aikido and sledge hammers

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[Dajo251]

so thursday night instead of class we are starting the demolition of our new space, we need to basically gut it in order to make it how we need it. So a bunch of aikidoka are gonna be runnin around with sledge hammers it should be a fun night

[HooverGurl]

oohh! that sounds like tons of fun!

[Mark Uttech]

Running around with sledge hammers does not sound very mindful or responsible. A dojo is not a like a fraternity house.Hard work builds a dojo. Consistant hard work. Of course, there is a certain amount of excitement. I hope that as you build the dojo, or remodel it, that you keep a mindfulness bell nearby. In gassho.

[Dajo251]

it wont be completely disorganized, but we need to do alot of demolition before we can start building the space up. We do actually have plans drawn out, and after the demo and the clean up we are chalking the lines for the new walls which will hopefully start getting framed friday or saturday, unfortunatly the existing walls just dont work for the lay out that Sensei Werth wants.

[Eric Webber]

Remember to swing from your hara :D

[Saw Y. C. Naw]

Remember to swing from your hara :D

So that if the sledgehammer flies out of your hand and right through a window, you can at least say it was Aikido :D

[Dennis Hooker]

sledge hammer is not P.C. They are ten pound adjustment and reshaping tools you insensitive cad.

[James Kelly]

I’m sorry, but I don’t think that destroying your dojo is in harmony with true aiki. If you all were following the true path, you could remodel the space with out destroying it.

[ESimmons]

Your hammer wielding seems to have furrowed a few brows, Mr. Hulley.

:)

[Mike Collins]

My dad gave me a tie clip set with a sledge-hammer, a pick, and a shovel. He called it his "implements of ignorance" collection, and told me if I didn't do well in school, I'd need to be familiar with things like 10 lb. adjustment and reshaping implements, terra shaping and locomotion devices, and aeration and mastication instruments.

He was right. Some years later I ended up throwing gravel over my head outta trucks, and packing buckets of hot asphalt up ladders.

Good luck on the build-out. It's a bitch in the doing, but it feels great when it's over.

[Michael O'Brien]

Good luck with the remodeling. Hopefully someday I can travel your way to see your new facility when it is completed.

[aikidoc]

I'm sorry, but I don't think that destroying your dojo is in harmony with true aiki. If you all were following the true path, you could remodel the space with out destroying it.

??? Did you miss the point of the demolition?
(Site preperation to BUILD the dojo)

We spent most of last summer working on our space in Midland, and it is a lot of work but soooooo worth it in the long run.
You will find out who your friends REALLY are when you need help. Non truer than those who volunteer their time and energy (That means you Randy) :)
Lan

[Kevin Temple]

If you were true aikido students, you would harmonize your ki with the walls and reshape them to your satisfaction. You would also never step on bugs, colour outside the lines, give people dirty looks, walk against the wind or scratch yourself when itchy.

[Michael O'Brien]

If you were true aikido students, you would harmonize your ki with the walls and reshape them to your satisfaction. You would also never step on bugs, colour outside the lines, give people dirty looks, walk against the wind or scratch yourself when itchy.
Boy do I have a long way to go in my training then. :)

Especially with that scratching when itchy part !!!!!!!

[Dajo251]

I'm sorry, but I don't think that destroying your dojo is in harmony with true aiki. If you all were following the true path, you could remodel the space with out destroying it.
The way the space is, it just wouldnt work, it wasnt a dojo before hand, so we arent destroying our dojo....

[Michael O'Brien]

The way the space is, it just wouldnt work, it wasnt a dojo before hand, so we arent destroying our dojo....
I don't know if some people are trying to be funny, or perhaps just being smart-a$$, but I think most of us anyway know what you mean.

Perhaps "destroy" was a poor choice of wording although in the fun context of your original post it fit.

Maybe you should have said that you were removing the un-necessary elements in order to allow for a cleaner and more pure training enviroment. :p :cool: :D :)

[Dajo251]

Very true, perhaps I worded it poorly and I do realize that alot of people are just having fun with it, it;ll be a great dojo once we are finished I am looking forward to the work going into it

[dbotari]

Daniel,

Please post some pictures of the dojo as you progress in your efforts.

[Robert Jackson]

If you were true aikido students, you would harmonize your ki with the walls and reshape them to your satisfaction.

Yes, you must extend your energy through the walls.

[Dajo251]

Daniel,

Please post some pictures of the dojo as you progress in your efforts.
thats a good Idea I will take some pics of it tonight

[James Kelly]

ok – that was funny. Daniel, do you realize you just apologized for using a word that you didn’t actually use? I was of course making a bad joke with my post and I was the one who first used the word ‘destroying’. The thread picked it up and did the rest. Message boards are strange places.

[Dajo251]

ok, you got me, I actually thought I used that word, weird....but it went well last nightm no pics cuz all we did really was move stuff, we knocked down a small wall, but it didnt change the look that much, sunday is the next day there, almost all of our stuff is out of the old dojo, except for enough mats for us to train on.

[James Kelly]

i'm glad it's going well. Where are you moving to/from? I started aikido in Providence back in the day under Glen Webber Sensei - are you guys the same group? He had a beautidul dojo in an old warehouse north and a little east of downtown.

[Dajo251]

I trained with Sensei Webber about 7 years ago, he has since retired from teaching,which is sad because I loved training under him, his aikido was some of the best I've ever seen, when I was training with him his space was in Cranston and was very nice. Sensei Werth was a student under Sensei Webber when I was training with him and is now under Lorrain Dianne Shihan with Western Region Aikido. The new Dojo is On north Main Street whick is about 2 miles from Downtown

[dps]

Will the sledgehammer be displayed on your weapons rack along with a bokken, bo and jo?

[Dajo251]

Tore out two three walls today, plus a built in desk thing, the space is really starting to shape up, tomorrow instead of class we are all going to work on the new space, in order to hopefully have it up and running net week. Sorry no pics, my camera decided to die, and not just the battery...so sad

[Lyle Bogin]

They say martial arts training has no end... but neither does dojo construction!

[Dajo251]

and who ever said that isnt kidding, its shaping up to be alot more work then we anticipated, we havent started framing the new rooms yet. I spent most of the night re-enforcing the drop ceiling, got a ton of panaling off of a wall only to find another layer off panals under that followed by some sheet rock, and then insulation and finally the brick. Its coming along though

[Steve Mullen]

I think i can see another thread coming out of this one

"how effective is aikido against a crew of dojo reshapers weilding ten pound adjustment and reshaping tools"

I think it will really take off.

Dan,
I totally share you pain about the walls thing. Recently i was helping my friends "do out" their garden, which included a pond in the middle one of those plastic sheet-lined ones) anyway, it was drained due to a split in the plastic but was still firmly cemented in place by rocks around the side.

SO out comes the ten pound adjustment and reshaping tool, or Sid as we named it and away go the rocks, problem solved??

HE HE, No :(

Around the pond was a line of flagstones 3 wide, so i lifted the first lot, scraped away the sand and tried to move the plastic, no joy, so i moved the second lot, tried again, a bit of give.....but no joy, on to the third ones and finally more give.

Then i noticed the second line of stones around that :( :( :(

[Dajo251]

WE named our reshaping tool thor, only about an hour later did I remeber the actual name of thors hammer(Im not going to attempt to spell it but its easy enough to find) but thor has stuck

[Steve Mullen]

It builds a better working relationship with them if you do. we also had an axe, who's name escapes me at the moment

[Dajo251]

If that axe was otis I am scared(see the movie frailty for the referance)

[Dajo251]

So I got a call today about working at the dojo tomorrow and starting the framing for the locker rooms and then beer and pizza was mentioned....sounds like it will be an intresting evening

[Dajo251]

Ok, so the walls are up and sheetrocked, that leaves us with, wireing painting, a bit of plumbing, moving alot of stuff general cleaning and laying down the mats, we are supposed to start training at the new place on monday, so we may just move stuff around so we can lay some mats down. Im a little worried about walking around bare foot, Ive already pulled 3 screws and 5 nails outta the bottom of my shoes.......oh well its going well,

[Dajo251]

lesson learned tonight....rolling off a mat onto concrete when its unexpected hurts like hell

[Steve Mullen]

It's good that we, as aikidoka, learn these lessons from time to time, just incase a group of ninja should choose to attack whilst we are in a concrete area :uch: