15th Anniversary!

2009 marks the 15th anniversary of the SMAA. We’re planning a number of exciting ways to commemorate this milestone, and we’ll have more information coming shortly. These are some things to look forward to in 2009:

SMAA 15th Anniversary CD-ROM—We’re collecting many of the top feature stories and articles from the past 15 years of the SMAA Journal. We hope to put these great articles on a special CD-ROM that we’ll mail to our entire membership free of charge. It will be our gift to you for helping the SMAA promote and preserve traditional budo.

SMAA Anniversary Seminar Series—For the past few years, we’ve presented the SMAA Seminar & Conference. It took place once each year, and we brought several senior SMAA instructors to teach at it, with attendees from multiple U.S. states and more than one country. The event has sold out many times and been a great success, but it requires participants to often travel some distance to attend. In honor of our 2009 anniversary, we’re going to forego this event, and offer instead a series of regional seminars at various locations in the USA and perhaps other countries. There will be several one, two, or three day events, often offered at a price lower than the SMAA Seminar, taking place throughout all of 2009. You’ll save money on travel expenses and instruction fees, while you’ll have multiple opportunities to train with SMAA expert teachers. This seminar series will be the SMAA’s gift to its members to commemorate our 15th anniversary.

SMAA Utah Seminar—The first event in our SMAA Anniversary Seminar Series will take place in April in Utah. More details can be found below.

Utah Seminar!

An extraordinary SMAA event in Utah will take place on April 10, 11, and 12, 2009. Special discounts will be available for SMAA members, who are up to date on their annual dues.

The seminar host is Max Roach Sensei, an SMAA certified teacher of iaido and aikido. Roach Sensei hosted the first SMAA Seminar & Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah back in 2005, and it was an outstanding success.

The featured SMAA instructor will be Nicklaus Suino Sensei, who will be teaching Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu iaido, which he learned from the late Yamaguchi Katsuo Sensei, tenth dan. Suino Sensei studied budo extensively in Japan for several years, and he has received Shihan teaching certification and a seventh dan from the SMAA Iaido Division. He is also the SMAA General Manager and the Co-director of our iaido division. Moreover, Suino Sensei is the author of several popular books on budo and iaido.

Cyndy Hayashi Sensei will be a special instructor at the seminar, where she’ll teach Aikikai aikido. Hayashi Sensei, sixth dan and an instructor at Aikido West in California, began training at Aikido of San Francisco in 1977. She trained there under Frank Doran Sensei, Robert Nadeau Sensei, and Bill Witt Sensei. She then traveled to Japan to practice with the legendary Saito Morihiro Sensei. After returning to the USA, she trained and taught at the Aikido Institute of Oakland and at Aikido West in Redwood City. She later became a dedicated student of Frank Doran Sensei. She has taught seminars in the U.S., Israel, and France.

For more information about lodging, transportation, class times, SMAA member discounts, and fees, contact Roach Sensei. Here’s all you need to start making plans to attend the SMAA Utah Seminar:

When:
April 10, 11, 12

Where:
Wasatch Academy's Yama Oroshi Dojo
120 South 100 West
Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647

Who:
Nicklaus Suino Sensei (Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu iaido)
Cyndy Hayashi Sensei (California Aikido Association)

Contact Information:
Max Roach Sensei
roach.max@gmail.com
(435) 462-1438

We’re looking forward to seeing many new faces, and old faces as well, in beautiful Mt. Pleasant, Utah. Attendance is limited and may sell out; so be sure to contact Mr. Roach soon to reserve a place. Don’t miss your chance to study with two of the top teachers of traditional Japanese martial arts living outside of Japan.