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I am a sophomore physics major at the University of Connecticut. I spent much of my fall semester trying to find a martial art that fits me. While preparing to test for rank in our jujutsu club, my partner and I heard the sound of the Large judo mat upstairs being unfolded. When I went up to investigate, I saw an aikido seminar being conducted by William Gleason Sensei. My partner and I promptly sat in seiza to watch. Gleason Sensei was demonstrating Shiho nage on Sensei Rob Liberti. After the demonstration, one of the regulars or the aikido club bowed off the mat and greeted us. We declined since we had a lot of practice to do, but I'll never forget the kind smile of that student and the beautiful ukemi demonstrated on shihonage.
I've been trying to practice some ukemi at home, and the judo style doesnt feel so good if the hard wood floor is cold. After training so much last semester, training isn't something i do for self defense, its mostly something for enjoyment and quality of life. The Aikido demo has stuck out in my mind, and is something that I'll certainly like to try.
This AikiBlog is a look at a complete beginner's experience at learning aikido. I have only had 2.5 months of jujutsu experience, so i know so little that I'm sure my experience will be similar to other beginners looking to practice Aikido. The semester starts on the 16th of January 2006, So look for my first post then.