This years uchideshi-week is at an end. People came from Germany, Lithuania, Mexico and Russia to stay at our dojo. They have been training together, eating together and been sleeping at the tatami. During daytime the uchideshi´s have been practising jo and bocken for Ulf Sensei, Chief Instructor of the Gothenburg Aikidoclub.
In the evening they have been practising taijutsu together with the members of the Gothenburg Aikidoclub.
Elena Druzhyninskaya 3 dan, is from Aiki Shuren Dojo Saint Petersburg, Russia. She has been practising aikido since 1999.
Elena has been uchideshi in Gothenburg 9 times and have been to several seminars with Ulf Sensei in Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and Sweden.
Aikido is a very important part of my life. I prefer to go to train instead of going to other amazing places.
Before I started with aikido I didn´t know anything about it. Me and a friend wanted to do some martial art. So we looked in a telephone book and found an aikidoclub near my home. But when we called them, they first said: ”you can bring your son or daughter”. They couldn´t believe it was us who wanted to do aikido. Then we phoned again and went there. And we liked it.
Elena Druzhyninskaya 3 dan is doing kokyonage, with Christian Taschner 3 dan, as uke.
Robertas Paknys 2 dan, is from the club Uranas in Kaunas, Lithuania. He has been practising aikido since 1996.
Robertas has been uchideshi in Gothenburg 7 times and has been to several seminars with Ulf Sensei in Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Russia and Sweden.
For me aikido is a way to live. When I started with aikido I just started to train it like a sport. And little by little I got deeper and deeper into Aikido.
Beiing an uchideshi is concentrated training. You really focus on aikido – daily life is somewhere else.
Justina Zakryte 6 kyu, is from Ulf Evenas Aikido Center in Vilnius, Lithuania. She has been practising aikido since 2006.
This is her first time as uchideshi in Gothenburg, but she has been to several seminars with Ulf Sensei in Estonia, Finland, Lithuania and Sweden.
At first I didn´t know anything about aikido. But when I read about it I found it amazing. For example, in aikido you don´t compete with one another and you don´t go power against power. Instead you go with the power. So I decided to go to an aikido club, and I found out it was for me and it was for a lifetime.
As an uchidesi I do not only learn about aikido, but about relations between people and to have contact with people.
Günter Annby Sensei, who recently got his 5 dan, is training together with Sofia Björkholm 5 kyu. Both members of the Gothenburg Aikidoclub.
Ulf Sensei is giving a 1 dan-diploma to Zidrunas Stulpina. Zidrunas is dojoleader for Silute dojo in Lithuania.
Edgaras Indra is recieving his 4 dan-diploma from Ulf Sensei. Edgaras Sensei is dojoleader for Aiki Shuren dojo Kaunas, in Lithuania.
