4th Dan, New York Aikikai, currently in Berlin, Germany
It was August in 2019, and I was late. My best laid plans to get to Bernau were squashed by the Deutsche Bahn. It was all so simple: night train from Berlin to Munich, early morning regional train to Bernau. Arrive early enough for a breakfast, with plenty of time to register, get changed, see people, and stretch on the mat.
But no. The train from Berlin left 30min early(!) with no notification and only lame excuses from the DB afterward. I spent the night train-hopping, eventually landing in Bernau just as the training was scheduled to begin. Rushing to the sport hall, I dashed in, changed, and entered the training hall about ten minutes late.
Standing at the edge of the large crowded mat, I looked for Sensei. Seeing him busy correcting some aikidoka at the far end, I did something that I never do. I snuck on the mat and started training.
It must have been three beats in a technique when Sensei appeared over my right shoulder.
“Hey, it’s you! Where you at these days?”
“Still in Berlin, Sensei”
“Oh ya, that’s right. Good to see you, thank you for coming.”
For me, that short dialog speaks volumes. We have had this dialog for years, whenever I went back home to the New York Aikikai to train. Only this time he’s not just happy to see me. This time he is reminding me that he sees everything on the mat. He knows I stepped on the mat without his nod. A nod was the essence of my communication with Sensei for over a decade.
You see, I belonged to a small group of people in NYA that seemed to always be late for Sensei’s class. No matter how hard I tried, I always ended up standing in the doorway to enter the mat, waiting for is disgruntled look saying “late again?” and giving his approval to train. It took me years to realize that Sensei always started EARLY! Even longer to actually get there early. Hey, New York City is a busy place…
My early days at NYA were electric. Yamada Sensei and Sugano Sensei stood tall with a mountain of experienced aikido underneath them. Strong teachers with dynamic technique. Once a day, if you planned your schedule right, you could have a class led by a Shihan, and each one was unique. This was the world build by Yamada Sensei. An energetic, vibrant dojo that reflected New York itself.
I never went to seminars outside of NYA. On a dancer’s wage, I couldn’t afford to. Didn’t feel the need, since people were always coming through. Eventually, as I got more advanced, I would drop into the Christmas seminar, stunned at how so many people could cram on the mat and train. They came from all over. Especially if they were going to test. I started to realize the extent of Yamada Sensei’s reach.
Before moving to Berlin, I asked Sensei for advice. “Germany?” he said, “Ah…you have to find your own way.” Armed with this quizzical advice, I explored a variety of Berlin’s dojos looking for a good place to train. What I found was an array of dojos, each operating in their self-contained existence. There didn’t seem to be much communication between them, aside from a seminar from one of the more renown aikidoka. In the end I did find a dojo that suited me. One with good technique, a variety of training times (for my crazy schedule), and most of all an openness for those with other aikido influences. Yet my experience left me with a nagging thought: there often seems to be confusion between what is style and what is technique.
This conversation between style and technique is important. Having had a professional dance career for over thirty years, I understand the difference. My teachers at conservatory not only ingrained in me a strong technical foundation, they also provided access to a variety of styles. The goal being to deliver what a choreographer is looking for on top of technical skill. If you could do that in an audition, you could get the job. This was echoed under Yamada Sensei’s tutelage. He focused on a strong technical foundation with which one could explore interpretations of aikido. He didn’t want you to look like him, he wanted you to develop aikido for yourself, to create your aikido. All you have to do is look at his legacy and the variety of interpretation of his Shihans. Havery, Hal, Donovan, Steve…they all look different, and that’s just some of the ones from New York Aikikai. There are many more who studied with Yamada Sensei and share in this legacy.
Back to 2019, to Sensei’s last seminar in Bernau. It would be a week of intense training with those who are a part of Sensei’s legacy in Europe. I was looking forward to more input, more interpretations of aikido, powered by Yamada’s powerful basics. But now it’s time for Sensei’s class. Although the class starts a 10h, the entire mat is full and sitting quietly twenty minutes before. They all know the drill. Sensei sighs, looks at the clock. His shrugging shoulders and movement to the mat say, “well, everyone is ready I’ll start even earlier”. He walks to the kamiza, patting is hips once, then twice. It’s going to be a great class!
Thank you, Sensei!
