Tag: Aikido

Creative Anachronism in Japanese Martial Arts: Preserving the Past Through Practice by Michael Martin

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Creative anachronism is more than nostalgia; it’s the pointed revival of historical practices in the modern world, imbued with symbolic resonance, ritual, and performance. Like costumed historical reenactors staging battles for educational or cultural impact, practitioners of budō, or traditional Japanese martial arts, engage in reenactment through their uniforms, weapons, customs, and values. In the … Continue reading Creative Anachronism in Japanese Martial Arts: Preserving the Past Through Practice by Michael Martin

Interview with Bartitsu Practitioner Michael Sanders: Learning a System that Practices What it Preaches

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Michael Sanders first began longsword almost half a decade ago and wanted to find something he could train during the summer months, without dying inside the sparring gear. He stumbled on Bartitsu, a Victorian-era martial art blending self-defense, striking, and grappling techniques, and has yet to look back. Sanders sat down to share his insights … Continue reading Interview with Bartitsu Practitioner Michael Sanders: Learning a System that Practices What it Preaches

Interview with Rapier Marshal Lyon MacKeegan: Fighting in the Past and Recreating the Past, Part II

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By the invitation of a high school friend, Lyon MacKeegan found himself being geared up for a Society for Creative Anachronism heavy combat bout. Shortly after, MacKeegan joined the rapier side of the SCA and continued has not looked back since. Throughout his thirty-plus years of active membership, he rose to the position of Rapier … Continue reading Interview with Rapier Marshal Lyon MacKeegan: Fighting in the Past and Recreating the Past, Part II

Interview with Rapier Marshal Lyon MacKeegan: Fighting in the Past and Recreating the Past, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

By the invitation of a high school friend, Lyon MacKeegan found himself being geared up for a Society for Creative Anachronism heavy combat bout. Shortly after, MacKeegan joined the rapier side of the SCA and continued has not looked back since. Throughout his thirty-plus years of active membership, he rose to the position of Rapier … Continue reading Interview with Rapier Marshal Lyon MacKeegan: Fighting in the Past and Recreating the Past, Part I

Interview with Aikido Authors Bob Noha and Laurin Herr: Robert Nadeau and the Art of Transformation, Part II

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Laurin Herr found himself training under Robert Nadeau after a company merger and spending time in Japan training under Michio Hikitsuchi in Shingu. Bob Noha, on the other hand, trained with Nadeau since he was a teenager. Herr, Noha, and four other students of Nadeau came together during the Covid Pandemic to co-author what is … Continue reading Interview with Aikido Authors Bob Noha and Laurin Herr: Robert Nadeau and the Art of Transformation, Part II

Interview with Aikido Authors Bob Noha and Laurin Herr: Robert Nadeau and the Art of Transformation, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Laurin Herr found himself training under Robert Nadeau after a company merger and spending time in Japan training under Michio Hikitsuchi in Shingu. Bob Noha, on the other hand, trained with Nadeau since he was a teenager. Herr, Noha, and four other students of Nadeau came together during the Covid Pandemic to co-author what is … Continue reading Interview with Aikido Authors Bob Noha and Laurin Herr: Robert Nadeau and the Art of Transformation, Part I

A Layman’s Observation: Martial Arts History Does Matter

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I recently watched a video where two martial artists discussed the topic of martial arts history. One of the hosts outright states that such a topic is “bullshit,” simply because it does not help one fight better, or apply a joint lock better, kick better, instill a certain frame of mind, or anything else for … Continue reading A Layman’s Observation: Martial Arts History Does Matter

Interview with Longtime Aikidoka John Lepore: The Impact of Donovan Waite

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John Lepore first entered aikido in Pittsburgh for graduate school. When he returned to Philadelphia, he found Donovan Waite. From the first moment learning from him, Lepore had found his teacher. Today, Lepore took some time to talk about what made Waite stand out from other instructors, what impacted him the most from Waite, and … Continue reading Interview with Longtime Aikidoka John Lepore: The Impact of Donovan Waite

Interview with Kakuto-Ryu Pioneer Ron Breines: Ryukyute, Jujutsu, and Combatives, Part II

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Ron Breines began learning Kakuto-ryu, a strip down and straightforward martial art, from his uncle and his friend Bob in 1970. Stressing combat readiness, Breines found that his training assisted him in acquiring and internalizing many different martial arts and military combatives. Framing Kakuto-ryu in the similar fashion of Ryukyute, Breines emphasizes the combative elements … Continue reading Interview with Kakuto-Ryu Pioneer Ron Breines: Ryukyute, Jujutsu, and Combatives, Part II

Interview with Kakuto-Ryu Pioneer Ron Breines: Ryukyute, Jujutsu, and Combatives, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ Leave a comment

Ron Breines began learning Kakuto-ryu, a strip down and straightforward martial art, from his uncle and his friend Bob in 1970. Stressing combat readiness, Breines found that his training assisted him in acquiring and internalizing many different martial arts and military combatives. Framing Kakuto-ryu in the similar fashion of Ryukyute, Breines emphasizes the combative elements … Continue reading Interview with Kakuto-Ryu Pioneer Ron Breines: Ryukyute, Jujutsu, and Combatives, Part I