Introduction
We attended the Aikido of Arlington Tai Sai this year. The Tai Sai coincided with the dojo’s 30th Anniversary. Tai Sai is a celebration of Morihei Ueshiba’s life and is a special occasion honoring the gift of Aikido that O’Sensei left all of us. The Aikido of Arlington Tai Sai Seminar always happens during the weekend that is closest to the anniversary of O’Sensei’s passing (April 26th 1969). This seminar is, consistently, one of the best seminars I attend every year. Patricia Hendricks Shihan (Aikido of San Leandro) has taught this seminar for at least the last ten years.
This year also marked the 30th Anniversary of Aikido of Arlington. We’ve both been long term students of Yvonne Thelwell Sensei and still consider ourselves members of the Aikido of Arlington dojo.
Aikido of Arlington’s 30 Year History
Donny Lyon Sensei (1952-1996) started Aikido of Arlington in 1989. Yvonne Thelwell Sensei started practicing Aikido that same year. The dojo started in a gym, where Lyon Sensei taught two morning classes a week. Within 12 months of opening, the dojo had moved to it’s present location at the Clarendon Presbyterian Church. The Church has graciously hosted the dojo for almost it’s entire 30 year history.
Lyon Sensei passed away in 1996, and Thelwell Sensei has been leading Aikido of Arlington since then. Thelwell Sensei’s teaching style and her steadfast dedication to the dojo are inspirational. Aikido of Arlington has also been lucky to have had great support from Patricia Hendricks Shihan and the greater California Aikido Association. We have personally been fortunate to have had the the opportunity to know, and study under, both Thelwell Sensei and Hendricks Shihan.
I started practicing at Aikido of Arlington in early 2002. Elizabeth started in 2007. Coming back here always feels like we’re coming home. The DC area has a population of Aikido dojos that are among the best in the country. Just about every major style of Aikido is represented in the NoVA/DC area. The Aikido of Arlington Tai Sai always includes attendees representing most of the local dojos.
Our Visit
We arrived a few days early, on Tuesday April 16th, to get some mat time in at Aikido of Arlington. Elizabeth and I have been working, for a few months, to get ready for testing. We also took some time off to visit with friends and to enjoy a few familiar venues. We both miss being able to get an Affogato. If there is a Valhalla, Affogato is served there!
Elizabeth’s Ikkyu Test
Elizabeth had her Ikkyu test on Wednesday April 17th at Aikido of Arlington. Thelwell Sensei officiated her test. John Nguyen (Aikido of Fairfax) and I were also honored to sit on her test panel. She did a great job. She was well prepared, and both Taijutsu and Weapons were well demonstrated. She’s well on track to test for Shodan next year. As both her husband and her sempai, I could not be more proud. Elizabeth is developing powerful technique and great ukemi. She’s worked really hard over the last year, preparing for Ikkyu, and her test clearly demonstrated this.
Friday Party!
Thelwell Sensei traditionally has a small party the Friday night before the seminar. The party was very well attended this year! We got to spend some time with Hendricks Shihan, Thelwell Sensei, and lots of friends that we haven’t seen in a while! I owe John White, one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever known, a particular shout out for bringing a 4-pack of Ayinger Celebrator to the party.
The Tai Sai and Anniversary Celebration
As always, the seminar was fantastic. Hendricks Sensei usually focuses on fundamentals, but this year, she taught a more advanced seminar. In addition, Hendricks Sensei taught an “Extra Keiko” session on Saturday afternoon that focused on kaeshi-waza. The theme of the seminar was focused on finding and balancing the “four elements” in keiko.
We look forward to the Tai Sai every year. The seminar, this year, was well attended, and we got the chance to practice with some very experienced Aikidoka representing most of the mainstream styles of Aikido. We also brought along one of our students, and he got a chance to experience not only Northern Virginia, but to practice with the folks that he hears stories about all the time.
Yudansha Testing
On Saturday, around noon, Hendricks Sensei officiated Yudansha tests. Four of us tested. There were three Shodan candidates from Aikido of Virginia Beach. I was testing for Nidan. We were honored to have not only Hendricks Sensei sitting on our test panel, but also Yvonne Thelwell Sensei (6th Dan), Jim Sorrentino Sensei (5th Dan – Dojocho – Aikido of Northern Virginia), and John Nguyen Sensei (4th Dan).
The Shodan candidates all did very well, and my test is honestly a bit of a blur. I had some excellent ukes, and my randori felt like more of a bar brawl than it probably should have been, but all in all I was not unhappy with my test. Then… Lunch with old and new friends… I was pretty exhausted.
Saturday Afternoon Class
The Saturday afternoon class ran until about 6 PM. The last session on Saturday was a “special keiko” class. The focus was on kaeshi waza. We also covered “Jo-Tai-Ken” (vs. Ken-Tai-Jo). Hendricks Sensei taught some techniques, both weapons, and taijutsu, that I hadn’t seen previously.
As part of Aikido of Arlington’s 30th Anniversary Celebration, they held an Embu-Kai (demo) on Saturday afternoon. There were some really fantastic demos. It’s great to see both old friends and new folks on the mat, obviously working as hard as we did when we were attending regular classes at Aikido of Arlington. The photo to the left is of Dave Kohls (Nidan) demonstrating one-armed adaptations of techniques.
Sunday Class
Class on Sunday ran until about 3 PM. I was pretty exhausted. Like Saturday, we practiced a variety of new things. Hendricks Shihan taught some new (to us!) weapons kata, and at the end, she held a Q&A session. This is a segment that I particularly enjoy. Sensei told the “bell” story again, and honestly, it is one of my favorite stories. It puts a smile on my face every time I hear it.
Thanks
As always, I owe a huge thanks to the folks from Northern Virginia Ki Aikido. They graciously open their dojo to Aikido of Arlington every year, for the Tai Sai seminar. I also owe them a personal thanks for everything that they’ve done for me, over the course of my Aikido career. NoVA Ki Aikido (nee “The Virginia Ki Society”) was where I first stepped on the mat, and I was proud not only to be testing for Nidan on the same mat that I practiced on for the first time 22 years ago, but I was especially happy that many of my original sempai and sensei were present for my test. Those that couldn’t be present, I was happy to have spent some time with on Friday night!
Heading Home
We always enjoy visiting the DC area, but it doesn’t take long for us to remember why we moved to Colorado Springs. We also stayed at an AirBnB for the first time, and we are both overwhelmingly happy with this as a travel option. I think we’re both a little seminar weary at this point. We’ve attended four seminars so far this year, and we haven’t really hit June yet. We’re absolutely looking forward to Doshu’s visit in September. It is nice to be back home, though.
