SKP Aikido Ostrava
Daniel Sousedik
Written November 15,2002
World
known Aikido teacher, who is a Japanese origin, Sensei Gaku Homma, has visited the Czech Republic on my invitation during the days of 13th to 23rd October.
Our dojo is very happy and proud of taking place the three-days seminar in Ostrava. It has been led by this known master accompanied by Emily Busch (Nippon Kan Vice President) and one of his
students and Nippon Kan instructor, Mary Powell.
Homma Sensei is the direct student of Aikido Founder (as one of few) and devotes to this “art” for more then 40 years. He has been living in Denver for 26 years and has founded
his own dojo in 1978. Since that time thousands of people studied Homma Sensei’s Aikido and practice it on high level up to the present day.
I also had a possibility to practice Aikido under Sensei’s guidance. I have learned a lot and I am very glad Homma Sensei could show his art in Ostrava’s dojo too.
Homma Sensei has become familiar with a little bit of the Czech culture, history, natural sights and many others. He could not miss the Moravian wine tasting, plum brandy and famous Czech
beer. I have the impression that the Moravia did not fell short of expectations!
The seminar itself has begun on Friday 18th in the evening. It has been obvious already from the beginning that we all have much to look forward to. Sensei has started this seminar for us
in an unusual way. Right after the opening speech he has asked the students which technique would they like to practice. Up to this time we were used to directive style and prearranged script
of the lesson. Sensei has always presented his idea through vivid examples from the real life. He was telling also humorous stories so that everybody got absolutely relaxed.
Saturday morning was in token of the weapons. We have been working mostly with the jo. Sensei has presented and explained five basic techniques Shinogi and some of Sabaki movements. Our dojo
is not very experienced with the weapons so I can say it has been a great introduction.
Afternoon class has been devoted to different techniques – this time without weapons. Even though there were mostly basic techniques also our experienced students came into their own.
On Sunday morning we have appealed to weapons again. Sensei has taught us a part of his kata - jo against jo. I personally believe this admirable kata deserves an attention. It develops the
ability to use the weapons in couples and enables to combine various weapons against themselves.
The final afternoon seminar referred to Kaischiwasa techniques – uke takes over the leading and completes the technique. Most of us have been surprised how simply it works. Sensei has
also performed release techniques from the capture of two or three persons.
During the whole seminar Sensei has been explaining the basic principles of Aikido and its relationship to weapons. I must say Sensei Gaku Homma is a real master not only thanks to the facility
how he can move, stability and perfection of his movements, but also thanks to the bird’s eye view that he keeps in every situation. It has been a wonderful experience and I hope the
seminar contributed to our growth not only in Aikido, but also in an understanding the relationships in the community. I appreciate what Sensei is doing for his dojo Nippon Kan and for the
community in Denver and elsewhere in the world.
I would like to thank Homma Sensei, Emily and Mary very sincerely for their willingness to visit our dojo, and to Homma Sensei for teaching with no compensation for the teaching as well as
donating of their travel expenses fees. Thank you as well for the support of Aikido development in our country and fascinating experience for the whole 10-days visit.
Daniel Sousedik
SKP Aikido Ostrava
Vyznamny ucitel Aikido japonskeho. Danu Sensei Gaku Homma zavital ve dnech 13.-23.10. do Ceske Republiky. Nas klub mel to stesti a muze se pysnit tridennim seminarem konanym
v Ostrave pod vedenim tohoto mistra, jeho zeny Emily a jednou z jeho studentek – nyní jiz ucitelkou, Mary.
Homma Sensei, jako jeden z mala, je primym zakem zakladatele Aikida a venuje se tomuto umeni pres 40 let. V Denveru, kde zije ji_ 26let, zalozil sve dojo roku 1978 Od te doby prosly jeho vyukou
tisice lidi a mnoho z nich cvici Aikido na vysoke urovni.
Take i ja jsem mel moznost cvicit v Denveru pod jeho vedenim. Mnoho jsem se naucil a jsem rad, ze Sensei mohl sve umeni predat take v Ostravskem doju.
Behem sveho zdejsiho pobytu mel Sensei moznost poznat neco malo z ceske kultury, historie, prirodních pamatek a mnoho dalsiho. Nemohl vsak vynechat ani ochutnavku moravskych vin, slivovice
a ceskeho piva. A mam dojem, ze Morava rozhodne nezklamala!
Samotny seminar zacal jiz v patek 18.10. vecer a jiz od pocatku bylo zrejme, ze se mame na co tesit. Sensei zacal tento seminar pro nas neobvyklym zpusobem. Ihned po privitani se zeptal studentu,
kterou techniku by radi cvicili. Az doposud jsme byli zvykli na direktivni a predem pripraveny scenar treningu. Vzdy se snazil podat svou myslenku v podobe nazornych prikladu ze zivota. Nesetril
ani humornymi pribehy, takze jsme se vsichni dokonale uvolnili.
Sobota dopoledne byla ve znameni zbrani. Prevazne se pracovalo s jo. Sensei nam predvedl a vysvetlil 5 zakladnich technik Shinogi a nektere Sabaki pohyby. Nase dojo nema se zbranemi prilis
zkusenosti, a tedy mohu rici, ze to bylo skvele seznameni.
Odpoledni staz byla venovana nejruznejsim technikam- tentokrat jiz beze zbrani. Prestoze slo vesmes o techniky zakladni, na sve si prisli i zkusenejsi cvicenci.
V nedelnim rannim treningu jsme opet sahli po zbranich. Sensei nas naucil cast sve katy – jo proti ju. Osobne si myslim, ze je to skvela kata, ktera si zaslouzi pozornost. Rozviji schopnost
pouzivat zbrane ve dvojicich a dokaze kombinovat ruzne zbrane proti sobe.
Posledni odpoledni seminar se tykal technik Kaischiwasy, tedy technik, kdy uke prebira vedeni a dokoncuje techniku. U vetsiny z nas vyvolaly mnoha prekvapeni, jak jednoduse vse funguje. Sensei
rovnez predvedl vyprostovaci techniky v zajeti dvou i tri osob.
Po celou dobu seminare Sensei vysvetloval zakladni principy Aikida a vztah Aikida ke zbranim. Musim konstatovat, _e Sensei Gaku Homma je opravdovy mistr, a to nejen diky lehkosti, s jakou
se dokaze pohybovat, stabilite a dokonalosti svych pohybu, ale take nadhledu, ktery si zachovava v kazde situaci. Byla to skvela zkusenost a verim, ze seminar prispel k nasemu rustu nejen
v Aikidu, ale i v chapani vazeb v komunite. Vazim si toho, co Sensei dela pro sve dojo Nippon Kan a pro komunitu v Denveru i jinde ve svete.
Rad bych alespon touto cestou srdecne podekoval Sensei, Emily a Mary za jejich ochotu navstivit nase dojo bez naroku na honorar a pokryti cestovnich vyloh. Rovnez dekuji za podporu v rozvoji
Aikida u nas a za nadherny zazitek z celeho 10ti-denniho pobytu.
Daniel Sousedik
SKP Aikido Ostrava