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This year, Mihaly Sensei was the first one to leave. He returned to his motherland, Hungary and taught on a daily basis at his local dojo in the city of Miskolc, where he started his Aikido training twenty years ago.

Mihaly Sensei and his friend Robert Sensei training at Miskolc Dojo this Summer.

Mihaly was also invited to teach two seminars during his visit. First he went to Kecskemét and conducted a weekend seminar. In his teaching, he put an emphasis on ukemi and connection within basic techniques, and he also taught a great deal of sword techniques at the end of each training session focusing on kirikaeshi movements and their application in movement.

A week later, he visited Mori Dojo in Budapest where he taught a one day intensive course focusing on Irimi variations from Shomen-uchi attack.

Entering and breaking the opponent’s balance. Irimi technique from Shomen-uchi attack.

Guillaume Sensei then made his way to Paris where he taught a one-day course attended by over 40 people. His host for this year was Maurice Thai Sensei, a very well respected French instructor who started Aikido in 1961 under the first Aikikai representative in Europe, Abe Tadashi Sensei. He then studied with French pioneer Andre Nocquet and made his way up the ranks in French Aikido.

End of the seminar in Paris

Maurice’s son, Michael, is also a long time resident of Tokyo and a frequent practice partner of Guillaume Sensei and Mihaly Sensei at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo, especially during the classes of Yokohama AikiDojo’s technical advisor, Osawa Hayato Shihan.

Entrance of the Louvres Museum

Summer is always a good time to visit Paris as many Parisians are on holidays and the pace of the city slows down somewhat, facilitating the leisurely discovery of the French capital.

Quai de l’horloge, with the Eiffel tower all the way in the background

Guillaume Sensei boarded the TGV and made the 7 hour trip to Bayonne, where his yearly summer course is held. This year, the practice surface had to be extended to 250 square meters to accommodate the intense practice and high ukemi!

A very spacious training area

Between classes, practitioners were able to enjoy the lovely Bayonne city center. The climate in the Basque Country is always very pleasant as although warm, it is also cooled down by the ocean breeze.

Bayonne

Talking about the ocean, the region is actually Europe’s most popular surfing spot with the nearby towns of Hosgore and Biarritz. Aurelien Yvart Sensei, whom our dojo members met when he came to take ukemi for the All Japan Demonstration in May is a very proficient surfer and he taught the basics of this sport to Guillaume Sensei during the break times.

Guillaume Sensei learning the basics of surf as a lifelong learner! ^^

Back on the mat, Guillaume Sensei kept building on the classes that he has been giving over the past eight years and he was pleased to see that the general level had vastly increased, with also a new generation of students that were now able to take excellent ukemi.

Guillaume Sensei being also a teacher of Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu (the ancestor of Aikido techniques, which the founder learned from master Takeda Sokaku), he also leads a small group of students and this year, he promoted one of the students to the rank of shodan.

Guillaume Sensei awarding the Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu Shodan to one of his students

For those who opted to do both the Aikido and Daito-ryu classes, it is no less than seven hours of practice per day that were offered, with one hour of weapons, followed by two hours of taijutsu in the morning, then two hours of Daito-ryu Aiki-jujutsu after lunch, followed by another two hours of Aikido from 17h00 to 19h00.

On Saturday night, the traditional party took place, with everyone bringing food and drinks for all to share. As always, a number of people, including of course Aurelien Sensie, ended up in the pool before dessert!

Party on Saturday night