Sword and Pen
Our blog on all things martial arts and related topics
Aikido is simple, people are complicated – A guest post by Alister Gillies
I started practising Aikido in 1982. In that time my Aikido, because ultimately that is what it is, has gone through many changes. Some of them have involved various degrees of imitation - simply copying what I was shown, or adopting stylistic components that I had...
Aunkai Tour NZ 2016 with Akuzawa Minoru Sensei – Review by K. Iguchi
We arrived at the Koru Dojo after winding through a gravel road in the middle of what seemed like nowhere, somewhere in the Coromandel region. The dojo was nothing short of a magnificent and ambient structure, home to David Lynch and his wife Hisae-san, a couple with...
Aunkai Tour NZ 2016 with Akuzawa Minoru Sensei – Review by R. Gupta
Over the past month and a half, I have had the opportunity to spend about 45 hours exploring the relatively new martial art of Aunkai. After a few weeks of classes with Filip, I attended an open weekend seminar and an intensive 4-day seminar with Akuzawa Sensei...
Shiseikan Budo Kashima Shin Sojutsu & Kenjutsu in Poland
So I've recently returned from a fairly lengthy trip to Europe and have already posted about different parts of it a few times on the Calm and Storm facebook page. After visiting friends and family, and training Aikido, Aunkai and BJJ in Germany, I've been lucky...
Aikido and Aunkai seminar at Aikido Dojo Giessen (Video)
In the video below you'll find a few snippets from a recent Aunkai and Aikido seminar at Aikido Dojo Giessen showing two of the exercises we explored for a variety of purposes. In the video you can see some experimentation with: Firstly, a variation of Ikkyo omote in...
Impressions from Shiseikan Budo Kashima Kenjutsu practice
Workshop held at Mushinkan Aikido Dojo (Helensville, NZ) - 16 July 2016
Aunkai Bujutsu Interim Report part 3: Connection
For the last instalment of my Aunkai Interim Report, I wanted to make a few comments on the topic of connection. I'm thinking of connection in two different ways here, the first of them relating to my practice of Aunkai in various places around the world. Outside of...
Aunkai Bujutsu Interim Report part 2: Training with a Bo
So after my complete failure to stick to my writing plan in the first part of my Aunkai Interim Report, I will set the stakes a little lower this time round and merely try to finish off my review of the first two weeks I've spent training Aunkai with Akuzawa Sensei...
Aunkai Bujutsu Interim Report part 1: Weight under Buoy
Phew... ok... it's really been a while since I've last written a blog post myself for a variety of reasons, so next to being pressed for time and generally not very inclined to write at the moment, I'm feeling a little rusty as well. Nonetheless, I wanted to write a...
Aunkai Seminar with Filip Maric, review by Paul Huston
November 2014 I had the opportunity to attend a seminar presented by Sensei Akuzawa Minoru on the new martial art called Aunkai that he founded. With open eyes and curiosity I signed up, booked flights, and organised a place to stay in Auckland, as I live...
Budo Seminar with Filip Maric, review by Eric Steeves
I had the great opportunity to attend Filip’s martial art seminar last weekend in Frankfurt, hosted by Thomas Mehl at Takeshin Dojo Frankfurt. 18 participants from 8 different dojos met on Sunday to discover and experience one year of Filip’s research in the field of...
The Koru Dojo Sessions, review by Colin Jowett
There are occasions when the planets are aligned quite correctly (or something) and you realise that you are in one of those 'moments' that lasting memories are made of. I recently found myself in one of those moments. It's the annual Phillipe Orban Sensei (6th Dan...
Shedding skins
A few weeks ago David Lynch Sensei announced the 'End of an era' as he is resigning from regular Aikido instruction after over 50years of practice and teaching. Fortunately for all of us, this is only limited to 'regular' teaching so far, and so David will still be...
The Fudoshin NZ Tour 2015 with Philippe Orban Sensei (6 Dan Aikido), review by Colin Jowett
For those of you who don’t know, Phillippe Orban Sensei (6 Dan Aikido) is a regular visitor to our shores. This is now his fifth annual visit to New Zealand, which is part of his lasting connection to the Jikishin Dojo and its founder Filip Maric. Phillippe is a...
Old flows, present dangers and new friendships – Liam Keeley Sensei and the Koryu Kenkyukai Melbourne
Sometimes I think you have to be a special kind of lucky to experience all the things that I get the chance to experience and it really makes my head shake in disbelief. That said, it is of course also not all just luck, but would be impossible if it wasn’t for all...
There’s a first time for everything (or, everything for the first time) – Maul Mornie & Silat Suffian Bela Diri Bruneian martial art, Melbourne/AUS
The last two days I've had the pleasure and honour to meet and train with Guru Maul Mornie at a Silat Suffian Bela Diri Seminar held in Melbourne, AUS. First of all, I have to say there was an outstandingly positive vibe (you might be able to tell from one of the...
Aunkai Study Day, review by Gray Gillespie
Last weekend I was fortunate to attend an Aunkai Study day conducted by Liam O’Donoghue and hosted by Filip Maric of Calm and Storm Martial Arts Auckland. During the day, we focused on core fundamentals of Aunkai, including stepping and kicking to name just a few. But...
Chest is clean – Systema Russian Martial Art, Seminar with Vali Majd
Last weekend was the second time that I had the pleasure and benefit of being able to train under the guidance of Vali Majd from Roots Dojo - School of Warrior Arts (Denman Island, BC, Canada). First time I met Vali was on his first visit to Auckland a little over two...
