Articles & Essays
Lighting the Spark: An Interview with André Cognard
André Cognard was born in France in 1954. He was 17 years old when he started teaching aikido by opening five dojos in several cities in France. Four years later, he received the French state diploma for teaching judo, aikido, karate and kendo. In 1973 he met Hirokazu Kobayashi Sensei (1929-1998), a direct disciple of O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba. Master Cognard trained under Kobayashi Sensei for 25 years.
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Never Defend: An Interview with André Cognard
Kobayashi Sensei was always talking about individual freedom. It was very important for him not just as a personal philosophy, but also in the way he approached technique. In his mind, the practice must be able to lead you to the freedom. It wasn’t just about external freedom, like being able to freely take action in the world, but mostly about an internal sense of freedom. His teaching was also always about the spiritual way.
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