Bob Martinson / nl Peaceful warrior A portrait of Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba, o’ sensei overlooks as Aikido North Dojo student Derek Hedstrom tosses his partner during class. Aikido is a non-violent martial art, which teaches alternative means of dealing with confrontation.   Bob Martinson / nl Robert Lorenzen warms up for his aikido class at Aikido North Dojo.   Bob Martinson / nl Sensei Calvin Koshiyama, a fifth degree black belt, instucts his students in the martial art of aikido at Aikido North Dojo, an all ages school.   Bob Martinson / nl   Bob Martinson / nl

Aikido: The way of harmony

By Adam Paunic
Special to the Northern Light

Several pairs of tiny feet rustle across a huge, gray floor-mat. A dozen boys and girls, ages 8 to 12, are practicing a foot stance known as hanmi, a relaxed stance in which one foot lies perpendicular to the other. The stance allows the body to move in any direction in a quick and fluid motion. These children are practicing a Japanese martial arts form called aikido.

At Aikido North Dojo, all age groups are welcome. The weekly classes are divided into a kid’s class followed by an adult class.

“It takes at least five years before students began to feel confident in aikido – it’s a commitment in maturity,” said Sensei Calvin Koshiyama, a fifth degree black belt in aikido.

The adult class begins at 8 p.m. on weekdays. One by one students take turns flipping their partners. The mat hums as another body slaps its surface. The partners meet; one manipulates his position to his attacker while maintaining perfect control and then sends him hurling to the mat. This delicate dance is the relationship between the nage, or thrower and uke, or attacker.

Sensei Koshiyama demonstrates another complex throwing move on a student while the others look on. Then the class pairs up to practice the throw for themselves. Repetition of technique in aikido is an important training tool. Students learn the correct hand positions and feet movements by practicing them slowly until they feel more confident to practice them at a normal speed.

Aikido is based on redirecting an attacker’s force, or energy, to bring the attacker under control. Most aikido moves involve throwing rather than striking. Koshiyama said the non-aggressive nature helps students learn about themselves and how to work through a situation without tension escalating. The throws can be very graceful and also very effective at immobilizing an opponent.

“My students learn awareness, learn who they are, and learn to work with someone else – it’s a partnership,” Koshiyama said.

Koshiyama teaches his students that they are partners and not competitors. Aikido is a combination of both mental and physical control. It teaches camaraderie and the reconciling of personal conflicts.

“The most rewarding thing about teaching aikido is being able to help people learn to help themselves,” Koshiyama said, “hearing a student say thank you for all the work you’ve done, and how you’ve helped me.”

Originally from Hawaii, Koshiyama began studying kendo and karate at age 10. He has been training in aikido for 21 years. As a student of Aikido North’s first teacher, Steve Atkinson, Koshiyama tested his way through the different levels of training to eventually become Sensei of the dojo in 1990.

He was drawn to aikido because of its emphasis on harmony and non-competition. Several styles, such as the tomiki-style of aikido, have incorporated competition into the training, but the style taught at Aikido North is based on the original defensive forms founded by O’ Sensei Morihei Ueshiba in the 1940s.

“Aikido is a martial art deeply based in Japanese culture, in tradition,” Koshiyama said.

Koshiyama said his average student’s age is 40. He thinks this is because the younger crowds tend to gravitate to more competitive martial arts forms, and they also get tied up with other interests and life-changing circumstances.

His 19-year-old daughter, Kristen Koshiyama, an accounting and Japanese major at UAA, is also a student in the class. She has been studying aikido since she was seven.

“It’s not as flashy…like other martial arts,” she said. “When people think of martial arts they usually think of judo or karate, most don’t even know what aikido is.”

Although she has experienced some trouble training as regularly as she would like because of her school schedule, Koshiyama still makes time to attend. She loves to study aikido, Koshiyama said, because it is an important link to her Japanese heritage.

“When I was looking to go out of the state for school, I found myself choosing colleges based on how near they were to a dojo,” Koshiyama said.

She is planning on getting her black belt by the time she turns 21.

“It has given me confidence in what I can do.”

For more information on Aikido North contact 563-2933 or check out their Web site at www.aikidonorth.org.