Excerpt



The real secret to becoming an expert in martial arts is realizing that training is a process of self-discovery. Further, it is a means of modifying one's personality to make oneself healthier, more well-balanced, and more efficient. Outside of Japan, this idea has for the most part been lost, and the budo forms are typically taught as nothing more than specialized fighting methods. This approach is wasteful, however, for in the short term there are much more efficient ways to teach fighting than the highly ritualized practice of traditional martial arts. Only when an art is considered as a whole system, including its internal aspects, can all the cultural content be justified. - from BUDO MIND AND BODY, by Nicklaus Suino Sensei (SMAA Judo Division Director).

SMAA Event

The Japanese Sword: Ancient Tradition, Living Culture, Modern Art

February 20, 2012
San Jose, California, USA

SMAA Senior Advisor Paul Martin, a former staff member of the British Museum, author, and acknowledged authority, will present a lecture on the history and construction of the classic Japanese sword. Prized as much for its artistic beauty as for its amazing cutting ability, the Japanese sword is one of the most recognized symbols of Japan and its warrior class, the samurai. The creation of these true works of art has continued to the present through the efforts of a new generation of artisans, many of whom Mr. Martin interviewed and filmed for his documentary Art of the Japanese Sword.

For additional information contact: SMAA Senior Advisor Nyle Monday (408) 808-2041 or Silke Higgins (408) 808-2118

Monday
February 20, 2012
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Room 225/229

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library 150 E. San Fernando Street San Jose, CA 95112 USA

2012 SMAA Dues

Please remember that 2012 SMAA dues should have been paid on January 1. We hope everyone is having a Happy New Year!

A Note from Ecuador

The image above is of the iaido group of Neil Estrella Avecillas, an SMAA member in Ecuador. You can click on the image to enlarge it.

Mr. Avecillas writes, "The training here with my sensei and my partners always begins by paying proper respect to the martial tradition we practice. My sensei is strict about not allowing us to do something that disrespects the dojo or anything else. Courtesy is the most important thing during the practice, and our practice always begin with kihon ("basics"): footwork, arm work and leg work, which are important forms of fundamental training for beginners. "

"The style that is practiced by all beginners, intermediate, and advance students is the Seitei iaido of the Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei. The intermediate and advanced students practice forms of koryu iaido ("ancient iaido") in addition to this style. The practice of kata is very important, and during the kata we always keep in mind that the technique has to be done perfectly. We avoid repeating kata mindlessly like a robot; before beginning a kata we visualize an imaginary opponent, and that opponent is the manifestation of one of our defects that we want to eliminate. For this reason and others, kata requires all of one's concentration and strict attention to details."

Thanks to Mr. Avecillas for the information about his iaido practice in Ecuador and the photo. We welcome SMAA members to submit their own images of budo training for this blog.

  

Happy Holidays

Thanks to all our members for supporting the SMAA in 2011. We hope you have great holidays and a Happy New Year!

Missing an Issue of the Journal?

If you do not receive the new issue of the journal within the next week or so, please write to hedavey@aol.com. There are usually two reasons members fail to get the journal: forgetting to pay annual dues and forgetting to let us know about a new e-mail address. Please remember that dues should be paid on or before the first day of each year, and we can't send you seminar information, newsletters, and our magazine if we don't have a working e-mail address. Your help with both issues is appreciated.

Swenson Sensei

Congratulations to Troy Swenson Sensei! Swenson Sensei, assistant editor of the SMAA Journal, just received nidan in the SMAA Jujutsu Division. Swenson Sensei devotes quite a bit of his time to editing and formatting the raw text he receives into what members eventually see in the SMAA Journal. He does this for free, and this is true of all SMAA officials as our group is a federally tax-exempt nonprofit corporation.

SMAA officials donate their time to the organization (although they may receive honorariums for teaching at SMAA events and be reimbursed for expenses). None of the leaders of the SMAA profit financially from their involvement in the group--a distinction that sets the SMAA apart from other martial arts associations.

As the result, the public and members can be assured that SMAA rank cannot be "bought" as is sometimes the case with other groups. They can be certain that the Directors and Advisors are working for the SMAA out of a genuine love of budo and koryu bujutsu.