5. January 2010 by Dojo-Cho Tim.

Hello To You All!!!We have had a very successful year in 2009 at the Manasquan Dojo! We did some good road trips and held some great events. Some of the entry’s/photo’s below reflect that. First, I want to thank all of you for the support at the dojo. Without you, we would have never achieved the goals that we did! Remember, 2009 bought to us one of the worst financial crisis’s we have seen in a long time. Even with this, we survived and prospered!Now 2010, a whole new year, is upon us. I am sure that some of you have New Years resolutions that you want to make sure they get achieved or accomplished. I want to talk about those new goals! Not that I’m an expert in how to achieve goals, but I think I’m a good motivator with allot of energy to pass around. (Hopefully I won’t be drained of this energy and shrivel up like a prune.. ha) With this in mind, I would like to request of you to do something for me first! Please.. this is a request and not a demand.. I need your help. Here it goes:First, write down all the goals you want to achieve this year. Make 3 copies of it. One copy goes on your refrig so you can see it every day. Second copy gets posted at your job so when the pressures of work get in the way, you can look at the list and be motivated again. The third copy is an important one… The third copy goes to a friend. That friend is the support/pain in the “but” that will be checking in on you to see if you are accomplishing those goals. Hopefully that friend can yell at you, insult you, and help you to achieve those goals. Maybe your friend can join you on some of those goals so you can insult each other when one of you “slack-off”! Most important, there has to be DEADLINES on these goals. A deadline produces pressure/stress that eventually leads to success!Now, where do I come in? Well, I have several students that have been hanging around practicing Aikido at the dojo for a while and having some fun. That is OK. I am sure that to these students the mere practice of Aikido gives them the peace in life that helps them make it through those difficult times, family and work issues. Yet, I have several senior students that have neglected to advance in their rank, or close the chapter and start a new one! I am requesting all of the latter to help me. I WANT YOU TO ADVANCE! Get out of the SLUMP, OK.. I said it.. it is time to move on! It is negligent of you not even to consider this option as a true practitioner of the PATH.At the present time, absent of the most recent students, everyone will be eligible to test for the next rank on our next testing session which will be some time in April of this New Year! Just ask yourself some questions.. How long have I’ve been at the present rank?, Based at the time I have been at this rank, can I have squeeeezzzed out SOME time to concentrate towards the dedication of training time?, Again, HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN AT THIS RANK?.. Can I do it?So, back to the New Years Resolution wish list… I want you to put “I am testing for my next rank” on that list. Here are some of my recommendations on how you can achieve this goal:(a.) First and foremost… empty your cup! thats right, start from scratch. Thats why on our testing requirements, once you test for a rank & pass, the next rank starts on a whole new class requirement accumulation., (b.) Take out your Aikido Student Handbook, which is authored by O’Connor Sensei, and READ IT AGAIN! [Empty your cup] (c.) Make sure to sign up to the “Members Lounge” on the Aikido Centers website. The members lounge has all the rank requirements and videos of same. Visualization is very important in your training. You do it every day when you come to class!, (d.) Put DEADLINE dates on how this training should be achieved. All physical training has to have deadline dates so the athlete can achieve the projected goal., (e.) You HAVE to dedicate training time that cannot be violated. If you miss a day, you have then a “make-up” day to do. You will come to class early (which is spelled out in the student handbook) and prepare your mind & body for training. You CANNOT show up 2 minutes before class! (f.) Find an Aikidoka buddy that wants to achieve the same goal & set up practice time before and after class, or at different times at the dojo. Everyone knows that the dojo is available for them at any time! LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR: regular class times are designed for general membership practice and NOT the venue for me to focus on ONE students testing requirements! (g.) and finally… I will be there with you training side by side! I will be going up to East Hanover every other Saturday to train, so come with me. I will achieve that goal with you and restart my training again! LETS DO IT TOGETHER! (Sorry, this posting/BLOG did not separate the paragraphs the way I wanted and it looks like a run-on sentence!) The Manasquan Samurai will be there too! Manasquan Samurai

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30. October 2009 by Dojo-Cho Tim.

Hi Guys,

Attached are just some great pics from this past summer at the dojo. Look at all the smiles!

Thanks for making this stuff fun!

Kittatinny:

Blue Claws: blue-claws-1.jpg   blue-claws-21.jpg

Summer Challenge 2009:

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27. September 2009 by Dojo-Cho Tim.

WOW… what another great time today! The weather was fantastic and we had over twenty in attendance! The bike tour is designed as a family event and especially for the kids. Needless to say, the Smith Family took most of the show by falling all over the place! I also had to join them when my front tire decided to go in the direction I did not want to go! Sorry, I did not get to do the perfect roll I have always dreamed of. :-(  I was wearing a backpak that had all the repair tools, for the Smith family, on my back and it thru my “tandan” off… ouch!

I want to thank Duffy Smith for making the treasure hunt a great success! It was very creative and the kids were all over the place. He spent serious time putting out the hint bags on the trail before we even got there! What a great job and I want to truly thank him for all the help in the special event within the event.. Thanks. Hopefully more can make it next year and have a great time with nature in Aiki-Spirit!

Bike Tour 9/26/09

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14. September 2009 by Dojo-Cho Tim.

Yes, what an experience doing this project as a stunt coordinator for this movie! Needless to say, the hours that went into the training with the actor, then the endless wait the day of filming was never ending. All of this time for a fight sequence that might last 15 seconds.. tops! All credits for the film will go to the dojo!

Kit and I arrived on the movie set at about 4pm, 9-13-09, on location in Staten Island. The actual fight scene did not role into action till around 1am! Then finished at about 3am. We did not get home till around 4am.. maybe! Rememer, we had to pick up the mats & load onto the van. One thing for sure, actors hang around for a LONG time doing nothing. The Director and editor are the guys who really make a movie work in my opinion.

I want to give special thanks to Kit for helping me during this project and being my backup on the movie set. Thanks KIT! I want to thank members of the dojo for helping around the dojo when I had scheduled the practice sessions at the the dojo. Without the dojo & member support, this would have never happened. THANK YOU!

Please see attached photos taken while we were on the movie set. Click on our FaceBook page for additional photos at  http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo_search.php?oid=136550070600&view=all  :

swats-1-movie-9_13_09-1.jpg   swats-1-movie-9_13_09-7.jpg

To see on going details of the movie project, please click on http://www.swats1.com/codenameoperationblackthunder.html 

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8. September 2009 by Dojo-Cho Tim.

All I can say is WOW, FANTASTIC, and AMAZING!

Shihan Christain Tissier is definetly one of the most amazing instructors I have seen to date! I am sure everyone that attended would agree and had a fantastic time. Our own “Zach”, who is only “13 years old”, was taken out for UKEMI my Shihan Tissier three times. Congrats to ZACH for representing with pride!

I know I will return next year. This instructor/seminar is one for you to attend in the future if you really want to have a good time! Montreal during this time of year has several public events to include a World Film Festival and some concerts which we attended for free. They celebrate “Labor Day” also because it first started there! The wives went sight seeing to some historic sites and one of them (Purnima) even attended a service at the historic “Notre Dame”!

Please see attached photos & also click on additional photos at http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=136550070600&view=user#/photo_search.php?oid=136550070600&view=all for FaceBook photos.

  Click on link to see photo Tim, Shihan Tissier, Sensei O’Connor

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30. September 2008 by Dojo-Cho Tim.

I had in my possession a drawing handout of the Iwama Jo Kata’s for a long time. I am not sure when & where I got it, but thanks to James Walsh (Aiki-Parent) that document is now on a .pdf form for you to view.

Click on Saito/Iwama Aiki-Jo

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1. September 2008 by Dojo-Cho Tim.

Below are all the forms for testing applicants and requirements for adults and Aiki-Kids. Please print/fill them out / bring to dojo:

testing-procedure-4_6_09.pdf

evaluation_form4_6_09.pdf

test_application4_6_09.pdf

Aiki-Kids Testing Requirements Pg1

Aiki-Kids Testing Requirements Pg2

ACNJ Testing Requirements

ACNJ Testing Requirements (2nd pg.)-Testing For Aikido Rank

Evaluation Explanations

Hombu Reg. (Only For Shodan Apps.)

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