Dojo Workout

Posted on April 1, 2010 – 2:57 AM | by OldManFoster
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By Alicia Dienst  photos by Rose Giudicessi

Matt Fluty is teaching an intermediate aikido class. Fourteen students sit quietly in a line on their knees, hands resting on the tops of their legs. He instructs students on the details of proper posture and bowing, then quickly changes his tone and says, “Okay, let’s start.”

The Aikido Center sits on 21st Street between Pancake Circus and Fringe, where it’s been for over 13 years.  Inside, visitors find a large space with a high ceiling, firm grayish-green mats and white walls. On the north wall is a shelf (called the kamiza or shomen), a scroll with Japanese calligraphy, and a picture of aikido’s founder, Morihei Ueshiba. The space has a clean and austere, yet relaxed quality.  Fluty’s group performs a series of bows and claps done in unison. Fluty explains that these warm-ups help to generate ki (a Japanese concept of life force, similar to Chinese qi or Indian prana) and connect with the spirit of aikido. He tells students, “Be aware of your center.”

Aikido was derived from traditional Jujutsu practices by Morihei Ueshiba, known among followers as O-Sensei. Morihei was both a master of martial arts, budo, and a follower of the Omoto Kyo sect of the non-violent Shinto religion. In 1925, Morihei had the first of several enlightenment experiences that are legendary to aikido students: A naval officer challenged him to a bokken (wooden sword) fight, in which Morihei defeated the officer without ever harming him. After this incident, Morihei identified a new art: “aikido,” which means “the way of unity with universal energy.”  Morihei blended the spiritual disciplines of Shinto and Buddhism, as well as several martial arts and an ethic of non-violence, into a series of 19 physical techniques with thousands of variations.

Morihei died in 1969.  Today the art is learned primarily through personal practice, word of mouth and teachers who have developed different styles and interpretations of his philosophy. Aikido’s common principles- a commitment to non-violence and self-improvement through training- remain unchanged. Sayings by the founder such as “True victory is victory over oneself” have become mantras to aikido students.

Fluty started teaching in 1995 with eight students- he had 40 in less than a year. (Full disclosure: I’ve studied with Fluty for five years, during which time I have also taught classes there.)  After two moves that first year, Fluty and his partner and wife, Theresa, moved to their current location in September 1996. Running their dojo (a Japanese term meaning “a place of the way”) has been demanding at times, but 15 years later, it boasts 67 students aged 10 to 63, including an unusually high proportion of women. “There are a lot of women black belts,” notes student Jennifer Greenman, “so you know there’s no glass ceiling.”  Students’ level of experience ranges from beginning to that of those who have been practicing aikido for 15 years.

“Most people don’t open aikido dojos,” Susan Perry, Editor in Chief of Aikido Today Magazine, says, “because it takes too much work.”  Theresa knows this all too well, saying “we have to fulfill the duties of every position, from janitor to community organizer.”   The Fluty’s students and friends say that the couple maintains a deep commitment to teaching aikido and the growth of their students, as well as to building a business consistent with aikido’s principles. The business has faced many challenges, but Matt never doubted their success.  “Once I stepped on the path of aikido, I thought, ‘this is what I want to do with my life.’”

For students, the Aikido Center is both business and community. In fact, Martine Shelley, a four-year student, distinguished it from a business, saying instead “it’s a dojo.” Students voluntarily participate in the dojo’s upkeep and activities, and help each other learn the art. Julie Newlin, a relatively new student, said the people at the Center are supportive and helpful rather than competitive. “You don’t have to feel stupid if you don’t get something,” Newlin says. “I’ve been very surprised at how kind every black belt [student] has been to me.” She attributed the Flutys’ success in part to how perceptive they are about people. “To run a successful dojo, you need to tune into all kinds of people. They instruct well and yet let people learn the way they need to.”

Jeff Ogata, who has been studying aikido with Matt Fluty since the beginning observes that people are drawn to contribute because of the Flutys’ sincere commitment to their work and, therefore, the community. “You can’t help but want to see it succeed,” he says, “because if it doesn’t, where else are you gonna go to get this experience?” Theresa Fluty says people take up different responsibilities because they love the dojo. “Aikido helps them in their daily lives,” she adds.

“The challenge has been to educate the public,” says Matt Fluty. “Most people think of aikido as one of many martial arts. The powerful distinction is it’s not about fighting. It’s loving protection of all beings.”

2417 21st Street, Sacramento
(916) 456-5641
www.theaikidocenter.com

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  1. One Response to “Dojo Workout”

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    By Juste Belmont on Sep 18, 2010 | Reply

    I wish I could go practice aikido there. But I live in hell, I mean in new jersey.

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