Kokusai Aikidō Kenshūkai Kobayashi Hirokazu Ha

AKA Kobayashi Aikido is the style I am currently practicing. It is a second generation style of Aikido (created after Ueshiba Morihei died). That is what I found out tonight, soon, I will investigate further about the styles particularities.

Also, I was practicing a technique that was dangerously similar to bagua zhang! And tasty! A dojorat told me that I would be realizing the similarities between the two arts, tonight that certainly happened, and I am starving to eat mat!

Calm Within the Storm

On one night, we're surrounded by a large karate class. On the other, it's kendo. Each time, the gym is booming with kiais or crashing sticks; but it is not from our side. Slapping skin on mats and the swishing of rolling aikido practitioners is the common sound. In a gym, it can be hard to hear an explanation with the demons screaming in the back.

Each class two things definately have happened so far: One, I try to ask Hirobe Sensei a complicated question about martial arts in unintelligible Japanese, and two, Hirobe Sensei gladly obliges, yet in equally unintelligible-to-me Japanese. There is frustration here, but there is a long way to go for both of us, and I imagine these two far points will only get closer together.

In class I was able to discern something interesting though in Japanese. I asked a question about a new stance, and it was gladly answered with a comment that goes like, "I thought about that for so long to myself to finally figure it out, but you asked about it within seconds of seeing it ... that's great!" This is not a class to withhold questions, and any one that does, could probably use some.

Today, a third year student approached me and asked me if he could practice speaking English with me, I said of course. He asked if we could "now", and I realized this was going to be different than most other students that approach me at my desk outside of class. This was a student who wanted every day to practice his English with me before he left for Osaka University, and he approached me despite what I assume to be a large amount of nervousness. Questions like this are rarely asked by students, and usually due to its conflicting nature to Japanese education, especially with a barbarian foreigner, and about speaking in English. This student was certainly nervous, but even more brave. After talking about various things, he mentions that he cannot meet with me in English club on Thursday nights because he has Aikido class! He lives and practices Aikido in a different town, but the next hour drips quickly away as we start talking about our experiences in different arts. Here begins a daily dialogue about martial arts, and I can finally understand the selfishness of a teacher sometimes! Here I will be able to ask him about numerous questions I have about Aikido vocabulary, which at this point is invaluable to me and nearly inaccessible, this is my benefit. But this experience will be just as much, if not more to the student who can practice casual English with a native speaker for an hour a day. This is a wonderful thing ... a blessing of sorts.

The 10,000 things have certainly swirled about me today, but now, I feel comfortable within the storm.

6 Levels of Cognition for Teachers

After a few mediocre lessons I taught at my high school, I finally decided to delve into one of the many mountains of teaching handbooks that was given to me in my orientation for JET, and I think I found a gem that has helped me out lately .

After a bit of searching, I came across "Bloom's Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain," which was developed by Benjamin Bloom in the 1950's to help develop a "classification hierarchy for types of knowledge, cognitive processes, and skills." I'll just go ahead and dive in.

1.) Knowledge
This encompasses observing, recalling data, and knowing information by rote.

2.) Comprehension
This is more about grasping meanings, interpreting information, translating knowledge into a new context, and predicting consequences.

3.) Application
Applying methods, concepts, and theories you have learned into new situations, solving problems using skills and knowledge, and generalizing information.

4.) Analysis
Recognizing patterns, breaking down complex information into components or parts, and organizing information.

5.) Synthesis
Building a more complex idea from a set of components or parts, and organizing information.

6.) Evaluation
Comparing and discriminating between ideas, judging something against a standard or set evidence, and recognizing subjectivity.

So there you have it. Now, for all you teachers, how do your teaching methods address this matrix? When you introduce a new concept to a student, are you forcing their brains to work on all six of these cylinders? If so, they may have a hard time understanding it.

A good example of my mistakes was making Japanese students EVALUATE on level 6 in English right off the bat. My favorite course that I teach is a Language Lab course for second year students, and I basically get to design the class. I work with a teacher who on one day translates a long essay from English to Japanese with the students, and on another day I get to do whatever I want. The essays are about difficult questions and situations one encounters in different cultures. This is the class that focuses on my role to explore ideas of internationalization with the students, which is awesome. We inevitably end up running on level six, and thats good, but I must start the class out a little easier. For instance, having sentences read a dialogue I've written to simply practice reading with each other and getting comfortable in the rythm of speaking English. Then on level two, have them change key words so that they can interpret the situation correctly and begin translating the knowledge into a new context. Then to level three with them writing their own brand new situations to practice applying knowledge to new situations. Now we begin the harder stuff. Maybe for level four I'll start explaining stories about my travels and experiences and they have to break down that complex information and generalize in order to understand. OK, here we go, then I will ask them generalized questions about my experiences and travels, maybe connecting different ideas discussed in class. THEN, finally, I can give them complex essay questions asking them about their opinions.

I don't think this is so difficult, and can actually be very satisfying at the end of a lesson to see the progress made up the cognitive ladder. I think its important to break down each part and go through the steps one at a time , for a relaxed and coherent learning atmosphere.

One goal, one step at a time, one mind.

Class 2

I have a guessing game for you:

What martial art utilizes relaxated techniques, ones issued from the center, requires stable stances, and works regardless of body strength and size?

A good one!

These are concepts paramount in Aikido, my new endeavor, but of course I'm remembering these same ideas from every teacher I've had that new what they were doing whether its Hawaiian Kenpo, Judo, Tai Chi Chuan, Ba Gua Zhang, or Hsing I. However, my body still does not quite follow these ideals yet.

Tonight in class I reviewed excercises and techniques learned in the first lesson, and learned a new waza! AND ... picked up a ken (wooden Japanese sword) for the very first time ... !!! While my experience accelerates learning the open-handed techniques, everything with Aikido weapons is 100% fresh, and my clumsy gaijin hands display this accurately. I think that's pretty cool. That's what I came to Japan for right? That's what I started Aikido for right? Not to reaffirm old habits (though that can be a good thing), but to experience brand new fresh things. There's no string of adjectives I know that can illustrate this concept. Perhaps the Eastern ideal of the newborn baby is the best analogy. I always hated that one too; why should I emulate a baby? Its small and mushy, stinky and loud ... but after many years of repeatedly and reluctantly hearing this idea, it may be starting to shed light.

I am again amazed at the generousity and friendly nature of the other students, and in awe of the teacher's effortlessly powerful techniques. To be specific about my perceptions of Aikido so far though, it seems wholly a system based on levers and angles. I'm left with an image of Tim Cartmell dissecting a technique like a physicist.

I have to wait four more days for my next lesson! I guess its time for solo experimentation.

My REAL First Aikido Lesson

Seeing as last week I went to visit my first aikido class, this next one was the first class I participated in, and I'm sure its not a dream because my wrists, stomach and back muscles are aching immensely!!! It really is real! And fun as all hell. I was ready to give anything a shot to see how a Japanese aikido class went, and I had a pretty good feeling after watching last week, but I was surprised at really how ideal it was. I decided to tell the sensei that I have had some experience in the martial arts, but none really in aikido, and wasn't sure of the treatment I'd get. I suppose I expected he'd leave me in the corner to practice the same stance for one week, but he took me step by step until I obviously needed to stop. Which means I was able to blaze through stretching, moving through stances, ukemi (rolling), and three different waza! The sensei is a genuine dude who recognizes a student who is genuinely interested in the art and is there to make ends meet. Beautiful. He is a very kind man indeed, but when he starts moving on the mat with others you can see the air of someone who has thrown many people many times with little effort. There were 13 people at the lesson, all Japanese, and surprisingly a lot of black belts, and certainly a lot of humility. I was pretty nervous when everyone lined up (in seiza) and sensei brought me to the front of the class for an introduction, but everyone was very kind and I ended up (trying) to talk with everyone and getting phone numbers.

As for the order of class, we warmed up together, did beginning excercises, and then most everyone began working on wazas with each other. About every five minutes the class would regroup to show a new waza, then back to work with each other. The sensei spent the first third of class getting me started, and then handed me off to the next in line, a very kind, subtle, but powerful woman who generously showed me a lot of material. I honestly rolled from throws probably 200 times, but had about as many oppurtunities to reciprocate to my partner. The rest of the time the sensei circulated between the students helping where he should.

At 9:00 when the class ended, people walked off the mats towards their gear and I assumed that was it for the night, until I saw everyone reveal their jo's and approach the mat once again. I was content to watch the spectacle of the aikido jo until someone handed me an extra jo! So of course I jumped in and fumbled around best I could. After 20 minutes of that, class was actually over, and talked with the Sensei about usual class times and costs. There's about a $100 entrance fee to the class, $70 for a new dogi, $20 for a jo and sword, and after all that, $30 per month, which from what I've seen is damn fine with me for 3 nights a week.

With no snags and a great first class, of course my enthusiastic optimism is riding on high, but I feel very good about this group of people.

First Aikido Lesson

After the anticipation left my imagination run wild in many different directions, I've finally been allowed many to dissipate with my first actual encounter with an aikido class. Thanks to advice from my very first sensei a few years back, I just visited and watched my first lesson tonight.

The sensei is a policeman I think, 53 years old, the same height as me but definately has a few to 20 pounds more than me, is very fit, but more importantly, very relaxed. My mind raced through the many possibilities of the teacher's potential attitude, and usually visited the strict and traditional. However, this man seems very much a normal person. Ha, that sounds ridiculous to say, as we are all just people.

Perhaps a good image is that while the aikido class was in session, so was a kendo class in the same gym. There were three young children and their teacher, and the lesson was conducted with the loud cracking of sticks and frequent grunts and screams likening them more to goblins to me than anything else. It looked very interesting and lively. But the class tonight was conducted in a very quiet, relaxed, and yet with constant motion. Only the sound of heavy breathing, the swishing of gis, and the slapping on the mat were to be heard from the aikido corner. The teacher said that there's usually about 13 students that attend, but due to the extraordinarily heavy snows, only 2 other students were present. The teacher did everything with the students, and frequently gave verbal instruction between falls. Though the teacher and his other blackbelt student tonight wore traditional hakama, this seems to me a very informal and relaxed class.

I understood very little of the words spoken in Japanese, but when talking with the teacher, I felt comfortable with the fact he was trying to express to me that you don't use external force and sporadic attacks in aikido but rather subtle circles and body position. He seemed unimpressed by the kendo, and that also made me a bit more interested.

Fresh ramblings from an exciting night. I'll participate in class next Monday, and that is good.

Neverland Seems to be Fading Away

The word on the street here is, we are experience the most snowfall in Kurobe in about twenty years. On every block there are heavily dressed Japanese of various ages and sizes shoveling snow on every corner, and every car seems to barely avoid a collision with something. The boy students are pushing each other around in it and the girls are freezing their revealing legs. And of course, the teachers are saying that finally the youth is realizing what they dealt with every day when they grew up ... uphill both ways in the snow.

Well, this morning I definately thought the snow was quite a lot, quite a lot more than I've ever seen, but I wasn't aware of just how much. When I arrived at school, attendence was minimal, and a great fuss was buzzing about the office. I realize that someone is trying to find someone else at the top of the chain to cancel class today.

"What? Really? They might cancel school here in Japan?"

Something that is quite a rarity, in fact it seems maybe only happens once every twenty years with this kind of snow.

"What? Really? Class is cancelled today?" I confirm with a teacher who has quite a grin on their face.

By now I have been fantasizing about returning home to sleep, and basically, do whatever I want!

"Well, is there anything I should do to help get the students out? Or can I just go home?"

Can you guess what happens next? ...

"What? Oh no no no, 'class' is cancelled, but the teachers need to stay at school. It's a business day, ne?"

Wow ... I am getting old ... or at least filling an adult role at this point in time. How could I possibly think that I would go home? What an immature thought. Is this what it is to be an adult? Getting excited about not having class so that you can plan more classes or look busy without having to stress? Images of my teacher asking what I do at night flash in my mind. This is after I ask am them how they are doing and they answer that they're exhausted because they've been grading papers long into the night. They seem less than excited about my three week vacation in New Zealand and weekend trips snowboarding. Wow again. This is my first experience with a job of such responsibility, and it is very provocative. I actually enjoy teaching in a highschool atmosphere, and appreciate the respect the Japanese treat their high school teachers, but I don't know about the extra stuff.

Neverland looks a little farther away, but don't worry! I will keep its bearing, and get my jetpack ready in case of an emergency escape. Plus, after the initial shock of it all, I decided to have fun anyway, and had a great day doing my own thing, and doing some good lesson planning as well. I even stayed later than I had to. So its not so bad.

Plus, on my way home I saw a boy maybe 8 years old, ominously packing a clump of snow into a ball and looking at me without trying to with what seemed like a sizeable grin. I passed, and awaited a clump in my back. ..

and kind of wish I got one.