Brief Background of Russel Haskin
Born in 1971, Russel's interest with the martial arts started with
Matsubayashi-ryu (Shorin-ryu) Karate, which he began studying with
Sensei Edward Erler in Albuquerque, New Mexico at age twelve. He was
promoted to Nidan in 1992. After graduating from the University of
Colorado at Boulder with a degree in International Affairs in 1994
he spent one year teaching children's Karate classes in Albuquerque
before moving to Japan for work in 1996. After arriving in Japan,
Russel began studying Daito-ryu Aiki Jujitsu under the Hakuho Kai
with Sensei Okabayashi Shogen. He presently holds the rank of Sandan,
and has been actively involved in supporting Sensei Okabayashi in
the reformation of the Hakuho Kai into Hakuho-ryu Aiki Budo.
Russel returned to the United States in 2002 to pursue a graduate
degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Despite a busy
study schedule he leads class every Friday from 6-9 pm at the White
Oak dojo; which is owned and operated by Sensei Dan Sharp. In addition
to teaching at the White Oak dojo Russel also teaches seminars for
Sensei Deric Wilkin's Hakuho-ryu group at Oakland College and James
Mullin's Hakuho-ryu club in Harrisburg, PA.
The Importance of Body Movement in Hakuho-ryu
This was my second visit to Montreal, and I was very impressed by
the dedication everyone exhibited in learning Hakuho-ryu. It was obvious
that many students were actively practicing the principles covered
during my last visit, and I truly appreciate everyone's enthusiasm
for Hakuho-ryu. It is my sincere hope that last weekend's seminars
will assist everyone in learning this wonderful art.
The major theme of last weekend's seminars was the importance of
body movements in Hakuho-ryu. Hakuho-ryu focuses on developing body
movements that recreate the movements of the masters who originally
created the koryu arts of Japan. Developing these body movements not
only provides students with a deeper understanding of the waza, or
techniques, but also accelerates progress in acquiring proficiency
with them.
The 'Ii Ro Ha' and other exercises covered in the seminars were
created by Okabayashi Sensei to help students develop proper body
movements. Sometimes, however, it is difficult to understand whether
or not one is performing these exercises correctly. During last weekend's
seminar we covered some methods to help students overcome this problem.
By creatively utilizing uke, students can receive feedback regarding
their performance of the body movement exercises. This feedback should
provide students with a guide to improving their execution of the
exercises, and of course, their body movements.
In addition to covering methods for checking the body movement exercises,
we covered applications of the 'Ii Ro Ha' and Aiki Kempo exercises
in the Shoden waza. By using techniques from Ikkajyo, Nikajyo, and
Sankajyo to illustrate the connection between the techniques and the
Aiki Kempo / 'Ii Ro Ha' exercises, I hope students were able to gain
a better sense of how these areas can be used to improve their waza.
Knowing the form of the techniques is only the beginning. To polish and develop these techniques to their highest level requires an understanding of the body movements of the masters who originally created them. Gaining this insight is a central concept of Hakuho-ryu, and a major purpose for practicing the 'Ii Ro Ha' body movements as well as the Aiki Kempo exercises. I hope the past weekend's seminars were helpful in providing every one with a better understanding of the importance of these areas in Hakuho-ryu, as well as some concrete methods for furthering one's study of the art.