Learning To Be Silent

We are very excited to host Peter Bernath Sensei at the dojo on Saturday, September 10.  Classes will begin at 10:30 a.m. and continue throughout the day until 3:00 p.m.  The seminar is open to everyone, and of course we encourage your participation.

We will provide snacks between classes and are organizing an early dinner.  The cost for the seminar is $50.

Bernath Sensei is the chief instructor at Florida Aikikai.  He is a shichidan (7th degree black belt) and shihan (master instructor), both of which were awarded to him by Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba.  Bernath Sensei is also a member of the Technical Committee of the United States Aikido Federation, and holds a shodan in Iaido.

Before founding Florida Aikikai, Bernath Sensei was an instructor at New York Aikikai under Yamada Sensei. He has traveled and trained extensively throughout the world including Japan, and has studied under many of O-Sensei’s most famous disciples, including Kisshomaru and Moriteru Ueshiba, the second and third Doshu.

Bernath Sensei regularly teaches seminars throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe.  We’re thrilled he’s visiting us this year!

I’ve been meaning to post about the new USAF newsletter for the past week or so. So here goes:

I like it. A lot.

My thoughts, briefly. In terms of presentation, I’m a big fan of two column layouts. To me, three columns can end up looking busy, especially if the third column is composed of advertising or (shudder) affiliate links. Thankfully, that’s not the case here. The new format, with the column on the right, is clean and has a nice visual flow.

I also appreciate the lack of chrome throughout the site. No distracting drop shadows, or other ornamentation that draws attention away from the content. The design cues are very Web 2.0* — which is a good thing.

Of course, the redesign follows some other high profile redesigns in our corner of the Aikido world. The newsletter visually references the main USAF website, and shares a similar design sensibility with the recently redesigned New York Aikikai website. There was some serious thought and talent, (not to mention resources), that went into each of these makeovers, and in my opinion it’s paid off in spades.

It must have been a huge undertaking to revamp these sites, some of the more highly trafficked Aikido sites on the web. My hat is off to the designers, webmasters, and of course USAF newsletter editor, Laura Jacobs Pavlick.

Well done.

*I don’t particularly care for this term, but it is a handy reference for what I consider best practices in website design.

Let’s start this at the end, on the last day of the seminar.

So there I am, having an amazing time, practicing shomen-uchi with Gorman, a talented Aikidoka with whom I should be training more often.

Keller Sensei is watching, of course, and notices something that in ten years of practice had never occurred to me.

The stance I had taken—as clearly as if I had spoken the words aloud—was telegraphing my thoughts to my partner. Not only my thoughts about the technique, but thoughts about my Aikido as well.

More specifically, because my hanmi was slightly askew, and no center connection was made, I was telling my partner that I lacked the confidence to survive the encounter. It was, Sensei explained, a subtle opening, more psychological than physical. But an opening nonetheless.

With that one, insightful comment, Keller Sensei had cut to the heart of my practice.

And not just that one comment, either. For all our students, Sensei took the time to explain, compliment, and correct. And we were all made the better for it.

I can tell you that Dee and I left jazzed about our training. I can also tell you that our students felt the same way.

So thank you, Lane Sensei, for hosting this wonderful seminar. And on behalf of our students, thank you Claire, for your insight and good humor.

We had a great time.