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Early Days of British Aikido - Part Two..
By Henry Ellis
Recollections of the Early Days of Aikido in Great Britain
Part Two:
By Henry Ellis - Ellis Aikido School
Some of the Aikido I have seen in recent years depresses me because it can only be done by two Aikidoists who practice together on a regular basis - like a pair of dancers who know each others moves. But Chiba Sensei's style of Aikido is effective. If I wanted Yoga, I would study; if I wanted dance, I would take dancing lessons. I believe that Aikido not only has to look good, but also be effective.
Once I had to go to see Abbe Sensei at his apartment in Acton, London. (He shared a house with Otani Sensei, a 7th Dan in Judo, and his son Tomio Otani, a good friend of mine who was the national coach for Kendo.)
The house was like a martial arts museum with suits of armor, swords, and other weapons scattered around.
From childhood, athletics has been one of my great loves. But the one sport I cannot watch is our English game of cricket. So you can imagine my disappointment when I came to the house and found Abbe Sensei, Whom I viewed almost like a god, watching the cricket, "The World Series." The windows were open, and small birds and pigeons were flying around the room.
Carefully choosing my words, I said, "Sensei, I didn't realize that you liked cricket."
"I don't," he said. "I watch this boring, stupid game every day, and still don't understand it."
He then said something very true: "They call it the World Series, but it is only played in countries that Britain conquered."
Eventually, Williams Sensei, whom I believe to the best Aikidoist the United Kingdom has ever produced, began studying Ki Aikido with Tohei Sensei while a group to while I belong remained traditional.
Williams Sensei strictly controlled Aikido in the United Kingdom for approximately 15 years. No one would start a dojo or take a seminar without consulting with him first. But Aikido has now grown far beyond our early expectations, and many factors have broken up the special unit of dan grades that once existed.
I was not politically minded in the old days, and I have not changed. Sometimes students telephone me and ask what style I practiceor what organization I belong to. Before they tell me their allegiance, I just say, "if you practice Aikido, you are more than welcome to attend our dojo."
On my next visit to the US, I hope to visit Alaska. The secretary of the Ellis School of Traditional Aikido (ESTA) in Alamogordo, Mrs. Aida Prazak, has moved to North Pole in Alaska, with her husband, who is a captain in the United States Air Force, and she hopes to open an Aikido school in the area in the near future.
Whan I was last in the United States, I taught in New Mexico at the El Paso University, where I recieved a very warm welcome. I also taught at Roswell Military Academy and Holloman Air Force Base.
When I last saw Nakazono Sensei he asked, "What are you doing now?" I told him how things were. He said, "Henry, you think you are only 20 years of age. You should slow down. You are a old man." But, if I refrain from looking in the mirror, I can go on pretending I am a young man in heart and mind - thanks to a lifetime of Aikido.
Henry Ellis
Co-author: Positive Aikido.
http://www.EllisAikido.org
http://www.geocities.com/britishaikido About the Author Henry Ellis a direct student of the legendary master Kenshiro Abbe Sensei. Co-author of Positive Aikido.
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Some other articles by Henry Ellis | |
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