Holiday Schedule, Class cancellations, Upcoming Dates

Here is a summary of important Upcoming Dates at the dojo in December and January. Blue font indicates a hyperlink to more information.  

Members, please bookmark these links on your smart-phone and check frequently: Dojo News and http://tinyurl.com/aikidodates.

Holiday class cancellations and schedule: 

Adult classes are cancelled Dec 24-28. 

Class will be held on Monday Dec 29 and Tue Dec 30.

Classes are cancelled Wed. Dec 31 and Thursday Jan 1.

Winter weather note: 

Class cancellations due to inclement weather will be posted on Upcoming Dates: 

http://tinyurl.com/aikidodates.

Summary of upcoming public events:

Fold a Crane for the New Year! Jan. 7, Wed. 4:45- 6pm, FREE

Aikido Appetizer, Saturday January 31, 2015, FREE

Aikido First Course: Tue/Sat, Feb 3 - Mar 14. $90

Center Yourself Tuesdays: 5:30pm- 6:00 pm Tuesdays. $10

The Lines of Engagement, Second Saturdays, noon, $10

Introduction to Sword Handling: 7:30pm Wednesdays Feb. 4-25

Quick reference to upcoming dojo events in Jan-Feb 2015. 

Events displayed in bold italics are open to the public.

Check for updates to this schedule on: http://tinyurl.com/aikidodates.

2015 Jan 4, Sunday in Forest Grove: 

A special event at Aikido Forest Grove. Hosted by Dave Dewberry Sensei. Save the date! Details TBA.

2015 Jan 6, First Tuesday: Advanced class 7:30pm

2015 Jan. 7, Wed. 4:45- 6pm:  Fold a Crane for the New Year! 

Origami folding activity for adults and children. Paper and instructions provided. Suzane Sensei will be available to help you!

2015 Tuesdays in January, 5:30-6:00pm (starts Jan 6): Jo staff basics. This series is a great introduction if you are new to jo work! For members familiar with jo, this is a chance to center yourself before the 6:15pm class and warm up your hips.

2015 Jan. 10, Second Saturdays at noon, Lines of Engagement.

2015 Jan 16-18, Ukemi Weekend:  What do you want to improve?  Principles of ukemi will be taught and applied to a variety of situations; body arts and weapons. Schedule details TBA.

2015 Jan 31, Sat. 10am: Aikido Appetizer, a FREE Introduction to Aikido. Open to the public. Spread the word! Invite your friends and family. All are welcome. Members please mark the date and plan to attend.

2015 Jan 31, Sat noon: Girls self-defense program, details TBA

2015 Feb 3 - Mar 14: Aikido “First Course” beginners series.

2015 Feb 3, First Tuesday, Advanced class at 7:30pm

2015 Feb 4- 25, 7:30pm, Introduction to Japanese Sword Handling: Wed evening series of 4 sessions. Free to members. Open to the public for a fee of  $60.

2015 aikido seminars 

Go to: Dojo News Seminar info page

Why seminars matter!

This post is from Biran Online, posting dated October 7, 2014.
L. Klein is the editor of Biran, The Aikido Journal of Birankai North America

Don't miss the seminars coming up in our own Northwest Region! Check out the seminar info page for details on upcoming seminars.  -Suzane Van Amburgh




Check out the great video above put together by the Birankai Scholarship Committee. Real Birankai students talk about the benefits of seminars as a part of training and development in the art. It’s eight minutes long but full of action footage!

All of us in Birankai Aikido are working to fund seminars to raise our level of Aikido, Iaido and Zazen training through the T.K. & Mitsuko Chiba Endowment Fund. Our national goal is to raise $400,000 in four years and we are already funding seminars through the endowment.

Donate today through the endowment page on the Birankai.org website or visit the T.K. & Mitsuko Chiba Endowment Fund Facebook page.

Thanks for your generosity and let’s keep Birankai Aikido strong!

L. Klein

Fall Aikido Schedule begins September 17

This Fall our adult aikido class schedule shifts focus. You'll see the same basic time slots through the week but the focus of those classes shifts.

Our beginners series, Aikido First Course, begins October 11 and runs Tuesdays and Saturdays through November 22.

Get a taste at the Aikido Appetizer on Saturday October 4th at 10am.

Visitors are welcome to step onto the mat and join us for the half-hour Orientation to Practice, Tuesdays at 5:30pm or Saturdays at 10am (through October 28). After, we invite you to stay and observe the fundamentals class.

The public is also welcome to join us for the Lines of Engagement on second Saturdays at noon, Oct 11, Nov. 8 and Dec. 13. The fee is $10.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday 6:15pm classes are core classes for members of all levels and focus on our monthly teaching theme.  Become a regular member and train in any of these classes.

Two classes on the schedule are restricted to members ranked 5th kyu and above: Tuesdays 7:30pm and Thursdays 6:15pm.

Advanced class is held once a month on the first Tuesday in the 7:30pm time slot.

New format for testing and rank promotion deemed sucessful

They say necessity is the mother of invention. As our dojo approached the time for students to test, it became clear that a single night testing format was not going to serve the membership.

We had people, ripe for promotion, who were practicing with injuries.  The teachers and teacher candidates who needed to observe testing had divergent work schedules. We were scarce on available ukes. We had potential rank promotions ranging from 5th kyu to yudansha. One night just wasn't going to work.

I've seen other martial arts schools implement a testing period of several days. Candidates are observed over a period of time and promotions may or may not come out at the end of the period. I haven't seen that format employed in aikido dojos. Of course as teachers we watch students over time and the testing night is a culmination of a longer period of test preparation. You can't "cram" for an aikido test! However, I've always seen aikido dojo testing conducted in one session; usually in the course of one evening.

At our dojo I proposed we hold a multiple evening, all-dojo evaluation and testing event. Teachers and teacher candidates discussed schedule and we agreed upon three consecutive nights. Students preparing for tests agreed to clear their schedules and come all three nights. Middle and younger ranks came to the days that they could.

Over the three nights, a large percentage of the Birankai curriculum was called. A mix of standing, sitting and hanmi handachi techniques were covered each night as well as weapons forms. Candidates had a chance to serve as both uke and nage. If a fundamental form was performed weakly on one night, there was a chance to do better in the next night.  When one candidate surpassed expectations, I had the chance to raise the bar on the following night and give him a chance to perform at a level above the rank he was testing for.

As the three nights came to conclusion we clearly had come through the fire together as a group. Tension had dropped, shoulders had melted and we announced 6 new promotions.* Individuals not testing for specific rank were offered a challenge  and invitation to prepare for the next testing opportunity. Teachers and teaching candidates had the opportunity to evaluate where we are as a dojo and what material the members need to study in regular weekly classes.

Listening to students after the event, it was clear that this format was a good experiment. One member mentioned it felt like the end of summer camp; no tension left. Just continuous movement, washed in sweat, revolving around and within ones center.

photo provided by Terese Scollard

*Promoted April 3, 2014

Sandan: Sean Sheedy, Jon Paul Oliva

Shodan: Kevin Greenwood, Sanders Anderson

Nikyu: James Murray

Gokyu: Troy Wilson




Article written by by Suzane Van Amburgh

Contact us: dojo@multnomahaikikai.com

Aikido Multnomah Aikikai  |  503-246-8120

6415 SW Macadam Ave, Portland OR 97239 

Have your registered yet for Aikido Summer Camp?

The 15th annual 
Birankai North America

Raven and the light ~ summer camp poster image

Aikido Summer Camp

July 18-23, 2014 
Pacific University,
Forest Grove, Oregon

On-line registration is open! 

Early Registration deadline: May 10th. 
Regular Registration deadline: June 5th. Registration closes June 5th.

The schedule is posted!

For the latest information go to:
www.birankai.org/summercamp

Guest instructor this year is
Yoko Okamoto Sensei, 6th dan, Shihan from Aikido Kyoto, Japan

Enjoy this video of Okamoto Sensei teaching at our BNA 2011 Aikido Summer Camp:
Okamoto sensei iriminage to kaitenage...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiL3nuVjLZ4
  
"Like" the camp page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Birankai-Summer-Camp/116247208564934

Questions? 
Check the webpage for frequently asked questions:
http://camp.birankai.org/2014/registration/registration-faq

Still stumped? Contact: birankai@gmail.com or call 503-683-2454

2014 BNA Aikido Summer Camp in Forest Grove Oregon July 18 - 23 !

Mark your calendars for July 18-23, 2014 !

Birankai North America 
Aikido Summer Camp 
July 18-23, 2014 
at Pacific University 
Forest Grove, OR. 

Please save the date! The closest airport is Portland (PDX), which is 22 miles east of the university. View a map:  http://www.pacificu.edu/about/location/directions-forest-grove.cfm

Guest instructor for the 2014 camp is 

Yoko Okamoto Sensei, 6th Dan, from Aikido Kyoto. 

Information about the 2014 Aikido Summer Camp will be updated regularly at:
http://www.birankai.org/summercamp/