An interview with Michael Sheahon Sensei

by the students of Greater Hartford Aikikai

Glastonbury, CT www.aikidohartford.com

Mike Sheahon Sensei is a sixth dan and chief instructor of the Greater Hartford Aikikai in Glastonbury, Conn.

How did you start the Greater Hartford Aikikai, and how has it changed?

The Greater Hartford Aikikai came about a few months after my family and I returned to the Hartford area in 1993. The owners of a local tang-soo-do school in East Hartford wanted someone to teach aikido on open nights and asked the U.S. Aikido Federation to suggest someone. My name was mentioned, and the school called me. It was a fortunate situation because the facility was nice, and I did not have to pay rent. In fact, the dojo operators paid me to teach on a sliding scale that increased as our membership grew.

After awhile, we could not operate strictly as a program within the tang-soo-do school, so we registered with the U. S. Aikido Federation under our current name. We developed a solid core of members, and some members continued paying monthly fees even though work and family obligations prevented them from attending classes.

A few years after I arrived, the karate program began to suffer, because the owners could not devote as much time to it as they had. Membership dwindled and the school was sold. The new owner allowed us to continue practicing, but financially it was becoming harder for us to continue there.

Finally, in July 2002, we discovered space in a rundown factory building that would cost us less to rent than we were paying the new owner. Our prospective landlord promised to make significant upgrades to the building, so we signed a lease. We made many necessary renovations and officially began classes Oct. 1, 2002. Our program now offers classes six day a week and our dojo finally has the look and feel of a real aikido school.

You practiced at Hombu Dojo for 12 years, what are your most memorable experiences with Seijuro Masuda Sensei?

One of them was the night he walked out from under me while I was flat on my back and five feet in the air. It was like being dropped upside down through the bottom of an empty elevator. It was my introduction to kata-nage (shoulder throws). Usually, koshi-nage techniques allow you to time the fall and grab nage's keiko-gi; also, nage usually provides some support as you land. This was the first time I experienced a clear-fall drop with no support and no sign the fall was coming.

Another memorable moment came shortly after receiving shodan. It was the first time Masuda Sensei ever used me to demonstrate a technique in front of a class. He had always thrown me strongly, but this time he did so faster and more powerfully than ever. He threw me with shiho-nage into a breakfall, but because I was slow to react, my forearm seemed to rotate twice at the elbow. The problem was that even though I tried as quickly as I could to get my body to follow in the direction of the throw, my feet never left the ground. It must have been terrible to witness. I sneaked off to the side and tried to hide from view. I realized that even newly minted yudansha are expected to handle all types of ukemi.

I should have expected something like that to happen, because about a year earlier I was given a nonverbal warning by fellow students to be constantly alert in Masuda Sensei's classes. After one particular class was over, I asked him a question about shiho-nage and as usual he began to demonstrate his answer. Suddenly, I found myself flat on my back looking at the celiling. He had decided to throw in a foot sweep as he completed the shiho-nage. Afterwards, some of his followers told me that he always had a way of waking people up if he thought they were getting complacent in their attitude towards ukemi. The good thing, I am told, is that he only did it with people he liked.

When did you become confident practicing aikido?

Perhaps it is a personality quirk, but I am never confident practicing aikido. I am always concerned I will not be in the right position to take safe ukemi, or I will be unable to practice with my partner in a manner that will be mutually beneficial. I always find something to worry about.

Do you think for aikido to be an effective self-defense, you need training in other martial arts, or can aikido stand alone?

In most cases, well executed aikido is sufficient. In instances where my students have been assaulted, they have always found aikido techniques to be more than adequate. Maybe they tell me only about their successes and not their failures, but it appears that aikido is quite effective.

However, self-defense is distinct from aikido. Aikido training often assumes unspoken agreements between nage and uke about appropriate behavior and the kinds of attacks that will be employed. To protect yourself against a knowledgeable mugger on the street requires a broader background. If you are serious about defending yourself against any attack, you must research many different types of fighting systems. You need to learn their methods for using strikes, kicks and weapons; their strategies; and their blind spots. This is not to say that you cannot use aikido principles to do this, but you need to expand your training beyond the normal class content.

How can someone train to be in the right state of mind for a real-life confrontation?

What is your preferred weapon and why?

I like the jo because it is more versatile than the bokken. The jo does not have the obvious aim of killing and maiming that underlies most other martial arts, especially those that use bladed weapons. The jo encourages large, circular movement that has direct application within our unarmed practice. Its length and that uke can grab both ends allows you to do many aikido techniques with it. Being rigid, it demands that you sharpen your understanding of angles, distancing, center-line integrity and footwork to be effective.

How do you prevent your aikido practice from getting stale over the years?

I have found aikido to be infinitely interesting and have never had to fight staleness. Earlier in my training, I occasionally had periods where I wondered if all the effort was worthwhile. After deciding that it was and committing myself to learning as much as I can during my lifetime, every day has brought new excitement and insight.