Article par 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.