Adam Hosie Sensei has developed a unique and pragmatic method of teaching the skill of Aiki through de-stylised western-minded approach. It is the aim of Hosie Sensei to demystify Aiki and help other seekers achieve this elusive skill no matter what art you study, as he believes Aiki was once in all the martial arts. His skill in Aiki has been confirmed by several top Daito Ryu Shihan in private meetings and also by Roy Goldberg sensei 7th Dan Kyoju Dairi Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu.
Taken from the recently published book about Roy Goldberg Sensei "To become A Living Art".
"Adam Hosie is an extremely talented martial artist. We enjoy collaborating together. We have spent a lot of time sharing ideas on aiki and I am highly impressed with his abilities"
The Beginning
Hosie Sensei began his martial arts journey by studying Aikido under his father. Despite performing the techniques as instructed, they both felt something was missing. This led to a research embarkment into Aikido, which led to additionally investigating Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu. After delving into the knowledge of these masters long gone, it became clear that the missing element of their Aikido training, was Aiki. Hosie Sensei made it his life’s mission to acquire this elusive skill, as without Aiki, the only option available to make techniques truly effective was the harder, faster, stronger, and more brutal methods.
If they figured it out, why can’t we?
Financial barriers made it difficult for Hosie Sensei to travel the vast distances required to search for a master with Aiki ability. On top of this, there was an additional concern that a master may not be willing or able to teach their skill. This presented a seemingly unassailable problem. Hence, the decision to acquire skill in Aiki came about from the thought: “If they figured it out, why can’t we?”
Everything you need is right where you are!
The first task was to better understand what Aiki is and how to achieve it. Studying the roots of Aikido/Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu continued, along with other sources (both martial arts based, and non-martial arts based). Hosie Sensei discovered that the definition of Aiki seemed to vary notably between masters, making it even more difficult to unearth and accomplish the skill of Aiki – thus the mystery deepened!
After this confusing, enigmatic search in the external world, Hosie Sensei turned his attention inward.
The Secrets lie in the Beginning
With restrictive statements such as, “That’s not how it is done!” removed, so were the limits of form-based learning. All techniques, training methods, and dojo ideology were put aside, creating an open, formless, blank slate. Hosie Sensei’s examination and experimentation could now begin. However, the limitless nature of this more inward approach posed the challenge of where to begin: How to think? How to breathe? How to lay? How to sit? How to kneel? How to stand? How to walk? How to move? How to touch? The logical answer was to start at the beginning, and study etiquette - primarily, how to Rai.
Shugyo
It if often said that it takes 10,000 hours of training to become truly proficient in anything. For Aiki, this would take 50 years if Dojo training for 4 hours a week, for example. Hosie sensei wondered if there was a way to integrate training into daily life and discovered Shugyo. The Shugyo approach encourages one to train in how to think, breathe, lay, sit, kneel, stand, walk, move, and touch. Every waking moment becomes part of the training, making 10,000 hours attainable in under 3 years!
Examples of this constant training can be seen in Hosie Sensei’s earlier working life: firstly, as a potato merchant. The 40-hour week was physically demanding yet monotonous. The lifting, carrying, and manoeuvring of hundreds of heavy, awkward bags allowed Hosie Sensei to practice Shugyo daily. Through his thoughts, he practiced problem-solving and continually worked on forging the mind-body connection. There was ample opportunity to put his thought-training into practice - during break times for example, he would practice his Ukemi by jumping off the 5-foot-high pallets of potatoes onto the concrete floor below, often with his hands still in his pockets!
Given the confidence afforded to Hosie Sensei by his size and strength, along with the support of his colleagues, working as a door supervisor for nightclub security provided invaluable opportunity to develop Aiki. Frequent altercations meant that Aiki theories and techniques could be put into practice. Hosie Sensei discovered which techniques worked well, and which ones needed refinement, as he frequently neutralised and ejected patrons from the premises, in a variety of interesting ways!
Becoming the Teacher
Other martial artists began to notice Hosie Sensei’s skill in Aiki, and so he made the decision to teach. However, it quickly became apparent that the great achievement of developing Aiki for himself, was very different to the skill of teaching. What was needed to enable a Sensei to effectively pass on their skill to others?
One of the great aspects of martial arts is the wide variety of people who participate in its’ learning: carpenters, engineers, physiotherapists, and neurosurgeons, to name but a few. Each individual interprets information through their own lens, depending on their personal life experiences and perceptions. Interestingly, it was Hosie Sensei’s students who taught him how to teach. Hosie gleaned an understanding into various fields, such as physics, psychology, biology etc, and quickly learned that if he tailored the explanation of his concepts to each individual (using engineering analogies for an engineer for example), that they could be understood more naturally.
Inspirational People
A huge breakthrough for Hosie Sensei came from one of his students who was also an Alexander Technique instructor. She stated that gravity holds you up, explaining how the human body is a Tensile/Tensegrity structure. This new understanding led to a critical piece of the Aiki puzzle, which had a domino effect, leading to the later development of Zero Point Aiki. Zero Point Aiki is a vital factor in Structural Kuzushi, which in turn allows Balance Kuzushi to be easily attained. Despite this breakthrough, progress was still a slow and arduous process of turning every idea upside-down, inside-out, and back to front. However, after 3 years, a steady stream of problem-solving discoveries was beginning to flow.
During this evolving time, Hosie Sensei met a highly charismatic man who taught the pre-war ways of Japanese Martial Arts: His knowledge and skill were exceptional. Hosie Sensei rapidly realised that the devastating techniques of Jutsu could be integrated to work seamlessly with his own Aiki skill. Intensive study under this Sensei began with travelling to his seminars all over the UK and Europe, along with regularly attending his Dojo class, which was a 9-hour-round trip for a lesson of an hour and half! And so began another intensive process.
WHAT makes Aiki work?
HOW does Aiki work?
WHY does Aiki Work?
Hosie Sensei spent the next 10 years answering these questions which would allow him to teach Aiki to almost anyone willing to learn. Though step by step key information and specific exercises, you learn a solid foundation of Mind, Breath and Body. Then learn to use yourself in a dynamically different way to develop Aiki for yourself.
Roy Godberg Sensei
Hosie Sensei considers himself a student of Aiki first and foremost, and so in 2019, he attended a seminar with Roy Goldberg Sensei. As they met on the tatami, they both instantly recognised their shared skill and passion for Aiki, quickly becoming close friends. They began working together, sharing their knowledge, helping one another improve, and had a wonderful time doing so. In 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdowns, they continued working together virtually, with their training amounting to hundreds of hours! This intensive time working with Goldberg Sensei allowed Hosie Sensei them both improve their ability to teach Aiki.
During this period, Goldberg sensei convinced Hosie Sensei to start teaching Aiki through online Zoom lessons. Hosie Sensei now has students all over the world, who are now beginning to develop skill in Aiki for themselves.
Now the pandemic has eased to allow physical training again, Hosie Sensi, enjoys sharing his refined knowledge of Aiki on the tatami. He invites you to join his growing Aiki Community.
