Introduction
On Thursday June 4th 2020, Colorado State Governor Polis announced, via an update to Public Health Order 20-28, that gyms are now permitted to open. This is the principal trigger for our planned transition to Phase 3 of our Pandemic Response Plan. We are resuming in-person Aikido classes on Sunday June 7th 2020. As we begin to re-open the dojo, I’d like to take a moment to thank our students for both continuing to attend classes and for your continued support of the dojo! You guys have been great, and while this has been quite a change, for us, this has just meant changing our focus to Bukiwaza for a while. We’ll be continuing weapons classes throughout Phase 3, in an effort to support continued social distancing protocols. We welcome both new students and observers!
Where Are We Now?
We’ve been in Phase 2 for about a week. During Phase 2, we were offering outdoor in-person Aikido classes. We’re eager, as I’m sure everyone is, to safely re-open and get back to regular practice. This has been a great experience for all of our students as we’ve had an opportunity to focus on Bukiwaza. Weapons are an integral part of Iwama Aikido, and spending a few months focused exclusively on weapons has not been wasted time!
“When O-Sensei explained Aikido he always said that taijutsu (body techniques) and ken and jo techniques were all the same. He always started out his explanation of Aikido using the ken. Although he didn’t use a one-two-three method, he always taught us patiently and explained in detail what we should do.”
Morihiro Saito Shihan
In addition to our dojo’s focus on Bukiwaza, Liz and I have been attending regular classes with Patricia Hendricks Sensei. Given that my view of the world, and that shared by my Sempai, is that we all remain students for our entire Aikido career, the opportunity for Liz and I to focus on our personal practice has been fantastic. This is one of the reasons we view an on-going and active relationship with your teacher, regardless of your rank, to be an important aspect of a “Traditional” dojo.
Transitioning to Phase 3
Colorado Public Health Order 20-28 was amended on June 4th 2020. Among other things, the Health Order authorizes gyms to re-open with some restrictions. As an Aikido dojo, we consider the safety and well-being of our students to be the most important consideration. Our parent organization, the California Aikido Association (CAA), has provided some guidance associated with re-opening. Our Phase 3 transition is triggered by the broader regional opening of gyms and/or sports activities. As we transition to Phase 3, there are a set of rules that we must all observe, in order to protect the dojo from the possibility of COVID-19 infection and to support any future public health related contact tracing efforts, should they become necessary. Based on both guidance from the State of Colorado and our parent organization, we feel that it’s possible to safely conduct in-person Aikido classes that focus on Bukiwaza (weapons).
Phase 3 Dojo Rules
These rules don’t represent a big change from the Phase 2 rules. Everyone should read these rules carefully and make sure they understand them. For the time being we will continuing with reduced class lengths (one hour vs. two hours). When we transition to Phase 4, we’ll likely return to our previous schedule. Please email us with any questions!
- All students must arrive wearing their keiko-gi. The changing rooms are closed until we transition to Phase 4.
- All students must sanitize their hands upon arrival and prior to changing partners.
- All students will be required to sign a COVID-19 specific waiver.
- Students will, whenever possible, practice with a single partner for the duration of class. No partner swapping.
- All students, upon arrival, will have their temperature taken using a no-contact thermometer. Anyone with a temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit will not be allowed to practice. All temperature readings will be logged.
- Class sizes are limited to a maximum of 10 people. We will be able to teach up to 8 students at a time.
- Masks must be worn during practice. Masks with ventilation valves are not suitable. For people that may not have an appropriate mask, we’ll have re-usable triple-ply cloth masks available for 10.00 each.
- Personal weapons are required. With the exception of family members, sharing of equipment, including weapons, is prohibited. If you need to purchase weapons, we will have weapons for sale at the dojo. Please see the Resources section at the end of this post. Dojo weapons will not, unfortunately, be available for use during class. All students will need a bokken and a jo. All weapons must be sturdy and able to withstand paired practice. “Red Oak” weapons are prohibited. They have a tendency to break and potentially cause severe injury. Bokken with blunted “Iwama” kissaki (tip) are strongly recommended.
What are we Practicing?
This hasn’t changed from Phase 2, but it’s important to understand that as a dojo practicing Iwama Ryu Aikido, we have a LOT to work on outside of Taijutsu. A partial list is below:
- Ken/Jo Suburi (of course)
- Jo and Ken Awase Practice
- 6/13/31-Jo Kata
- 13 Jo Awase/31 Kumi-Jo
- Kumitachi (+Henka and “combined” versions) – Paired Practice (Bokken/Bokken)
- Kumi-Jo (+Henka and “combined” versions) – Paired Practice (Jo/Jo)
- Ken-Tai-Jo (+Henka and “combined” versions) – Paired Practice (Ken/Jo)
- Riai – The relationship between Ken, Jo, and Taijutsu (We can’t do Taijutsu, but we can demonstrate Riai)
We’re the only dojo in the Colorado Springs region that offers legitimate instruction in Aiki-Ken and Aiki-Jo. Iwama Weapons, just like Aikido in general, isn’t learned from books or videos. You cannot learn Iwama weapons, or even claim to understand the basics, by attending a few seminars. Iwama Bukiwaza is taught by direct transmission via a clear lineage. We welcome anyone that wishes to learn Iwama Ryu Aikido!
Schedule and Location
We officially transition to Phase 3 of our COVID-19 response with in-person Aikido classes starting Sunday June 7th 2020. We’ll continue to do our best to simulcast classes via Zoom for those students that might not be able to make in-person classes. We’ll be moving to a one-hour class schedule, and we’ll be keeping our Sunday class throughout Phase 3. We will also occasionally continue with our plans to hold outdoor classes. It’s important to get outside. Outdoor weapons classes are an Iwama tradition!
What’s Next?
Phase 4! The Phase 4 transition will be triggered by Governor Polis relaxing social distancing guidelines. We will also consider the current state of COVID-19 infection statistics in both Colorado and El Paso County. Phase 4 will relax both restrictions on the number of students on the mat at one time, and we will begin returning to taijutsu practice.
Personal Weapons and Face Masks
In the run-up to Phase 4, we found that personal weapons restrictions were imposing unnecessary logistical burden on folks. The dojo will have weapons suitable for paired practice for sale very shortly. We are also selling reusable face masks. We’re pricing these at cost. We charge slightly more to non-students to help support the dojo. ANYONE that needs personal weapons, please feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to help you continue your practice.
- Japanese White Oak Iwama Ryu Bokken – 61.00 (dojo member) 71.00 (non-member)
- Japanese White Oak Jo (54″) – 66.00 (dojo member) 76.00 (non-member)
- Japanese White Oak Jo (50″) – 53.00 (dojo member) 63.00 (non-member)
- Reusable/Washable 3-Ply Cotton Face Mask – 10.00 (everyone)
We accept cash, check, and PayPal (cash or PayPal preferred). For PayPal transactions, send your payment to payment@cos-aikido.com.
We’re going to be holding a one-hour weapons care class sometime in late June. Everyone is welcome to attend.
