"Doing Aikido" is a 128-page instructional manual for intermediate students of aikido: between beginners and black belts. However, it will also be of benefit for beginners and includes material suitable for black belts. It was written without the smoke and mirrors of most martial arts books, making it easier for the practitioner to understand what he or she is actually supposed to do. There are 37 photographs and drawings illustrating key points of technique. The author is a fifth degree black belt who has been teaching aikido in England and the USA for 20 years.
Alan Drysdale operates Enmei Dojo in Titusville, Florida and directs the aikido program at the Bamboo dojo in Vero Beach. He has been the chief instructor at Sand Drift Aikikai in Titusville and at Shoshin Dojo in Orlando, taught at the Orlando and Orange County Sheriff's Department aikido dojos, and was involved in helping the USJA upgrade their aikido section. He has been a godan for the past 13 years.
He is an aerospace engineer with extensive martial arts experience. He is fascinated by different perspectives: East and West, arts and sciences, playing bagpipes and shakuhachi, practicing aikido and karate. He is well qualified to address the scientific aspects of martial arts, with a B.Sc. in zoology and a Ph.D. in engineering and cybernetics, and having spent two years on postdoctoral research in human sensory perception. He has worked in the space program for over 30 years, and is currently investigating how to keep people alive on long-duration missions, perhaps on the Moon, perhaps to Mars.
He has studied martial arts for about 50 years, including judo and karate as well as aikido, and has some exposure to other arts. He uses a Japanese sword to clear brush in the back yard, which he says gives him more practice in cutting and sword handling on difficult terrain than most people get. He began studying martial arts in 1962, taking judo at the Bishop Auckland YMCA. One of his judo teachers while he was at Newcastle University was Olympic medalist Keith Remfry. Dr Drysdale began practicing aikido at the University of Reading, England, in 1972, while a postgraduate student. His first aikido teacher was Hamish Macfarlane, followed by Ron Russel, both of the Institute of Aikido. This group was started by Kenshiro Abbe, who was the first person to teach aikido in England in 1955.
He began teaching aikido as a first kyu when he moved to Bristol, England, and, he says, "no doubt made all the usual errors". He received his shodan in 1978. Shortly after that, he emigrated to America. He taught for a year in Atlanta, at Rodney Grantham's dojo. Towards the end of that year, he received a United States Aikido Federation shodan under Yoshimitsu Yamada. When work took him to Titusville, Florida, he studied and taught at Sand Drift Aikikai under Dr Walker for 18 years, reaching the position of chief instructor and USAF rank of yondan in 1992. He was promoted to godan in 1995. In 1997, he became an independent teacher and attended many seminars in different styles, and was active in Aikido-L for several years. In 1999, he joined Aikido Schools of Ueshiba, under Mitsugi Saotome. In 2000, he opened Enmei Dojo in its present location. In 2002, he became independent again, and the dojo continues to flourish.
He began practicing Yoshukai karate in 1995, under Mike Foster. He received the rank of shodan in 2003, and sandan in 2009. Aikido and karate are quuite different in some ways, and complementary in others. The focus is on striking in karate, and throws and locks in aikido, but there are atemi in aikido and throws and locks in karate, especially in the more advanced kata. In karate, energy is typically delivered in a very focused way, while in aikido is tends to be delivered over a much longer period of time. Studying one casts an interesting light on the other.
