My Aikido

By Sensei Stephen Farrell 

Hi there and welcome to the Sensei Says portion of our website.

Here you will find topics for conversation, a comments section, where you can express your own thoughts and ask your own questions. Aikido is a wonderful form of movement and can generate an enormous amounts of energy, this energy is always of the best kind.

My name is Stephen Farrell  I am the chief Instructor of Aikido Hawke's Bay.

I have held this position since 2001. 

I started training Aikido in 1990 at the Palmerston North Academy Of  Aikido under the instruction of Sensei Steve Shaw.

The first time I saw Aikido was probably the same as most other people, “what is this!” I said to my mate, we had walked in on a demonstration class and what we saw was some guy (an uki) attack Sensei Shaw, he went flying through the air and came crashing down to the mat slapping it repeatedly, with no effort from Sensei, we stayed to watch the rest of the class we were so impressed. I said to my mate when we left “I’m going to do that.”

The next training night I started to learn  Aikido in a practical form. 

Over the years I have trained in many dojo’s in different styles of Aikido and came to the basic conclusion some time ago that we are all doing the same thing in our own way, my style is mine, yours is yours, and all we need to do is be accepting of this. If we can find this acceptance, we are showing awareness and Aikido is an art form that promotes awareness. IT'S TO EASY. 

The people I have met through Aikido are some of the best people I have met in my life so far. They are soft relaxed kind and generous, such is the art for of Aikido.

When I started training Aikido I was none of these things, I was angry most of the time. You could say Aikido is my salvation, and I do, considering that I grew up with anger and alcoholism. This is not an uncommon situation in this day and age, where drug use and alcohol abuse is rife. It stands to reason though, there are more people on our planet so the percentages of all things has increased, however we must strive to better ourselves. 

I used to take my aggression out in sport, it is said that I am very good at sports, well I love playing sport. Being a part of a sports team teaches you all the good stuff in life, team spirit, camaraderie, friendship, modesty and a host of other ways of being.

Aikido has taught me a lot about energy, this knowledge I use in playing sport, my sport of choice is softball, I am 44 and I play against men who are half my age and I will say that I compete very well and love it, the younger men ask me how I do it, how do you throw a ball so hard, I say to them come down to my dojo or come to my coaching session and I will show you, They come, and I show them they love it and I love it, it’s a great feeling  helping others.

I believe awareness is hugely lacking in society in every country in our world. One of my students, when asked what is lacking in our world, answered.

“Respect Sensei”

I then asked him “How do people get to have respect?”

“I don’t know Sensei, train in Aikido?” 

“Yes that would help”, I said, “Do you think you need to have awareness first?”

“Yes” he said.

“And what do we need to have awareness of?

“Ourselves Sensei”.

“And when we have awareness of ourselves then what?”

“We can have respect for ourselves”.

“And then what?

“We can have respect for others Sensei.

“Yes”. I said.

My next question to him was,

“How do we get awareness?”

“We learn to accept Sensei”.

“And what do we accept?”

“All things Sensei.”.

“So we have awareness, acceptance, and then respect?”

“Yes Sensei,

“And what is the feeling of all this?”

“Be happy Sensei!”

“Yes, excellent, see you on Thursday”.  

The student I am talking with is from our kids Aikido class, he is 8 years old.

So my question to all is, if an 8 year old boy can get this then what's the problem out there.