Alness Aikido Club members welcome leading sensei
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Aikido practitioners in Alness were joined by others from around the world for a two-day seminar led by one of the world’s leading authorities on the martial art.
Ninth Dan sensei Philip Burgess travelled from Coventry to demonstrate his skills in the Highland town over the weekend – just one of four people worldwide to currently hold such a high grading.
People had travelled from London and even Sweden to take part in the event, which Roy Cliff of Alness Aikido Club said was of great interest.
“Four people were going to gradings so we had to cover those, and we also went through what British Aikido is doing currently,” he said of the topics covered.
“There were a lot of people belonging to the Alness club and there were a lot of old faces,” he said.
“It was very good and I was pleased with so many coming along.”
Of Aikido itself, Mr Cliff said it was not a sport but rather an art form, which had been developed from Jiu Jitsu.
He said the idea at all times for those practising was to prevent yourself being attacked.
“You have to take the person’s mind before the attack starts,” he said of the approach by practitioners
“It’s not easy to describe – you have to feel the thing.”
