Sempei Paul Hughes

Sensei Paul Hughes

I first started Aikido because I wanted to become a bit more proficient at handling myself in awkward situations. I had studied Judo but found that this meant that I was getting injured every week without fail. It also took me a week to recover from my injuries. I found Aikido by a happy accident, and have stayed with it ever since. (The injuries I acquired were less aggressive too.) Judo has sometimes crept into my Aikido but mainly in fun.

I can certainly remember when I was Kyu grade. I was studying Aikido from my late Sensei - Jim Jackson, our club was known as Busen (basically it means martial arts college.) We trained in a local church hall. It was small but there was an adjoining room, access by means of a connecting door. We learned our techniques by kata. Doing one such technique I acquired - Uchi Kaiten nage, I was working with a Shodan and as I threw him on completion of technique, he hit the connecting door and burst through to land at the feet of a statuesque aerobics teacher. The look of horror on her face as he made his entrance in the middle of her class, was I understand the highlight of her class night. Needless to say he beat a hasty retreat. However he did confide in me later, saying please throw me back in there Paul. I couldn't do the technique for laughing - and the door was firmly locked after that.

I never thought that I would ever get to become an instructor. I was quite happy to plod along getting myself up the ranks in my own time. My Sensei, Steve Magson however had other ideas. He pulled & prodded me into assisting him by showing any beginners that might turn up, how to do ukemi. As loads of beginners turned up, I got more and more experience in teaching them. Then I was dragged into making the ultimate sacrifice - going for higher promotions. These meant I was becoming committed to the student now. I felt a certain responsibility towards them. I had to provide them with the fullest information in the best way I knew how. My Aikido had to grow and improve in order for me to do that.

I am glad that I am practising Aikido today - and in England. I do not mean that in the nastiest way. Mainly because Japanese was so much harder in the old days. I have read horrific tales of people struggling in overcrowded dojos and not being able to understand the language etc... We have good communication with all of our instructors and the atmosphere is somewhat more relaxed.