Amsterdam winter school

Eight delegates from Slovenian Aikikai (Dokiai and Misogi clubs) attended the Aikido winter school at Vriesman Dojo in Amsterdam. Over five days we practiced intensively with advanced students from Dutch Aikikai (over 20 black belts of 1-4 dan).

Good news: Eloy Weterings (in the center of the photo), a young nidan, will be visiting our seminar in April, and Vriesman Sensei will bring two other nidans to the summer school to practice with us and enjoy Slovenia's summertime and hospitality.

We wish you a Happy New Year with positive achievements in Aikido and life in general.

Photos from the seminar

Young Aikikai members

Three children from Dokiai Dojo have passed their first kyu exams and become members of Slovenian Aikikai:

• Jan Sušnik - 11 kyu
• Lea Balič - 10 kyu
• Nanja Brelih - 10 kyu

Seminar in Prague

A ten-member delegation from Slovenian Aikikai took part in another seminar by Wilko Vriesman, this time in the renovated Sei Aikido Dojo in Prague.

Once again we ascertained that Wilko Vriesman is a great teacher:

• clear instructions - easily connects with individuals and the whole group
• excellent methodologist - able to create forms and exercises for easy, fast progress
• selfless - his highest reward is his students' advancement
  

During the training we agreed on the organization of a four-day Aikido summer school in Ljubljana.

Federation's first black belts

Aleksandr Starovojtov (Saša) and Dejan Bišćević have successfully passed the exam for 1 Dan Aikikai, thus becoming the first two black belts in the Federation.

Slovenian Aikikai's first seminar

The second seminar in Ljubljana with Wilko Vriesman, and the first-ever seminar by the Slovenian Aikikai Federation, has been held. There were over 30 participants, mostly from the Dokiai and Misogi clubs.

Aikido summer school in Markelo

A delegation from Slovenian Aikikai took part in the 10th Aikido summer school in Markelo, the Netherlands.


In the photo: Slovenian Aikikai delegation with Wilko Vriesman.

Aikido passport

The Slovenian Aikikai Federation offers an Aikido passport to its members. This is the first national Aikido passport allowing Slovenes to represent their country at international seminars.

Slovenian Aikikai officially registered

The Slovenian Aikikai Federation has been entered in the registry of associations of the Radovljica administrative unit.

Address: C. na jezerca 6a, 4240 Radovljica, Slovenia
Registry number: 1602128

Slovenian Aikikai's mission

• To promote the principles and teaching of Aikido and work towards the advancement of Aikido throughout Slovenia.
• To follow the Aikido of the Founder and take its inspiration from the Aikikai Foundation, whose headquarters is Hombu Dojo in Tokyo, Japan.
• To monitor, maintain and develop the standard of Aikido practiced by Aikidokas in the Federation.
• To establish policies and procedures for administering the Federation's affairs in Slovenia.
• To promote a culture of participation in Aikido, especially among children and young people, as an aspect of personal and social development within the context of government education and health policy.

Affiliation and organization

The Slovenian Aikikai Federation shall become a member of the Aikikai Foundation, Aikido World Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, and shall be Slovenia's representative to this body and all other bodies affiliated with and recognized by the Aikikai Foundation.

Member clubs of Slovenian Aikikai practice using the system created by Christian Tissier Shihan and the training methodology developed by Slovenian Aikikai's technical director, Wilko Vriesman Sensei.

Slovenian Aikikai technical director named

The international department of Aikido World Headquarters, Hombu Dojo, has named Wilko Vriesman as technical director of Slovenian Aikikai.

This is the first step towards official recognition of the Federation, and the start of its cooperation with the main Aikido organization.

Dokiai and Misogi combine efforts

After several months of cooperation, two Slovenian Aikido clubs, Dokiai and Misogi, have decided to combine their efforts by establishing the Slovenian Aikikai Federation.

At a meeting in Radovljica, the presidents of the two clubs, Aleksandr Starovojtov and Dejan Bišćević, signed the necessary documents to apply for official registration.