Blog

Articles written by Ivan Melo and Cathy Okada. Most articles are also available in português and español.

Kata: The Book of the Body

by aikidogyodokan.com | 24 June 2026 | Blog, Ivan Melo | 0 Comments

See previous articles Written by Ivan Melo In the society we live in today, writing occupies a central place in the transmission of ideas. Books, articles, manuals, and documents are important ways of preserving and transmitting knowledge. But no one truly learns...

What Does it Mean to be a Martial Artist?

by aikidogyodokan.com | 18 June 2026 | Blog, Ivan Melo | 0 Comments

Pictured: Yoshitsune vs Benkei View previous articles. By Ivan Melo There is a difference between practising a martial art and being a martial artist. Someone may train techniques, repeat forms, memorise sequences, and still fail to embrace the deeper problems that...

Aikidoka and the AI Hotties

by aikidogyodokan.com | 14 February 2026 | Blog, Cathy Okada | 0 Comments

View previous articles. My thoughts in the run up to International Women's Day Written by Cathy Okada At Aikido of London the women have it good and I know it. Some of the junior members of the dojo are starting to realise it too, after attending external seminars and...

The Purpose of Aikido

by aikidogyodokan.com | 11 December 2025 | Blog, Cathy Okada | 0 Comments

An end-of-year reflection, by Cathy Okada “I felt more out of control.” A student had just provided the right kind of energy as uke to her training partner, no pulling back and no rushing ahead. As a result, she took some good ukemi and paradoxically was more in...

The “S” Word

by aikidogyodokan.com | 12 September 2025 | Blog, Cathy Okada | 0 Comments

Written by Cathy Okada In the West (or at least in the UK) we all know what a sensei looks like; an elderly Asian man with a white beard. Mr Miyagi and Pai Mei spring to mind. And of course Ueshiba Morihei, O Sensei himself. People are so fixed on O Sensei's image...

Back on the Aikido Path

by aikidogyodokan.com | 8 May 2025 | Blog | 0 Comments

Back on the Aikido Path: A Gyodokan student's reflection on returning to training after years away. Written by Pete Roythorne I’ve been in or around Aikido for close to 30 years now . In that time I’ve had a long absence from training. But even while exploring other...

Bag of Rocks

May 2, 2024 | Ivan Melo

Picture above: "wa" or "harmony". Shodo piece by Ivan Melo. About Aikido training, harmony, and transformation. by Ivan Melo (31.03.2024)The art we have chosen to learn, is or has the potential to be a multilayered and multidimensional practice, which has the capacity...

From Tanabe to Ealing

May 1, 2024 | Ivan Melo

The cultural and historical context of Aikido and Gyodokan's lineage. Originally posted 31.03.2024Created in Japan by Morihei Ueshiba, one of the highest exponents of martial arts, Aikido is a deeply Japanese art. It sounds obvious, but to appreciate what that...