What’s Aiki-dude then??

Ok, yesterday I finally introduced someone from East Asia, as a first step into this blog, and its reason to be.. if there must be a reason.. nah, actually the blog itself is its own reason to exist.. ok ok.. blabbering blabbering blabbering.. it will happen again, don’t worry!

Where were we? oh yeah.. “Aiki-dude“.. well, it should be written 合気-dude, that is when a dude like me (Big Lebowski kind of dude!) falls in love for Aikido, 合気道, Japanese self defense martial art..

I started Aikido in the middle of September 1995, a bit more than 1 month after my arrival in Norway, convinced to try by the person that is now my best Norwegian friend, Karsten.. I should have understood at that point that Aikidokas (Aikido practitioners) like to talk about Aikido!

In many years I have learnt, practiced, sweat, traveled and met quite a lot of extremely interesting people, all over Norway and in several places in Europe. Through Aikido I became very interesting inlearning more about the country and the culture where it comes from: Japan, 日本… but this will be part of other posts!!! Several others!

A good thing in Aikido practice and with many Aikido people is the interest in extra-training activities including (especially in Norway, Sweden and Finland) sauna, party, drinking, eating, party, drinking a bit more and of course, don’t forget party, right?

It may be because Aikido is mainly a not competitive martial art so when the people meets for a seminar is less for showing how much better they practice in their own dojo and more for having a good time, learning something new and meeting new people!
Until now I have uploaded to my Flickr account just few pictures from some Aikido seminars:

• Brandbu 2006 – Aikido summer school – Norwegian Aikido Federation (NAF) summer camp with Suganuma Morito sensei (菅沼　守人 先生), 8.dan and Bjørn Erik Olsen, 6.dan
• Aikido in Trondheim – Anne Ducouret, 4.dan – she is the former sensei of my good friend Mathias
• Oslo Aikido Festival 2006 – festival at its second edition, organized by my previous club in Oslo, Oslo Aikido Club, where all the clubs in Oslo practice together for a weekend, with classes given by the main instructors of the different clubs
• Tromsø Aikido 2006 – winter seminar up in Tromsø, the capital of the North, with Bjørn Erik Olsen, 6.dan, as main instructor.
• Aikido in Trondheim – Birger Sorensen, 4.dan – he is the person that introduced Aikido in Norway!

…be sure there will be much more to come about Aikido.. as said, Aikidokas like to talk abuot Aikido!

[more also in the future about the “dude” part!]