Weapons training enhances our understanding of timing, balance, intuition, body positioning, distancing, and the consequences of careless and aggressive behavior. Practicing with weapons also increases concentration, alertness, precision, and decisiveness.

At Newport Beach Aikido, we are very fortunate to have trained under the master swordsman, Seichii Sugano Shihan. The late Sugano Shihan was from a nearly lost generation (only a few are left) of key uchi deshi (live-in-student) who studied daily and directly with the founder of aikido Morihei Ueshiba (otherwise known respectfully as O-Sensei to aikidokas worldwide). As part of his training with O-Sensei, Sugano Shihan studied weapon, particularly with the bokken. Unfortunately, O-Sensei never established a systematic way of practicing with the sword. Sugano Shihan was a master swordsman and, like the rest of his aikido technique, known for his power, speed, and uncanny sense of timing.

Even as Sugano Shihan worked to create a systematic approach to practice with the sword, his instruction had always remained incredibly dynamic and constantly evolving. Sugano Shihan’s weapons instruction was organic and free from any kind of formal kata.

At our Shin Do Kan dojo  (where Sugano Shihan would teach twice a year), he would pair off the students and have them practice basic sword patterns with the bokken designed to develop correct body positioning (hanmi), timing, and increased awareness of distance. 

There five fundamental patterns (icho no ken, ni no ken, san no ken, yon no ken, and go no ken) presented over the course of two volumes (taped several years apart). These fundamental patterns along with endless combinations are taught by Gentil Pennewaert Shihan at Newport Beach Aikido. Pennewaert Shihan has evolved the weapons training to help his students respond naturally with full awareness of timing, distance and direction.

We are proud to offer weapons training at Newport Beach Aikido as part of our learning curriculum every week during the adult classes. Students will find that working with the tanto, jo, and bokken will help them enhance their understanding of aikido and develop their aikido skills with better timing, distance, and direction. (During the Covid period, all classes are weapons based for safe social distancing and we will be focusing primarily on the bokken and jo lessons).