration therefore, indubitably, drew the attention of
the entire Shudokan world.
Students from United Kingdom, Poland, Checz Republic, Australia, Indonesia,

Singapore and Malaysia
gathered for a weekend consisting of a tribute dinner, a
two and a half day seminar,
a public demonstration and
a gala dinner to frame the
event as one that was to go
down in the history books of
Shudokan Aikido.
The Tribute Dinner to
Thamby Rajah Sensei in the
Seremban dojo on Thursday
took things back to where
everything once originated.
It is this historic dojo that
gave rise to the now worldrenowned moniker of Shudokan: The House to Study
the way. During the night we
were exposed to some interesting truths about the dojo
that
only
served
to
strengthen our perception of
the Seremban School as
being a place of Martial Arts
History. We found out that
the dojo was the first Yoshinkan dojo to open up to
students outside of Japan.
The First non-Japanese
female Yoshinkan black belt
trained there amongst in-
structors even senior to

Yoshikan legends such as
Takafumi Takeno Sensei. It
also became clearer just how
much effort Thamby Rajah
Sensei had to put in to travel
to Japan in order to train at
times when this was exceedingly difficult. The two hour
long sessions of training
with all the honored guests
on the mats with the background music of the booming Malaysian Monsoon and
accompanied
Thunderstorms was surely to leave a
long lasting impression on
everybody present. To be on
the mats with Sensei
Thamby and Sensei Joe in
the same class is definitely
something all Shudokan
students do aspire to. A
dinner followed with an
Award ceremony to honor
some of the key figures involved in making the school
what it is today, for their
dedication and support to
the Seremban Dojo, one of
the oldest martial arts centers in Malaysia.
The proceedings continued
to the National badminton
hall, our named destination
15

SPECIAL
EVENTS
Shudokan is
more like a
big family
Special Event:
100 Years of Aikido
for the Friday night seminar.
A full day on Saturday and a
half day on Sunday followed
where over a hundred Aikidoka had stepped onto the
mats to be tutored by an
international set of instructors from Shudokan Schools
far and wide. All the classes
reflected the high level of
tutelage Shudokan now
offers world over with the
guidance of Joe Thambu
Shihan. Often the training
would consist of drills and
techniques which had to be
performed together with
mostly unfamiliar faces,
with students from other
schools. It is fair to say however, that Shudokan is more
like a big family, so it rarely
takes long before breaking
the ice, be it either physically or verbally. The harder
you train with a partner on
the mats, the more you are
able to connect with that
person outside. We witnessed new and hopefully
lifelong, friendships forming, at times with black eyes
and bruised ribs as receipts.
The public demonstration
on Sunday was a two hour
affair at the Dewan Bahasa
and Pustaka Auditorium,
center for language and
reading. Aikido practitioners
ranging from the age of
three to eighty-six had
stepped on stage and that
again underlined the claim
that Aikido is an art for everyone. The audience witnessed a whole range of high
level performances that

culminated in a demonstration by Sensei Joe and a
ceremony together with
Thamby Rajah Sensei. The
location of the demonstration, as Sensei Joe pointed
out, was appropriate and
also metaphorical in regards
how we need to respect and
preserve our language, art
and culture in order to move
it forward. No different are
the Martial Arts and Aikido
in particular. What we witnessed on this day was a
The dinner,
and the event
as a whole, was
a great
success
legacy that the two great
men had now formed and
how their inspiration continues to carry over onto the
younger generations.
The entourage proceeded to
the appropriately named
Dynasty Hotel in the Kuala
Lumpur Area for the final
event of the weekend,
namely the Gala Dinner. The
white pajamas were traded
for gowns and sophisticated
shirts, slacks and suits, as
the now transformed apprentices finally got to
breathe out the tension that
usually emanates during

public demonstrations. Sensei Joe, however, managed
to slip back in to his white
business suit with hakama
for an encore performance; a
never before seen demonstration during a dinner.
Taking everyones breath
away once again the audiences were thrilled as Sensei
Joe demonstrated his ability
to perform his Budo at will,
regardless of time and
venue. The night also saw
Indian Cultural Dance performances along with a Silat
Demonstration. Closing off
with an award Ceremony
organized by Open Martial
Arts Academy that amongst
other awards saw Thamby
Rajah Sensei receive an
honorary doctorate to for his
long dedication to the
spreading of Martial Arts in
Malaysia and now the whole
world. The dinner, and the
event as a whole, was a great
success thanks to the effort
of all participants and organizers. Needless to say,
that if it wasnt for Thamby
Rajah Senseis choice to
dedicate himself to Aikido,
rather than all of the other
Japanese Martial Arts that
he also had practiced, this
night would simply have not
been possible. It is to this
man that we owe our gratitude, respect and humble
appreciation.
Shudokan
Malaysia is now quietly
planning 120 years of Aikido
and we do promise to make
it an IT free event.
Kirill Korbout
16

CONGRATULATIONS
TO SENSEI JOE
A Word From Sensei Jon

Marshall
Malaysia in particular has a
really special place in my heart
and especially the Seremban
dojo. My first trip to Malaysia
was back in 1986 when I was
just a boy and, at the risk of
being melodramatic, was the
turning pointing my life that
ignited my passion for aikido,
traveling and a love affair with
Asia that has been unshakeable.
Thamby
Sensei
commanded
an amazing
amount of
respect
My first impression all those

years ago was how incredibly
friendly and kind people were
and how well I was treated and
taken care of by Thamby Sensei, the members of the Shudokan, and above all, the
Thambu family who looked
after me and welcomed me into
their family and home.
I knew from a very young age
that Thamby Sensei commanded an amazing amount of
respect and that I was in the
presence of a great and humble
man. This love and respect was
not only from his students and
family but almost the whole
town of Seremban! Walking
through the town with him is a
great honor and the amount of
people that say hi and greet
him is amazing. Master is an
incredible man, the very epitome of an old school budo

master who leads by example,
lets his technique speak for
itself and as he would say, It's
all in the training
In traditional Budo, the relationship between the teacher
and student is particularly
unique. The student is expected to serve the teacher
unquestionably. I am rather
ashamed that ever since I have
been coming to Malaysia, it has
been Thamby sensei looking
after me, always making sure I
was ok, taking me out for dinner whenever I was in town
and numerous times, taking
me to the dentist then proceeding to pay for it as well! As well
as mixing me the most potent
drinks affectionately known as
the Seremban Special or the
Temiang Twist!
We have an incredible lineage
at the Shudokan. The legends
that Thamby Sensei has studied under reads almost like a
whos who in the 20th century
of the Martial Arts. It is hardly
surprising that as a result of all
his hard training, he was the
first man to reach both black
belt in judo and aikido in Ma-
laysia and is known as the

father of the martial arts in
Malaysia.
He initially went to Japan to
study Judo under Ichijima
Sensei. By an amazing stroke
of luck, Ichijima Sensei introduced him to his own teacher,
the legendary Mifune Kyuzo
Sensei, 10th Dan. Anyone who
knows anything about Judo is
almost incredulous when hearing that Thamby Sensei had
the good fortune of training
with probably the best Judoka
the world has ever known.
Thamby Sensei also received a
number of priceless scrolls and
calligraphy directly from Mifune Sensei which is a strong
indication of how fond Mifune
Sensei must have been of him
In addition to his training at
the Kodokan and with select
students at Mifune Senseis
private dojo, he began his
study in Shotokan Karate under Nakayama Masatoshi Sensei one of the most important
pioneers of karate the world
has ever seen. Nakayama Sensei was instrumental in the
growth and popularity of the
Japan Karate Association after
the war. He was the first
Shotokan teacher to be
awarded a 9th dan and
a 10th dan posthumously.
Thamby Sensei later
had the opportunity to
observe Shioda Gozos
Aikido demonstration
and this led him to
abandon his other
budo tranining and
devote himself exclusively to mastering
Yoshinkan
Aikido.
Shioda Kancho gave
Thamby Sensei the
name Shudokan (the
place to study the
way). Among those
that taught the young
To two great men and my two heroes, you made me realize the why many years ago.
17

CONGRATULATIONS
TO SENSEI JOE
A Word From Sensei Jon

Marshall, cont.
Thamby Sensei were Inoue
Sensei, Kushida Sensei, Yagi
Sensei and other now high
ranking Aikido teachers.
The Seremban dojo has always
been a Mecca of the martial
arts and has had an incredible
number of prominent martial
arts teachers come to visit over
the last 60 years. The legendary Donn Draeger, who travelled to Malaysia frequently,
made Seremban his home and
base while researching and
writing his numerous and famous books on the martial
arts. Famous Jodo teacher
Shimuzu Sensei of Shindo
Muso Ryu visited Seremban in
the early 70s and it was this
dynamic demonstration of
Budo that reportedly inspired
Thambu Sensei on his path of
budo excellence.
Thambu
Shihan has
been
probably the
biggest
influence on
my life
Thambu Shihan has been

probably the biggest influence
on my life and I can't thank
him enough for all he has done
for me and for how my life has
turned out as a result of being
his student.
I liken Thambu Sensei to a
lighthouse, a rock solid structure that has guided all that
have studied under him. In
calm times or raging seas he
has shown a light that has
touched all of us. Some have
stayed a long time, others a few
months but the effect he has
had and the amount of people
he has cared for and helped
through tough times have been
enduring. This is very much a
Thambu family trait, and I
have felt that care and kindness for over 27 years.
To me, the most meaningful

quote for both Thamby and
Thambu Sensei is that, as their
students, we have had the opportunity to " stand on the
shoulder of giants"; not to
merely imitate or blindly try to
emulate them without thinking, but to seek what they
sought, to find the same drive
and passion that ignited them
on their journey and to continue their amazing ability to

inspire. The difference between
an instructor and a teacher is
this: an instructor can teach
you techniques but a teacher
teaches you about yourself.
This in my own opinion is perhaps their biggest legacy.
There is an old saying that says
"There are two important days
in your life. The day you are
born and they day you realise
why". To two great men and
my two heroes, you made me
realize the why many years
ago.
Thank you
Jon Marshall
DiversityA Home Truth From

Sensei Enrica Cheung
Having spent five months
overseas reminds you that
there is a lot of difference in
the world. People in different
countries are different, people in different cities are
different, people in the same
neighbourhood are different,
people in the same household are different. Cultures
may be different and personal space may be unheard
of, queuing is just an option,
using rubbish bins as a public toilet is fine and you can
entice clients by being provocative in shop windows.
You can either go crazy with

all this difference and reject
it all or just take it all in,
accept it and even appreciate
it. Its something that training in Aikido also teaches you
when you have to train with
people of different ages,
backgrounds, personalities
and body types. However,
despite all these differences,
so many people I have met
overseas have been so genuine and helpful and just
happy to make a connection
with you, that you really just
end up seeing the similarities
and seeing that they are just

human.
As a part of my overseas
travel, I was fortunate to be
able to accompany Sensei Joe
on his whirlwind tour of
Europe and meet many of
these fantastic people. This is
a part of what I love about
Aikido its that feeling of
having that shared passion
and being a part of that family, and its a worldwide family, which is amazing. I got to
reconnect with people such
as Sarah, Pawel and Tad, and
18

CONGRATULATIONS
TO SENSEI JOE
The
great
teacher
inspires
DiversityA Home Truth From

Sensei Enrica Cheung, cont.
even Seanie, who made an
appearance in Nottingham
from his Aikido sabbatical. I
met new people including a
person who works with walking and talking robots for the
elderly, a person who has a
skybed on top of their
mission control at home,
people who have to keep it
real working in prisons and
people who travelled between
countries just to spend a few
hours learning from Sensei
Joe. Which reminds me
It is easy to forget to appreciate what we have in Melbourne and the effort and
sacrifice people make to attend classes and seminars
with Sensei Joe reminds me
of that. Not many dojo can
boast having a 7th Dan
teacher, and not just that, but
a teacher that gives everything he knows to help you
become better. Facebook
wisdom told me recently that
the mediocre teacher tells,
the good teacher explains,
the superior teacher demonstrates, the great teacher

inspires and I think we all
know which type of teacher
Sensei Joe is. This year
marked Sensei Joes 40th
anniversary of Aikido so I
would like to wish him a very
big congratulations and
thank him for being a great
teacher and inspiring me.
Osu
Enrica
19

PERSONAL
REFLECTIONS
Personal Reflection:
The Road To Shodan
Writing this as a 1st Kyu, I
have still not passed the
first chapter in the philosophy of Budo. Therefore the
journey I depict in this article is that of how I progressively had formed a basic
understanding of the seriousness behind Budo.
This, Inoue
Kancho
explained,
was an
important
part of
Budo
After the Annual Demonstration this year approaching winter I found myself
with a lower back injury
presumably caused by falling incorrectly or not
stretching that area before
and after training. In much
pain, I foolishly restricted
my attendance at the dojo
to only training one class a
week and assisting in childrens classes. Waiting for
my body to heal itself, the
discipline of my old self
and the standards of my
behavior had dropped
much lower than what I
had expected of myself.
With a mind driven by desire, I was psychologically
lost in thought. Talking to
people at school I would
never have before, I had
immersed myself in ignorance. At the suggestion of
Sensei Joe, I concluded to
fix my inability to train by
visiting Sensei Jons osteopathy clinic in Balwyn.
Sensei Jon happily showed
how to fix the problem by
certain stretches for the
lower back. After many
weeks of continuing to
phy into use and rid my self

of any clouded thoughts
and dedicate myself solely
to studying Aikido and neglect that which is unnecessary to the path of Budo. To
do this, I needed to restrict
Regardless of the injury
myself. At this point in time
gone, the effect this break
many people I used to
had on my mind lingered.
speak to at school began to
Though my training had
believe in my insanity due
commenced, mind seemed
to my silence in classto be dragged by body in
rooms, ignoring nearly evemy training. This was due
ryone.
to the clouded thoughts
Although drastic, I believe
which arose. At this time I
this seclusion was neceswas truly in a confused
sary to re-discover the esstate.
sence of Budo. I
now believe this
experience in a
way strengthened me and
reminded me of
what Sensei Joe
says; that martial artists have
higher
standards of behavior. With three
At this time, I was truly in a confused state
weeks left to train
for my Shodan, I feel
When Inoue Kancho taught
obliged to remember the
the seminar in March, I
seriousness of the art I
recalled him speaking
study and how important it
about the meaning of sitis to our growth physically
ting in seiza for long periand mentally.
ods of time, being that a
budoka must restrict himOsu! Roberto
self from falling victim to
his desire (slipping your leg
out to let it rest). This,
Inoue Kancho explained,
was an important part of
Budo.
When spring had arrived I
decided to put this philosostretch the area on a regular basis, finally I had
found myself back training
again with no pain in that
area. Great!
20

PERSONAL
REFLECTIONS
Every day,
I would
memorise
five
techniques
Nidan, My Journey
During the preparation of my Nidan test
months for the technique names to fithis year, I struggled so much. The
nally start to sink into my head where I
struggle was not only limited to the dojo
could recall them.
but also many areas of my personal life.
Just as I felt I was getting the hang of
I have been training Aikido now for
them, I turned up to a class and looked at
seven years on and off. Returning from a
a syllabus sheet. The font seemed much
long break, I quickly realised I had forsmaller than normal and when I realised
gotten the whole syllabus. There were
Aikiken and Self Defence had been added
many occasions when my body would
to the list, I was devastated.
freeze up during the class because I could
Self Defence was extremely challenging
not remember the techniques; all I could
for me. Having grown up in Japan
remember was the white belt syllabus. It
women are expected to behave in a cerwas not funny starting again from
tain way. They should always be nice
scratch.
and weaker than the men. Standing up
When you train and test regularly the
for yourself as a female goes against the
number of techniques in the list inwhole tradition I grew up with. I undercreases gradually, however this time I
stood it was silly but my fear of breaking
had to learn 300 in one go. Working 7
tradition was making me hold back. Sendays per week to
sei recognised this
build my busiand emphasised
ness and studythat I had to put
ing, I could not
extra work on this
handle the prespart of the test.
sure. When you
The new syllabus
work for somewas also giving
one
else,
me another headwhether you like
ache, namely my
your job or not,
fitness.
It had
your salary is
been five years
there. However
since my last test;
if you work for
along with not
yourself,
your
understanding the
finance depends on how Maki and Rodney square off for the final battle...
full picture of gradmuch time and effort you
ing with the new
put in. Eventually I realised I had to
syllabus, I did not know how fit I was
make a decision Am I doing my Ni-dan
supposed to be. After every class, I
test this year, or not?
would do round of Jiyuwaza, Kumite and
After deciding to do my Ni-dan, I started
Backfalls until I was sweating and out of
trying all sorts of tricks to memorise the
breath. However I still did not know how
syllabus. I typed the syllabus into Japamuch energy was required for me to surnese so it was easier for me to remember,
vive the test. One day after class, I
coloured them, grouped them and literstarted to do 100 backfalls to see how fit
ally started to work on them one by one.
I was, I could not do it. The next day I
Every day, I would memorise five techtried it again, once more I did not finish
niques and get Andrean to call them out
it. When I was a deshi, 100 backfalls was
and test me. When I could not remema part of daily routine to me, so what was
ber a technique then I would go and
different from back then? I observed and
check the Yoshinkan DVD sets. I also
realised that this time I was trying to do
recorded the technique names on my
it all alone without other deshi and doiPhone and would listen to them between
joseis with me. Back then, of course the
clients, during breaks, cooking and even
training was hard but I was surrounded
when brushing my teeth. It took 3
by the people who would not give up. So
21

PERSONAL
REFLECTIONS
Nidan, My Journey
the next day after the class, I tried to do
100 backfalls again except this time I
visualised the old deshi I trained with
were right next to me, doing the 100
backfalls with me. I finally did it.
This experience made me realise that I
needed to ask for help. I was not a deshi
anymore and I had only limited time
available. So I began to call instructors
and arrange times for them to teach me
the techniques that I was having difficulty with.
The day before my grading I was very
tense and even aggressive. Andrean said
to me Why dont you just accept that
you are nervous? I realised that the
person who was putting the most pressure on me, was ME!!! 10 months had
already passed since the day I first considered doing a Ni-dan test. When I
truly recognised all the hard work I had
put in, there was nothing left to do other
than the test itself. I finally relaxed and
my mind became quiet. I passed my test.
There was
nothing left
to do other
than the
test itself
I would like to thank Rodney for all his

patience and help, Mark who gave up his
time to do extra training with me, Judith,
the unlucky person who happened to be
in the office when I was looking for the
2nd uke and all the teachers and the students who helped me before and after
classes. Heartfelt thanks to Andrean
who was forced to be an in-house uke
and deal with all the stress I was going
through.
Lastly to Sensei Joe a special thank you
for his time and effort teaching me as
well as all his hard work and headaches
he has to face to run the dojo, which
gives me the opportunity to learn Aikido.
Maki Kanazawa
22

PERSONAL
REFLECTIONS
What Is A Grading?
Why do we train this little
thing called Aikido?
I still ask myself this question every time I struggle in
a hard class, grading or
demonstration, or even
with a difficult technique.
I trained
Aikido because I
thought it
was cool
The answer can be different

things to different people.
For example, there is an
obvious element of fitness
involved with Aikido (and
with any martial arts for
that matter) as well as
spiritual fitness and so on.
So some people do it for the
fitness element, others
(children, particularly misbehaved ones!) are sometimes introduced (ok, I
really meant dragged)
into Aikido, some people
just want a break (or escape!) from their wives,
husbands etc, and others
may have a sense of being
part of a journey when you
train a Martial Art. Then
Cristian Lopez showing us how he relaxes under pressure...
there are, of course, some

unstable minded individuals who simply train Aikido
because they enjoy getting
thrown around, getting
battered and bruised! Me?
Well, initially I trained Aikido because I thought it
was Cool but more importantly now, it gives me a
sense of achievement, particularly after a grading.
Gradings are an integral
part of Aikido too, and
these should not only be
regarded as building blocks
for your techniques, fitness
(mental and physical) and
your Aikido knowledge, but
more importantly, building
blocks for life. No matter
who you are or how long
youve been training for,
you will always take something with you to the next
level. That next level may
be another belt or even
another challenge outside
the Dojo, a new job, new
relationship, studies, children and so on. Aikido
training can mould and
shape your character too
and can take you to wherever you want it to be, as
long as you learn to push
your limits. Aikido may
even reveal your true
character when faced under pressure, especially in
a grading environment
thus the great question,
does Aikido build or reveal character?
Admittedly, one of the
hardest things to do in life
is to relax under pressure.
The best performers and
athletes seem to do this
with great ease. I believe
that this can only be developed through hard training

and practice, and in our
case, more gradings as well.
Aikido is perhaps one of the
best structured of all Martial Arts: it always highlights the importance of the
relationship between Shite
and Uke, and, for most people that witness Aikido for
the first time, they dont
really understand this relationship. We all admire a
practitioner who can deliver a good technique with
speed, talent and ease;
however, before you execute a technique, it is just
as important to experience
what it feels like to receive
that technique. Therefore,
to be a good Shite, you
must first become a good
Uke. Having said that, being a good at Ukemi doesnt
automatically imply that
you are a good Uke. A good
Uke can Blend well and
feel Shites movement,
much like a dance, but not
as anticipated.
Its been a yet another great
year at the Dojo and its a
great feeling to be part of
something where you can
always develop yourself and
assist others around the
Dojo to do so as well.
Thanks for reading, have a
safe holiday Season.
Cristian Lopez
23

PERSONAL
REFLECTIONS
No one
got anywhere by
standing
still
My Xavier Aikido Experience
I first did Aikido while at
school, I had always had a
desire to try martial arts and
doing it with my friends was
not an opportunity I was going
to pass up. Admittedly I wondered how useful what I
learned would be after years of
training against say; judo or
karate, but I quickly came to
utterly love each training session and the overall skills I was
gaining were an added bonus.
At Xavier we made a makeshift dojo by putting some
gymnastics mats on the indoor cricket pitch which usually took the 4-8 of us there
around about fifteen minutes
to set up. However on one
occasion, during my first year
of training, we were told Sensei
Joe was taking our next class
and from what we had heard
about him from the older guys
in our group we were a bit
nervous. Needless to say we
had the dojo set up in under
ten minutes and were ready
and warmed up before the

Sensei arrived.
The first teacher I had was a
rather hard instructor. I lost
count of how many continuous
roll I had to do on one particular day, they got to the point
where I felt I was just one long
tumbling blur. But I always
thought that, well, after hearing it aptly put by another
instructor if you think you're
training hard, train with someone who really trains hard. I
found joy in finishing a night of
training with sweat on my
forehead, being at least slightly
out of breath, with soreness in
my arms and legs that I know
I'd feel the next day and even
the odd bruise here and there.
I've always believed that discipline is a major aspect in any
persons character. Many can
wish for greater things, many
can start their way to reach
them but only with discipline
one can truly reach the goals

they set for themselves. As a
result I found that even when I
was tired and on my second
class on Saturday for my upcoming grading, I could find
energy to keep going. This
ability of finding strength came
in very handy in other aspects
of life particularly during my
studies for VCE exams, where
not only discipline but also
determination was needed.
No one got anywhere by standing still, and aside from the
health benefits of having a very
engaging activity as part of
your life, there is also the abilities gained, such as focus and
control of your own body (as
well as someone else's). Therefore I not only look forward to
returning to Aikido soon, but
even outside of Xavier, continuing it for a very long time.
Rory Macallister
24

PERSONAL
REFLECTIONS
Do I
have the
ability to
be a good
Uke?
51 And Committed For Life
I put on my brand new
white dogi and belt and
stepped out onto the mat at
the age of 51, committed to
this for life. There is a
sense of anticipation and
wariness. Anticipation to
get underway and to take
my first Aikido step well,
I imagine that I took the
first step over 13 years ago,
I just didn't know it
then. Wariness at the role
of the Uke. When I watch
the ukes on the mat I am in
awe, they know exactly
what they are getting into
(well, I'd like to think they
do) when they agree to
receive the technique from
the shite. They fly through
the air, they land, some
loudly, some softly, some
slowly and others blind-
Three Shades of Cameron
ingly fast. They then get

back up and re-engage the
shite, hungry for more of
the same. Do I have the
ability to be a good Uke, to
be able to receive the technique (fall) and get back up
over and over again? I feel
the muscles in my body
and ask them, are you
guys up to it? I feel out of
shape and not at all accustomed to the rigors that an
Uke has to go through. My
right foot is in pain after
having an operation in
July '12 to repair the
knuckle on the right big
toe, which broke when it
collided with someone's
foot. I'm told the pain will
continue and that I won't
have full flexibility for
about 2 years. When I
attempt to roll I land on

my head or my back ouch.
I need to wear
glasses to see, without
them things are a blur/
fuzzy, and I am wary that
they will be damaged when
I hit the mat.
And yet here I stand for my
first Aikido lesson, why
would someone at my stage
of life be committed to Aikido for life?
The dojo is very familiar,
having been part of its extended family for over 13
years. We started with
David, our eldest son, followed by Matthew and Michael. All three progressed
through the children's
classes. David decided to
stop attending whilst Matthew and Michael have
continued.
Saide and I
have watched with pride as
Matthew and Michael have
progressed through the
ranks as they mastered
their techniques. Matthew,
now 21, achieved 2nd Dan
this year and Michael is on
track to achieve Shodan
next year at the age of
15. We've had the pleasure
of watching many gradings
and many annual demonstrations. Sensei Joe had
asked on a number of occasions when I would be getting on the mats. We had
talked often about me starting Aikido when I stopped
being a Scout leader (which
happened in June). Then
along came the Fundraising
Auction with the very tantalising Life Memberships
on offer. We thought about
it a little and let the first
25

PERSONAL
REFLECTIONS
51 And Committed For Life, cont.
one pass by and then Saide
was overcome with the determination to get the second one for me. Thankfully
the bidding stopped and we
were successful and now
I'm committed - for life!!
Well, I have been on the
mats now for a number of
months, the question is,
"Has the old dog learnt any
new tricks?"
I'm learning to fall, not
that falling is an entirely
new experience for me;
however, I now have to
learn how to fall correctly
and intentionally.
Has the
old dog
learnt any
new
tricks?
There are different

ways of learning and my
style involves reading and
asking lots of questions. In
the Aikido Shudokan way I
have to attempt to adopt a
different style, more doing
and much less talking. Just
because I think I know
what to do, it isn't my place

to pass on any knowledge,
which is the domain of the
Sensei.
I go from talking to
people (for 10 years) using
their first name, I now have
to remember to use the
honorific "Sensei" regardless of their age.
I'm learning how to
use contact lenses, instead
of glasses, I just can't read
anything up close, but at
least I can see where I'm
falling.
I'm learning to relax more
in my posture, not so
tensed up, which isn't good
at all when being thrown
about.
my fitness and I'm enjoying

the opportunity to train
with my sons and continuing my active involvement
in their lives. It's great to
have them teaching me on
the mats and giving me tips
at home (especially about
not speaking). The Life
Membership was and will
continue to be a great investment, for and in life.
Ray A Cameron
After just over three

months I'm feeling very
positive. I've graded once
and am grading again on
22nd December. I've noticed an improvement in
Winstons Secret To Success
In October 1941, Winston
Churchill visited his old boarding school in Harrow to hear
the students sing the school
song and to speak on the lessons they could learn after two
years of war with Germany.
The Battle of Britain had been
won a year ago. The Blitz had
ended, and with the American
Lend-Lease scheme well underway, the people of Great Britain
were at last beginning to believe that they had seen their

darkest days, and that although
victory was perhaps a distant
dream, there may still be hope
for themselves and their children. In his closing remarks,
Churchill delivered (in that
trademark style of his) something between a battle cry, a
personal philosophy and a
statement of his governments
policy during the war years. He

said, simply; Never give in.
Never give in. Never, never,
never, never in nothing, great
or small, large or petty never
give in except to convictions of
honour and good sense. Never
yield to force; never yield to the
apparently overwhelming
might of the enemy.
In my life, I have never met a
successful person who has not
26

PERSONAL
REFLECTIONS
Perhaps
you enjoy
pain, you
masochist
Winstons Secret To Success,
cont.
followed these words to the
letter. My grandpa, who was
born into an impoverished
family of eight and worked his
way to a senior position in an
international corporation. Joe
Thambu Shihan, who has
fought (literally) for forty years
to become a highly respected
and sought after martial artist.
My lecturers, my bosses all of
these people have one thing in
common. Perseverance. Where
would these people be if they
had given in when the going
got rough? Would Julia Gillard
be Prime Minister had she not
pushed herself to the top of
one of the largest public
schools in Australia? Would
Rupert Murdoch have a net
worth of US$8.3 billion if he
had not slept in his office for
only four hours each night for
years? Would any of our own
esteemed black belts be where
they are today without plenty
of sweat, pain and endurance?
We have all seen people come
to our dojo with admirably
high aspirations, ready to do
whatever it takes to claim that
ever-elusive Shodan. And we
have all wondered, perhaps a
year later, whatever happened
to these people, as we realize
their name isnt on the door
any longer. It seems a shame, a
waste, to see people fall by the
wayside like this; in many
cases, these people are just as
fit and competent as anyone
else (perhaps even more so),
and they all have that drive and
optimism that can be so enviable in beginners. The difference between them and your-
self, dear reader, comes out at

every demonstration, every
grading and every seminar.
You are where you are because
at each of these times, when
you have been panting, hurting
and sweating, you have still
found that little spark, hidden
away somewhere, that has
forced you to keep going. Perhaps it is the determination to
reach the next grade; perhaps
it is the satisfaction of knowing
you have done your absolute
best. Perhaps you just enjoy
pain, you masochist. Whatever
the reason, you have kept going, you have refused to give in,
and you have achieved your
potential (excuse the abundance of clichs).
But on the other hand, if you
find yourself saying you know
what? Screw this. This hurts,
then chances are youll find
yourself joining the ranks of
those who never quite made it,
who gave up and moved on to
something else presumably
something easier. These people
will never know how good they
could have been, or where they
would have ended up. They will
never be able to say that they
did their best. That is the difference between you and everyone whose name has silently
disappeared from the office
door. You didnt go through
any less pain than them. You
are not naturally a better martial artist, either. But you persevered, and that, in my own
humble opinion, is the only
difference between success and
failure. Indeed, it is the few
people who have failed a grad-
ing and are still going today

that I respect the most at the
dojo; nobody could possibly
offer a better example of the
attitude that Churchill so passionately endorsed seventy one
years ago.
In conclusion then, I would
like to challenge everyone to
look back at their last failure
(in anything) and ask yourselves whether you could have
done better. Could you have
passed that test? Was it really
outside the realms of possibility to have kept in touch with
that old friend? Was that promotion such an unrealistic
goal? Or, at some moment or
moments, did part of you decide that it wasnt worth the
effort, that it was too tempting
to forget about it and move on?
Nothing comes easily, and the
message is still true after
nearly three quarters of a century; if you want to succeed in
anything, Aikido related or
otherwise, then never give in.
Never, never, never.
Jack Lavery
27

AIKIDEMICS
Ai, Ki and Do
Confirmation Through Modern Research
By Mark Peck
Additional research by Roberto Ferra
The existence and application of the
principles of Ai, Ki and Do are well
known or should be to all Shudokan aikidoka. Without firsthand
experience of the existence and benefit
of these principles, however, the casual observer is sometimes skeptical. A
review of the literature on the subject
of Aikido yields numerous examples of
the efficacy of Aikido in everyday life,
as well as the evidence of the three
main principles in action. This article
aims to establish these three principles as being scientifically sound and
thus dispel any doubts amongst outside skeptical observers or at least
make for interesting talking points at
your next cocktail party. The components Ai (harmony), Ki (Spirit) and Do
(Way) will be individually investigated
and a case made for each to be relevant to the pursuit of peaceful human
existence.
Author Mark
Peck
The opportunities to incorporate the

principles of Aikido abound in everyday life, with Ai being especially important to human interaction. While
harmony is typically practiced in a
physical way on the tatami, it is perhaps even more important outside of
the dojo, in relatively peaceful settings, where the lessons learned can
be applied to prevent conflict and encourage effective communication. A
quantitative interferential study designed by Rudisill (2005) explored the
dynamics of computer-mediated communication (e.g. email) and the need
for increased awareness of the impact
of communication styles when forming virtual groups in the workplace.

The primary assertion of the study is
that effective communicators make
effective leaders and that the lack of
paraverbal cues in electronic messages
is the primary cause of miscommunication in the virtual workplace
(emoticons, anyone?). As the results of
the study were not strongly conclusive,
a follow-up study is currently being
undertaken by Marcin Wjcik, of Future Processing LLC, to assess
whether intensive Aikido training is
beneficial for international corporate
communication.
Before the benefits of Ki, the second
principle of Aikido, can be discussed, a
case must first be made to please the
skeptics of the existence of the ability
to unify the body and mind to achieve
abilities above and beyond typical
human performance. Perhaps the existence of Ki is not always as complicated as it sounds, as many feats possible only through harnessing the
power of Ki can be teased apart into a
combination of reactions that are individually simple to understand. A study
by James (2004) investigates the
physical forces involved when attempting the feat of the unliftable
body. The paper breaks down the phenomenon mathematically, clearly
showing how leverage may be manipulated to prevent two students
from picking up their teacher (which
should be very convincing to those of
us who find it hard to even pick up a
28

AIKIDEMICS
Ai, Ki and Do
Confirmation Through Modern Research
By Mark Peck
Additional research by Roberto Ferra
cheque). Beneficial effects of training
on the mind are also easily quantifiable, as in a study by Sentuna, Babayigit, Akpinar, Irez & Korkusuz (2010),
which measured improvements in
reaction time after six months of Aikido training. Unsurprisingly, both
visual and auditory reaction times
were improved by at least 0.15sec
(which is approximately the time required to hide the look of shock when
you realise that Sensei Joe was standing behind you).
(Assistant)
Researcher
Roberto Ferra
The third and final principle, Do, describes how training becomes a way of
life, and should be the most obvious of
the three in terms of practical application of Aikido. A very significant and
often-cited study was done by Trulson
(1986) where juvenile delinquents
were instructed in a traditional martial art. Control subjects either received instruction in a modern martial art, where fighting techniques
were not paired with etiquette and
meditation, or participated in other
sport activities (e.g. football, basketball or jogging). The results of the
study were exceptionally clear, as delinquents in the traditional martial
arts group showed improvements in
aggressiveness, anxiety, self-esteem,
and an increase in value orthodoxy,
while the control subjects displayed
even a greater tendency towards delinquency than before the study was conducted. Reservoir High School has
responded to this by sending their
most severe delinquent student to the
Shudokan (you dodged a bullet there,

Sergio).
With all three principles now firmly
established within the scientific community as being not only measurable,
but also effective, the question of the
skeptic is obsolete. With the burden of
proof lifted, however, the onus is now
on the students of the Shudokan to
live to uphold Aikido in everyday life,
reaffirming the relevance of the ancient teachings in modern metropolitan life. As best described by O Sensei
himself, Even though our path is
completely different from the warrior
arts of the past, it is not necessary to
abandon totally the old ways. Absorb
venerable traditions into this Art by
clothing them with fresh garments,
and building on the classic styles to
create better forms.
REFERENCES
James, D. (2004) The physics of unraisable body:
Ki/chi development in Aikido. Sport
Health 22 (1), pp 23-26.
Rudisill, K. (2005). The effect of Aikido training
on computer-mediated communication
between virtual teams. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest
Dissertations and Theses. (Accession
Order No. AAT 3177391)
Sentuna, B., Babayigit, G., Akpinar, S., Irez, S. &
Korkusuz, F. (2010). Six months Aikido
training shortens reaction time. International Journal of Human Sciences 7 (2),
pp. 1052-1058.
Trulson, M. (1986). Martial arts training: A novel
cure for juvenile delinquency. Human Relations
39, pp 1131-1140.
29

STUDENT OF
THE YEAR
Roberto FerraThornburys
Student Of The Year
A haiku in tribute to the Student

of the Year, Roberto Ferra:
Hurled around the mats
Oh no! Is my back broken?
Better train harder
30

STUDENT OF
THE YEAR
Akiko RiceOakleighs Student

Of The Year

of the Year, Akiko Rice:
The Autumnal Child
Lethal on the mats and off
Holds her booze well, too!
31

STUDENT OF
THE YEAR
Francois LaharrangueCity
Dojos Student Of The Year

of the Year, Francois
Laharrangue:
Driven to the ground

Arm locked, sweating profusely
Is he not in pain?
32

STUDENT OF
THE YEAR
Max Hamilton and Giles Barnes

Junior Students Of The Year
A haiku in tribute to the Junior

Student of the Year,
Giles Barnes:
Put him in a lock
Throw him as hard as you can
Hell be back for more
A haiku in tribute to the Junior

Student of the Year,
Max Hamilton:
Tougher than iron
Flip falls after every class
Is he crying? No!
33

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
International News:
The BIG Year
When the New Year comes along, everyone hopes for bigger and better things to come. But for Aikido Shoshinkan,
2012 was always going to be bigger regardless of whether
it was going to be better or not!
In recent years we have been inviting sensei Joe to hold a
seminar and although these events are a success, they are
not without increasing challenges. Due to the economic
climate and influx of many other high calibre instructors
coming to UK and Europe, we have noticed a drop in attendance. After 2011, we knew we had to act and make
some changes changes for the bigger and changes for the
better!
The seminar wasn't enough,we
wanted an event to involve the club
as a whole. Where everyone could
be involved and contribute to a
major event in our calendar. It is
something that has been done in
Japan since the 50s, and Australia
for the last 32 years we decided to
hold our first Annual Public Aikido
Demonstration.
The more I
thought
about it, the
more I
realized the
challenge I
was taking
on
It was a very daunting task for Aikido Shoshinkan as no one knew what it should be
like, or what would be involved. I have
been fortunate enough to participate in a
several Aikido demonstrations in Australia,
so I knew the amount of work it would involve and the result I wanted us to achieve.
By doing a public demonstration we knew
would be judged on what we can do! We
had a duty to our art to display a demonstration that is solid, sharp and full of spirit
a true Yoshinkan style.
When I spoke to sensei Joe last

year, I welcomed the idea but
more I thought about it, the
more I realised the challenge I
was taking on. I had some ideas,
but I wasn't entirely sure what
we were going to do. I remember
discussing the demonstration at
Christmas party last year, but I
had very little idea of how to
make this actually happen
34

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
International News:
The BIG Year
On more personal note, 2012 was a challenging
year for me in general. I was entering my second year running the dojo full time and my aim
was for the dojo to grow, especially with the
juniors. I started to run more classes and introduce seasonal events such as Summer Camps
to keep the children engaged over the long holidays. It was my time to stop talking about what
we should be doing and put everything into
action!
Make
them
appreciate
the ART
Holding the first summer

camp was definitely a highlight of 2012. I think everyone
had a great time! It was the
first event to involve both the
Derby and Nottingham clubs.
It really helped create a solid
foundation, which later aided
the annual demonstration.
The 2 months or so running up towards the demonstration
was probably the hardest and the most exciting thing I have
been part of. It was hard to get everyone to do so many different new things, I struggled to spend enough time with
everyone in the class. But at the same time, it was amazing to
see everyone working together and dojo being so busy with
people struggling to find a space to train. The buzz that you
get from it in the dojo was inspiring and addictive! Everyone
was bouncing energy off each other, and I loved every minute
of staying at the dojo. Some nights we stayed till 11pm at
night before we finished training. Juniors got better and
sharper as weeks went by, and it was great to see the parents
appreciate the hard work their children have been making in
the class too.
I remember Sensei Joe asked me a year
ago, What is your purpose of doing the
demonstration..? I remember answering the demonstration was for everyone
who trains and sacrifices all that time at
school, at the dojo, after school, in the
evenings on the weekends away from
home and from your families, to show
their family and the world what they can
do and make them appreciate the ART
that we practice day in day out. And this
year at 1st Annual Aikido Shoshinkan
Public emonstrationI think we have
done just that!
35

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
International News:
The BIG Year
There were over 400 people in total all the
friends and families of over 130 participants
from juniors to seniors. 4 Primary schools
from Derby and Nottingham, Nottingham
Trent University Jiujitsu club, Iaido, and all
the members of our club from Nottingham
and Derby took part in a grand 3 and a half
hour demonstration in a cold below freezing
day, on the 2nd December 2012. Every single participant showed great courage, skills
and spirit in front of that big crowd. It was a
truly proud moment for all of us.
That was
the hardest
thing I
have ever
embarked
upon
At the last demonstration when Sensei

Joe was doing his final demo, the
stand which can hold 400 plus people,
were completely full with some more
people standing around in the corner.
NO ONE left and I could see every
audience was captivated by sensei
Joes every word, and every move I
knew then, we did the right thing. He
connected all the dots all the other
demonstration showed, and made
sense for the audience. And I could
see that in everyones face as they enjoyed the final demo.
Sensei Joe has always said that the
first one is always the hardest.
And oh my! That was the hardest
thing I have ever embarked upon as
an instructor, and as an organiser.
And so many things went wrong.
but we will make it better next year,
and a year after and we will carry on
improving just like our aikido.
I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took part
in the demonstration juniors and seniors alike, and also a big thank you to
all the parents for keeping up with us for so long. Lastly thank you to sensei Joe Thambu and all the other instructors from around the world for
coming all the way for such an auspicious occasion.
I wish you all a merry Xmas and a Happy New 2013!
Osu.
Tadashi Narita
Aikido Shoshinkan.
36

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
International News:
Sarah Cullerne
November 2012 has been
an exciting time for my
small dojo in London. It
has been the first time that
our dojo has ever hosted a
weekend seminar for Joe
Thambu Shihan and we
were extremely lucky and
privileged to have both
Sensei Joe and Sensei Enrica visit and share their
vast knowledge of Aikido
with us. Our seminar was
closely followed by the first
ever Aikido Shoshinkan
demonstration in Nottingham. Having both these
events happen in close succession, has meant that we
are still buzzing with excitement and waiting for what
2013 has in store for us.
It was
great to see
how much
everyone
appreciated
the event
Leading up to the seminar,

both myself and my students were feeling quite
nervous, especially Azi after
having met Sensei Joe for
the first time and making
the double mistake of wearing his dogi the wrong way
round and asking Sensei
Joe, have you ever been to
Malaysia before? In his
defence, he had only been
training for a few weeks,
but Im sure he will always
be remembered for his
amazing choice of questions and inability to dress
himself, (well, I will always
remind him of these two
things).
So, after a number of thorough briefings and giving
everyone specific tasks for
the weekend, I was certain
that things were going to
run smoothly for my first
ever weekend seminar....
Our seminar kicked off with

a classic Planes, Trains
and Automobiles moment.
If you havent seen the
movie, then you definitely
should. Its a great Christmas flick! Anyway, after
picking up Sensei Joe and
Sensei Enrica from the airport and taking them to the
hotel, they were greeted
with a double bed ready for
them to share. Luckily after
a number of embarrassing
phone calls and discussion
with staff at the front desk,
this was resolved and both
Sensei were given separate
rooms at the inn.
Despite this hiccup, waiting
for our evening meal for a
thousand years due to a
poor choice of restaurant
and sharing our lunch room
with ex-cons on the second
day of the seminar, Sensei
Joe still successfully delivered world class instruction
and no-one paid attention
to the organisational challenges encountered by myself and my students. The
three days of training consisted of a variety of training, ranging from kihon
waza to Aiki Ken, with a
smattering of self defence.
Having both Sensei Joe and
Sensei Enrica present on
the mats meant that we
were able to elegantly split
the class and have some
higher grade magic, whilst
kyu grades were working on
fundamental basics.
My
students were so awestruck
by the presence of Sensei
Joe and Sensei Enrica that
there are likely to be a few
more visits to Melbourne in
the near future.
The experience of receiving

instruction under Sensei
Joe in my own dojo was
augmented by the presence
of other higher level instructors who supported
the event. It was great to
see other Sensei illustrating
the importance of the beginners mind and showing
their respect to Sensei Joe
with their willingness to
join in with everyone else.
It was a humbling experience and reminded me that
there is so much to learn
from this incredible art.
Thank you to everyone that
supported the event and
especially those that travelled long distances to be
there.
A week after the seminar,
we attended the Aikido
Shoshinkan demonstration
in Nottingham. Sensei Tadashi and Sensei Mark organised an epic event.
With a large number of
primary schools participating, their own students,
other dojo and martial arts
groups also attending, they
really had their work cut
out for them. It was great
to see how much everyone
appreciated the event, including my own students
who were lucky enough to
take part in the kihon waza
competition and finished
first place. Being a noncompetitive art and rarely
having the opportunity to
perform on the spot, I believe that all the students
involved benefitted massively by stepping up and
performing at a high level,
in what must have been a
37

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
International News:
Sarah Cullerne, cont.
very nerve wracking experience.
Managing this seminar has
been a really challenging
yet worthwhile experience.
I now recognise how difficult it is to be responsible
for everything and no matter how hard you try to be
in control, there will always
be something that goes
amiss. A valid lesson for
me is to remember not to
get bogged down with the

minutia and recognise that
the important thing was
that everyone trained hard
and had a great time.
Shikata ga nai One cant
worry about that which one
has no control over.
Sarah Cullerne
SHI
KATA
GA
NA
I
International News:
Chisae Suzuki
Your heartwarming
kindness
gave me
peaceful
mind and
courage
when I was
travelling.
After shudokan dojo, Thanks to Joe Thambu Sensei I also visited

S id n ey
a nd
Br is ba ne
do jo
and
t ra i ned
t h ere .
After that I continued travel and visited forty-two countries during
less than one year. I came back to Japan at the end of this March.
My world travel was
wonderful and I
really think that
thanks to experience
in Shudokan Dojo, I
was be able to travel
in so many places.
I appreciated very
much all your kindness.
Also, I got Third Kyu
this September.
Much appreciated!
Chisae Suzuki
Chisae-San trained with Masakatsu Ryu Aikido in Peru during her extensive travels
38

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
International News:
Seanie and the Seminar
So, I escaped the harsh Melbourne winter for the beautiful scenery, sunny
beaches and gorgeous women in Europe earlier this year in June. I've been
everywhere man. Tearing my way through France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Turkey, Poland, Czech Republic, Denmark and Estonia just to name a few. Its
been a good 6 months, living in this alternate reality where every day is
completely different and chances are usually high that I start the day by
dealing with a hangover and trying to figure out what the heck happened
the previous night. Im not going to lie, I think there is a good chance I was
an alcoholic in Estonia, my last stop before heading to Nottingham in the
United Kingdom. The reason why I was heading that way was because Sensei Tad lives there, and I was going to become an Uchi Deshi. No more party
Seanie, just Deshi Seanie. In this article, I will briefly describe the first week
of my training. I should also mention that its really really cold here, we com-
Seanie looking a little less nervous here...
39

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
International News:
pared the weather one day from Melbourne to Nottingham. Melbourne had
40ish degrees where as Nottingham was possibly just above 0 degrees. Sensei
Joe even bought a new jacket. True story.
Day 1: Sunday
I make my way to Hatfeild, and meet up with Sensei Joe, Sensei Tad and Sensei Enrica who were running a seminar at Sensei Sarahs dojo. Sensei Sarah
did not believe it was me, simply for the reason that I wasnt in Australia and
shouldnt be in Hatfeild of all places. Valid point. Upon departure from the
seminar I jumped in a car with Sensei Enrica and Sensei Tad and left for Nottingham. Apparently I fell asleep and snored, but I dont remember it happening that way....
Day 2: Monday
I woke up at 5:15am to train for an hour and a half, it was mainly demo practice for the students exclusively at sensei Tad's dojo, but there were some
students from other towns that came to train under Sensei Joe and Enrica as
well. Sensei Joe was out of town, so Sensei Enrica took the class; I trained
with a few of the guys from another dojo.
In the evening was another class in which i trained with more unfamiliar
faces. All in all i was quite surprised how many techniques I still knew. Not
sure if I could comment on the quality though...
Day 3: Tuesday
I woke up at 5:15am in a world of discomfort. My legs were sore, my hip hurt
and all other muscles were aching. I don't mind the hurt the day after a massive workout, but this sucked. To top it off I had the shakes too, I think I
needed a drink. Trained for 2 hours, like a champ.
In the afternoon I joined sensei Tad for his after school club. Those kids had
way too much energy. Straight after was the evening class, the rounds of jiyu
waza started to roll in. I knew this was coming, but no amount of psyching
myself up prepared my body for it.
Day 4: Wednesday & Thursday
Wednesday and Thursday were much the same as Tuesday, except I struggled
to walk, as my quads were that sore and I was on painkillers to help with my
hip. I took a few bad landings in trying to learn how to flip fall again. Alcohol
related shakes were subsiding.
40

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
International News:
After the final class on Thursday, this time held at the Derby dojo, we had to
move all the mats to the seminar venue, there was a silly amount of mats and
only one van, but we still managed to make it happen.
Day 5: Friday
The first day of the seminar, it was an all grades seminar today. Considering it
was a Friday and it was not a holiday, there were quite a few people to fill up
the mats. We spent the first class working on aiki-ken and the second class on
ukemi and some jiyu waza techniques. After the seminar was a grading. We
had four adults testing for 3rd kyu and another three grading for shodan. I
was uke for the student without a partner. The guys testing were all from
Sensei Tad's dojo, with the exception of one of the students testing for shodan. They all did a fantastic job under the pressure of testing under a foreign
teacher. They were also heavily involved in the demonstration, most of the
blue belts in at least 3 events for the demo! So you can tell these students
really like be aikido and being involved.
Straight after the grading was a kids class. The kids were very excited to see
Sensei Joe as for the past month thats all they have been hearing about. One
child was so excited that I swore he asked Sensei Joe himself, "are you Sensei
Joe?" and when he got the answer he was looking for he ran away and told
his parents. It was indeed a very long day.
Day 6: Saturday
The second day of the seminar. The first class of the day was yet another one
for kids. They were separated by grade and given some more challenging
techniques than that of which is usually on their syllabus. Most of them were
able to demonstrate the technique after a few goes,and there was only a
handful of kids on the Friday that were told to stay still and stop dancing Gangam style.
As for the adults, the junior and Dan grades were separated and worked on
different techniques. The dan grades worked on ushiro jiyu waza, which was
new and quite confusing to me. We also worked on a few techniques when
uke attacks with a bokken or tanto.
Later that evening after the seminar, Sensei Joe made dinner for a few select
people at Sensei Tads. In that company were Sensei Pawel and Daniel from
Poland, as well as the students who tested for Shodan too. Before serving this
meal, Sensei Joe said "if it tastes good, I made it, if it tastes bad Sean made
it", to which I replied, "Am I always just the fall guy? Sensei Tad quickly
41

INTERNATIONAL
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International News:
joined in with "Just wait till the demo, you'll be the fall guy on and off the
mats! to which I said the only word I could, "Osu
Day 7: Sunday
Demonstration day. Game day. All in all, I think this demo was one of my
most memorable ones, mainly because I had a more active role in helping it
all come together along with all the other helpers. I was: the runner for all the
judges, a part time usher, a helper for the kids demonstrations, caller for the
kihon-waza competition, on the door checking-in the students taking part and
uke for Sensei Pawel and Sensei Tad. Given it was the first Demonstration for
the dojo, I think it ran quite smoothly, there is always room for improvement,
but given that only a handful of people knew how one is supposed to run
most people didn't notice the little mishaps along the way. After all the instructors demonstrations and trophy presentations, there remained one
more job: the mats. Once again there was only one van, and three dojos requiring specific mats. But a group of about 5 elite mat movers answered the
call once again and got the job done early enough to join the festivities of the
dojo Christmas party! The remainder of the night was spent tripping the kids
in the sumo outfits and playing stacks on. Yey!
Day 8: Monday
The day after the demo. After a well deserved sleep in till around 8am, I woke
up and bought the necessary ingredients for an English breakfast and cooked
us all a feast. I didn't smoke out the kitchen like I did once at Thornbury and
ruin a certain someones favorite pan on the same occasion; I kept it all under
control. After breakfast we drove to the airport and said farewell to Sensei
Joe. We hugged like men. We then dropped Sensei Enrica of at the train station. We also hugged. Sensei Tad and I then drove back to Nottingham and
relaxed with a lot of beer. A KFC variety bucket was also involved.
There you have it, my first week of training. It was a shock to the body, but I
managed to scrape through, and I think I am better now because of it. On to
the next two months I guess!
Osu!
42

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Kirill Korbout:
A Year of Aikido
What started out as a step
ended up as a journey.
2012 begun at a pace with
an early January Aikiken
Seminar in Kuala Lumpur
and Restraint & Removal
Seminar in Penang, both
conducted by Sensei Joe,
after which I promised that
I would see him in Australia. Rightly so, I travelled
Down Under for my
maiden Aikido Pilgrimage
that lasted from the month
of February until the end of
April. My accommodation
was booked at the reputable Shudokan Hotel,
where character is both
built and broken, making
the Thornbury dojo equally
notorious in Shudokan
circles. As a dojosei, a live
in student, there was no
real room for acclimatization as the schedule was a
very packed one from the
get go. The first month consisted of many highlights
that were both rewarding
and at the same time challenging. Many students
that have had similar training tell you about it, but it
is a whole different concept
to experience it on our own.
Advice somehow needs to
be lived in order to be fully
internalized.
Being
an
uchideshi back home in
Malaysia I expected to be
roughly familiar with the
dojosei format but the
sheer amount of activities

really
stretched the mental
and physical limits,
which at least at the
beginning, I thought I
had.
A few weeks of getting to know the students of the Oakleigh
and Thornbury dojos led
into the first major event of
my stay. During the second
weekend of March Aikido
Shudokan hosted the Inoue
Kyoichi Kancho Seminar
that lasted for two and a
half days and culminated in
the 32nd Annual Demo, in
which I managed to partake
in 4 different demonstrations. In between these two
events was also my teachers Fifth Dan grading. Sensei Ramlan Ahmed had
been preparing for the test
for two weeks together with
Sensei Kent Yew, also from
Malaysia. Having them at
the dojo definitely made
my life easier, their presence working as a buffer
between myself and the
Shudokan Dojo Enforcement Unit. I somehow
managed to be second Uke
for a Nidan and Sandan
Grading as well. After a
heavy dose of still Seiza
practice in the seminar I
would take a hard beating
by Rodeny McLeod, James
Pheonix Sensei and Ramlan Sensei over more seiza

anytime!
Other than these climaxes,
the two months consisted
of childrens classes, more
grading practice, a senior
grading and a lot of normal
training. The biggest reward was to spend so much
time on the mats to refine
techniques and to be so
close to Sensei Joe while
partaking in the daily activities of a Shihan. You
never really know yourself
on a good day when everything goes your way and
life seems to be smiling at
you. The true discovery of
character
comes
with
dressed in a grey palette,
when you had enough of
loud kids, bad ukes and
sore muscles, not to mention the in-your-face seniors. Suddenly, just when
you think it is getting to
you, your self-imposed limits start to vanish and you
understand that eventually
43

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Kirill Korbout:
A Year of Aikido
your body is only under the
shackles of your mind and
that the mind is stilled
when the body is put under
severe pressure. Finding
your spirit is like overriding
the machine code of your
brain in order to set your
body free from its control.
True Spirit comes through
the distillation process of
blood, sweat and a couple
of cold beers after a hard
class.
At the end of the two
month stay Sensei Joe departed for Seminars in
Europe and I saw my
chance to experience more
of Australia than the walls

of Hotel Shudokan and
occasional Sunday day trips
to the Melbourne CBD on a
borrowed bicycle. At the
seminar I had met a lot of
new faces from all over
Australia along with a few
familiar ones. I decided to
contact a few dojos along
the cost and see if they
would welcome me for a
couple of classes to experience training outside of the
Shudokan, which was to be
my first time to set foot in a
different schools dojo. The
hectic week consisted of
visits to both New South
Wales and Queensland.
The week started with
a Sydney visit to Darren Friend and Peggy
Woo Senseis Yoshinkai Dojo. Other
than sightseeing in
the beautiful coastal
city which reminded
me a lot of my home
town Stockholm, Sweden, I got the introduction to the more
physical approach of
Yoshinkan Aikido that
Sensei Darren employs, being quite a
physical man himself.
My next stop was
Surfers Paradise on
ANZ day as no dojos
in the vicinity were
open so this was more
or less a forces holi-
day and the only weekday

in more than two months
time on which I failed to
train. The following day
was spent in Brisbane, or
Brizzy Vegas as the locals
strangely called it, and a
visit to Sensei Michiharu
Mori Senseis Aikido Yoshinkan Brisbane Dojo.
Two hours of grading practice again highlighted how
different teachers approach
the Yoshinkan syllabus and
how their personal style
later reflects on their students. Mori Sensei has broken down the syllabus in
more manageable chunks
and has also added on
some self-defense variations which I experienced
for the first time. The devil
is definitely in the details!
The final destination was
the beautiful town of Palmwoods near Maroochydore
and a visit to Sensei David
Dangerfields
Kenshinryu
Dojo, where I was going to
train both Aikido and
Shinto Muso Ryu. The
Compass Center which
David Sensei runs full time
is attached to the dojo, and
was a big testament in respect to how Martial Arts
values can be used successfully to serve the community. It was a humbling
experience to be in the
presence of Sensei David
and his students and I defi-
44

INTERNATIONAL
NEWS
Kirill Korbout:
A Year of Aikido
nitely planned to come
back.
One thing in common of all
the dojos that I managed to
visit is that Aikido somehow serves as the invisible
origin around which we all
gravitate around. Once our
paths cross, it does feel like
you are re-acquainting a
long lost friend. It is safe to
say that the Aikido dojos in
Australia have a very good
aura about them and does
indeed attract students
from all walks of life and of
all ages that somehow have
one thing in common; the
relentless passion for the
art bestowed upon them by
their teachers!
Coming back to Malaysia
was like starting Aikido
anew. The new perspectives
really did open up my eyes
to the complexities of running a dojo and dealing
with the infinite amount of
details that comes with the
task. When we think we are
starting to understand our
Aikido, it will turn us on
our heads once more. Employ the beginners mindset
or become ignorant to your
own growing ego ! The next
couple of months were to
be a hiatus of sorts; the
calm before the big storm
during which I managed to
visit Northern India and
the Himalayas for a Jeep

and Motorcycle safari and a
trip down to South India
and Ayurvedic Treatments
in Kerala. A family Holiday
in the Philippines rounded
off the rest before we
plunged into the preparation of the biggest event
that Aikido Shudokan Malaysia had seen so far.
The 100 Years of Aikido
Event again took a lot of
time and effort to organize
and I do believe that my
visit to Australia really did
help to prepare me for the
tasks involved. As an
uchideshi and a dojosei you
really have to become sensitive to your surroundings,
learning how to prioritize
and try to take initiatives as
your seniors would have
liked you to, without them
mentioning it. As those
people that have had me in
their presence know, talking is something I am generally fond of. Therefore,
understanding a persons
intensions and requests
without uttering a word
between us is probably the
greatest lesson I have
learned so far this year.
Hopefully for the benefit of
others as well!
This year the big question
in our Facebook group became whether martial Arts
was building or revealing

ones character. I took me a
while to realize but my answer to this question I
found in the breakdown of
the word Yoshinkan itself,
which translates to the
school to cultivate the
spirit. For me 2012 can be
summarised by this word
alone. Cultivate: 1: to prepare or prepare and use for
the raising of crops; also: to
loosen or break up the soil
about (growing plants) 2:
to foster the growth of 3: to
improve by labour, care, or
study 4: further, encourage
5: to seek the society of:
make friends with.
Osu!
Kirill Korbout
45

KIDS
CORNER
Saturday:
A poem by George Salama
I arrived at the dojo, one early Saturday morning.
I was hung over from the night before, and the children had no warning.
I got dressed quickly and stepped onto the tatami
When I felt the ground shake, oh no! It was the Grapsas army
Zena, Stav, Alex and Koni..
And who could forget Stefano, so energetic and scrawny.
Hurry off the mats and quickly get a drink
And tie up your belts; I know its harder than you think
Inside, outside, over and under
The most basic of things, become such a blunder
Quickly line up, with heads forward and backs straight
Its now the start of class, dont make Sensei wait
Bow to the front and bow to your teacher
Its me Sensei George, such an attractive feature
I bow to Roberto, with long, silky hair
Please take the warm up, children beware!
Running, crawling, hopping and bouncing
Jumping, rolling, flipping and pouncing
Sweating, moaning, moping and wheezing
All this hard work, could not be more pleasing
Now its time for some techniques
Practice hard as the test is in a few weeks
Right foot forward, no, thats not your right,
Mixing those feet up, is such an awful sight
Back leg straight and fingers spread wide
Eyes looking forward and a strong gaze of pride
Now for some games, children please be careful!
I hope you dont hurt yourself, I am always prayerful
Its now the end of class, over before it started
This is the Kids class and not for the faint hearted
Ill see you all next time; Im really going to miss this.
I hope you all enjoyed the year and have a Merry Christmas
Sensei George Salama
46

KIDS
CORNER
Kids Corner:
Sensei Fulori Reflects On 2012
This year has been an exciting but
rewarding year for me at the dojo.
Taking on the role of children's
coordinator at the dojo has meant
new challenges and many new experiences, it's been busy, but I have
definitely learned a lot, and enjoyed
it.
For me, the

dojo has
always been
a strong
support
network
Highlights of the year include the

school holiday programs. We ran
several of these school holiday programs at both the Thornbury and
Oakleigh dojo during the year and
they were a huge success. While of
course we had Aikido classes, we
also ran sessions focused on team
work, communication and Japanese culture. We had the chance to
get outside and go to the park, and
had a visit from a Paramedic, who
ran a workshop on what to do in an
emergency, including when and
how to call 000. What I really enjoyed about these days was getting
to know the children I teach better,
not just on the matts but off the
matts as well, and seeing them develop new relationships with other
students. Although they were long
(and tiring) days, the smiles on
everyone's faces at the end of the
day proved that it was worth the
hard work, and we look forward to
running more events like this next
year.
Of course events like these are not
possible without the team of assistants we have. All of the assistants
at the dojo work on a volunteer
basis, but without them the dojo

would not run as smoothly as it
does, whether it's helping with test
booklets or being on the mats during class, I'm grateful for every
moment of it. They make my job so
much easier, so a big thank you to
everyone who has been involved
with the children's classes this year!
For me the dojo has always been a
strong support network of friends,
teachers and like minded people
who come together because they
enjoy Aikido. It has always been an
environment where I have felt valued, supported and encouraged.
Whether it's someone training with
me after class, giving me a bit of life
advice or encouragement or helping
me with my Japanese homework.
Some of the most important relationships in my life are with teachers and friends I have met through
the dojo. Thats what's so great
about the dojo, its not just a place
where you come to exercise, it's a
community. This is what I want to
share with all the children we teach
at the dojo, and I hope everyone
who has trained in 2012 knows and
feels as though they are a part of it.
47

KIDS
CORNER
Kids Corner
Quote of the Year

Roberto:
Does anyone know
what Aikido means?
Natalie:
Does it mean Karate?
I was
proud to
do it for
my dojo
Akira von Fischer (12 years old)

I demonstrated my Aikido skills at the Japan Culture and
Art Festival on Sunday, the November 25th. It was the third
demonstration on the main stage program. I did it with my
little brother and two other students from the other Dojo.
My little brother and I trained hard for this, before and after
class every Tuesday and Thursday.
The young students demonstration was very short. During
the demonstration first we did the rolls with two other boys.
They were higher belts than us. My brother and I are green
belts. The techniques were easy though I might have made a
mistake or two.
Shortly after demonstration, some of my friends came, so
we joined the work shop in the corner of the main hall. We
learned some self defense techniques. They were techniques
that easily moved and controlled the opponent away from
you.
There were in intervals, and we only attended one interval.
At the end, we got a badge for co-operating. It was fun experience, and I was proud to do it for my dojo.
48

KIDS
CORNER
Kids Corner
Kaito von Fischer (8 years old)
I was shy, so going on the stage and do Aikido
in front of people was not easy. During the demonstration, I only thought about Aikido, kept
myself calm, and I kept going. The practice made
it easy to do. After concentrated on the falls, it
was not difficult, and was fun. I was very happy
when teacher gave me a badge of Kabuto, that
was for cooperation outside of Dojo. Because it
was hard and rare to get, I was proud to have
one.
Max Hamilton
We also
had
lunch
there
which
was very
yummy
I enjoyed the Aikido School Holiday

Program.
These are some of the reasons why:
It has raised my awareness of the
people around me, where
they are and what they are doing.
Also it has helped me with my communication skills, I feel more
able to negotiate with my team
mates to get things done. In
some of the games we played a team
of students had work out
how to do a task, we did this by talking to each other and
working out the best solution.
I learnt how to write and say my
name in Japanese Makusu
means Max.
We walked to Penders Park as a
group and we played knock
out. We also had lunch there which
was very yummy.
By Max Hamilton
3rd
Kyu
Aikido Shudokan Thornbury
49

A YEAR IN
PHOTOS
50

A YEAR IN
PHOTOS
51

A YEAR IN
PHOTOS
52

A YEAR IN
PHOTOS
53

A YEAR IN
PHOTOS
54

A YEAR IN
PHOTOS
55

A YEAR IN
PHOTOS
56

A YEAR IN
PHOTOS
57

GRADING
ACHIEVEMENTS
Dan Grading Achievements

December 2011
Shodan:
Vassili Sibirius
Yuta Takahashi
Nidan:
Urs Battig
Akiko Rice
Luke Brcan
Sandan:
Nick Penna
March 2012
Nidan:
Matthew Cameron
Rodney Mcleod
Sandan:
James Phoenix
Martin Rice
Yodan:
Enrica Cheung
Godan:
Ramlan Ahmed
April 2012
August 2012
Shodan:
Huy Nguyen
Shodan:
Matt Allen
Stephen Louey
Nidan:
Maki Kanazawa
Sandan:
Sagee Zaga
Congratulations to those who tested!
58
Now that weve proved Nostradamus

wrong, I want to wish everyone a very
Merry Christmas and a happy, bright
2013
- Sensei Joe
59

FINAL WORD
FROM THE
EDITOR
As a final note, Id just like to thank everyone

who contributed to making this years emag a
success. To whoever ends up working on next
years emag; I promise to supply you with a
minimum of a thousand words, plus pictures, at
least a week before the deadline. Please remind
me of this next year.
To all of you, thanks for reading, and have a
happy and safe Christmas and New Year.
OSU!
Jack Lavery
Editor, Aikido Shudokan Emag 2012
OSU!
60

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Aikido Shudokan

Artwork by James Phoenix

Joe Thambu Shihan 40 years of Aikido

From all of the students

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

Sensei Joe Speaks

Student of the Year

Final Word From

Final Word From

That Was The Year That Was

As yet another year draws

Those cannibals arent going to

what will not only be the

valuable insight into our

observe (and in a few very

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

A Letter From The Editor, cont.

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

A Few Words of Wisdom

Firstly a correction there, I

just that one thing led to another, and I really never in my

Thamby Rajah Sensei. Since

I think, like any art form, if it

Do you still feel that youre

Do you think there could

Ive never ever had a mentor in

To be honest, the best teachers

I dont know about that my

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

A Few Words of Wisdom

Yes I think that a lot of us

Getting back to this year,

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

Train the spirit. This

Apply yourself 100% in

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

You are learning to

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

That which you

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

Bidding got pretty

Most memories of the night look something like this.

quick speech from Sensei, then it was

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

Zach Hannan Presents:

He was the kind of guy you felt

were on and the doors were

So I moved on to the second

Well, 8 months later and that

It was a very good trip, though.

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

Zach Hannan Presents:

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

Students from United Kingdom, Poland, Checz Republic, Australia, Indonesia,

structors even senior to

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012

level performances that

usually emanates during

Aikido Shudokan EMAG 2012