Sensei Patrick Palmer The next day Sensei turned up in his tracksuit and T-shirt ready to try out some of the techniques that he had seen the previous day...how wrong was he, as it was him that was being thrown about but he loved it. This small old man turned out to be the late Mr William Smith Shihan who had the most important influence on Sensei Palmer, and the Dojo turned out to be Ren Shin Kan Martial Art Centre, the United Kingdom Aikikai Headquarters (UKA). At Mr Smith's request, Sensei Palmer started his Aikido career under the instruction of his nephew Sensei Mike Smith 5th Dan Shidoin So Hombu. |
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Over a period of 5 years Sensei went through the same struggles of all those martial artist before him, going up through the ranks from 6th Kyu to 1st Kyu, going on Aikido courses and all of the family struggles that go along with it. Finally he was priviliged to obtain the rank of Sho-dan at winter school 2001,awarded by Shihan Smith. It was soon after obtaining Sho-dan he decided to give back something to Aikido, the art he had grown to love and after some months of talking to his instructor (Sensei Mike Smith, Nephew to Shihan Smith) and my peers, he decided to start his own club and teach this wonderful art. Zanshin-Kai Aikido club started on 31st October 2002 at its first venue "The old art school" in Sutton Coldfield College with the help of Sensei Brian Borrows who gave us our first set of old mats and canvas. The club started off with one student (Alex Lawrence) and within two years its members totalled 25. In 2004 Sensei reached the rank of Ni-dan and accepted the title of Fukushidoin |
In the same year he decided on a journey to Japan to try to understand more about the Japanese people and thier culture. Sensei spent 3 weeks in Tokyo where he took instruction from Doshu, Shihan's Seijuro Masuda,Tsuruzo Miyamoto,Yukimitsu Kobayashi and Shigeru Sugawara. While staying in the ikkebukkeru district of Tokyo, Sensei Palmer was invited by a fellow Aikidoka to train at his dojo a few miles away. The instructor there was a Sensei Ichiro Shishiya, a former student of Shoji Nishio who was a famous Aikido and sword master in Japan. Once back in the UK, Sensei has continue to strive to pass on what he learnt from this visit. Over the course of the next five years, Sensei had managed to start to former junior classes that were held at primary schools in the area, Moved his main classes to St James Church Hall and Birmingham City university (The Doug Ellis Centre). At the winter school of 2010, Sensei Palmer obtained the rank of San-Dan and continues to teach under the direction of the Shihan's and Shidoins of the UKA. I consider my style of aikido to be in the same vein as that taught by Shihan Smith, where the concept of a martial mind is maintained and weapon and body art are one and the same. As I try to follow all that has been taught to me over the years, my main influences are the late Shihan Smith, Shigeru Sugawara,Yukimitsu Kobayashi and the late Shoji Nishio. |
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