In the late 1970's, I moved from one Stockholm suburb to another: Brandbergen. There, I started an aikido dojo - at first as part of the local soccer club, but from 1981 as a separate club:
Brandbergens Aikidoklubb. They're still very much active, although I moved to Malmö in 1991. Here are photos from the early 1980's, taken by Magnus Burman, who was a member of the dojo at that time. He keeps on practicing in another dojo (
Gubbängen).
Irimi tenkan exercise.
Mikael Esping, who started just a year or so after me in Järfälla, doing kokyuho on me. To the right Stefan Ösund does the same on Håcan Åkerberg. They both started aikido in Brandbergen.
To the left, Mikael Eriksson, who started aikido together with me in 1972. He lives in Berlin since many years, where he has been kind of a pioneer of aikido in former East Berlin.
Suwariwaza. I'm the uke in the center of the picture. Oh, I was much younger then. And skinnier.
Suwariwaza shikko. The left hakama in the front is Peter Hellström, who started in Järfälla some years after I did, and now practices at Iyasaka in Stockholm.
Lennart Linder, a splendid aikidoka who sadly passed away in 1996, shows Brandbergen member Peter Norberg how to tie the belt. Lennart was sort of my sempai although he started aikido less than two years before I did and was a few years younger. Already at that time his aikido was fascinating. He had his own dojos, but often visited Brandbergen helping along with teaching and grading.
Lennart showing suwariwaza ikkyo on Peter Norberg.
Lennart continues on the ikkyo thing, playfully showing what not to do. He was always both serious and not, making us guess which and often leaving us slightly frustraded.
Lennart now shows suwariwaza iriminage on Stefan Ösund, who started aikido in 1981, when we had just formed our own club. He soon showed great talent and persistence, later helping me substantially with the teaching.
Lennart plays with Peter Norberg, taking his balance and refusing to return it.
Me helping a student enter into koshinage or something. My hair was darker in those days and longer, too.
Mikael Esping doing suwariwaza ikkyo on Peter Norberg. Me in the background.
Stefan Ösund throwing Håcan Åkerberg. They were two of the most active members of Brandbergen in those days.
Stefan Ösund experimenting with ryotedori on Peter Norberg.
Peter Norberg doing suwariwaza ikkyo on Mikael Esping.
Jan Seveflod doing shihonage on Urban Aldenklint. Jan, who sadly passed away a few years ago, was a senior student at the Järfälla dojo when I started there in 1972. Our instructor Allan Wahlberg used him constantly as uke, and Jan had such great ukemi it was difficult not to look at him instead of what Allan showed. Jan was a great aikidoka, working harder than most on the tatami and excelling at it. Urban Aldenklint started aikido at Lennart Linder's dojo in the mid-1970's. Now, he has the biggest aikido dojo in Sweden: Iyasaka in Stockholm. He's an old friend who keeps on impressing me by his wholehearted commitment to aikido, his dojo, and all the students. His aikido is indeed impressive, too.
Jan throws Urban in koshinage. I remember that they really got going, having heaps of fun with it.
Urban returns the favor.
Urban throwing Jan, yet again. Urban is bigger now, in every way.
Jan in sort of an amused contemplative mood after throwing Urban.
Tobikoshi falling exercise. We had a lot of teenage students in Brandbergen at that time, maybe simply because we were rather young, as well.
I do suwariwaza ikkyo on one of the Brandbergen students.
Jan Seveflod and me conferring at a kyu grading.
Lennart Linder, Jan Seveflod, and me at the same kyu grading.
