Seminar spirit at JuShinKan Aikido!

JuShinKan offers training all summer long!!!

During the Summer (20. june – 19 august), we are reducing the number of classes – but we will be still be training all summer long  - 3 times a week!

Monday / Wednesday / Friday     18.30-20.00

Everyone is welcome to these practices: brand new beginner, old-timers, guests from other clubs (no charge!), and our juniors may also train with the adults during the summer.

On other days, members are free to arrange free practices or workshops – contact each other on our Facebook Page!

As O’Sensei said : “Always train in a pleasant and joyful atmosphere”
and JuShinKan wishes you a pleasant and joyful summer full of aikdo!

JuShinKan goes to Sandnes!

Classes at the JuShinKan Dojo are cancelled this friday-saturday-sunday (24-26 May), but instead…
we’re all going to the Aikido Seminar in Sandnes (15 mn by car away from our dojo). Come along!

Let Jacqueline know if you need a ride on any of the days (98250628).

See info and sign up on the Facebook event:

Sunyata Sandnes ( Sandnes Aikido Klubb) Invites to a interesting seminar with Kim A. Tinderholt 2.dan Aikikai and Patrick Pettersen 2.dan Aikikai.

Patrick is the founder and leader of Sunyata Sandnes and Kim is the founder and technical leader of Haugesund Aikido Klubb, and also the technical leader of Bergen Aikidoklubb.

Prices: full seminar only! nok 200.-
single session nok nok 100.-
The seminar is open for everyone.

Friday 24.5:
19.00 – 21.00 Aikido

Saturday 25.5:
14.15 – 15.15 Aiki-weapons practice
15.30 – 16.30 Aikido

18.00 Party in the Dojo! we order food, everyone chip in!

Sunday 26.5:
11.00 – 12.30 Aikido
12.40 – 14.00 Aikido and weapons

Con la Norvegia nel cuore (with Norway in my heart)

Massimiliano Melone is one of four aikidoka from Kashin Dojo in Rome who followed their Sensei Roberto Martucci (6. dan) to Norway, to participate in the double aikido seminar, starting with a weekend in Trondheim, followed by a week exploring the Stavanger region, and sharing their wonderful aikido with the JuShinKan crowd.  Here is his experience of the trip: 

Catapulted into a magical and enveloping nature… thus began the adventure, new experiences beyond our imagination.

We were met by an unusual warmth; the burning anticipation to ignite the soul from the very first meeting. It was incredible to be able to touch this feeling inside the dojo with your own hands; the warmth surrounded us, invigorating us in a relaxed and joyous atmosphere.

Classes stretched out with the passing of time in a natural flow of mutual understanding; both teacher and students mixing perceptions and contacts, shaping a technical form onto an energetic substance.

Every opportunity was exploited to meet at a point, then the let oneself go in one’s own expression, amazingly in tune with each other, in full freedom.

Just as many emotions were engendered in meeting an attitude towards a more energetic and vigorous practice, yet at the same time was sincere and loyal. The desire to learn and experiment joyfully what was being proposed was palpable in the many exchanges, as if we’d known each other forever.

Mind, heart and soul were engaged at the same time through the sharing, gifting us all with an intensive and enjoyable practice.

… And it was exciting to get in touch with such vigorous spirits…   every day you could see their souls reflected in the depth of their eyes .. just as when, at sunset,  the deep blue sea reflects and merges with the sky… until you couldn’t tell aymore where the sky ended and the sea began.

This is the true image of people who are extraordinary in every situation, strong and open in their purity and devotion; a concrete example of how it is possible to live in harmony and freedom through a challenging but serene path, made of assiduous practice, sharing and silence, shedding the need to seek protection from what surrounds them… because they simply are present in the right attitude and real dimension every single day.

Now the heart is still beating strong… and will continue to do so while pulsing out thoughts and reflections that are always new and vibrant … I will always carry inside the feelings imparted by this wonderful experience, the meaning of which still runs deep in me, distilled in the words of our Sensei Roberto …. “He who is truly free needs no protection… does not need to protect himself ….. he who is truly free … just exists!”

Text: Massimiliano Melone     Translation by Jacqueline von Arb & photos from the original article ’Con la Norvegia nel cuore’ on the Aikido Kashin Life blog (reposted with permission). 

New at JuShinKan: Mini-Maxi Mix Aikido

We received many enquiries about aikido for kids (age 5-10), and some also asked about training together with the kids. What a great idea, we thought – lets go!  Here are pictures from the first two practices (on Facebook). 

This is a trial-project for kids 5/6 until  9/10 years old and we would very much like that the child brings a parent or significant big person to practice with.

When: Wednesdays – 17.15-18.15
(do come at the latest at 17, so we get to chat and play a bit first)

Period: first time Wednesday 15 may – last time 19 June
(total 6 times, until school’s out)  

Price: free for members and their children, and kr 210* per family for 6 times
(NB: *this will be refunded if you join JuShinKan as a member after this course!!!)

Instructors: there will  always be a black belt instuctor in the class, as well as an assistant instructor. Primarily: Jacqueline and Pascal

Clothing: training pants & long-armed t-shirt is fine, those who have a uniform from another martial art, feel free to use that!

How does it work? 
Kids and parents will train together, sometimes adults and kids separately, and sometimes all together.
Since kids have a shorter attention span, there will be some playtime, but all the games will be aiki-games, meaning that even if we play, we’re still practicing aikido…  =)

WE are aiming to develop cooperation, respect, concentration, balance, compassion and more – all through the practice of aikido – and we aim to have fun together!

This is an introduction to something that we hope will become a permanent feature in the club’s aiki-schedule as of school start in the Autumn 2013. Kids will then have to join the club, and the parent who want to join too may do so at half (the adult) price, for as long as their child is a member.

Oh, and feel free to inform to friends and family who may be interested!  The more, the merrier!
Here’s the link to the info-poster: http://stavangeraikido.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/201305-minimaxi-plakat.pdf
And the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/357418521025353/

Successful Fjords’n'Aikido with Fabrice Somers!

Fabrice Somers (5. dan) came to Stavanger with 4 of his students this year. In addition, a group of 9 aikidoka from Ukraine and Poland joined the seminar for a total of 13 nationalities on the mats during this phenomenal weekend of Fjords’n'Aikido.  (links to pictures can be found at the bottom of the article).

People started arriving already Wednesday afternoon, so our regular Wednesday class was packed for Bob’s class introducing the weekend’s theme. Our slavic friends went for a Stavanger-by-night stroll, guided by one of our Russian-speaking members. Thursday was “Fjords on Water” day, we were divided in two groups, where one went sailing through the fjord (this one would be called a bay in English), while the other went sightseeing the Old Town, and then we switched. The weather was quite friskey, so a sandwich lunch and a hot Chai Latte in the Colorful Street was very welcome!  Fabrice arrived in the afternoon, bringing the sun with him (as he does every year!), and gave an extra class in the evening.

For the “Fjords and Mountains” Friday… well, as it happens in Norway, mountain conditions are very unpredictable in the springtime, and this year the Pulpit Rock (Prekestolen) was closed due to a thick layer of ice… not a nice combination next to a 600 m drop into the fjord… We got a taste of those conditions on the way up to the alternative destination, the Moon Waterfall (Månefossen),  we worked up quite the appetite up to the viewpoint, Sensei prepared a lunch of grilled hot dogs and homemade hamburgers for the 20 of us. Much of the waterfall was huge icicles hanging from a hole in the mountain side, at the bottom there was a ‘vulcano’ of snow and ice that seemed to suck the water in through the top, and spew it out below as a river of clear emerald green water. Vasilyi couldn’t resist and went swimming…

The trip continued with a ferry ride, a drive across the new bridge over the Lysefjord, a 47 km long fjord only 300-600 meters wide… We drove along the South side of the fjord, had some tea and biscuits admiring the Prekestolen from the other side of the fjord, incredible to think that the fjord is as deep as the mountain is high…

The seminar proper started on Friday evening, a few more guests joined from Sandnes, Haugesund, Bergen and Oslo, for a total of 45 people throughout the weekend, averaging 32 on the mats at all times. Fabrice started with an admonition to “forget EVERYTHING” and start with a fresh, open mind! He proposed for this seminar to get to know our own body and create a relationship with your partner, to move from what you feel rather than doing what you think you’re supposed to do, REEELAAAAAAAAX, and, above all… ask yourself the right questions!

Saturday lunchtime was spent on the quay by the Petroleum museum, with the Norwegian tradition of buying fresh shrimp right off the shrimp boat, and having it on white bread with mayonnaise (also called shrimp glue). And on Saturday evening, everyone went to the Snake Island Aiki-Inn for the traditional BBQ – all home-made food, everyone chipping in with helping to cook, grill, tidy up and create a great atmosphere of aiki-bliss!

Thanks to everyone who came from near and far, to all the good helpers and for the good training partners, the combination of which made this such a GREAT fjords’n'aikido seminar!!! Welcome back next Spring!

Maxime Umé’s pictures on Facebook  ; Emmanuel Kestemont’s pictures on Facebook ; Piotrek Norzynski’s pictures on Facebook  ; Ivan Drozdov’s pictures on Facebook  ; Alexey Feshchuk’ pictures on Facebook ; Ørjan Vestrheim’s pictures on Facebook-   more links will be posted as they are published!  (you may have to be FB-friends with the photographers in order to have access to the pictures…).

NB: if you couldn’t get enough of this (or missed it), our upcoming seminar  with Roberto Martucci (6. dan) will continue to explore the same principles that Endo Sensei is so known for: 30 april and 1. may. Welcome back!  More info on the Facebook event  and on the downloadable poster.

App for practice schedule!

Wondering when practice is on at JuShinKan? 
Now there’s an app! 
iphone (kr 7,-): https://itunes.apple.com/no/app/aikido/id604028604?mt=8
android (kr 7,50) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.favouritesystems.aikidov2

General Assembly on Wednesday March 20

Dear Members,

It’s that time of year when we assess what we’ve accomplished the previous year and what we plan to do in 2013 – It’s time for the General Assembly 2013!!!

- Wednesday 20^th March at 20.00 – (after practice, of course!)

The agenda and reports were sent to your email, please have a look at the Board’s report for 2012, it’s quite impressive what our little club has accomplished!

Now that we’re growing steadily (50+ members!), we need more help to run the club. Do you have a special skill or would like to learn one (treasury, organizing, social inclination, inventory…), do consider volunteering some time to help the club keep going strong – have a talk with Deirdre, Inge or Trond.

The agenda and other documents were emailed to all adult members, check your email!

Your Board, Bob, Jac & Jon

——– og på norsk: ——–

Hei, det er tid for generalforsamling! Vi ser på hva vi har oppnådd i 2012 (les styrets beretning, det er ganske imponerende!) og det vi planlegger i 2013 – her blir det også te og kake, så klart!

Det blir i dojo’en på Onsdag 20 Mars, kl. 20.00, etter trening. Håper å se mange der!

Nå at vi har nådd en viss størrelse (50+ medlemmer!) trenger vi også litt mer hjelp i klubben. Kan du noe spesielt eller har lyst å lære noe skils (regnskap, organisering, sosiale ferdigheter, materialforvaltning…) tar vi gjerne imot frivillige – ta en prat med Deirdre, Inge eller Trond. 

Innkallingen og rapporter ble sendt til alle voksne medlemmer, sjekk mail! 

Aiki-hilsen fra styret i Stavanger JuShinKan Aikido, Bob, Jac & Jon