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.
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.
Aikido is amazing. The concept of using ki instead of muscle and power is something I had not considered before starting my aikido journey. In reality, we use ki every day, but when confronted in an agressive manner, our default instinct is to react with strength. ki Fusion Aikido teaches me the way to use softness and ki when confronted.
2nd Dan Aikido The mastery of ‘ki’ as demonstrated by Mal Sensei is phenomenal
I was amazed the first time I attended the class, and I still am, by how Mal sensei demonstrates the techniques with ki. They seem to be the same Aikido techniques I’ve learned elsewhere, but they are based on a different principle that makes them much more powerful and effective. The fact that soft ki can actually overcome hard physical power in the Aikido we practice here is not just amazing to watch but also really fascinating to experience ourselves through training. Everyone here is friendly and incredibly encouraging. I feel very lucky to be part of Ki Fusion Aikido.
In Ki Fusion Aikido, I've learned about the importance of "ki" and how to cultivate it.
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.
