December 2009

2009 has been another great year for us here at the Seikeikan. As we bring 2009 to a close, I want to again thank each and every one of you for your support over this past year. To all of our new students, welcome once again. To all our former students who have moved on for one reason or another, thank you for your time and dedication. For those who know longer train, but continue to support the dojo in some way, thank you. Without all of you, the Seikeikan would be nothing more than a name associated with an empty building.

2009 Highlights:

As a school and personally, we've been quite busy when it comes to learning Yoshinkan Aikido. Our 2009 highlights included a trip in April by myself and several members to London, Ontario, Canada to attend a clinic with Amos Parker Shihan at the dojo of Ashley Hennessy Sensei. It was great seeing Hennessy Sensei and his group again. They visited in 2008 and it was my first trip back to London, ON since 2001. Sensei's Paul, Justin & Miguel, along with Andi and Natasha, on her first dojo trip, accompanied me. It was a great trip.

Our Canada trip was followed by our annual seminar with Amos Parker Shihan in June which was also commemorated the dojos 10 year anniversary. We were joined by our good friend John Fox Sensei from Ashland, OR and Guy Williams Sensei from the Ki Stone dojo in Fort Bragg, CA. Also joining us is our long time good friend Kenji Nakazawa Sensei who is a former student of Parker Shihan's from Japan. Arredondo Sensei and members from his school joined us from Manteca.

After Parker Shihan's departure, we were treated to two Aikisambo seminars conducted by Nakazawa Sensei. The first was held at Five Animal Martial Arts in Citrus Heights and the other was held at our dojo. Thank you to our good friends Mike Ernst Sensei and Eric Klein Sensei and all their students for hosting a great clinic. The second clinic was held here at our dojo and was well attended. We were joined by Mr. Sean Gray who was in town visiting from St. Petersburg, Russia. Sean is a local but is going to school in St. Petersburg and among other things, is studying Yoshinkan Aikido at the Sutemi Yoshinkan Aikido dojo.

This was Nakazawa Sensei's first visit back to California in some 20 years so we treated him to some sightseeing which included San Francisco and Calaveras Big Trees. We had a picnic along the American River at Negro Bar Landing, a tour of the Gekkeikan Sake Brewry in Folsom and a gold mine and wine tasting trip in El Dorado and Placer Counties. Nakazawa Sensei was also treated to a tour of Old Sacramento, downtown and the State Capitol Park. I'd like to thank Andi & Sensei Paul, Natasha and the Faciana family for all they did to accommodate our guest and arrange the various activities.

In addition to the Sacramento area events, Nakazawa Sensei also taught a Toyama-ryu Battojutsu class at Arredondo Sensei's Heidokan dojo in Manteca. The event was well attended by his school as well as members from the seikeikan. Thank you Arredondo Sensei for the nice dinner out and organizing the visit.

This year also included two international trips for myself. Many thanks to Jay Savery Sensei, from the Goryukan Stafford dojo in Stafford, England and Romuel Villareal Sensei from the Shuryukan dojo in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. I had a wonderful time visiting and training with you and your students. I look forward to my next visit. Many thanks to Paul Sensei, Andi, Jeff and all who helped hold down the fort in my absence. It is great to know the dojo is in such good hands while I'm away.

A special welcome to Tony Sensei and Adam Sensei who are both long time students of Yoshinkan Aikido and now training with us. Tony is a long time friend who trained at the Higirikan dojo in San Francisco. Adam is a graduate of the Yoshinkan Senshusei program in Japan and has been visiting our dojo while in town. I would also like to acknowledge Fred Barrett Sensei in Davis, CA, who hails from the Doshinkan dojo in Philadelphia. Fred attended our summer clinic and also invited Tony and myself to train with him in Davis.

All in all it has been a great 2009. I'm looking forward to what 2010 brings us. A sneak preview would include shodan and yudan testing, our annual clinic, hopefully another overseas trip or two and of course, many new students and the return of all our awesome students and instructors.

See you all in a couple of weeks.

Peace,

Steven

November 2009

Welcome to November. Things are off to a great start. Enrollment has remained steady and all are working hard to perfect their technique. As you most likely noticed, the website has been freshened up a bit. Please let me know if you are having any problems with viewing the site.

As a reminder, there will be no class on Thanksgiving, 11/26. Classes will resume on Saturday, 11/28. On Wednesday, 11/25 I will be on my way to Houston to rendezvous with Parker Shihan. We'll be off for Manama, Bahrain for a series of aikido clinics. Wright Sensei will be holding down the fort in my absence. All yudansha and senior students are asked to lend their help as needed. I should be back at the dojo on Thursday, 12/3. So if you're reading this now and I don't see you at the dojo beforehand, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

UPDATE:
Many thanks to Wright Sensei and all who held down the fort while I was out of country with Parker Shihan. Our journey to and from Bahrain, though long, was a memorable adventure filled with lots of good times and awesome training. Congratulations to the entire Shuryukan dojo for a well executed clinic.

October 2009

October has come and gone. Nothing too exciting going on here at Seikeikan. The training is going well and everyone continues to work really hard. Students are beginning to prepare for out next round of exams which should take place in November or before our last class for 2009 in December. Many thanks to all who are showing up early to help setup the dojo. This really helps keep things on schedule. Hope you all had a fun Halloween.

September 2009

This month we welcome our newest students, Edward, Jim & Tyler. We also had a special visit from Adam, a graduate of the elite Senshusei course in Japan. We're hoping Adam will be able to join us on a more regular basis.

This month we started our new youth schedule. Youth are now meeting from 6:30-7:30pm. This has allowed us to seperate the youth and the adults/teens on Thursday which has given us more room. The Thursday class was getting a bit crowded and the new schedule has been a big help.

Congratulation are in order for Mark who successfully passed his 5th kyu advancement exam. Very well done Mark. Keep up the great work!

Many thanks to Wright Sensei, Senpai Jeff and all those who helped hold down the fort while Miranda Sensei was in the UK. Sensei traveled to Staffard, UK to train with and teach at Jay Savery Sensei's Goryukan Stafford dojo. Pictures can be seen here.

August 2009

Just like July, August turned out to be a very busy time for us when it came to testing. Here at the Seikeikan, we test students when they are ready while others only test at certain times of the year. So for the month of August, please join me in congratulating the following students who were tested and advanced.

3rd kyu: Danielle, Andi, Jeff, David
5th kyu: Natasha
6th kyu: Marcos
9th kyu: Brent, Kelvin

Well done by all. In addition to these promotions, Miranda Sensei, accompanied by his daughter Danielle, visited East County Budokai down in San Diego. During the weekend visit and clinic, advancement exams were administered. Please join us in congratulating the following students who were tested and advanced.

Nidan: Cameron Gary Sensei
Shodan: Curtis Johnson & Ian Norton

Good luck to all our students who are headed back to school. Remember to put the same energy into your school work as you do here at the dojo. Study hard, be safe and have fun!

July 2009

July has turned out to be quite the busy month testing. Congratulations are in order to the following students who have been advanced:

Youth 9th kyu: Alexis & Namhkah
Youth 8th kyu: Kaylianna, Nathan, Eric, Alex, Julian
Youth 6th kyu: Ashlynn
Youth 4th kyu: Hanna, Stuart, Hannah
Youth 2nd kyu: Joseph, Kyle, Brianna

Adult 8th kyu: Dereck, Ian, Jaimie

The newest members of the dojo are off to a great start. Welcome to father and son team of James and Christian, as well as Brent and Blake. Keep up the great work. We also have a special guest from the Sutemi Dojo in St. Petersburg, Russia visiting us through August. Sean is actually an American from the Sacramento area who has been living and going to school in St. Petersburg. We're honored to have Sean with us.

This month also has some sad news. That is the of Kiyoyuki Terada Hanshi, 10th dan. Terada Hanshi passed away the morning of July 13th. He is survived by his wife, children, grand-children and countless number of students and admirers from around the world, both within and outside the Yoshinkan family. Terada Hanshi will be missed but his legacy will live on.

June 2009

Wow - what a month we've had in June. On June 1, we celebrated the 10th anniversary since our founding. This month we welcomed 2 father and son teams. Seth and Liam and Kelvin and Namkha. We celebrated our anniversary by once again welcoming Amos L. Parker Shihan, Yoshinkai 8th dan, to our dojo for a series of clinics. This year we also welcomed Kenji Nakazawa Sensei from Yokosuka City, Japan, who is also a student of Parker Shihan.

As I sit and write this update, I can't help but wonder where the years have gone. It has been a great 10 years and we all look forward to the next. Below are some highlights from our first 10 years.

June 1, 1999: Dojo is founded
July 1, 2000: Host our first of many clinics with Amos Parker Shihan. Dojo officially registered with the IYAF.
November 2000: Participate in first international gasshuku featuring Chida Sensei.
September 2001: First international trip to London, ON Canada.
June 2004: First student tested to shodan by Amos L. Parker Shihan
August 2004: First student tested to shodan by Miranda Sensei
March 2005: First youth student tested and registered to youth shodan
June 2005: Travel to Japan for 50th Anniversary of Yoshinkai Aikido
June 1 2009: Celebrate 10th Anniversay

We've had a very productive 10 years. In that time we've seen the opening and registration of three new dojo's in Manteca CA, Phoenix AZ and Kobar Saudi Arabia. 4 youth shodan's. 15 shodan's, 5 nidan's, 1 sandan and 1 godan. Students from around the world have visited and trained and members have had the privilege of training with Shioda Yasuhisa Kancho,Terada Hanshi and former Honbu Dojocho Chida Sensei. As well as a host of instructors and students from around North America.

As our journey continues, I can't thank enough all our students for their dedication and trust in myself and the teaching staff. Without you there is no dojo. I look forward to our next 10 years and beyond and hope you'll all join me on that adventure.

Finally, many thanks to all who helped make our 10 year anniversary clinic a great success.

May 2009

Pretty much business as usual here at Seikeikan during the month of May. Everyone is training extra hard as we prepare for our 10 year anniversary clinic with Amos Parker Shihan. We do have some other news however.

First, I'd like to again welcome Alexis, Derek, Jim and Ian to the dojo. Alexis is our newest youth and her dad Derek has joined her as well. Jim and Ian, both adults, are father and son. It's always great to have family members training together.

Congratulations are in order for Marcos who successfully passed his 8th kyu exam and is well underway to take his next exam. Well done Marcos.

Many thanks to Brianna, Nicole, Natasha, Marcos and Sensei Paul for your help at our public demo at Pow Wow Days at Orangevale Park. The mats got extremely hot so we ended up just doing our demo on the hard grass. Aren't you all glad we spend so much time perfecting our ukemi? For those who watched, it was very well received. You all did an awesome job!

Our Sokumen Iriminage kenshu went very well. Within the two hours we had, we were able to get in all the number one techniques on the general syllabus, along with ushiro ryote mochi sokumen iriminage #2 and a jiyuwaza variation. Everyone who attended did an awesome job.

Final preparations are in progress for our clinic at the end of June. Thank you to all who have pre-registered and offered to help with the mats. More information will follow as we get closer to the event. As of this posting, we have visitors from 4 other dojo's and Japan coming to train with us. It should be a grand time.

April

As we bring April to an end, I wanted to take a few minutes of your time to bring everyone up to date on what's been happening around the dojo as of late.

Registration:
May registration is now due. Please call the ORPD or bring the registration forms in to me. As always, if you are on the 3-month registration plan and unsure if you are due, please call the ORPD at 988-6140.

Promotions:
We've had several students advancements the past couple of months. Please join me again in congratulating the following students:

Adult 5th kyu: Scarlett & Daniel
Adult 6th kyu: Natasha, Mark, Pin, Doug
Youth 7th kyu: Ashlynn
Youth 9th kyu: Kaylianna, Julian, Eric, Alex & Nathan

Great job by everyone!

Welcome to the dojo:
I'd like to again welcome Tony Squier, 3rd dan, to our dojo. I first met Tony in the mid 1990's in Southern California. We trained together at the Sanbukan dojo in Long Beach, my home dojo. Tony is a student of Masatoshi Morita Sensei, 8th dan, in South San Francisco and is now living in Roseville. It's been great having Tony at the dojo.

Kenshu Classes:
Our monthly kenshu classes have been well attended. Everyone is doing a great job. Our next kenshu for youth orange belts and above is scheduled for Saturday, May 23. Our topic will be sokumen iriminage (side entering throw). Please let me know if you will be attending.

Aikido London Clinic:
Our journey to London, Ontario Canada went very well. Many thanks to Paul, Andi, Justin, Miguel and Natasha for joining me on this trip. The training was great and the off mat time and friendship was even better. A special SHOUT OUT to Natasha who graciously agreed to be my uke for the black belt demonstration. She was the only non black belt and only female to participate. The host dojo was most impressed and she made me look really good. Great job Natasha.

I'd also like to thank Sensei Mark and Senpai Jeff for holding down the fort while we were away.

Upcoming Events:
Public Demo: Our next event is the Orangevale Pow Wow Days demonstration which is set for Saturday, May 16 from 12:55 to 1:10. We only have 15 minutes to do our demo and only about 5 minutes before and after to take down our mats. Those who volunteered will be notified in a separate e-mail about the schedule and what my ideas are for the demo. We'll bring 8 mats to use.

June Clinic: Our 10 year anniversary clinic is soon approaching. The clinic is scheduled for Thursday, June 25 - Saturday, June 27. We will have two visitors from Japan joining us. The clinics on Friday and Saturday will be at the Orangevale Grange Hall on Walnut Ave in Orangevale, off Madison Ave. More details can be found HERE

At this time I am asking all those who will be able to attend to RSVP your intentions. Registration will not be due until June. The registration fee is $125 for the full event or $40 a session.

See you all at the dojo!

Steven

March

As we bring March to a close, we here at Seikeikan would like to welcome our newest student. Tony is a Yoshinkan Aikido sandan (3rd degree black belt) and a student of Masatoshi Morita Sensei in San Francisco. Tony is no stranger to Sensei Steven as they trained together for a couple of years in the mid 90's at the Sanbukan dojo in Long Beach, CA. Tony is now living in the area and will be joining us for regular training. Welcome aboard Tony.

Congratulations are in order for Natasha, Pin, Mark and Doug who successfully passed their 6th kyu examination. All four of them did an awesome job. Our newest students are doing an excellent job in both the adult and youth classes. We should have more examinations coming up soon.

Our Summer 2009 workshop with Amos Parker Shihan is slowly beginning to take shape. The Grange Hall has been reserved and we are expecting visitors from Japan to be joining us. We are looking forward to meeting new friends and catching up with those we've know for sometime who will be joining us. It should be a great turnout.

January / February