Tenshlnkol Heodquorters Ulestminster, Colifornio, U.S.R * lssuo #4 * lUinter 93

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25thANNTRSARYTENSHINI(AI AIKIDO FEDERATION

EDITOR'SNOTE:

TnX is a special year and edi-tion of 'Ailcido Insights." Why is itspecial? Bec ause Tens hinl(ni AikidoFederation was founded by SenseiDang Thong Phong twenty -fii e ye arcago. This is a Celebration Year!

In order to c ommemorate this time,Sensei Phong has invited dffirentAilcido Dojos from Canada andthe United States.

This special issue of 'Aikfulo In-stghts" will bring a number of dif-ferent Ailcido exp e riential le arningsfrom growing Ailcidoka. In addi-tion, you will see pictures about theb eginning of Tawhinkni Aikido Fed-eration.

First, I want to say that RichardSmith's interuiew with Seruei Phongis very interesting. Sensei shares thehistory of Tenshinkai Ailcido Fed-eration.

Iim Ogborn shares with readers hi,experience of the Seminar inOakland. It was taught by SenseiPhong. Among the attendees wereSensei Hoa Newens (a former stu-dent of Sensei Phong) and SenseiKim Peuser.

Richard Smith comtributed an in-

turesrtng article about Ailcido lnn-guage.

From Canada, BruceMcleoQ com-municates news from Tenshinkai.In addirton tu Bruce's contribution,his two children who study Ailcidohave contributed two interestingthoughts. Genevieve Mcleod wrttesab out her feminine experienc e withAilcido. Her brother Alexandershares with readerc his experienceof Ailcido and self-defense.

Mike Meezan writes an interestingarticle about the Ailcido-Ai Semi-nar with lkeda Sensei given inWhittier, CaWrnia. He and theother participants were impressedby the "beeutiful Waza" demon-strated at the seminar.

Joseph lill shares with readers aninformed c omp aris on of Ta e Kw onDo andAilcido.

The loys of Ukemi by Martin DinelrJ an interesting article from theperspective of respect maniftsted inAilci"do.

I want to tlank Maftin Dincl, DnngDinh, Ioseph Jill, Mike Meezan,Jim Ogbont, Richard Smith, BruceMacleod, Genevieve Macleod, Al-exander Macleod, Neta Wenriclc,Erb Womack and last but not least,Dang Thong Phong S ensei for theirmany tireless hours and resourcesin bringing to you, the reader, thisissue of 'Aikklo Insights."

HapW New Year to you and wishesthat you continue to grow in theway of Aikido. May this year bringyou harmony. !

,l'*wenrick

ADVANCEMENTS:

KYU 7#94O. Richard E Desbiens#968. Julian Vu#971. Adam J. Lee#991 . Miguel A. Fuentes#998. John Lewis Banks#999. Hoang K. Tran#992. Valerie San Luis#993, Patrick San Luis#995. Brian Bao Nguyen#1000. Lincoln Nguyen#1001 . Alan G Stean#1003. Thuc Uyen Nguyen#1004. Timothy Ngo#1005. Ann Christine Crill#1 006. Christopher Crill#1OO7. Titfanny Anh Thu Nguyen#1008. Khoi Minh Nguyen#1009. Chau Minh Tran#1012. Steve Sharp#1013. Gina Ngo#101 6. Mark Guy Bessette#101 9. Tuan Bui#1021. Danny Nguyen#1025. Eric Vu Tran#1031. Shawn David Weddle#1032. Sean Morgan#1057 Bryan Lee Heather

continued on page 8...

TENSHINKAI AIKIDO FEDERATION 25th AI\INTVERSARY

Interyiew with Sensei DANG THONG PHONG

By Richard L. Smith

During the 1960's in Viet Nam, SenseiDang Thong Phong founded the Tensh-inkai A iki do Federation. He was ffi ci allyentrusted by Supreme Masters MoriheiUeshiba and Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshibato develop Aikido in a spirit of love andpeace. In honor of2|thAnniversary oftheTenshinkai AiHdo Federation od in honorof the Sth Anniversary of the Federationin the United States, I interviewed SenseiPhong to provide insights regarding theFederation and its leader.

R.,S..' When and by whom was Aikido in-troduced to Vietnam for the first time?

Sensei Phong.' The first man to introduceAikido to Viefiram was lvfaster Dang ThongTri. In France, during the decade of the1950's, he was trained by the foremostdisciples of Supreme Master MoriheiUeshiba. They were the well knov"n Aikidogrand masters Mutsuro Nakazono,Nobuyoshi Tamura, and Tadashi Abe.

In 1958, Master Tri returned to Vietnamand worked for the Youth and SportsMinistry whose minister was lvlr. Cao

Xuan Vy. In 1960, he founded the Viet-nanrese Aikido and Judo Association whoseoffice was at No. 94 Phan Thantr GianStreet, 3rdFloor, Saigon, Vietnam. Herehe also established one eighty sqlnre meterDojo on the fourth floor to teach Judo and

Richard Smith interuiewing Founder Sensei Phong

Aikido. In addition, he took charge oftraining for Nguyen-Trai IntermediateYouth Training School, Gia-Long GirlsHigh School, ild Saigon Cultural CenterGymnasium.

R,S. : Please tell us how your TenshinkaiAikido Federation came into being.

Sensei Phong: In 1964, the MontereyGymnastic and Sports Club in Californiainvited Mr. Tri to teach for them. For thethree months during his absence, Mr. Triasked me to take charge of the Dojo andnrn the Vietnamese Aikido and Judo As-sociation. I was embarrassed by his re-quest because at the time I was attendingan intensive Taekrvondo instructor cotuseat the Military h[artial Arts and Gymnas-tics School in Thu-Duc. The school wasdesigned to develop manial ans, sports,and grmnastics cadre for the Armed Foresof the Republic of Vietnam, and the train-ers were Korean high ranking masters inthe Korean Expeditionary Force. As atrainee, f was being trained five hours aday over a twelve month period in order to

,.ffir,,Sense i Tri transferring leadership of Vietnamese Aikidoand Judo Assoc iation fo Sensei Phong, Saigon, Vietnam,1964.

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grcduate as a first deglee black belt in-

structor.

R.^S. : What did you decide to do regardingMr. Tri's invitation?

Sensei Phong.' Despite my involvementwith Taekwondo, I decided to accept Mr.Tri's invitation, although I knew I wouldbe ovenvorked. I took over the Dojo with25 trainees from Mr. Tri, and it was noteasy going from the Dojo to the martialarts school every day to be trained inTaelsvondo. It involved two bus transfers,and the schedule was very tight.

I tried my best to perform the task en-trusted to me by Mr. Tri as I thought it wasa great honor for me to have an opportu-nity to run and train such a martial arts as-sociation, and it was also a chance toevaluate my good will and energy. How-ever, three months laterMr. Tri decided tosettle in the United States which placedme in a new dilemma. I could neither dropout ofthe intensive Taelcrvondo course norgive up running the Association. FinallyI decided to continue carrying out bothtasks although I would have to face a lot ofdiffrculties and endure tremendous hard-ships.

R.^S. : When did you obtain your first de-gree black belt in Taelcwondo?

Sensei Phong.' In L965, one year afteraccepting the responsibilities of runningthe Vietnamese Aikido and Judo Associa-tion, the number of trainees at the Dojogrew to over eighty; however, I succeededin graduating first degree black belt inTaekwondo. I was among nineteen out ofsixty-nine examinees who passed the ex-amination.

R.,S. : What was the next event followingyour graduation?

Sensei Phong.' After graduating from theTaelavondo course, I was made Directorof the Military Martial Arts and Gymnas-tics School in Thu-Duc run by the schoolCommandant Lt. Col. Pham Van Cu. Itwas then that I started my martial artscareer in earnest. I alternativell' taughtJudo, Aikido, and Taelfiilondo. I con-ducted eight Aikido courses, and from

1965 to 1967 the number of members at-tending my Aikido courses was greaterthan 600. The increase in the number ofstudents brought about problems regard-ing degree promotion, so to solve theseproblems I arranged to go to the HombuDojo for further training. In 1967 mydream came true, and I traveled to Tokyowhere Supreme Masters Morihei Ueshibaand Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba trainedme. I devoted all my time to training with-out missing a single class. There was noteven time to go shopping.

R.,S. : When did you return to Vietnam?

Sensei Phong' After passing the thirddegree black belt examination, I returnedto Vietnam and started preparing the pro-visions and regulations for the foundationof Tenshinkai Aikido Federation. It wasSupreme Masters Morihei Ueshiba andDoshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba who namedthe Vietnamese Aikido affiliation "Ten-shinkai. " They entrusted me with the re-qponsibility to organize and dwelop Aikidoin Vietnam in a spirit of love and peace. In1967, the Vietnamese Ministry of Youthand Education issued an official decreepermitting the Tenshinkai Aikido Federa-tion to develop its activities throughoutthe Republic of Vietnam.

R.^S. : How are the administrative mem-bers of the Tenshinkai Aikido Federationchosen?

Sensei Phong.' The prorisions and regu-lations of the Federation mandate that theexeqltive board be selected er'ery hro years,

and each time I have been chosen chair-man.

R.^S. : What was your role in the develop-ment of the Tenshinkai Aikido Federation

following its recognition by the Vietnam-ese Ministry of Youth and Education?

Sensei Phong: I taught Aikido for tenyears before the fall ofthe South Vietnam-ese Government in 1975. During thattime, the total number of trainees fromvarious military and civilian institutionstotaled more than 10,000. Most of thetrainees were members of the militaryintelligensia and officers in the Republicof Viet Nam Armed Forces. Among themwere seven Generals. The TenshinkaiAikido Federation continued to developand flourish from L970 until the end ofApril I97 5 when the Communists tookover South Vietnam.

R.,S. : Besides Aikido, did you teach mili-tary trainees any other martial arts skills?

Sensei Phong.' In the Armed Forces of theRepublic of Viet Nam I was in charge ofsweral courses to teach close combat fight-ing to offrcer cadets. These courses em-phasized Taekwondo, Judo, and Aikidoskills. At the Military Martial Arts andGymnastics School I trained more than3000 students. After graduation, theyreturned to their parent units to train theirtroops. At the civilian gyms, emphasis\r'as placed on Aikido because I was incharge of the Dojo at the Federation Head-quarters.

R.S..' Please tell us thevarious martial arts rolesyou played while in Vietnam.

Sensei Phong.' fn a civil-ian capacity, I held suchpositions as President ofthe Vietnamese Aikido andJudo Association, Direc-tor of the Oriental AikidoClfn\ Dirwtor of the Pttan-Dinh-Phung TaelcrvondoGym, Secretary Generalofthe Judo and TaehvondoFederation, National Ar-bitrator of Judo and

Sensei Phong, Saigofl, Vietnam, 1967Dojo office.

-4-

Taelavondo, technical consultant of vari-ous Aikido gJrms throughout the country,and President and Founder of the Tensh-inkai Aikido Federation.

In a military capacity, I held such posi-tions as Martial Arts Director of the Mili-tary Martiat Arts and Gymnastics Schoolof Thu-Duc, Technical Commissioner forthe Armed Forces of the Republic of Viet-nam Martial Arts General Association,and coach and technical consultant for theAikido gyms at various military acade-mies ard combat units of the Armd Forcesof the Republic of Vietnam.

R.,S.: Whatwere some of the civilian andmilitarJt institu-tions that youtaught at?

Sensei Phong:The civilian in-stitutions in-cluded the Ten-shinkai AikidoFederation Head-quarters Dojq theDuy-Tan YouthActivity Center,the OrientalAikido Gym, theGia-Long Girls

Taberd High School. Because this schoolwas overcrowded, I was taken to Trung-Vuong High School. Afterwards, I wastaken to Trang-Lon Military Base in Tay-Ninh Province. By the end of December1975, I was taken to Phu Quoc Island.After six months there I was taken back ofthe mainland where I labored at Long-Giao Military Base. Nine months later Iwas transferred to Bui-Gia-Map MilitaryCunp in Phuoc-Long Province. Afterbeing in custody there for one yoil, I suc-ceeded in escaping from the camp andwent to Saigon.

R,S..' What happened when you reachedSaigon?

next morning lmkingorfr of the ell througha gap, I saw the leaves of the palm treesoutside revolving and realized that thekicks to my head the night before were re-sponsible for this qymptom. On that verymorningl was taken to BattambangPrisonwhere I was detained for five months be-fore being sent back to Viet Nam. In Vietnam, I was incarcerated in Chi-HoaPrisonfor one year and sent to various laborcamps. By the end of August 1983 I wasreleased. The price I had to pay for myborder crossing was 37 months in jail, inaddition to torture and persecution.

R.,S. : What did you do after your release?

Sensei Phong: After being released, Iworked for the Gym of District 5 as tech-nical consultant for Aikido and Judo.Subsequently, I returned to Binh-ThanhDistrict where I lived for a time. There Ihelped to improve the training curriculumof an Aikido program which was headedby Mr. Npyen Thanh Cong who was aformer student of mine. I was regarded bythe Vietnamese cornmunist authorities asan undesirable element of society becauseof my past crimes such as sea crossings,border crossings, prison escaping, and,above all, being an ex-officer of the Re-public of Vietnam Armed Forces. f wasnot allowed to hold any key positions, so Iserved as a technical consultant.

R.,S..' When did you finally escape fromViet Nam and come to the United States?

Sensei Phong: After 17 failures to escapeby land and sea, I succeeded on the 18thattempt to flee Vietnam by boat to GalangIsland Refugee camp in Indonesia. I ar-rived at the San Francisco Airport onFebruary 25th, 1986 and was reunitedwith my wife and two sons after elevenyears of separation. Since the mass evacu-ation in 1975, my wife and children hadlived in Sacramento. I didn't accompanymy family because as a soldier I couldn'tleave my unit. After being reunite4 welived for four months in Sacramento andthen moved to Orange County.

R.,S. : Since your departure from Vietnam,what has happened to Aikido there?

Sensei Phong: As I have mentiorcd, martial

Aikido c/ass Headquarters DojoSalgon ,Vietn?ffi, 1972.

High School, the Trung-Vuong Girls HighSchool, the Petrus-Ky Boys High School,the Chu-Van-An Boys High School, theCong-Hoa Stadiuffi, and the Long-XuyenAikido Gym.

The military institutions included theMilitary Martial Arts and GymnasticsSchool of Thu-Duc, the Service WomensSchool of the Republic of Vietnam, theActive Officers Military Academy of Da-Lat, the I 8th Infantry Division Headquar-ters, the 5th Infantry DMsion Headquar-ters, and the 4th AirForce Squadron Head-quarters.,

R,S. : I4/hat happened to you a/ter the fallof the South Vietnamese Government?

Sensei Phong: At that time, I was a mili-t^ry officer, so after April L975I and myfellow officers were taken prisoners andsent to re-education cirmps. I was requiredto report to the communist authorities a

Sensei Phong: In Saigon I tried to crossthe sea, but unfortunately I failed. As a re-sult, I was arrested and held in jail foreight months. By the end of 1979 I wasreleased, and it was in this year that thecommunist authorities permitted martialarts, including Aikido, to resume their ac-tivities. I opened two g5rms at Hamlet ll ,District I Torn D'Ivoir Crym for Tadruordoand Hawai Gym for Aikido and Judo.

R.,S..' Ihhen did you make your next at-tempt to leave Viet nam?

Sensei Phong: After my gyms were estab-lished, I made another attempt to flee mycountry via Carnbodia. Unfortunately Iwas arrested by Cambodian troops at Bat-tambang Airport and delivered to Viet-namese troops. Eight Vietnamese com-munist soldiers hit and tortured me thewhole night, tryrng in vain to extort goldfrom me. Finally they put me injail. The

-5-

arts ofvarious kinds have been allowed to

develop on a large scale since 1979' At

preseni in Vietnam, the number of Aikidostudents is second only to Taekrryondo.Heads of Aikido schools in various dis-

tricts are students whom I trained prior to

!975. Since L975,they have had no quali-

fied masters to learn from. Consequently'the Executive Board would like me to

make a visit to Vietnam so that the heads

of the various schools will have a chanceto further their skills.

R.S.:When did you begin your presentTenshinkai Ailcido F ederation acrtvitiesin the United States?

Sensei Plnng: One and a half years aftermoving to Orange CountY, I oPenedthe first Dojo in the United States to becalled Tenshinkai Dojo, but it had to beclosed after 40 days because the land-lord reclaimed his properly. TUo monthslater, I leased another place with 3,000squre feet to use as the Dojo and named

The first lease was signed on January

1.5th, 1988 and will expire on January15th Lgg3. I intend to renew the lease foranother term. That is why our Federa-tion is organizing a ceremony to honorthe 5th Anniversary of the TenshinkaiAikido Federation in the United States.

It will also be the }sthAnniversary of theestablishment of the Tenshinkai AikidoFederation.

R.S.3 Please tell us what degrees you have

,""' i,t ; ' i: i: i i i i l i l: i i i '

attained in the martial artsandwhetheryou have anYintention to further Yourskill.

Sensei Plwng I have at-tained my 5th degree inJudo, my 6th degree inTaelnvondo, and mY 5thdegree in Aikido. Atpresent, I am trainingstudents in Aikido and amdevoting all mY time tothe development of thismartial art. I have servedAikido for more than

'h,,,.

i: i:.

Aikido Demonstration at Officer Graduation '1974.

To complywith their request, Iwould liketo return to Vietnam in the near future to

improve the skills of my former students.They are those who have sacrificed alotfor the development of Aikido. Theyobserve theway of the Tenshinkai AikidoFederation and remain subordinate to

the mother school that is Aikikai.

it Budo Center. It has since been re-named Aiki-Budo Dojo and nowservesas the main Dojo and headquarten officefor The Tenshinkai Aikido Federation.The number of students who have at-tended classes so far amounts to 1120,but the number of regular studentsaverages about L70.

thirty years and have tried to develop itwithin the expectations of my SupremeMasters Morihei Ueshiba and DoshuKishomaru Ueshibawho had geat beliefin me and entrusted me with the task of

organi zing and developing Aikido inVietnam during the 1'960's. I have re-mained faithful to mY mother school,the Aikikai Hombu Dojo, and mY con-

tribution to Aikido may be accuratelyassessed by the Aikikai Hombu Dojo.

R..S.; Thankyou very much Sensei Phong

for taking the time to answer these ques-tions. I am sureyour answers will providegreat insights r'egarding the TenshinkaiAikido F eder ation and regarding your rolein its development. It is hoped that thestudents of our Federation will follow thegood ercample you have set through yoursacifices and dantbn actmding over three-

fourth of your lifetime. It is further hopedthat our students will make great contribu-tions to Aikido through diligent exerciseand unremitting efforts, and that the Ten-shinkai Aikido Federation will becomeeven stronger in the future. tl

s$t:

.111141} i . '

Rg,ik iiiomoion - 18th D,v. S. Vietnamese Arrry. Long Ktanh, vietnam, 1972.

National Officer Academy , Dalat, Vietnam

-6-

l '

Aikido lnstituteSeminar

withSensei Dang Thong Phong

by Jim Ogborn

Our trip to Oakland was a very memo-rable one, not only because of the sharedknowledge, but because Phong Senseiwas reunited with his student fromVietnaffi, Hoa Newens Sensei, (Fifthdegree black belt). Hoa Newens Sensei'sjob had taken him to Northern Califor-nia many years ago where he became involved with anaffiliated dojo of Saito Sensei, fwama, Japan. We weregreeted warmly by Hoa Newens Sensei and his partnerKim Peuser Sensei, who had a dojo in Oakland, wherePhong Sensei was invited to do a special seminar for oneday. It was a unique experience to see the differences inpractices and techniques. For example, Tori would exe-cute a technique twice only right and left, then Ukewould trade immediately. The switching between Toriand Uke after only two times seemed very aggressive andtiring practice.

Phong Sensei instructed all four one-hour sessions, twoone-hour sessions before lunch and two sessions after.At lunch break Newens Sensei and Peuser Sensei invitedus to a nearby park for a nice picnic lunch. The weatherwas a bit cold but the excitement of it all made theweather tolerable. Many of the attending Aikidoists madecomments of the quality Phong Sensei demonstrated inhis techniques. His smooth and flowing movementsweregracefut anO dynamic.

By the end of the day we were all worn out and glad wehad a short plane ride to look forward to instead of a longdrive home.

Phong Sensei always encourages his students to attendseminars whenever they have the extra time and when itis financially feasible. ft is always a wonderful experienceto meet other Aikidoists, and feel my sense of Aikido hasbeen broadened from such experiences. f was honoredthat Phong Sensei invited me and encourages us all todevelop ourselves to the fullest potential. D

7-

Insights into Aikido words

Every great art or field of knowledgehas its own vocabulary consisting of thewords which describe its concepts, tech-niques, and underlying philosophy. Someareas of learning, such as astrophysics,have such a sophisticated vocabulary thatthey seem almost incomprehensible tothose outside the discipline. Others, suchas psychology, have been so popularizedthat every person on the street feels as ifthey have some command of the field.And then there are those arts which aredeceiving in that they seemingly may beunderstood with only a limited knowl-edge of the vocabulary.

Aikido clearly falls in the latter cate-gory. An individual may join an Aikidoclass with on$ the desire to learn a martialart, and they may do so with or withoutknowing that Aikido is a peaceful mar-tial art or without knowing the philoso-phy underlying that concept. Even aftermonths of study, 8n Aikidoist may doquite well if he/she has just learned rhenames of the techniques at his/her leveland has developed the skills to executethem with proficiency. Bur if his/herknowledge of Aikido stops rhere, he/sheis sadly missing out on the richness of theart.

Only by taking time to familiarize one-self with the literature of the field mayone truly understand the vocabulary whichgives Aikido its depth. Because much ofthis vocabulary is in Japanese, it mayappear to be ovenvhelming, but one doesnot need to be a linguist to master thepronunciation and meaning of the ma-jor concepts. Many of the texts havepronunciation guides and clear vocabu-larydefinitiolls. To take the time to explorethevocabularyof Aikido is like going ona treasure hunt into the vastness of ourart. Even the simplest things we do maytake on new meaning as we develop ourinsights. For example, you will unravelthe meaning of the rowing-like exercisethat we do before each class. Its name is

By Richard L. Smith

ntrbne O Kogi Undon or Tune Kogi Undonwhich literallymeans "Boat (Fune) Row-ing (Kogi) Exercise (Undo).n It is alsocalled nAma No Torifunen which meansnBird Boat of Heayen.n It is of Shinto ori-gin andwas designed to cleanse the mindand the spirit. When you perform thisexercise, you are roruing your boat throughthe spiritual levels of heaven towardspurification. '

Another example relates to the wristshaking we do after Ikkyo Undo, KoteGaeshi Undo, and Nikyo Undo. Its Japa-nese name is Tekubi Shindo, and it isused as a preparation for the practice ofAikido during the kanjeido, or winrermonths, when students of Japan oftenperform basic drills outdoon in the snow.Its roots may be traced to Tibetan cul-ture, through China and India, and it isoften referred to in the martial arts as abasic way of producing inner heat. It isinvaluable for stimulating your circula-tion, and if executed properly, shouldresult in a pleasant tingling sensation.

Simpler insights come from just know-ing the English translation of the Aikidovocabulary we use. "Sa5ru Undon trans-lates to "Irft and Right exercisen andnKote Gaeshin translates to nReversing

(Gaeshi) the Wrist (Kote)." Other in-sights come from knowing alternativenames for the common names we know.Tklcyo'beomes \Ide Osaenor n Arm (Ude)Contnol (Osae)." "Sanlcyon beomes'KoieHinerin or "Twisting (Hineri) the Wrist(Kote)." The list goes on and oD, andthere is no limit to the insights we maygain.

It does take an effort on your part todevelop these insights. It means takingtime to read. It means formulating ques-tions in your mind and asking SenseiPhong for the answers. But the time iswell spent, and the rewards are immeas-urable. Et

^T,f*:ffII'l(Yu 7#1034. Chanh Nguyen#1038. Sandor Szabados#1042 Michael Sullivan

I(YU 6#9O4. James C. Holder#908. Mark Bowie#92O. Regina Uliana#933. Teresa Phuong Nguyen#934. Johson Ba Nguyen#933. Mike Meezan#949, Ky Minh Lu#951 . Huy Ho#954. Duy Tran#955. Toan Nguyen#956. Van Nguyen#957, Chinh Quoc Nguyen#958. Viet Huong Nguyen#960. Anh Vu Le#961 . Anh Quan Le#962. Tuan Anh Pham#966. Thuan Quoc Hoang#97O. Thuong Cao Do#976. Oracio Crisanto#878, Thu Dong Thi Le#979. Hai Long Le#982. Huong V. Nguyen#984. Tiffanny Tran#985. Tammy Tran#986. Phuc Dao#989. Robert Edward Reed- Minh Tran

San Huu Tran

I(YU 5#271. Quoc Long D.Ngo#607. Sean Sutter#721. Nha Duc Huynh#722. Nghi Thanh Huynh#726. Quoc Sean Hong#728. Mai Chi Hong#731. Dean Phan#732. Dennis Phan#743. Quang Tran#744. Long Tran#647. Bao Son Xuan Nghiem#752. David Nguyen#796. Nghi Nguyen#818. Liet Thanh Tran#898. Mike Kelly

Continued on page 24...

-8-

Oncnagain, it is time for news from theNorth. The Fort Saskatchewan Aikidoclub counts among its attributes that:

* it is the closest Tenshinkai Club to thepeople

* it is only Tenshinkai Club in Canada

For those you who read the Springissue(Aikido Insights, Spring T2,Y ol.#2),you will know that Phong Sensei blessedhis Canadian followers with a visit and

This is of some intrest to me becauso, Iseek to learn what Aikido techniquescould be used to counterstrikes from thefeet. Because Phong Sensei is propablytheverybest person in theworld to teachthese techniques, I nurture the hope thatsomeday, when I have achieved profi-ciency in Aikido, I may train directlyunder him. With tha distance separatingEdmonton and Westminster,I am awarethat such training is unlikely to be regu-lar or prolonged, therefore, I was veryinterested to learn how Van had man-

^,4mong the good points of Aikido isthe fact that it could prove useful,especially for females, in a progressivelyviolent world. It is good for the physicalself for and produces more stamina. Ilike the fact that because of it, I wasstronger than all other the girls in mygrade 6 class (last years).

More interesting than the physical as-pects of Aikido are the mental self forand produces more stamina. I like thefact that because of it, I was strongerthan all other the girls in my grade 6 class(last years). More interesting than thephysical aspects of Aikido are the men-tal aspects. According to a book writtenby Steven trC Hayes, a martial arts mastercould perform Kokpr nage on a oppo-nent without touching him. How is thisposible? Definitely not jtnt anyone could

North of ForU Nineby Bruce H. Macleod

seminar in Febru ary of the currentyears.Since that time, there have been a fewchanges North of Forty Nine.

The Fort Saskatchewan Aikido Club nowpractices mainly in the City of Edmon-ton. Although we have less total area atour facility in Edmonton, we have con-siderablymore mat area. Ifyou have everpracticed in close quarters, you willappreciate that we appreciate the extraroom to move in.Is a name change in the offing? Probablynot, even if we are now primil ary in thestyle of our instructor, Van Duong, (thestyle Phong Sensei.) Given the distancebetween (Edmonton) and Westminsterand I have often wondered how Vanpicks up the finer points of instructionover such distance.

aged.

He provided the answer over a lengthydinner time discussion. He practiced herewith various groups in order to refine hisbasic techniques. Then, each time PhongSensei visited, he worked hard, manyhours per duy, to put the Tenshinkaipolish on them.Apparently, Phong Senseiwas more than willing to arise early inthe morning and practice till late at night.

Students here have a slightly easier timethan Van did. We have a rigourous,competent instructor who has very highstandards. Even so, it is comforting tome to know that, if I am willing to put inthe work, I too may benifit from thedirect instruction of our master. E

do it. You would have to have a veryhighly developed mind which can resultfrom many years of Aikido practice. !by Genevicve S. Maclcod, 12 Yr. OId

Do you use Aikido for self defen ce?If an attacker attacks you, vour first in-stinct should be to disable rhem. Whensomeone broke my collar bone(I won'tmention any names)I didn't want to useAikido to hurt anyone, but, now that it'sbroken, I would want to hurt someone ifthey attcked me again. Would you? Ifyou are prepared to break someones'sarm then Aikido is something to use.Should you really break their arm ? !by Alcmnder T. Machod, 9 Yr. OA

-9-

AIKIDO-AI SEMINARWith Ikeda Sensei

by Meeza,n MilQ Richard

athletes with big egos. Elite profession-

als at the top of their sport who berate

others publicly, give their sport or them-

selves I "bad name". These men I sat

with at the deli were quite the opposite,and when we returned to the dojo after

lunch my bow to the Founder and Ikeda

Senseiwas indeed a bow of deep respect'

The afternoon session was weaPonsDuring the weekend of SePtember

25,26 & n, Aikido-Ai Dojo, Whittier

hosted a seminar by Ikeda Sensei(6 Dan)

of Boulder,co. Thiswas the first Aikido

seminar for trlg, and I was some- ffiwhat apprehensive. The first eve- ffining was to be a 2 hour training ffisession I arrived, changed and waited ffisilently on the mat with about 40 ffiothers who looked experienced in ffithe art of Aikido. of those seated ffiandwaitingabout 35wore hakama' ffiI was one of the five and felt that

perhaps my timited training and skill

ievet would not be uP to what the

Sensei would show. QuietlY, Ikeda

Sensei took his Place on the "high

seat" of the mat. We bowed sol-

emnly and thenbegan a briefwarm-

up. His first demonstration seemed

simple enough, even for me. I found a

partner and we tried to copy the tech-

nique he showed us. My nervousness was

starting to dissipate and in its place was

a feeling of enjoyment. "Hey, this is fun"

I said tomyself. At one point Ikeda Sensei

turned toward me "Here, (he extended

his wrist out to me) hold on." He looked

at me "strong hold?", I nodded and

gripped strongly, I thought. He turned

niJ wrist and easily flicked me off his

arm. Several other demonstrations and

practices followed as his quick wit and

Lasy style made the time flY. All the

technique,was followed by observance

of Ikeda Sensei of the same technique.

This was repeated again and again, with

each technique building on a previous

technique or move. Observing the Sensei

was, to me, almost mystical. So easily did

he dispatch his uke.

Lunch break came too quicklY, I was

enjoying the training and didn't want to

stop. Phong Sensei was in attendance.

He turn to me and said "Come eat with

us." I was dumbstruck, (gulP), me? I

changed clothes and met Sensei Phong

outside. I walked along with the small

training.Again Iwas a little nervous, this

:::':::.:::t,t:i.i:i:i:::::i.:::.i:ii::t:::::t,::ti:t:t:l:titi;l:;.i::::t::i:i:i:::i:::r:,:,:':::;I WOUId be the fifSt time

-*",i.',,,-r"rffi''=iu,il ever I would lol9 2:.ii:.:.'::.::,:':::,:.:!:':,:i::':''.,::.:,,,.::::::.:::::.:,:.',,''.. . "'.'I BOkkgn Of JO' I aSked

a fellow student fromthe Budo center if thiswould be within mYability or should I sitthis one out. " I tshouldn't be too bad,give it a try and seewhat happens." he said"So I did and once againmy fears proved to beunfounded. From thebegining training ses-sion, Ikeda Sensei

had been stressing "Spirals, Spirals, Spi-

rals." A demonstration'practice, more

demonstration and more practice fol-

lowed. We finished that day with some

seated Kokyu-Ho exercises and back

stretches. I went home with a sense of

calm I hadn't had in a long time.The last day was a review and blend-

ing together of all the techniques Ikeda

Sensei had so masterfully shown us' At

the time, the techniques I could barely

comprehend the day before' now came

to me easily. His demonstrations were so

smooth, effortless, and natural-lookingand one could onlY wonder in amaze-

ment at his proficiency. Yet during the

entire 3 days seminar Ikeda Sensei was

humorous and sensitive to others feel-

ings but also leftyou with the feeling that

all this is quite easily possible with prac-

tice. The end of the seminar was her-

alded by applause for Ikeda Sensei to

return next year. Kinship of a shared

way of life, good feelings and generous

spirit to others abounded and I was sad

to see it end. I came to the seminarsnervous, and left it calm and fulfilled.Thank you to all mY Partners and to

Aikido-Ai of Whittier for your generos-

ity and hospitalitY. SaYonara ! tr

entourage to asmall deli close tothe dojo. I satdown at the tablewith IkedaSensei, PhongSensei, McGou-irk Sensei and afew others I hadmet. Withall my"Oh wow" feel-

while, I and others remarked about hiseffortless grace and the beauty of "wa za"so finely tuned.

Saturday, the training continued with

about 20 additional students in atten-

ing going oil, I noticed something: they

didn't have an aura or glow or

whatever(not yet anyruay). what they

did seem to have was a kind, considarate

nature. We often hear of professional

10 -

C omparing Techniques of Tae Kwon Do originated in Chinabut comes from Korea. Practioners

-ur" 75 percent l"g and 25 percent

hand techniques. Tae Kwon Do isknown for being a "hard" rtyle incor-porating circular movements.

The formsin TaeKwonDo arecalledHynng or Poomse. They are prac_ticed in order to gain coordination,balance and proficiency.

The similarities in Tae KnowDo andAikido are some of the circular move-ments and the philosophy. In both ofthese styles there is an emphasis onharmony with the univers".

fn summory, Tae Kwon Do is moreaggressive and mmbative than Aikido.In Aikido the focus of the practitio-ner is to center and neutralize theopponent while in the process at_lempting to protect the antagonistfrom harm. I

THE JOYS OF (tKEttfitby ttartin Dinet

rhere are different martial art styleswhich have various principles and?ncepB. Some are "soft styles" wherethe energyis received and directed toan end. Other styles are "hard" where

!her9 irs aggressive kicking and punch_ing. In addition, some .,hard'; styles

Aikido and Tae Kwon Doby Joseph Iill

Aikido, First Degree Btack BettTae Kwon Do, Fifrh Degree Black Belt

a "hard" form. In reality, Aikido whenused with an untrained persotr, canbe very dangerous because the indi_vidual may not know how to fall ormove with the technique. pain andinjury may occur. In order for the"attacker" not to sustain serious in_

are performed in a "soft" manner jury he or she requires a great manyand "soft" styles are executed in a hoursof training."hard" fashion.

In Aikido KI or internal energy isused to extend one's internal powerwhile simultaneously being fi har_mony with the attacker and the uni_ve$e. Winning in Aikido meanschanging imbalance to balance andachiwing harmony in one's o\rrn mindand body. The intent is to neutralizean opponent rather than to harm orkill him or her, and to achieve a stateof calm to avoid a fight rather than toprovoke one.

Aikido is considered a,,soft" stylewhere the attack is openly receGd,joined and directed to a less harmfulconclusion for the attacker. ft is be_lieved by some that Aikido is a pas-sive style. However, Aikido's originswere drawn by O' Sensei Moriheiueshiba from many different martialart styles like Judo, Karate, Kendo,etc. Some of the original styles areextremely aggressive and executed in

Baring the technique for nage.I cause a gfitch, or imbalance intonage's unlverse, our universe. Nagebrings back harmony into our uni-verse. I fefl the power of the tech_nique, the tranfer of energy, theeffect of a particular movementwhich cause the bafance to tift backuntil my mine and my body give upand prepare to hit the mat withoutharm.

The respec,t of UkeNage brings bafance back to theuniverse. Nage does not make thebalance tilt the other w?y, he merelybrings the balance back to its center.No harm was done to Uke, l'to harmwas meant towards Uke, only har-mony is restored into the Universe.

n

- 11 -

In Celebrating of Aikklo Tenshinkai Federation's 25th

Anniversary, we are introducing a number of photographs

showing some activities of the Federation as well as of its

leader for the past 25 years. The maiority of photographs

and important documents were lost after Phong Sensei's

numerous attempts to escape Communist Wetnam. The

ones shown below will be able to depict the developmentand growth of the Federation.

(.4bove) From left: General Lam QtangTho, Sensei DangThong Phong ColonelLam Qtang Phong , Col. Lam QtangPhongis wife.

(Left) Sensei Dang Thong Phong; Fed-eration ffice, Saigon, Wetnaffi, 7969.

(Below) Aikklo class; Federation Head-quarters Dojo, 7971.

-12-

Aikido Dojo at Long-Xuyen hovince,Wetnam, 7972. (above)

Anniversary of O'Sensei Passing;Headquarters Doj o, S atgon,Wetnaffi, 7974.(left)

Cong-Hoa Stadium, Saigon, Wetnaffi,1970. (above)

Dong-Phuong Aikido Doi o, Saigon,Wetnaffi,7973. (lefr)

llt

13 -

Duy-Tan Aikido Dojo, Saigotr, Vietnam, L972.(right)

5th Division Aikido Dojo, Ben C.at, Binh Duong,Vietnam, L972. (below)

Service Women's School, Saigon, Vietn&ffi, 1972.(bottom)

- 14 -

1,8th Division Headquarters Aikido Dojo, Long Khanh Province, Vietnam, 1972' (above)

Active Officer Mititary Academy, Dalat, Vietnam, 1974' (below)

'o '

I

- 1s

Reserve Officer School , Thu-Duc, Saigon , Vietnam,

1972. (below)

4th Division Air Force - Aikido Dojo, Binh-Thuy

Airbase, Can Tho, Vietnam, 1970. (bottom)

- 16 -

Aikido Dojo at Fifth District, Saigon, Vietn&ffi,lg7g. This is the first Aikido Dojo after 1975.(above)

Party, Sensei Phong release from I-abor Camp,

L980. (left)

Aikido Dojo at First District, Saigotr, Vietnam,1981. The second dojo opened after L975.(below)

17

The third dojo at Binh Thanh District, Saigon'

Vietnam, 1985. (above)

Binh Thanh Dojo, Saigon, Vietn&ffi, 1,985.(above and right)

Communist Goverment giving officialpermission for Aikido training toNguyen Tang Vinh Sensei,Saigon, VietnEffi, 1990. (left)

- 18

First Tenshinkai DoioGarden Grove, California, 1987. (above)

Celebrating First Anniversaryat new location, Westminster,Galifornia, 1989.(above & right)

Demonstration at First Anniversary.

-19-

SeminarWestminster, California, 1 992.

The 22nd Gommemoration ofO'Sensei Passing at TenshinkaiHeadquarters Dojo.April 26, 1991 ,Westminster, California .

The 23rd Commemoration ofO'Sensei Passing at TenshinkaiHeadquarters Dojo.April 1992, Westminster, California .

-20-

rtliit

Aikido Demonstration atVietnamese New Year TET FestivalWestminster, California, 1 990.

TET Festival DemonstrationGolden West CollegeWestminster, California, 1991 .

DemonstrationChildren Moon FestivalWestminster, California, 1 990.

Children Aikido classWestminster, California, 1 990.

I

I

-21 -

Aikido Seminarswith Sensei Phong

Budo Educational CenterSacramento, California, 1 986

Fort Saskatchewan Aikido ClubEdmonton , Alberta, Canada, 1992.

Aikido InstituteOaklaltd, Galifornia, 1 992.

Zen Center, Mt. BaldyCalifornia, 1992

Aikido-AiWhittier, California, 1 gg2

i

-22-

,'tI

3

S elf-defense S eminarc forTae Kwon Do Instructorc

Self-defense instructions for TaeKwon Do black belt candidate,St. Foy, Quebec, Canada, 1987.(left)

7th World Tae Kwon DoChampionship ITFMontreal, Canada ,1990(right & below)

Self-defense session for TaeKwon Do black belt instructors,St. Foy, Quebec, Canada, L987.(right)

I,I

-23-