Robert Nadeau (aikidoka)

Robert Nadeau (born March 10, 1937) is an American aikido teacher holding the rank of 7th dan shihan in the Aikikai.

After Training in Japan with the founder of the art, Morihei Ueshiba, Nadeau was one of the early Aikido teachers in Northern California. He is a co-founder and division head of the California Aikido Association and holds a teaching certification signed by Morihei Ueshiba and co-signed by second Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba. He is also the founder and head instructor of City Aikido of San Francisco and Aikido of Mountain View, Mountain View, CA.

Nadeau is well-known as a pioneer in the energy and awareness aspects of aikido, having committed his martial arts career to understanding and translating these principles handed down by Ueshiba into fields beyond aikido, including psychotherapy, personal development, performance, and business.

Relationship with Morihei_Ueshiba

Nadeau had a close and substantial off-the-mat relationship with Ōsensei, which included regular extended trips to the Japanese countryside. Nadeau also assumed the position of publisher of an English-language newsletter about aikido while studying in Japan. Through the format of asking questions during small and sometimes private meetings, Nadeau learned first-hand some of the ideas and philosophies that Ueshiba wished to pass on to interested students. Fundamental among his teachings was the concept of "two forces" that combine to produce a new identity and "levels" which progress from limited to enhanced capabilities and awareness. He refers to the process of moving from one level to the next as an Alchemical transformation. According to Nadeau, this progression occurs in the "functioning realm", i.e. in a manner that improves the students functioning in every day life.

Morihei Ueshiba spoke of Izanagi (male) and Izanami (female), the two great forces that, in Shinto mythology, created the islands of Japan. Or again, he spoke of Fire - Water - Steam as another example of two forces combining to yield a third transformed entity. Translating these metaphysical concepts into practical aikido training has steered Nadeau's teaching style since his return from his studies with Ueshiba in Japan in the early 1960s. As a reminder of these direct transmissions, Ueshiba presented Nadeau with a hand-written scroll that translates roughly "Teach the Aikido that cannot be seen with the human eye."

Class style

Nadeau's typical class presentation involves

1. drawing attention to the body, moving and functioning with the body (as opposed to with only the mind/consciousness), and becoming present in the moment
2. establishing the "frame", or physical structure/form/shape, of a particular aikido technique or simply the body
3. opening the body within the frame of a technique to invite in or to allow the "flow", aka "ki" (in Japanese; "Qi" in Chinese) or energetic movement, particular to that technique
4. then embodying new identity or level, a new "I Am" that has new qualities of physical functioning inherited from and evolving beyond the two "parents". [Other "breeding pairs" that can work in the same way as frame/flow include receptive/positive, back/front, up-flow/down-flow, circle/center, etc.]

Publications

Nadeau has not published any books or recent writings of his own; further information about him is available in many books about aikido and through the writings of some of his students, including George Burr Leonard.

Further reading

• Stone, John and Meyer, Ron (eds.) Aikido in American North Atlantic Books 1995. ISBN 1-883319-27-7
• Perry, Susan Remembering O-Sensei Living and Training with Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido
• Leonard, George Way of Aikido, The: Life Lessons from an American Sensei: Life Lessons from an American Sensei
• Palmer, Wendy The Intuitive Body Aikido as a Clairsentient Practice
• Siegel, Andrea Women in Aikido
• Meyer, Ron and Reeder, Mark Center: The Power of Aikido
• Suenaka, Roy and Watson, Christopher Complete Aikido: Aikido Kyohan : The Definitive Guide to the Way of Harmony
• Frantzis, (Bruce) Kumar The Power of Internal Martial Arts: Combat Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi, and Hsing-I 1998.
• Leonard, George Burr The Ultimate Athlete 2000.
• Fields, Rick The Awakened Warrior New Consciousness Reader 1994.

External links

• Pranin, Stanley Aikido Journal 1999
• California Aikido Association California Aikido Association