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My training at New School Aikido began in September 1990. About 18 months later, I was in an accident outside the dojo in which my heel was crushed and ankle joint collapsed, leaving me with a  small erector set of surgical pins and a steel plate in my right foot. My orthopedic surgeon tried to convince me I'd never be able do aikido again. I didn't buy it. Fortunately, aikido is flexible enough to accommodate people with a wide variety of special needs, physical and otherwise. I received my shodan in 1995 and nidan in 1997.

When not taking ukemi, I work as a journalist at The Modesto Bee, a McClatchy Newspaper located in the fertile San Joaquin Valley of California. I also run a desktop publishing business and dabble in new media publishing, the fruit of which you see here.

• Read my account of Aikido as a martial art.
• My favorite life parable.
• People I turn to for inspiration when the universe deals me a bad hair day.
• Welcome to my dojo.
• My article on New School Aikido.
• My article on New School Aikido founder John Smartt.
• Profile of renowned adventurer Royal Robbins.
• Favorite books on Aikido.
• Dojo photo gallery.
• Great sites for Japanese history, art and culture.

Aikido Parable

O Sensei believed that man made his own Heaven and Hell right here on Earth. Unfortunately, so few people seem to understand that life is what we choose to make of it in terms of our attitude and outlook. We create our own painful thoughts, which leads to negativity and the plugging up of the flow of ki.

Aikido Sensei Mitsugi Saotome recounts the following Japanese fable to illustrate this wonderful point in his thoughtful book, Aikido and the Harmony of Nature:

I am reminded of an old Japanese folk tale of an adventurous young man who wanted to know the difference between heaven and hell. He first looked upon hell and saw many people seated at a long table filled with the finest foods. But everyone had gaunt faces with sunken cheeks. They were thin and weak, crying in despair. A closer look revealed that their hands had only two fingers formed into the shape of hashi, Japanese chopsticks, four feet long. Although they could pick up the food, their fingers were so long that they could not get it into their mouths. In frustration, they were turning their tools into weapons, fighting selfishly among themselves for the food they could not eat.

Then he looked upon heaven. He saw the same long table with the same beautifully prepared food and the same long fingers. But everyone was laughing and smiling at the others. Their cheeks were full and glowing with health. There was no fighting, for they picked up the food and, extending it to the other side of the table, fed each other.

What is the difference between heaven and hell? Consciousness, compassion and cooperation.

In an era when the term "martial arts" conjures up images of karate-chopping Ninja Turtles, one might look skeptically at a martial arts school that preaches love and compassion as an integral part of self-protection.

In the dojo at New School Aikido at 3025 McHenry Ave., you won't see any brick-busting kicks or combatants trying to knock the stuffing out of each other with powerful one-inch punches.

As director Stephen Steger explains, the Japanese art of aikido is unique in that it is a self-defense system committed to non-violence.

"The ethical philosophy of aikido is based in the practical application of non-violence," said the 27-year-old Modesto native.

Steger, a Downey High School graduate, opened the Modesto dojo in May after earning his black belt from New School Aikido founder John Smartt of Stockton.

Steger's dojo has about 40 students, both adult and children, and his goal is to see enrollment swell to 150 by 1992.

His students include teachers, writers, police officers and black belts in the other "harder" martial arts, such as tae kwan do and judo.

Steger was studying photography at Modesto Junior College and working at the college's art supply store in the mid-1980s when he became fascinated with aikido.

"It was a way for me to work through my nervousness and shyness, and also intense enough to wake me up to fact that there's another world out there," he said.

Steger also credits aikido with helping him stay fit and overcome a chronic intestinal illness he's suffered since age 10.

"Fitness is a big part of aikido. It's amazing what happens when you get 'ki flowing through your body,'"' he said.

In Japanese, "do" means way, "ai" means harmony and "ki" refers to the internal energy in all living things and in nature.

Aikido, Steger explains, is the culmination of 2,000 years of evolution of martial arts in Japan. Its founder, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), revolutionized the martial arts world by developing a new self-defense system that emphasized the need to achieve inner harmony as well as technical mastery.

"Aikido is not just a set of combat techniques for self-protection. There's a whole ethical philosophy support system there to nurture the intellect also," Steger said.

That philosophy of compassion for one's opponent and inner harmony is evident in its physical techniques. An aikido student learns to "blend" with an attack and turn it to his advantage.

Aikidoists avoid meeting the force of an attack head-on. Instead, one is taught to "lead" the force and energy of the attacker in the direction it wants to go, where it can be neutralized with minimal injury to the opponent.

There are no bone-crushing punches or roundhouse kicks. Aikido largely depends for its effectiveness on joint locks, throws and upsetting an opponent's balance to bring him to the ground.

"Police officers are especially fond of aikido because they can focus on the non-violent resolution of conflicts," Steger said. "They know they can use a technique without ... permanently injuring anyone. That's important when it comes to things like liability."

Another important difference from other martial arts is that aikido does not encourage competitive bouts among participants, Steger said.

"One of the principles of aikido is to avoid winning at another's expense. That's a serious problem that feeds into the cycle of revenge," he said. "Aikido provides people with a way to maintain their physical integrity while following a more compassionate way."

There are hundreds if not thousands of aikido techniques, and Steger said one of the unusual things about it is that the art is constantly evolving.

"It has no fixed form or style. Many times a new technique will be discovered spontaneously in a class. Kids are real good at that," he said.

"I like aikido a lot because it's fun and you don't hurt the other kids," said 10-year-old Dustin Brown, a Woodrow Elementary School fifth-grader who has been a New School Aikido student since September.

Another aikido tenet is reaching out in the community to promote the principles of the art, which can be a valuable tool in promoting the business itself.

"One of our goals is to take the insights of what you learn in the dojo and make it happen in your daily life; to bring the way of harmony into the mainstream of American life," he said.

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ROYAL ROBBINS HAS CLIMBED TO THE TOP 
AND FOUND HIMSELF

Release date: 05-10-96

By STUART GORDON

Scripps-McClatchy Western Service

But declaring that it will take three volumes to do justice to this memoir could be perceived as the pinnacle of vanity.

Unless, that is, you've led a life of adventure and daring that makes Indiana Jones look like a couch potato.

Modesto's Royal Robbins just might be justified in thinking his autobiography could fill three volumes. A world renowned mountain climber, kayaker, environmentalist and successful clothier of rugged outdoor wear, Robbins has packed more adventure in his 61 years than most people could in a dozen life times.

His exploits include first ascents on El Capitan and the northwest face of Half Dome in Yosemite Valley, and first descents of more than 25 rivers in California and Chile.

In the last three years, he's been able to add philosopher and mentor to his resume. He's become a much sought-after speaker by civic and environmental groups, mountaineering and river-rafting organizations and schools all over the United States.

Robbins logged about 100 speaking engagements in the past year, gaining a reputation for riveting audiences with inspiring personal accounts of life on the edge -- minus a safety net.

Not bad for a person who was once described by others as a quiet, taciturn man who seemed uneasy around people.

About the only thing preventing him from writing his memoir is finding the time to do it.

``I started writing an autobiography last year, but I've only got a few pages written so far,'' he said apologetically during a recent interview.

Much of his focus and energy these days is on his Modesto-based outdoors company, which he and his wife, Liz, who is also a climber, started in 1968.

Recently, they've been weighing options about the company's long-range future, including a possible relocation ``closer to the mountains.'' Robbins mentioned Utah or Colorado as possibilities.

A biography of Robbins was published in May 1993 by Adventures Meaning Press of Lincoln, Neb. But the 284-book, written by fellow climber Pat Ament, didn't capture all the critical lessons and insights about life Robbins feels he learned on his way up sheer granite walls or rushing down the spine of a wild frothing river.

The book is sold at his Royal Robbins outlet stores in Modesto, Berkeley and Hilton Head, S.C.

During a recent talk at Columbia College, the 61-year-old adventurer told students and faculty that getting to the top of mountains or through untried white water did more than just put him in the record books. Those experiences shaped his outlook on life.

``The real thing we'll be talking about is not what we can see, but what we can't see,'' said Robbins as he prepared to show slides.

``It's the motivation; it's the impulse; it's where the energy comes from. It's what I call the spirit of adventure,'' continued Robbins, a high school dropout who once spent a day in jail for burglary as a teen-ager. Mountain climbing turned his life around.

``If we don't have purpose in our lives, we human beings tend to go flat and fall apart,'' he said.

Over the years, Robbins said he learned to call upon the feeling of exhilaration he gets from climbing and kayaking and apply it to all aspects of his daily life.

He's always urging people to ``try new things, explore and seek adventure in their lives. If you live with an adventurous attitude toward life, things have a way of going better for you. You're healthier; you have more friends.''

Which isn't to say throw discretion to the wind.

``It's also important to bring along prudence in with your outdoor adventure,'' said Robbins, who broke an arm as a young climber of 15 but avoided any other serious mishaps until 43 years later.

While climbing along Sonora Pass, loose rock fell on him from above, breaking five ribs and a collarbone.

People often ask him, ``Why risk your life just to conquer a mountain? What useful purpose does it serve?''

``I tell them conquering mountains is not what it's all about. It's about the changes that go on inside you,'' he said. ``The mountains are the anvil on which a climber forges his character. For that reason, they're far from useless. They're very useful indeed.''

To this day, the trim, white-bearded adventurer still climbs, still kayaks. Severe arthritis in his hands and ankles threatened to end his outdoor exploits in the late 1970s. Despite the pain, he continued to kayak and maintained a positive outlook on life. He said he hasn't been bothered by arthritis for more than a decade.

``I do believe that the more optimistically you approach life, the better your health will go for you,'' he said.

Robbins shares a love and respect for nature with one of his personal heroes, naturalist and explorer John Muir, who himself was a skillful climber.

And like Muir, his thirst for adventure has brought him face to face with his own mortality. On his second solo ascent of El Capitan, an effort that took 10 days, he recalled being ``pushed to my limit.''

After seven grueling days of climbing, Robbins still found himself 1,000 feet from the top.

``I was getting to the bottom of the sack. I felt like an empty husk. Suddenly, I was just looking for a reason to give up,'' he said.

Robbins began playing a mental game with himself, promising to rappel down after just five more feet up. He played that game all the way to the top.

``Isn't that sometimes the way it is in life? Our dreams are sometimes so far out there, you don't see how you're going to reach them,'' he told his Columbia College audience. ``But you don't have to see how. All you have to do is hang onto them, and they pull you to them like iron to a magnet.''

One of the most valuable lessons he's learned came while cheating death on a Chilean river. Knocked out of his kayak, Robbins was sucked into a ``keeper hole,'' -- a churning vortex of water that holds you under.

``All I could do is fight to get to the surface to get air. I felt like a rat in a Maytag washing machine,'' he said. ``I had this very dangerous thought -- I was going to die. Frankly at that moment, I was almost gone. I had given it everything I had. I had nothing left. I relaxed. Giving up the struggle is so seductive.''

At that instant, a picture of his family -- his wife Liz, son Damon, and daughter Tamara -- flashed through his mind.

He said that image ``released something, some energy some emotion, some adrenalin. I thought to myself, "Wait a minute. You almost gave up. You've got something left.'''

He worked his way out of that keeper hole. Robbins is quick to note that it wasn't fear that saved him.

``You hear so much about the instincts for self-preservation and that if you're just afraid enough, you can do anything -- lift automobiles, run like a gazelle,'' he said. ``Well, fear didn't do it for me. It took the thought of my family reaching out to me. In a sense, their love for me saved my life. We hear that love is the most powerful force in the universe. This was an illustration of that for me.''

(Stuart Gordon writes for the Modesto Bee in California)

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Suggested Reading

• Aikido and the Harmony of Nature, by Mitsugi Saotome

An exceptionally well written book by one of O Sensei's uchi deshi. Saotome Sensei also shows his talents as an artist and calligrapher. Good job of describing the metaphysical side of aikido techniques.
• Aikido, The Way of Harmony, by John Stevens

Heavy use of photographs to clearly show the flow of aikido techniques. By one of the foremost American experts on aikido and Buddhism.
• The Essence of Aikido, by John Stevens

If you want to get into the complex and often esoteric mind of Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba, this book is it. Filled with calligraphy, poetry and biography of O Sensei. Contains priceless photos of O Sensei performing techniques in his Aikibudo days.
• Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere, A. Westbrook and O. Ratti

A classic in the Aikido world, this book contains great illustrations of a plethora of aikido techniques. To see a sample of one of O. Ratti's illustrations in this book, see the Aikido Diary Stories page.

Japanese Cultural Sites on WWW

• To see a great collection of Japanese art, visit the University of Idaho
• Visit this Gopher for summaries of various periods of Japan's history.
• The WWW Virtual Library can point you to a plethora of sites pertaining to Japanese language, culture, government and society. Most of this information relates to modern-day Japan as opposed to the era of the samurai.

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