Castle Rock Aikido

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Physical Alchemy: Turning Weaknesses into Strengths
2007-09-01 18:31:00
Everyone has something they don't like about their body. Some people wish they had different hair. Others wish they had different color eyes. Some people aren't happy with their skin tone or quality and many people aren't happy with their height. I was one of those people.Growing up in Japan, I didn't like the fact that I was short - even for a Japanese girl. When I was in a middle school, I eagerly joined the basketball club because I thought perhaps it might help me to grow taller (since almost everybody plays basketball is tall). I know it seems silly now, but trust me, for a 12 year-old, this was sound logic! I wanted to do anything I could to make myself taller. It turns out, I didn't have much luck growing taller, but then several years later, my future husband, Jeff, introduced me to the martial art of Aikido - an art that would dramatically effect my self-image and self-esteem for the better.In retrospect, I find it kind of ironic that it was my American, Caucasian husb...
More About: Physical , Alchemy , Strengths , Chem

Men's "center" vs. Women's "center" in Aikido Practice: A Student's Observa
2007-08-28 06:16:00
It seems to me that there are substantially more men who practice Aiki do than women. However, I have observed that women who practice Aikido tend to pick up the subtleties of Aikido's techniques a bit faster than men do. I always wondered why that was? Is it possible that women have a physiologic affinity for Aikido? What might that affinity be?While in grad school, the answer to that question came to me one day in a biomechanics class. It appears there may be a very logical, physics-based answer to my inqury. In Aikido, the power of each technique originates from the hips and pelvic area, not from the hands and arms as so many young Aikido students think. Most men tend to carry their gravitational center in their chest. As such, they also tend to carry their psychological center in their chest. I think it explains why there exists the Hollywood "broad-chested" male hero archetype. Just look at any male comic book or cartoon hero and what do you see? Usually it is an overdeveloped ...
More About: Practice , Center

Miho Shiraki Sensei Promoted to 2nd Degree Black Belt
2007-08-24 15:10:00
Miho Shiraki Sensei was recently promoted to second degree black belt or "nidan" by the Aikido World Headquarters in Japan. Miho received her promotion to nidan during a special ceremonial time called Kagamibiraki, which occurs during Japan's celebration of New Years'. Promotions for high level black belts are announced at this once-a-year event.Then certificates are handwritten in calligraphy on special paper and dispatched around the world to those who have been promoted. Miho was promoted due to technical ability, teaching experience and service to the local and international Aikido communities. She is currently the co-chief instructor at Castle Rock Aikido, a martial art in Castle Rock.Are you trying to decide which martial art is best for you? Come try us first. We do not have contracts. You can try a class for free. Just mention "Castle Rock blog". Castle Rock Aikido is a Denver metro martial art school.Located just 20 minutes south of Denver Metro and 30 minutes north of Co...
More About: Black , Belt , Degree , Lack , Irak

Albright Sensei return to Japan to train with Sasaki Shihan
2007-08-22 19:32:00
Jeff Albright and Miho Shiraki Sensei returned to Japan in February to study with some of the masters of Aikido. They trained with Masando Sasaki Shihan, an 8th degree Master Instructor, who is often thought of as the "Deepak Chopra" of Japan. As a Shinto priest, Sasaki Sensei recognizes a strong correlation of Aikido techniques and philosophical principles and those of the Universe. He teaches others how to apply these Universal principles to one's daily life. At 80 years old Sasaki Sensei has rededicated himself to teaching these principles, as he now tries to instill them in his grandchildren.Jeff Albright and Miho Shiraki Sensei deliberately sought out training from Sasaki Sensei, not only to enhance their study and practice of Aikido, but also their understanding and practice of Japanese yoga, meditation, and conscious breathing. Furthermore, they seek to recognize how these principles impact Japanese culture as a whole, and even how these principles influence Japanese calligr...
More About: Train , Return , TRAI

Watch the Show "Human Weapon"
2007-08-21 16:59:00
Last weekend I caught a great new show called "Human Weapon ." It airs on the History Channel. The series thoroughly explores a unique martial art style on each episode. The co-hosts, Jason Chambers and Bill Duff travel to the country of origin of that week's featured martial art and they experience an intense crash course in that art.I've only caught one episode so far, but I'm really impressed. Last weekend I watched an episode, which featured Judo. The hosts visited several highly respected and well-known judo schools in Japan including one in the high, rugged mountains of Japan where some exceptionally rigorous training occurs. A lot of time was spent exploring the origins of the art of judo, which paradoxically means "gentle way." Today's sport judo is apparently the evolution of historic Samurai hand-to-hand combat. Of course, much of Aikido also originated from samurai techniques.I'm not aware of any judo schools in Castle Rock, Colorado so if you're looking for a martia...
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Full Metal Jacket - A Japanese style Rite of Passage!
2007-08-18 09:43:00
"The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit."- Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of the martial art of AikidoIn October 2003, I was spending a beautiful, yet somewhat surreal, Thursday afternoon in Tokyo relaxing in the sun. I had been living in Japan for some time now and was preparing to test for my third degree black belt. I had been invited by my Sensei to go to something called Ichikukai - a rite of passage of sorts that a select few Japanese men get to experience as they leave their primary education and prepare for the "real" world. Not being Japanese, I felt privileged to have been invited. A friend named Nobuyoshi Sasaki picked me up in his minivan and took me out for dinner. He treated me to katsukare, a deep fried pork curry dish. "Eat hardy," he said. "You'll need your strength this weekend at Ichikukai."I questioned Nobuyoshi about Ichikukai throughout dinner, but he was being noticeably vague and evasive in answering me. I wasn...
More About: Metal , Jacket , Style , Full

The "Heart-Path" of Aikido
2007-08-15 23:34:00
What is Doushin Juku?While our formal dojo name is Castle Rock Aiki do , we also use the Japanese name "Doushin Juku." Dou = Way / Path Shin = Heart / MindJuku = SchoolThe following is an exerpt from a book in progress by Albright Sensei.Many years ago I moved to Japan. Still a white belt (4th kyu), I began training at four different Aikido dojo simultaneously. Seeing how committed I was to art, Iio Sensei (pronounced 'ee'-'yo') invited me to the Spring Gasshuku. Gasshuku is a nine-day seminar held on the island of Shodoshima, a beautiful resort area in the center of the bay near Osaka. Gasshuku means "everyone staying under one roof." I felt quite privileged being the only foreigner permitted at Gasshuku among nearly two-hundred Aikidoka (Aikido students). Sasaki Sensei led many of the daily workout sessions. Sasaki Sensei (a sort of Deepak Chopra of Japan) finished one of our four daily sessions with musubi - the connection techniques we focus on in our Wednesday evening classes ...
More About: The Heart

Shiragami Sensei and Albright Sensei: A Shared Vision for Aikido
2007-08-14 15:36:00
Jeff Albright Sensei and wife Miho Shiraki Sensei recently visited their Shisho (a.k.a. mentor), Junichiro Shiragami Shihan in Japan. Shiragami Shihan currently lives in the Wakayama Prefecture of Japan, where he also runs his Aiki do dojo. Coincidentally, the Wakayama Prefecture is also the birthplace of the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba. Shiragami Shihan has recently joined the ranks of only a handful of full-time professional Aikido instructors in Japan. He had previously owned and operated a printing company until he achieved his dojo's goal of having over 100 students, at which time he sold his successful business, and chose to place his full attention on teaching the art of Aikido.Dr. Albright received one-on-one-training from Shiragami Shihan while on a recent trip to Japan visiting Miho's family. Shiragami Sensei's technique is an amazing dichotomy of power and softness. Throughout each and every executed technique he constantly monitors and readjusts to his partner'...
More About: Vision

Reinforce Connections with Other People, Yourself, and Your Environment wit
2007-08-13 16:01:00
By Jeff Albright, the sensei (pronounced sen-say), or teacher at Castle Rock Aikido in Castle Rock, ColoradoI am often asked why I practice Aikido. I always pause for a moment before I answer, and I think back to all of my experiences in Aikido, both in Japan and the United States. I tell them it comes down to connections. It's the connections to wonderful people from all over the world and the relationships that one builds in their Aikido journey. It's the feeling of being at home and connected no matter where you go or what dojo you visit. It's the physical connection to others through the grabbing of someone so that they may practice a technique, and so, in turn, that I may practice following, going with the flow and ukemi. In Japanese they call connection "Musubi". It could be translated as "to tie, connect, or bond." In marriage, they say "aka ito de musubu," which means connected by a red thread. It's kind of like finding one's soul mate. I think often times we forget our...
More About: Environment , People , Iron , Envi , Connections

Hiking Mountains and Practicing Aikido Prepare One for the Ups and Downs in
2007-08-11 14:13:00
Miho Shiraki Sensei, a native of Japan, recently visited her old stomping grounds… literally! For over 10 years, Miho would take up her walking stick each month and hike the Sasaguri Shikoku. This is a famous trek started by the Buddhist Monk, Kobo Daishi, which makes its way in a circle to 88 spiritual sites. The most famous of these treks is on the island of Shikoku, thus the name Sasaguri Shikoku. Sasaguri is a mountainous region just between Fukuoka and Kitakyushu on the Southern island of Kyushu.This type of Shugyo, or forging of the spirit, is not as common among youngsters of today, yet Miho religiously took up the task every month for more than a decade. This type of training has come in handy, preparing her to endure the ups and downs in daily life. She equates these long treks to her Aiki do training, as developing one's character is a lifelong goal of hers.If you would like to learn more about the ancient pilgrimage, Sasaguri Shikiku, click here.To understand how the pr...
More About: Mountains , Hiking , Mount

The Strongest Technique in Aikido by Miho Albright
2007-08-10 13:51:00
What is the strongest technique in the martial art of Aiki do ? I'll bet that every Aikido student has thought of this question at least once. We learn many different techniques in our Aikido practice, but which one is the strongest? The first technique? The forth? An arm bar? Wrist lock? Or maybe, a hip throw? To help answer this question, I'd like to share one of my favorite stories about Aikido.One curious student asks his master this question, "Sensei, what is the strongest technique in Aikido?" The master responds, "The greatest technique in Aikido is the ability to become friends with the one who attacked you."I believe this is the essence of Aikido. Aikido is often translated as "the art of harmony," and that is why an Aikido dojo has such a different feeling to it than many other kinds of martial arts schools. Through Aikido, we learn to create harmony... not conflict. It is a great feeling to recognize that we can choose to be harmonious with any given situation, rather tha...
More About: Technique , Nique , Albright

School Offer Martial Arts with a Twist: No Pain!
2007-08-09 20:42:00
Castle Rock's newest martial arts school will put its students on the defensive. Aikido has no punching or kicking. The point is to deflect an attack without harming the attacker.Jeff and Miho Albright opened the Castle Rock Aikido March 25th with a free class and demonstration. The couple is subleasing space from Omega Gymnastics for their school or dojo. Unlike other martial arts, aikido is practiced on a springboard floor."Aikido is particularly aerobic," said Sean Hannon, a student and marketing director of the Castle Rock Aikido. "You're up and down a lot."The springboard floor cushions falls.Aikido, literally translated, means "the way of harmonious spirit," according to the Castle Rock Aikido Club. Aikido students defend themselves by moving in the same direction as an attacker while applying pressure to vulnerable joints to establish control. Police officers use the same technique to subdue suspects.Beginning aikido students learn how to fall in a safe manner and how to fo...
More About: Martial Arts , School , Arts , Pain , Martial

Castle Rock Colorado Residents Over 50 Taking Up Martial Arts
2007-08-08 15:27:00
There's something strange going on in Castle Rock . Residents over fifty years old are beginning to practice a Japanese martial art called Aikido (pronounced 'eye-key-doh').Aikido isn't exclusively for men and women over fifty, but Aikido does seem to have an affinity for that age group. "I think it is because Aikido is a great form of exercise and a powerful form of self-defense, but still allows you to go to work on each morning without being covered in bruises and broken bones," says instructor Jeff Albright.Husband and wife instructors Jeff and Miho Albright don't seem surprised that their Aikido program is attracting people over fifty. "We have a tendency to attract more a intellectual, mature and introspective student, which may come with age, I suppose" he continued. "Our students really are here to become better people. It makes it a pleasure to teach them and we learn so much from them, as well." According to the instructors, there are no young, "hot-heads" with a chip ...
More About: Colorado , Martial Arts , Arts

Samurai Descendant Teaches in Castle Rock, Colorado
2007-08-07 20:15:00
Miho Shiraki Albright teaches the samurai sword and the Japanese martial art of Aikido in Castle Rock . However, she wasn't always in Colorado . Born and raised in Kitakyushu, a town in the Southern Japan Prefecture of Fukuoka, Miho is a descendant of a long line of samurai warriors of feudal Japan.Samurai were a class of Japanese military nobility who served a feudal lord and/or the Japanese Emperor. The word samurai derives from the Japanese verb "samorau," which means "to serve." Samurai came into power as a warrior class in the early 12th century and were subsequently disbanned, virtually becoming extinct, in the late 1880s with the fall of the feudal system of Japan and the rise of industry and westernization. This dramatic shift in culture was beautifully depicted in the 2003 film, The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise.Growing up, Miho had heard stories about her family's ancestors being pacifist, Shinto priests. What she didn't really know until recently was why did those an...
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NEW Blog feature on Castle Rock Aikido!!!
2007-06-26 20:32:00
Hi everyone!This blog will serve at an interactive venue for Castle Rock Aikido students, prospective students, visitors and guest. It will also serve as a means for Albright Sensei and Shiraki Sensei to share philosophical perspectives about Aikido and martial arts and/or to answer questions posed by visitors to this blog. You are more than welcome to post your own comments, questions, essays, and opinions. Enjoy!Sean
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