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"Noe Valley Voice" (May 1990) |
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[In a newspaper article appearing in the Noe Valley Voice, the caption below this photo read: "At Aikido of Noe Valley, aikidokas (aikido practitioners) like Bill Witt (standing) and David Eves learn how to fall in such a way as to deflect the force of the impact. PHOTO BY: LORENE WARWICK." The article presents some of the history of the dojo. Shihan Bill Witt, 7th degree black belt, visited the school to lead a seminar. Since this piece is somewhat dated, and to eliminate any confusion for visitors to this website, a few misleading details have been omitted and more current information - such as times and structure of classes - has been inserted surrounded by brackets].
PRACTICING THE GENTLE MARTIAL ART OF AIKIDO (PART I)
By Janis Mara
Two students charge aikido teacher Steve Gengo, grabbing his wrists. Standing absolutely still between them, Gengo rotates his hands back slightly, then scoops his arms straight up. The students drop to the floor like a shot, landing with a mighty thud.
This may sound like an episode from a Bruce Lee movie, but in reality it's just business as usual at Aikido of Noe Valley, the school at 26th and Castro that shares space with Keiko Fukuda's judo school (or dojo, as it is called in Japanese).
Aikido is a non-violent martial art, used as a form of self-defense, says Gengo, but it is also well known for its "beauty and health-rendering aspects." In addition, he says, "Aikido principles are as applicable to your work and personal relationships as to a physical assault--and it's fun."
Magically, Gengo's two attackers spring to their feet, unharmed by their falls. The thunderous noise that accompanied the falls was caused mostly by their arms slapping the mat, part of the falling technique that deflects the force of the impact and allows an aikidoka (aikido practitioner) to fall many times during a class without sustaining injuries or trauma.
Despite the rather violent image most people have of martial arts, aikido is actually one of the gentler martial arts forms, and the chance of injury is small.
"If you're using too much physical force, you're probably not doing it right," says aikido sensei (teacher) Gengo, a [fifth-degree] black belt who is one of the dojo's three instructors. "You need the absence of collision to make aikido techniques flow."
Next, Gengo demonstrates an exercise, or teiso, with fellow black belt Dave Eves acting as the uke, or fall guy. This exercise is like a dance in which the two move in circles, twirling each other around while holding hands.
"In aikido the first step is to blend with the other person's energy," says Gengo. Indeed, as Eves and Gengo move across the mat that occupies almost the entire room, it is hard to tell who is leading at a given moment.
After Gengo and Eves conclude their demonstration, the 15 or so students who have been sitting and watching do a deep bow in unison, then pair off to practice the technique with each other. The pairing is polite and rather formal--one aikidoka establishes eye contact, then bows to the other, who returns the bow. Then the two begin to practice. Soon the large room is filled with moving bodies.
Aikido of Noe Valley was founded three years ago in 1987 by John O'Connell, who is [no longer] a sensei at the dojo, and Tony Piazza, a lawyer who is [also] no longer with the school. According to O'Connell, who also co-founded New Games, a New Age non-competitive games company, the dojo got started when Aikido of San Francisco, a formative school for aikido in Northern California, folded. O'Connell and Piazza then decided to start their own school, and chose Fukuda's site in Noe Valley because they wanted "a small, homey, local dojo."
When Piazza's role diminished as his mediation work took him on the road, two other instructors - Gengo, who is also a licensed therapist, and SueAnn McKean, an award-winning body builder - joined O'Connell.
The idea of having more than one teacher came from Aikido of San Francisco. "Very few dojos have more than one head teacher," O'Connell says, "and perhaps that's the nature of a small business. But this way offers different perspectives. Students can choose the teacher who suits them best, or train with all three and learn a tremendous amount about the art."
There are currently about 50 people studying aikido with O'Connell, Gengo, and McKean. [Eight regular classes are currently offered, three in the evening and five during the day. Evening classes are Monday, Wednesday, & Friday from 6 to 8 PM. Monday through Friday a class is offered from NOON to 1:30 PM. Occasional Saturday classes for jo & bokken are held outdoors at select locations]. (con't)
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