I started training under Sensei Mal back in 2008 to see what Aikido was all about. I’d heard some mixed feedback about Aikido as a martial art, so I decided to try it out for myself.
I’m glad to say I’m still training under Sensei Mal to this day as he is the real deal. His Aikido is effortless, powerful, and effective. My journey in learning Ki Fusion aikido started from looking to learn it for its martial applications but I keep going to learn how the “Aiki” aspect helps us in everyday life.
I have trained in Hapkido for over a decade. During this time I was aware of the concepts of Ki energy and its applications in Martial Arts but it was not until meeting and training with Mal Sensei that I became aware of the full and very realistic and practical application of Ki. In over two years I have found Mal Sensei to be a very gracious and patient teacher.
The skills and knowledge which I have learned and continue to develop in using Ki with Aikido principles has directly translated to improving my Hapkido. The principles to which Mal Sensei has introduced me apply not only to the similarities between Aikido and Hapkido but to all areas of training: locking, throwing, kicking, striking and grappling as well as the mental and spiritual aspects of Martial Arts training.
1st Kyu Iwama Style Aikido, 2nd Kyu Ki Fusion Aikido
I first developed a fascination with Martial Arts at a young age as my older brother was a Karate instructor. I thereafter commenced my own journey into training in self-defense with Kickboxing and traditional Boxing during my late teens through to my mid 20’s.
Whilst I enjoyed the physicality of these practices, I felt that something was missing from my training. At that point, I looked for a practice that was more attuned to my beliefs and own philosophies. Once I reached middle age, I was introduced to Aikido and started training with my son at a local club.
After having trained with the organization for a few years, the club was disbanded. At that point I briefly commenced another Martial Art, and it was there that I was introduced to Sensei McRae and his Ki Fusion Aikido during a Seminar he was facilitating.
Seeing Sensei McRae in action, I knew straight away that he would be my future instructor. I then joined Ki Fusion Aikido without delay and have been training with Sensei McRae now for many years and I honestly have never looked back.
It is difficult to put into words and until you experience Sensei McRae’s mastery of the Art first-hand, one cannot truly appreciate the power of Ki and how it can be channeled so effortlessly and accurately to achieve a desired result. We all possess this life force within us but merely need to cultivate and unlock it, to appreciate its full and far- reaching potential.
This can be achieved through the practice of the techniques that Sensei McRae seamlessly demonstrates and instructs during his class.
Whether you are looking for a practice in self-defense, self-development / improvement, or simply an all body integrated exercise routine, I would highly recommend Ki Fusion Aikido and Sensei McRae as an instructor. He is in my opinion the most skilled, patient and dedicated exponent in his field, who has selflessly devoted his life to the Art of Aikido and to his students.
The practice of Ki Fusion Aikido with Sensei McRae has benefitted the quality of my life in so many ways and has increased my general health tremendously both from a physical and mental standpoint. You always leave class feeling a sense of calm and positivity which seemingly flows into other areas of your life naturally.
It is against this background that I would strongly encourage you to try out a class for yourself as I am sure you be amazed by what you experience. You won’t regret it!
Mal is a genuine, gentle and exceptional leader who does not put himself on a pedestal. Being originally from Japan, I knew some philosophy about Aikido but Mal has taken this to another level and shows us "Ki" in action.
Having started learning Goju karate some 30 years ago I was convinced karate was the way to go and had serious doubts as to the practicality of the aikido that I had witnessed. That was before my introduction to ki fusion Aikido and Mal McRae Sensei. Mal Sensei turned my understanding of the martial arts on its head. No longer were strength and speed important. Moves in the karate kata representing locks, holds and throws that were obscure suddenly became crystal clear under Mal Sensei’s instruction. My understanding of ‘ki’ in karate was expanded substantially as I was exposed to the power of the ‘soft ki’ taught in ki fusion Aikido.
I have been cross training under Mal Sensei for nearly seven years now and can say that it has been an experience that needs to be felt to be believed. Without doubt, ki fusion Aikido is the thinking martial artist’s martial art.
I have been training in various martial arts since I left school 36 years ago at 16. These include boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian ju jitsui, traditional and two free style karate styles. I am currently training in three arts. Zen do kai karate with a present rank of Nidan, Brazilian ju jitsui which I am currently purple belt, and ki fusion Aikido with a current rank of 3rd kyu.
I was introduced to ki fusion Aikido through my friend and training partner Sean Bowring. I first attended Mal Sensei’s traditional dojo in November 2005. I was amazed at his prowess and I came away with a completely different understanding of the martial arts. The techniques demonstrated appear impossible to the layman but once mastered could be executed by a smaller person against a much larger opponent to overcome them effortlessly and effectively by extending ki energy and taking away their centre.
I have been involved in the Martial Arts for over 39 years, and in this time Aikido Master Mal McRae is one of the best I have seen in this industry. His movement and techniques are of high ability and his understanding of his internal ki is rare to see as effortless power. I believe ki energy is a vital part of self-defence and complements non aggressive techniques that we both will be promoting to Martial Art instructors and students. Mal and I have joined together to offer workshops combining the best of Aikido, Hapkido and Taekwondo and I am very much looking forward to working with an outstanding Aikido teacher.
Yours in Martial Arts,
John Gill
2nd Dan Aikido The mastery of ‘ki’ as demonstrated by Mal Sensei is phenomenal
When I first started aikido, it was a real eye opener for me as it convinced me about how effective this martial art is without using a lot of physical strength that is ever present in most other martial arts.
Mal has shown how soft you need to be as well as how devastating aikido is at a high level
I have not looked back since and I would encourage anybody with a martial art background or an interest in martial arts to give it a try. You will be amazed.
Ki fusion Aikido has taught me a lot of things, but the most important to me so far has been the art of Ukemi – the art of receiving a technique, or how to roll, or how to receive a grapple. I did not know how important they were before going into Aikido, and they’re very important. I’ve done a few martial arts before I practiced Aikido. These include such martial arts as: Karate, Judo, and even Jujutsu. None of them delved into how to receive a technique. The most we did was learning how to roll, but we didn’t roll that often. Furthermore, we never learnt how to land from a throw or roll from a throw, or land from a take down.
With Ki Fusion Aikido, not only do we learn how to roll properly, but we do rolling almost every lesson, and we get taught correctly how to receive techniques, and we’re taught how to properly receive grapples, and how to roll out of a throw, and how to properly receive a takedown.
