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.
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.
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.
1st Kyu Iwama Style Aikido, 1st 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!
Timothy A – 5th Kyu
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.
I have been training with Sensei Mal McRae for only short time (around 2 years at the writing of this) and I am hooked. Mal’s Aikido training is like no other he is truly a gifted teacher, dedicated to his students and our progression. His focus on the Ki aspects of the mind boggling strength and power behind being soft will stay with me for the rest of my life. He has taught me not to resist, don’t try and be strong or fight with strength, not to be tense and instead to place my mind forward past where I want to go. To focus with intention
‘think up to go down’ and broken timing are some principles that have enhanced my everyday life. I implore anyone who is even toying with the idea to come check him out. After just a few sessions the likelihood is you will be both baffled, and enthralled by the empowering strength of harnessing your Ki!
Thankyou Sensei, it is an honour to train with you.