Free Open House - Aikido Appetizer April 30, 2016

Join us for our Free Open House event, Aikido Appetizer 

We invite our South Portland neighbors, our extended dojo community and anyone curious about the art of Aikido.

Aikido Appetizer

Saturday  April 30

Free!

Enjoy a taste of what the practice of Aikido is all about. Get ready for fun! This is an ideal opportunity to experience Aikido firsthand. This free event is open to both adults and children.

You are invited to our Spring Open House - the Aikido Appetizer! Family, friends, neighbors are welcome! This is a great opportunity to try something new. Here's the schedule:

• 10am: Doors open. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and get oriented to the space. 
• 10:30am: Step onto the mat for a sensory experience and introduction to the art of aikido. Whet your appetite for for martial practice and get your body moving. Everyone can participate at their own pace. 
• After class: We will have tea and sushi. Socialize and ask questions of members.

Learn more: http://www.multnomahaikikai.com/first-steps/

Printable flyer:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B430gEINcl_VMG81dzc0S3BmUnRudG05T0NNTTJsMVNfd3BZ/view?usp=sharing

Aikido Appetizer: Free intro Apr 30 & First Course in Aikido: starting May 4

Spring is here which means it’s time for another round of our Aikido Appetizer & First Course offerings, two events designed to connect with our neighbors, our extended community and to welcome new members.

Aikido Appetizer

Saturday April 30

Free!

A first taste of what the practice and classes are all about. This is an ideal opportunity to experience Aikido firsthand. Get ready for fun! This free event is open to both adults and children.

You are invited to join us for our Spring Open House - the Aikido Appetizer! Family, friends, neighbors are welcome! This is a great opportunity to try something new. Here's the schedule:

• 10am: Doors open. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and get oriented to the space. 
• 10:30am: Step onto the mat for a sensory experience and introduction to the art of aikido. Whet your appetite for for martial practice and get your body moving. Everyone can participate at their own pace. 
• After class: We will have tea and sushi. Socialize and ask questions of members.

Learn more: http://www.multnomahaikikai.com/first-steps/

If you know you have the appetite for practice then move right on to your First Course in Aikido.

Aikido First Course May 4 - June 1

This 4-week beginner series allows new students to explore the practice of Aikido. Emphasis is placed on the fundamentals. Movements and techniques are broken down to instill a healthy relationship with one’s own physical structure and movement abilities to ensure a fun and safe practice for you and your fellow students. Schedule and registration details at:

http://www.multnomahaikikai.com/first-steps/

If you know others who might be interested in checking us out and taking some classes, please invite them to join us! 

• Share this post: http://multnomahaikikai.blogspot.com/2016/04/aikido-appetizer-free-intro-apr-30.html
• Share the postings on our Multnomah Aikikai Facebook page 
• Print the flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B430gEINcl_VMG81dzc0S3BmUnRudG05T0NNTTJsMVNfd3BZ/view?usp=sharing

See you in the Dojo!

Aikido Multnomah Aikikai 6415 SW Macadam Ave Portland OR

Study guides for 5th kyu and 4th kyu techniques based on the Birankai test guidelines

How do you study the kyu guidelines? What's your approach?

Organizing information in different ways can help solidify relationships between techniques. Using colors and gathering similar elements in groups can help the mind sort, categorize and associate.

Here are a couple of study guides for 5th kyu and 4th kyu techniques guidelines.
These documents include the same information found on the Birankai test guidelines document but organize the information in a different way.

These links along with other study tools are on the Member Resources page of Dojo News.

Create your own tools for studying as well!

The process of thinking through the material and laying it out, in a way that makes sense to you, is an invaluable exercise on the path of learning and retaining. As you read the name of the technique visualize it and recall the sensation of the motion.

When you practice the techniques in class, take a moment to write notes in your personal study guide and draw pictures. As your mind directs the pencil on the page, your neural pathways are strengthened and learning is reinforced.

~ Suzane Van Amburgh

Demonstration in Forest Grove 7 May

The Japan club at Pacific University has asked for a 15-20 minute aikido demonstration Saturday the 7th of May on the Pacific University campus in Forest Grove.

All aikidoka from Portland and Forest Grove are invited to assist or attend. Please contact Dave Dewberry for more details. train@fgaikido.com

Aikido Summer Camp in New York City June 9-14, 2016

Registration is now available for the 2016 Birankai North America Aikido Summer Camp! 

All the information students need about camp can be found here: http://camp.birankai.org . Please note the early registration deadline of April 15^th . We encourage students to register ASAP to receive the discounted rate! The dates of Camp are June 9-14, 2016.

To qualify for early registration rates, payment of at least 50% must be received before the early registration period ends on April 15 and the balance by May 15. For all residential registrations, to avoid the $50 late registration fee, payment must be made in full by May 15.

Travel Information

New York City has many airport options, but we suggest flying into La Guardia or John F. Kennedy airports, as they are the closest to St. John's University.

Once in New York City, the best way to get to camp is by taxi. If you arrive during non-rush hours, the cost of the taxi will be greatly reduced. It is a good idea to arrive with other camp participants to share a cab to St. John's University. There will be no shuttle service this year as St. John's is only 7 miles from LaGuardia airport. 

Questions?

Questions regarding 2016 BNA Summer Camp can be sent to birankai@gmail.com.

Scholarship Application Process Now Open

Birankai North America is pleased to announce the Birankai Summer Camp 2016 Scholarship Program for students and instructors.The purpose of the Scholarship Program is to support the cohension of our organization through financial support of students and teachers to attend camp. Please see the attached letter and scholarship application and terms process which provides more details on this program. 

The application deadline is April 6th. All materials must be received by this date for applicants to be considered for support for this year's camp.

Interested members should apply online HERE. The scholarship money will be disbursed to the recipients after the Summer Camp.

If you have questions about the program please contact Terri Park.

The dates of Camp are June 9-14, 2016

Take a Tour of the Adult Aikido Class Schedule

Tour de Schedule

Here's a walk-through of our adult class schedule. People often ask questions about what classes are like, which classes they should attend and who teaches when. I hope this tour is helpful to members in understanding our class schedule.

Our classes tend to range from about 2-15 people. Classes are small and the people leading classes are attentive to who is in the class. The class will be geared to the folks who show up for class. So, show up and the class will be tailored for you! Exercises taught are scalable. That means movements demonstrated can be practiced at a beginner level or a more advanced level, along a spectrum. Teachers and senior students are happy to work with beginners.

If you are a beginner we recommend you practice 2-3 days per week and make at least one of your classes a "Fundamentals" class. After watching attendance patterns and trends in teacher availability, we have established that certain class times make sense to designate as "Fundamentals." These class periods have attracted beginners consistently: Tuesdays 6:15pm, Wednesday 6:15pm and Saturday 10:30am.

Beginners are not constrained to Fundamentals classes! Feel free to practice Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays or Monday 12:30, Wednesday evening and Saturday morning, or any combination that works for your schedule. All regular adult members are eligible to attend any unrestricted class.

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
10:00 AM						Private lessons
10:30 AM	Private lessons					Fundamentals/ All levels: SV
12:30 PM	All levels: SV				All levels: AF	Periodic special Saturday classes, usually noon-1pm :SV
			Private lessons			Private lessons
5:00 PM	Reserved		Children's class	Reserved	Children's class
6:15 PM	All levels: AF (SMS/JO)	Fundamentals/ All levels (except for first Tuesday*) rotate among AF, SV, JO, SMS	Fundamentals/ All levels: JPO (SMS)	All levels: AF (JO/SMS)
7:30 PM		Bokken/ Iaido: SV/AF		Weapons & Body Arts: AF (SMS/JO)

Who teaches which classes?
Everyone who leads a class in our dojo does so on a volunteer basis. The teachers all have jobs outside the dojo and we all balance dojo with work and family commitments. So, we have an adaptive system in place for covering classes. One person serves as "primary' teacher of the time slot and 1-2 others serve as back up. The four main people leading classes stay in tight communication to make sure classes are covered. Here is the primary teaching schedule:

Monday 12:30pm:
A new class taught by Van Amburgh Sensei (SV). The nature of class will be determined according to who attends regularly.
Monday 6:15pm:
Usually taught by Fleshler Sensei (AF).
Tuesday 6:15pm:
Teaching responsibility rotates among all four (AF, SV, JPO and SMS). First Tuesday of the month we hold advanced class open to 2nd kyu +. Beginners are encouraged to observe class. If you are dressed in gi, you may be invited onto the mat for part of class.
Tuesday 7:30pm Iaido/ bokken class:
Fleshler or Van Amburgh Sensei
Wednesday 6:15pm:
Oliva Sensei. Previously Van Amburgh Sensei taught this class regularly however she is now teaching more in Forest Grove. Wednesday night will be a good night for Oliva Sensei to teach regularly starting in May. Through March and April you may see Sean Sheedy Sempai or Van Amburgh Sensei teaching on Wednesdays.
Thursday 6:15pm:
Fleshler Sensei. This class tends to be faster paced requiring more challenging ukemi skills.
Thursday 7:30pm:
Fleshler Sensei. This class may incorporate weapons work, body arts or both.
Friday 12:30pm:
A new class taught by Fleshler Sensei. The nature of class will be determined according to who attends regularly.
Saturday 10:30am:
Usually taught by Van Amburgh Sensei. This class time has been popular among beginning students. Content is usually geared toward developing the skills to be able to perform a 5th kyu test well. All levels benefit from this practice. The fundamental techniques of the 5th kyu guidelines lay the foundation for the entire curriculum.

Weekends:
Periodically special classes are scheduled on weekends. Van Amburgh sensei often runs themed classes on Saturdays noon-1pm. Flesher Sensei runs a Sunday morning practice about once a month. Regional seminars are often held over a weekend. Stay connected with Upcoming Dates and the Seminar page for details on weekend events.

Cancellations:
Once in a while we run into a situation where no one is available to teach. At that point we look to a long-standing member to open the dojo and host a "free practice." That member holds responsibility to maintain a safe practice atmosphere and be available to help people out responding to questions, etc. Participants may be self-directed and collaborative in their learning.

If we ever need to cancel a class an announcement will be posted on Upcoming Dates. We also do our best to notify by email the people who attend classes regularly. Please keep us updated with your best email address.

Upcoming Dates is a Google doc maintained by Van Amburgh Sensei. You can get to it from the Dojo News navigation bar or go to http://tinyurl.com/aikidodates.
Here's the google link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q6wm7n72FK4IT3XthH61MF-WfoZpULjZBJX0LnR3dms/edit

Aikido Multnomah Aikikai 6415 SW Macadam Ave Portland OR 97239

Weekend Weapons Practice

Fundamental Weapons Practice for all levels this Saturday!

5th and 4th kyu weapons test guidelines will be covered on Sat Feb 20 & 27.

Saturdays Feb. 20 and 27, 10:30 - 11:30am: we will focus in on the weapons forms outlined in the Birankai 5th and 4th kyu guidelines.

This class, taught by Van Amburgh sensei, is for all levels. 

If you've never held a bokken or jo before have no fear! Come and learn.

What does sanpo mean?

What's the difference between happo giri and suburi happo?

Senior members take advantage of this opportunity to practice the newly allocated weapons test guidelines as a set!

Sunday Morning Practice with Fleshler Sensei coming up February 28, 9am- noon. Expect a combination of body arts and weapons training.

Aikido Multnomah Aikikai 6415 SW Macadam Ave Portland OR 97239