Category: News & Events

ABC London Centre Closures for 2024

ABC London Centre Closures for 2024

By Kevin Love

Aikido classes will be cancelled on the following dates either because the Centre is closed or the room is unavailable. More dates may be added; please check here for the latest information.

  • Tuesday, January 30, 2024 – Job Fair
  • Monday, February 19, 2024 – Family Day
  • Saturday, March 2, 2024 – Seedy Saturday
  • Monday, May 20, 2024 – Victoria Day
  • Monday, June 17 – Friday June 28 – CHOCC closed for maintenance. Stay tuned for announcement re: outdoor classes.
  • Monday, July 1, 2024 – Canada Day
  • Saturday, August 3, 2024
  • Monday, August 5, 2024 – Civic Holiday
  • Monday, September 2, 2024 – Labour Day
  • Monday, October 14, 2024 – Thanksgiving
Christmas Shutdown

Christmas Shutdown

By Cliff Warriner

Our End of year break will be from Dec 22 to Jan 1st.   Unfortunately there will not be a Christmas party this year. Our last class of 2022 will be Wednesday Dec 21 with Ishihara Sensei and our first class of 2023 will be Monday January 2 with Oaker Sensei.  

We’re Going Home!

We’re Going Home!

By Kevin Love

Good news everyone – we’re going back to CHOCC!

We will be offering classes, (including Children’s classes!), on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday – first day back: Saturday, October 8.

Scroll down for the complete schedule…

Aiki Budo Centre returns to CHOCC!
Aiki Budo Centre returns to CHOCC!

Saturdays: Children: 9:15 – 10:00 Adults: 10:00 – 11:30 First class October 8.

Tuesdays: Children: 6:15 – 7:00 Adults: 7:00 – 8:30 First class October 11.

Wednesdays: Adults: 7:00 – 8:30 First class October 12.

Mondays: Adults: 7:00 – 8:30 First class October 17.

A Growing Friendship

A Growing Friendship

By Kevin Love

Our association with Jacques Payet Shihan began quite by chance: Sensei Sheppard, Sensei Chau and Sensei Gruninger were travelling and training in Japan and, as they passed through Kyoto, they decided to train at Payet Shihan’s Mugenjuko dojo.

They loved their time there, and the following years offered further opportunities to connect, either by visits to Aikido Del Mar in San Diego (Kevin Pickard Sensei) or attending numerous clinics, along with many other club members, offered by Payet Shihan as he visited North America.

A grand celebration of the friendship occurred in March of 2019 when more than 15 Aiki Budo Centre members traveled to Kyoto at the invitation of Payet Shihan to participate in the embu kai marking the 10th anniversary of Mugenjuku Aikido.

The two videos below offer some highlights from the journey: Jaimie Sensei’s demonstration at the embu kai and our club’s group demonstration at the same venue.

We’re Back!

We’re Back!

By Kevin Love

Hello Everyone!

Jaimie Sensei sends his greetings and invites you to join him for the resumption of training on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 7:00, at Trinity United Church.

Bring your weapons, masks and water, and of course, if you’re not feeling well, stay home and rest…

Class Schedule:

Wednesdays, 7:00 – 8:30

Saturdays, 9:30 – 11:00

Trinity United Church, 76 Doulton St, London ON (off Hale just south of Dundas)

See you there!

Osu!

Sensei Kevin

Our Legacy

Our Legacy

By Kevin Love

Aiki Budo Centre was founded more than 25 years ago (1995), and it has been my privilege to witness most of that endeavour. As I reflect upon that journey, I am struct by the deep and varied legacy that has been gifted by our mentors – Kiyoyuki Terada Saikō Komon, Amos Parker Shihan and Jacques Payet Shihan, to name just a few – and the further sharing and extension of those gifts by our founder Jaimie Sheppard Shihan and our principal teachers such as Stephan Chau Sensei and Greg Gruninger Sensei.

As a result, our dojo is deeply connected to the (Yoshinkan) Aikido tradition through many lineages, and it is my intention to illuminate and bring forward the depth of knowledge that we are all connected to as members of ABC.

We begin with a demonstration of Ushiro Ryote Mochi Jiyu Waza by Sheppard Sensei (Matthew Knight Sensei as uke) at the dojo in 2018.

Osu!

Sensei Kevin Love

Time to maintain your Aikido weapons

Time to maintain your Aikido weapons

By Christine Earl

If you have Aikido weapons now is a good time to give them a little TLC. I did mine today. Don’t they look lovely?

aikidoweapons

Give them a check over for splinters and cracks. Lightly sand out any rough spots, sanding in the direction of the grain of the wood. Then give them a light coat of oil. You can use mineral oil if you have some but I often use olive oil from the kitchen. Today I used a beeswax and mineral oil paste that I picked up a few years ago. Oiling helps the wood to stay moist which will reduce splintering. Apply a thin coat and leave it for a few minutes, then wipe off any excess and give it a rub so that it’s nice and shiny. Click Aikido Weapons Maintenance for more information about this.

When you’re done and the weapons are nice and dry, try some solo weapons techniques! I ran through Jo Solo #1, Happo Giri – basic and advanced, and the kaze arashi ryu tanto solo. If you can’t find a place to practice outside, try doing tanto techniques inside. A short piece of dowel can also stand in for a bokken or a jo for inside practice. There are a few videos for weapons techniques on our website at Weapons Syllabus and Videos and many more on the internet!