Thanks Guy I appreciate your comments, and enjoy reading your journal. I can tell from your dialog that you are grasping alot of the concepts and principles of Aikido that alot of beginners this soon into their training don't. The combination of this understanding and the amount of time you put in on the mats will allow you to advance quickly, I think. The other thing that I didn't mention in the post with respect to the right "fit" was that, unbenounced to a lot of beginners, that there are many styles of Aikido. Some styles are harder, like Aikikai, that tend to attract alot of athletic, and younger people. They tend to view the rough and tumble style associated with the break falls as more street effective. The solfter styles, like Shin Shin Toitsu, tend to fit the older out of shape beginners, like me, or attract people from other harder styles of Aikido, or other combative martial arts, who are getting to the age where they want to continue training in something that they know is still street effective but want to take it easier on their bodies by eliminating the breakfall. For those who are reading this in passing, don't think that I am implying that the "solfter" styles of Aikido are full of out of shape mamby pambies. Oh contrare! I am merely making reference to the fact that one can train ones body and mind coordination without being slammed into the mat. Personally I enjoy being thrown into a break fall but I know that it won't be long before my breakfall days are over due to my age. It is also comforting to know that in a "street" situation that any of the "solf style" throws that I train in can have a suttle change in technique to change it to a break fall throw. Anyways, I digress. The point I'm trying to make is that not only will the Aikido clubs of the same styles individual personalities help to make a potential beginners choices diverse, so to will the variety of styles of Aikido themselves. Man that last paragraph was a hard thought to put down in words. I hope it made sense. Kelly

I found this amazing also, and completely agree with you. I had wanted to practice Aikido for over 5 years but had not been able to do so. (I was sailing around the pacific in a 39 foot boat, very far from any dojo, and only in one place for about a month at a time.) When I came back to living on land I decided that I really wanted to try Aikido. I had read some articles by Dobson, and thought it seemed like something that would work for me. There was a dojo two blocks from where I am living. I went there, but they are fairly traditional in their teaching method, and I didn't feel a good fit. I kind of decided that Aikido was not going to work out like I thought it should. A friend of mine who I have known for years told me one day that he was an Aikidoka. I had never known this. I told him I thought that it sounded great, but that I had gone to a dojo, and it didn't seem to be what I thought it was. "What do you think the odds are that of all the dojos in your area the one that would be right for you is two blocks away from where you are living?"; was all that he had to say. I looked at 4 other dojos, that were within the range that I wanted to drive, and found one that fits me right now to a T. It is wonderful. I train about 6 times a week, and can't get enough of it. The things that I am learning about myself, and about life in general are amazing. The workout is also wonderful. I can't recommend Aikido enough! I agree if you don't find what you are looking for at the first store, look at another one. It is out there in Aikido. Thanks for the well written thoughts, Guy :-)