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Articles and interviews
Martial arts increase oxytocin production
Yuri Rassovsky, Anna Harwood, Orna Zagoory-Sharon & Ruth Feldman
Scientific reports. Nature. – 2019
Numerous studies have demonstrated that oxytocin (OT), a peptide hormone, plays an important role in regulating mammalian social behaviors, linking it to social affiliation in parent-infant attachment,
romantic and filial relationships, and other prosocial behaviors, such as trust and cooperation. Not surprisingly, research efforts have been made to increase endogenous levels of OT. In the present study,
we investigated whether traditional martial arts training, which integrates the natural benefits of physical exercise with dyadic prosocial interaction, would result in OT response. To this end, 68 beginner
and advanced participants were recruited from several schools practicing Jujitsu (“soft art”), a form of traditional martial arts originating in Japan. Salivary OT levels were assessed at baseline, immediately
following high-intensity training, and following a cool-down period. Analyses revealed a significant increase in OT immediately after a high-intensity training, returning to baseline levels following a cooldown
period. Additionally, although no significant difference between beginner and advanced martial artists was found, a significantly higher increase in salivary OT followed ground grappling, as compared
to “punch-kick” sparring, indicating an added benefit of close contact tactile interaction. These results suggest that the reportedly socially beneficial effects of traditional martial arts may be in part mediated
by OT release and underscore the potentially therapeutic applications of these methods for disorders involving social dysfunction, such as autism, conduct problems, or schizophrenia. (more…)
Aikido For All
Yoshinkan aikido’s Shihan Tsutomu Chida
Written by Enrica Cheung, Paul Chapman & Ben Stone
Tsutomu Chida, 8th Dan Shihan, is well known to devotees of Yoshinkan aikido, and well respected by in-the-know aikidoka the world over. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Shihan Joe Thambu establishing Yoshinkan in Australia, Shihan Chida visited Melbourne to instruct a series of seminars, and impart some of his hard-won aikido wisdom to Blitz.
Chida Sensei, could you please tell us a little about how you started aikido, and some of the history behind your aikido career?
When I started aikido, around 1969, it was not well known or popular. On my way to school, I would sometimes walk by a local aikido school, so one day I joined. At first I kept going just because I didn’t want to give up easily. However, at some point I became captivated by its charms [and have kept going ever since]. (more…)
Your level of physical training
Most of people lose their mind about the PC. And most of them – about the PC games. It’s MMORPG usually like World of Warcraft, Lineage, Perfect World et al.
We waste a lot of time during gaming. (more…)
Interview with Jacques Payet Sensei. Novosibirsk, 21 Feb 2011.
Aikilife: Sensei, welcome to Novosibirsk. It’s great honour for us to meet you again.
Jacques Payet: Thank you. It’s a pleasure for me to arrive to your city again.
Aikilife: Osu, Sensei. On the last year seminar you told us, that you decided to start training in Aikido after watching the technique of Shioda Gozo Sensei. What did you personally for yourself see on that tape?
Jacques Payet: Yes. It was an old, old movie of Shioda Gozo demonstration. I saw very tiny, small person, very easily and smoothly throwing very big people. So, it was looking very beautiful, very fast and very dynamic, and they were doing that, while smiling. So I saw that, what the kind of martial art, I wanted to do. (more…)
Report about Aikido Yoshinkan seminar under the guidance of Jacques Payet Sensei. Novosibirsk, 17-22 Feb 2011
Prologue
There is a good tradition in Novosibirsk to invite Aikido Yoshinkan Masters in February, and this tradition is maintained through years. It’s about -30 degrees outside – good Siberian weather, but this fact is unusual for invited persons. But this year the weather put us in a spot – it was about -7 degrees outside – almost summer days!
It was spent about half of year after the Aikido Yoshinkan 2010 seminar, which turned our minds in Aikido principles understanding, and Federation Council picked up a question about next seminar and its leader again. After the consultations with Jacques Payet Sensei and with permission of Yasuhisa Shioda Kancho it was decided to manage the seminar of 2011 under the guidance of Payet Sensei again. From our side we said: “Osu!” and began preparing of the action wished by all Novosibirsk Aikido Yoshinkan students. (more…)
Interview with Sensei Shioda Yasuhisa
Aiki News #86 (Fall 1990)
In September of 1990, the Yoshinkan Hombu Dojo announced that Yasuhisa Shioda, son of Kancho Gozo Shioda, would succeed his father as 2nd Soke, heir-apparent to the Yoshinkan. We talked to him about his personal history, his approach to the teaching of aikido, and his thoughts on the future of the Yoshinkan. (more…)
Report of Vitaliy Podobaev about the seminar under the guidance of Jacques Payet Sensei
“Dear Podoynikov A. san, first let me introduce myself. My name is Jacques Payet, a former uchideshi of late Shioda Gozo, and I am based in Kyoto Japan. Since September this year, Yasuhusa Shioda Kancho asked me to take over the organization of the IYF and help with the international affairs at the Honbu.”
From this letter 10.10.2009 our contacts with Yoshinkan Aikido Master of 7 Dan, Shihan of Hombu Dojo and simply very unusual man were started. And these contacts leaded us to the event, which will be in our hearts a long time – an Aikido Yoshinkan seminar under the guidance of a person, who is the legend of Aikido World for me, and communication with him is a good fortune, because the month before this letter I started to translate for our students from English to Russian an adaptation of tales and memories of Shioda Gozo Sensei from his own life – the very useful book “Aikido Shugyo. Harmony in Confrontation”. (more…)
Report about Aikido Yoshinkan seminar under the guidance of Shioda Kancho in Novosibirsk
So, it was happened!
Yes, my dear comrades, as I told you before, there was the Aikido Yoshinkan seminar under the guidance of the Director of this Aikido style, Shioda Yasuhisa Sensei, in Novosibirsk from 20th to 23d of February. (more…)
Interview with Takafumi Takeno
Although he is one of the highest-ranking shihan of the Yoshinkan aikido system, Takefumi Takeno continues to approach teaching and training with an open mind. In this installment the 8th dan Takeno shares insights into his unique method of aikido instruction and the operation of one of the most successful aikido schools in Japan. (more…)
