Glasgow , Scotland good aikido school??

Discussion in 'Aikido' started by siqveland, Aug 26, 2004.

  1. siqveland

    siqveland New Member

    Hi
    Im looking to begin aikido and was hoping someone could tell me if they know any good aikido clubs in glasgow???
     
  2. Dave Humm

    Dave Humm Serving Queen and Country

    They don't exist mate.. they all weild claymore and paint their faces blue.. Pretty scarey stuff really !! :eek:

    Seriously... There are some great Scots here.. they'll put you in the right direction
     
  3. com160

    com160 New Member

    http://www.aikido.150m.com/ this is a really good club in kilmarnock

    i'll PM you will colins email address he will be able to give you details of a glasgow club
     
  4. daftyman

    daftyman A 4oz can of whoop-ass!

    I do not practice Aikido, but if I could I would go to this guy. My taiji teacher used to train with him.

    http://www.makotokai.co.uk/index.html

    edit: His classes are at the same time as my own ones, otherwise I would have started already.
     
  5. Dr NinjaBellydance

    Dr NinjaBellydance What is your pleasure sir

  6. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    Billy Coyle of Makotokai is probably the best Aikido instructor, however his club can be abit cliquey too.
     
  7. Dr NinjaBellydance

    Dr NinjaBellydance What is your pleasure sir

    Ooooh, I think he might be the guy who does (or used to do) the Uni club, seem to remember him being a Billy. Quite a wee guy, must be 50+ by now? He is VERY good! :D
     
  8. aikiscotsman

    aikiscotsman Banned Banned

    Sorry?
    He is a very good instructor but in the particular style he teaches only, just like all other very good instructors. I believe his taijutsu is chiba style but he has chosen to do Iwama weapons, which i dont think he is the best teacher of.
     
  9. Matt Molloy

    Matt Molloy Valued Member

    I saw Billy Coyle at the International Kendo Enbu Taikai and he was extremely good.

    Also, there is the Yudan Nashi Kan lot at,

    http://www.yudan-nashikan.aikido.co.uk/

    They are part of Komyokan Aikido under Ezra Sensei and are very nice guys and very good too.

    Of course there are a number of very good sensei teaching in Edinburgh too if you want to jump on a train, one example is Neil Blacknell at the Commonwealth pool

    www.azami.co.uk

    Cheers,

    Matt.
     
  10. siqveland

    siqveland New Member

    thanks for the help guys...think i might give billy coyle a try and see if i like it..

    where do you train aikiscotsman???
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2004
  11. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    Aikiscotsman,
    Well, I have trained at 3 clubs in Glasgow and he was by far the best instructor. As for his weapons, his skills are superb (even the S.A.S. consult him), he is well respected even in Kendo circles. His knowledge of Japanese Samurai culture is emmense, as is his knowledge of Aikido.
    You should pay him a visit Aikiscotsman, it won't be a waste of time.

    The Bear.
     
  12. aikiscotsman

    aikiscotsman Banned Banned

    I know i would not be disapointed Bily is a very good MA, who is respected throughout the uk. I have a lot of respect for billy and you cant say i dont just becuase i dont thinkhe is the best aikidoka around, being the best MA in world does not make his Aikido Alone the best. He is one of the best in Scotland maybe.
     
  13. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    Aikiscotsman,
    The context we were discussing was Aikido in Glasgow, which I said I thought he was the best instructor, knew off. I think your sensitivity about such things reveals deeper issues in the Aikido community. I no longer consider myself an Aikidoka so I don't have an axe to grind. Philosophical realisation that I am not a man of harmony or peace makes it difficult to practice the art. The one thing that really annoys me about Aikidoka is their ease at which they knock other people Aikido.

    The Bear
     
  14. Dave Humm

    Dave Humm Serving Queen and Country

    Bear, I find your comment quoted above very interesting, have you read by chance my discussions with fellow members of this fora on this very subject ?
    1. ..http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18176
    2. ..http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19325
    3. ..http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18577
    Although I don't consider myself an overtly aggressive person, I neither consider my aikido to be a means to acheiving love or harmony.

    Regards
     
  15. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    Hi Dave,

    Yes but the proposed purpose of Aikido as the founder saw it, is not the win fights but to restore peace but this is purely philosophical.

    My problem was that I couldn't get into harmony with the ukes to make the techniques work as they are supposed to. All I kept doing was distrupting them and then bending them to my will using my strength into the techniques, while it worked effectively enough, it wasn't Aikido. I saw no point in flogging a dead horse. My personal martial abilities just didn't fit with the Aikido system and I would never make a decent Aikidoka. Sometimes you just have to accept that, and move on.
    I'm glad you found a way to make it work for you but I had to come to my own culture to finally find an art that suited me. A simple solution that took over a decade to find.

    Cheers,
    The Bear.
     
  16. aikiscotsman

    aikiscotsman Banned Banned

    Its impossible to make aikido work without some kind of physical strength, It should be very very hard work making a tech work.
     
  17. Dave Humm

    Dave Humm Serving Queen and Country

    Hi mate, I'm pleased you've found your calling in so far as MA's are concerned, that is after all what matters, what you might find interesting on the subject, and one that I've got to lengths to express on this forum is EXACTLY what you stated in the above quote. Aiki wasn't always aiki"do"

    Now, no matter what the MA I practice is called ("do" or not) I'm not going to "peacefully" resolve anything with anyone unless, I detect from a very early stage of interatction, that a person can be negotiated to within reasonable terms fairly quickly. I am quite prepared to 'talk' my way out of confrontation but this skill has nothing directly to do with the attributes of physical Aikido. Indeed my abilities to negotiate stem from being a Prison Officer and no where else. (unless of course one considers the pointing of a loaded and made ready 5.56mm rifle at someone who refuses to be searched at a checkpoint in Northern Ireland as a form of negotiation ? I guess that would be open to further debate, anyway I digress)

    I would open challenge ANYONE who studies (just) Aikido to have the ability to repeatedly and consistantly 'talk down' a confrontation without either being a natural Bull****ter <admins please excuse my use of this word but it so aptly describes what I mean> or one has been professionally trained to negotiate and, has been placed in that situation enough times to have practiced those skills to be confident in them.

    Need a coffee and a few cookies - back later :)

    Of course I understand (I think) what the founder was intending for his art in the later part of his life, personally I feel it was too higher a goal to be acheived given the levels of violence caperble by so many for such little reason however, The art of peaceful resolution ? peaceful for whom ? Me, my adversary or the rest of mankind ?

    In the face of conflict I am only interested in these aspects, the protection of myself, my property, my family, my friends and fellow colleagues. I'm entirely disinterested in the person creating the conflict, especially if that conflict rises to physical levels

    -:: Ah the wonders of fora censorship ::- :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2004
  18. DexterTCN

    DexterTCN New Member

    Generally most of us get along. :)

    Dave Humm's comments are always insightful as they reflect his time spent in places of violence and tension, so he has more of an applied experience on the self-defence side.

    I come from a long time in Judo, damn good Judo if I may say, where there is none of this constant moaning and criticising. Last year I left an Edinburgh martial arts club and one of the reasons was the persistent sneering and belittlement of others in the area. Not my 'style' :)
     
  19. Dave Humm

    Dave Humm Serving Queen and Country

    lol... thanks Dex.. the cheque is in the post :D

    Although Dex is right, I'm very interested in the application of aikido rather than for other reasons previously discussed on this forum however, I do have big circle aikido and very much enjoy the dynamics and flow of traditionally based Aikikai Aikido which is after all my background but, I'm always considering the "applied" format regardless of how I practice or train
     
  20. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    I totally agree Dave, what is martial arts without it being applied, it is just a dance. However, every Art has it's emphasis and direction. Aikido has a very definite philosophical emphasis and this is supposed to guide the actions of the Aikidoka. If a guy spills your pint and you break his arm then this couldn't really be seen as restoring peace. However, if a someone threatens others with a knife and you break their arm this could be seen as restoring the peace. The way I always interpreted the founder was that violence could be a peaceful action if the situation required it.
    Ueshiba's later work does demostrate a repentance of his eariler less creditable actions. His foray into Manchuria and his actions during WWII. Perhaps age took the edge off his fervour and I guess perhaps you need to experience extreme violence to learn the benefits of moderation but I think I'll take his word on that one.

    cheers,
    The Bear.
     

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