Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Announcement: Lilyfield Aikido dojo to close


It is with great sadness to announce the closure of Takemusu Aikido’s Lilyfield branch dojo. Instructor Bruce Choy will be moving to the United States in June. This has led to the decision by the teaching team that, after four years at Lilyfield Community Centre and 14 years of teaching aikido in the inner west of Sydney, that it’s time to take a short break...

Current students who wish to continue training will be directed to our Sydney city dojo at Surrey Hills, operated by Saburo Takayasu sensei and where instructor’s Ian Thomson and Bruce Choy have taught on occasion over the years.

We would like to thank all the students who have trained with us and Leichardt Council staff who run the Community Centre that we have called home over all these years.

Best wishes for the future!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Regular Sunday class cancelled

Regrettably we will be cancelling our regular Sunday morning class (i.e. the combined adult/children's class). Keep posted for exciting new developments on future aikido workshops.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Takayasu and Thomson sensei's

Ian Thomson sensei receiving his 5th dan black-belt certificate from Takemusu Aikido Association President, Saburo Takayasu, last week at the Association's city dojo.

Congratulations!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Ian Thomson sensei promoted to 5th dan

Congratulations to Lilyfield dojo head instructor Ian Thomson for successfully being granted his godan (5th degree black-belt) as a result of Aikikai's annual Kagamibiraki ceremony. This is an excellent way for the dojo to start 2013!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy new year! 2013 training starts Tuesday 22 January

Welcome to 2013 and another year of training!

We will be having a slight delay in starting up this year with our instructors unavailable due to home and work commitments in early January. First class will be Tuesday 22 January at 6:30pm.

As per usual tradition, we will start the year with weapons training (bukiwaza) at nearby Callan Park. The wooden sword (bokken) and short staff (jo) are integral in the aikido curriculum. Bring your sticks if you have them. If not, there will most likely be some extras that you can use.

We will be training at Callan Park for two weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evening only for the rest of January (i.e. for two weeks), before returning to Lilyfield Community Centre.








Friday, November 23, 2012

Chistmas party 2012

Dojo christmas party will be held on Friday 14 December. Training at Lilyfield Community Centre starts from 6pm, and after training we will be heading down the road to the Sackville Hotel. All are welcome to join training and the party afterwards.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Congratulations Ann sensei!

Ann sensei applying techniques on Lilyfield's Abe Lau
Earlier in the month Ann Reekie, instructor of the Association's Canberra dojo, had successfully graded for her sandan (third dan black belt). Congratulations!

Monday, July 30, 2012

CommBank staff event - women's self-defence course

Lilyfield Aikido instructor Bruce Choy will be conducting a series of women's self-defence courses open to employees of the Commonwealth Bank. The course will be held in Commonwealth Bank Place, Darling Harbour. Bruce has been working with CommBank for nearly 10 years as an executive in their risk management function. He will be ably assisted by Soon Yuen from the Associations city dojo, who also works with the bank. For further information, please contact Bruce directly through the internal directory.

No class on Sunday 12 August

Sunday morning class on 12 August is cancelled with the instructors running the City-2-Surf. Regular Tuesday and Thursday evening classes will still be on with expectations of sore legs after the run!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Beginners welcome!

We are currently having a drive to get a new crop of beginners into the dojo with advertising being made around the local area near Lilyfield Community Centre. In recent times the classes have turned into study sessions for the instructor team, however, it is now time to have a push to introduce others to the art and reinvigorate the dojo with a different type of energy.

First trial class is free. Monthly rates are cheaper than pretty much all other forms of group exercise and you get to learn a practical skill while getting fit. Just drop by and have a look at what is happening right here in your local community.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Twelve years on ...

Aiki-jujitsu seminar in the early days of Camperdown dojo
Twelve years ago today an Iwama style aikido dojo started up in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown. Head instructor Ian Thomson had just received his sandan black-belt and full instructor accreditation. This was the start of our dojo. Just over three years ago we moved to our current location at Lilyfield Community Centre.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Scandinavian news

"Samurais" training under cherry blossoms; Abe Lau (L) and Lalia Fladberg (R)
Laila Fladberg from Gothenburg, Sweden, and friend of Lilyfield Aikido instructors Abe Lau and Bruce Choy, has just been promoted to the very senior level of an Aikido yondan (4th dan black belt). Congratulations!!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Old photo of Morihiro Saito Sensei

This old photo is of Morihiro Saito sensei (9th dan), his wife with her wide smile and (a much younger!) Bruce Choy from Lilyfield Aikido.

It was taken at a party just after morning training. The party was held outside, behind O'Sensei's Iwama dojo in Japan.

Lilyfield Aikido uses the curriculum handed down from M.Saito as the platform for the aikido being taught at our dojo. More information about Saito sensei can be found in Aikido Journal. (Editor of Aikido Journal, Stan Pranin, was a former student of Saito sensei and a renown historian on all things aikido.)

Thursday, March 1, 2012

New bargain monthly rate of $50!

Instructor Mick Devaney executing a throw
Following our new schedule of three classes per week we have decided to offer fees of only $50 per month! That's fitness, discipline, and the practical skills of self-defence for less than $5 per class.

This bargain rate recognises that the highly experienced instructor team does not get paid for teaching (yes, we all have day jobs). We just enjoy the opportunity to train together and share the art with others in our community who are also willing to commit to this long and rewarding journey. Pop in at any of our training sessions and start now.

"A journey of one thousand miles must begin with a single step" --Lao Tzu

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Moving to three classes per week

Lilyfield Community Centre has shuffled their local activites program and we now have an opportunity to increase our class frequency from one to two week nights. Starting in March 2012, our training schedule will move to Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:30pm while maintaining the Sunday morning 8:30am class. All classes will be for 1 hour.

In line with the changes in weekly class frequency, we will be reviewing our training fee structure to include an attractive monthly option in addition to our existing casual class option. More details to follow.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Saburo Takayasu sensei promoted to 7th Dan

Takayasu sensei, President of the Takemusu Aikido Association, throwing Sydney City dojo instructor Adam Cole-Clark

Saburo Takayasu sensei has been promoted to the grade of 7th Dan black belt by the Aikikai Foundation earlier this month. Takayasu sensei is the president of the Takemusu Aikido Association of which the Lilyfield dojo is a part of. He has been training in aikido since 1967. More information about Takayasu sensei can be found here.

All the instructors at the Lilyfield dojo congratulate Takayasu sensei on this magnificent achievement.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Back in the dojo for 2012

Lilyfield Community Centre will be open after their festive season break. Training at the hall will resume on Wednesday 1 February. Annual registration fees for insurance is now due.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Ian Thomson with Hideo Hirosawa sensei

Last weekend the Takemusu Aikido Association held a seminar with visiting Japanese instructor Hideo Hirosawa (Aikikai 7th dan black belt).

At 74 years of age, Hirosawa sensei had been training for over 50 years. Over the weekend he showed a few 'tricks of the trade' and freely demonstrated with all the seminar attendees.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Hirosawa Sensei Seminar - Sydney 27-28 August 2011 [closed]

Takemusu Aiki Association has organised an Aikido seminar with Hideo Hirosawa Shihan, 7th Dan Aikikai, who will be visiting from Japan. Hirosawa Sensei was born in Iwama in 1937. He trained aikido under the guidance of O-Sensei for twelve years until the Founder's death in 1969. Subsequently, he trained at the Iwama dojo under Morihiro Saito Sensei. The seminar will be held at the King George V Recreation Centre in Sydney's historic and picturesque Rocks area.

The flyer about the seminar can be found here.

Registration for the seminar can be done here.

For enquires, please contact Ian Thomson, 4th Dan via email at seminar@aikidoaus.com.au