Three Things for Beginners

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[akiy]

If you could teach, let's say, three things (concepts, techniques, principles, whatever) during a two month beginner's class, what would you teach?

-- Jun

[Chuck Clark]

Good question!

I'll have a go at it.

1. Basic ukemi

2. Posture/Movement/How to attack

3. Balance breaking/Ikkyo(variations)


Three basic modules for instruction purposes with direct omote irimi and tenkan towards the end of the two months.

Lots of creative stuff will happen, I'll bet.

[AikiTom]

You nailed it Sensei.

I'd posit that accomplishing:

Ukemi
Posture
Balance-breaking

(even without the rest mentioned) would serve anyone well.

Technique without these seems to me to be a leading cause of the "muscle-ing" and straining that well-meaning nages experience early on (and for some us during each class from time to time :) )

[Nick]

I'd say:

Relax.
Don't tighten up.
Stay Loose.

-Nick

[Guest5678]

Hmmmmm, lets see, what to teach in a 2 month period and be efffective:
I got it!

1. How to buy a gun
2. How to load a gun
3. How to fire a gun

Yea, that should cover it! :rolleyes:

he-he-he Just Kidding! :D No flames please!

Dan P.

[Yo-Jimbo]

These apply to both using guns and other martial arts:

1. Make sure that ones not down range, mistakes mean death, never rely on luck to keep one from harm. (get off line) Take care of #2 for others.
2. Never aim at something that one doesn't intend to shoot, one is always loaded, one has the ability to kill. (be careful and respectful) Take care of #1 for others.
3. Learning never stops or it never occured. (two months better become a lifetime of training)

For some it is easy to forget that guns are NOT toys. Sometimes I forget that our bodies are NOT toys. Aikido is fun and extremely valuable, but I don't think it can ever be a quick fix. I love aikido and I love you all and always will. (note: not a flame)

[Nick]

definitely not a quick fix- after two months of training I could roll and do something that kinda looked like an ikkyo.

Truly, it takes a lifetime to master Aikido, as with anything- usually the only 'quick fixes' are a cheat to others and ourselves.

-Nick

[dbgard]

Then I'd teach...

Sharing,
Respect,
Gratitude.

(Not necessarily in that order, but kind of in a continuous circle after which the waza would ideally follow suit.)

Drew "a man with a plan" Gardner

Tallahassee Aikikai dojos, ASU affiliated.

[aiki_what]

I can't beleive nobody mentioned the basic three:

1) irimi
2) tenkan
3) basic ukemi

everything about aikido flows from the first two. Position then technique. IMHO.

[Chuck Clark]

aiki_what wrote:
I can't beleive nobody mentioned the basic three:

1) irimi
2) tenkan
3) basic ukemi



Welcome to the group.

"I can't believe" you missed reading about these three basics in posts above.

I agree with you.

Regards,

[Chocolateuke]

I am a begginger but i would teach

1 how to talk to people very vaulble and it is one of the things i am good at.

2 how to fall and roll. you gotta know this even if you leave then you can imppress all the girls after you do a line of aikido rolls off your skateboard unscathed.

3. how to eat chocolate and conserver your energy. in my dojo we conserve energy for eating chocolate. so you can run all the way to teh nearest store. ( and be alive to help people.)

[DJM]

Okay, I'm fairly new to Aikido, but I'll have a stab..
1 - Evasion, then even if you fluff the rest at least you haven't got a knife wedged between your ribs... (Note the Tomiki influence there ;))
2 - Ukemi, definately important but from the sensitivity side of things - and learning to trust yourself
3 - Lots of very hard warmups, so you can run like the clappers! :D

Okay, 3 is only semi-serious, but it's still a valid technique - since you'll be more relaxed in any situation you feel you can exit quickly from, thus less likely to get into anything 'confrontational' - something a lot of people forget to talk about when they're discussing Aikido..

My 2p worth ;)
Peace,
David

[Nick]

I really don't think Aikido can summed up in three things... that'd be like summing up baseball in three things... it could be done, but there's always more to add.

If it were as easy as learnin three things, I doubt I would be involved in it.

-Nick

[akiy]

Nick wrote:
I really don't think Aikido can summed up in three things... that'd be like summing up baseball in three things... it could be done, but there's always more to add.

If it were as easy as learnin three things, I doubt I would be involved in it.
I wasn't trying to get people to "sum up aikido in three things." I asked, "If you could teach, let's say, three things (concepts, techniques, principles, whatever) during a two month beginner's class, what would you teach?"

-- Jun

[Nick]

Awwww man... I completely missed the point again. Perhaps that's one reason I'm mudansha :).

-Nick

[Pete]

And another could be that you have only been doing this seven months to Jun's XX number of years!!

Don't be so hard on yourself Nick! You have an enquiring mind and an obvious thirst for knowledge so stop putting yourself down!! After all, you are going to meet more than enough people in the world who will do it for you at the drop of a hat!!

That is one thing I have learned!! But am still guilty of making fun of myself so that others around me are more comfortable with my great lump of a body!! (see there I go again!!)

Pete

[aiki_what]

Welcome to the group.

"I can't believe" you missed reading about these three basics in posts above.

I agree with you.

Regards,

I didn't miss them...Nobody mentioned them explicitly. In most instances they seem to be thought of as part of a technique/application. Irimi and tenkan stand alone on their own merit and as such should be studied accordingly.

[Nick]

Pete wrote:

Don't be so hard on yourself Nick! You have an enquiring mind and an obvious thirst for knowledge so stop putting yourself down!! After all, you are going to meet more than enough people in the world who will do it for you at the drop of a hat!!

Pete


Gomen nasai, Pete. I've always been hard on myself. Perhaps that's another reason I'm mudansha ;).

But thank you for the encouraging words...

-Nick

[akiy]

It's interesting that so many of us tend to be "hard on ourselves." I certainly fall into that category.

I have a friend whom I've helped out a lot in weapons practice leading up to her shodan test. One thing I told her was to stop saying, "I suck at this weapons stuff." I felt that harboring those kinds of negative thoughts about herself could only be stumbling blocks and a crutch on which to lean upon.

Frankly, it still pains me when I hear from her that her weapons sucks. I feel like I spent a fair amount of time helping out and to hear those words come out just makes me think that I did no good. I, of course, know it's not the case, but it's sad to hear it nonetheless...

-- Jun

[Nick]

But then, if we start praising ourselves too much, it has more of a negative effect on our waza, IMO, than being down on ourselves.

So we should strive to not bring ourselves down, but still remain humble.

-Nick

[akiy]

I do not think humility means that one should automatically put down one's own ability. That's more like an inferiority complex to me.

I think that many people give short shrift to one's abilities and doing so does no good. Inasmuch as accepting what one can't do is an important step in one's training, I also very much believe that accepting what one can do is, perhaps, even more important.

-- Jun

[Nick]

Ack! I hate when I can't argue my way out of something :).

Good points, Jun-san and good advice. Arigato Gozaimasu.

-Nick

[Mary Eastland]

1. Introduction to ki exercises
2. ukemi
3. 4 techniques on 6th kyu test

[Malicat]

1. Introduction to ki exercises
2. ukemi
3. 4 techniques on 6th kyu test

As a beginner, every time I hear my Sensei mention something along the lines of, "And this is on the ... kyu test" I tend to get quite nervous. :)

[Michael Hackett]

I like Chuck Clark's list, but would substitute kotogaeshi instead of ikkyo, which would leave the new student with a simpler and more effective technique to build confidence. Ikkyo is good, but good ikkyo is hard.

[Mario Tobias]

1.) not much talk, just do it
2.) not much talk, just do it
3.) not much talk, just do it

and hopefully they'll remain like I did.

[danj]

I think a good shomenuchi cut is important!
Developed through drills with a bokken. partner exercises, weapons open hand etc.. makes for really good aikido I think. It teaches essential skills for focus, extension, balance breaking posture and trains all the right muscle groups for so many techniques and is a foundational movement for many of them as well.

dan

[Abasan]

1. Kamae
2. Zanshin
3. Rei

[phitruong]

my list,

1. go to the bathroom before you put on your gi
2. wear clean underwear so you have room for stuffs
3. don't eat a full meal before practice
4. clean up after yourself which apply to the previous 3
:D

[Walter Martindale]

I do not think humility means that one should automatically put down one's own ability. That's more like an inferiority complex to me.

I think that many people give short shrift to one's abilities and doing so does no good. Inasmuch as accepting what one can't do is an important step in one's training, I also very much believe that accepting what one can do is, perhaps, even more important.

-- Jun

I have to fight the "I suck at kata" attitude I developed in Judo days (in the 70s, kata were that PITA you had to do to pass a grading, and got in the way of randori - at least that was the attitude at our dojo). As a result the bad attitude towards kata, I struggle to see the point of memorizing a set of 13, 31, or 70 moves with a jo, or a jo, or a bokken, respectively. So I don't do well at recalling them - even after a whole lot of practice... I can follow along most of the time but...

When it comes to people telling me "I CAN'T (do whatever)" my usual response is along the lines of "perhaps not yet, but you haven't learned it yet" or "yes you can, you just haven't learned how yet"

Maybe I should take my own advice.

Three things for beginners after a little primer on dojo etiquette - basic levels of:
Ukemi (also used as a form of conditioning)
Tai-Sabaki/Kamae
Ikkyo and taking balance toward 'the third point'

Cheers,
W

[graham christian]

1) Aikitaiso

2) Aiki motion.

3) Basic techniques using the above.

Regards.G.

[PhillyKiAikido]

1) Aikitaiso

2) Aiki motion.

3) Basic techniques using the above.

Regards.G.

Good, right, but not easy for beginners. From what I saw, some would get bored soon on #1 and #2, most would give up after several months practice when they found they didn't know how to do #3, only few would stay and would still have to do that after some years' practice. Consequently, it's hard for the dojo to survive. :)

[graham christian]

Good, right, but not easy for beginners. From what I saw, some would get bored soon on #1 and #2, most would give up after several months practice when they found they didn't know how to do #3, only few would stay and would still have to do that after some years' practice. Consequently, it's hard for the dojo to survive. :)

No time to get bored, it's only a two month class.

Why would people get bored? Why would they find they don't know how to do? Sounds like a class with no teacher.

Regards.G.

[LinTal]

1.) not much talk, just do it
2.) not much talk, just do it
3.) not much talk, just do it

and hopefully they'll remain like I did.

What kept me was seeing my teacher learning. So my list would go something like

1) everyone's learning, everyone's got something to learn.
2) rolling only hurts 'cause you don't know how to do it yet. Like everything else.
3) stop waiting for a third point and turn your brain off.

:D

[Eva Antonia]

Dear all,

I don't even remember what I was taught in the first two months, but it must have been good because I got hooked (and still am). There was kote gaeshi in it, I remember this. I tried it proudly on my boyfriend ("look, what I discovered!"), and it hurt so suddenly and so much that his only reflex was to box me hard in my face. So much for tenkan and getting out of the line of attack...

I think I would refrain from showing great, ostentatious breakfalls to beginners instead of hoping that they might see them and wish to develop that skill themselves. We had some months ago some potential beginners watching a lesson, which was full of irimi nage, tenchi nage, sumi otoshi and the corresponding acrobatics, and they got scared like hell and never came back. These were young men in their twenties. First time I saw a breakfall I thought I would break all my bones if ever forced to do so.

In our dojo, beginners pretty much do the same things as the others, just more slowly and more carefully, and maybe not always with locks and pins. Everyone practices ukemi at warming-up, so they also do, and for the rest of the course they get partnered with more advanced aikidoka. But in the dojo in Baku, where I sometimes practice, there is a special programme for beginners, focusing on mae ukemi, ushiro ukemi, different tai sabakis and shikko. Once they master that, they get their 6th kyu and participate to normal practice. I found that an nice and interesting approach. On one side, they reduce the probability that someone gets injured, since he already knows a bit how to fall, and on the other side they also increase the confidence of the beginners so that they are less afraid when having to take a fall. Needless to say, 6th kyus are still treated with caution and not thrown around like balls.

Best regards,

Eva

[Aviv]

1. Stand-Up straight
2. Relax
3. Breathe

[Lyle Laizure]

Just 3 things...
1. Awareness
2. Resolve
3. Respect

[danj]

I was intrigued by this post and have continued to mull over it, most of this draft has been sitting around for a while and with the shut down of aikiweb i had forgotten about it. But now reflecting on my most recent way of handling of beginners i thought I would submit anyway.

Beginners courses serve quite specific purposes and these determine its goals and makeup. One of the things they can address is relevance of the art to a beginner so that regular class material isn't to advanced, full of gaps (like turning up to regular classes might be with foundatuions) and getting bored because of the detail in our art presented too early.

the goals and hence 3 things of a beginners course to be taught are quite related. Some goals can be retention, graduation of beginners into regular class and sorting the keepers (wheat from the chaff) as early as possible, and to inform public so they can make an informed choice and three things arise from there

I think people can get bored early on and might mis the spark and wonder that aiki has to offer. With out some kind of beginners induction/course - retention is pretty bad
- the instructor and dojo end up servicing beginners as they come whenever they choose
- is harder to actually get people into the dojo.

As a rule i found that it was a process of halves without a begineers course that is
1/2 that people that make contact with the dojo show up
1/2 the people that show up get on the mat
1/2 the people on the mat never turn up to do a second class (even if they rave about it being the best thing they ever did)
1/2 the people that show up for second class do a grading 2 months later (thats when we do a 7th kyu in our school)

Having a beginners course enables
- people to make a social contract with other starters to stick with it (hopefully long enough to get really excited about the art and build a habit)
- people are more likely to come to something programmed, and thus turn up
- an upfront fee means people coming are more committed to finishing it
- the core of the dojo (regular students) can continue to progress without having to go back to somthing like 'unbendable arm' every time a newbies walks onto the mat
- core skills can be built quicker and mpre consistently

1 month Beginners class
My own experience with running beginners course are that they really work in improving retention to first grading and keeping the rest of the dojo humming along , however
- the first grading is then an exit statement for many (no problem esp. for a university club like i ran where a goal is to spread the art),
- can breed a service mentality - OK i finished my beginners course where is my dedicated instructor for my next belt and
- can also lead to a I paid my money spoon feed me please!
here my three things were
1/ teach fundamental syllabus to first grading
2/ teach rolling skills
3/ teach a sense of belonging (which worked to the graduation grading only , sadly...)

FWIW here is my beginners course I used to offer - it started as a 2 monther and then we did it as a one month
02 Aikido Beginners Course (http://www.aikidorepublic.com/aikido-techniques/02aikidobeginnerscourse)
Here are retention stats for the dojo over a 10 yr period - note 1 in 454 people reach shodan (~3-4 yrs by the book in our school), sample size is about a few thousand and class size ~40 twice a week with various satellite classes. It gets a bit preachy YMMV
Growing a Dojo

2 Class introduction
My current offering (http://www.aikidorepublic.com/martial-arts-classes/aikido-beginners) is to offer a 2 class introduction which teaches some fundamentals, has home work and states that 'i expect you to take responsability for your own development '. the retention after the first grading is similar, but I find that most leave after 2 classes rather than after 7th Kyu - which is attractive to me because it allows a better focus on the stayers and hence rest of dojo and my own development.

Here my three things are
1/ present historical context of aikido, and relationship as a sword related art (not quite true but its a simpler story)
2/ teach sword cuts and fundamental techniques from it (ikkyo irimi, nikkyo (as an aiki age, aiki sage cut))
3/ teach rolling skills (i use the systema method)
(1) enables student to understand why we train as we do and start in the dojo doing the minutae and understand a little of why we are doing this. (2) and (3) are set as homework as i encourage beginners that these are the core skills to work fully in the dojo.

My thanks to this discussion for helping clarify this stuff in my mind and will do some tweaking on what i offer advertise as a result

best to all

[Alberto_Italiano]

If you could teach, let's say, three things (concepts, techniques, principles, whatever) during a two month beginner's class, what would you teach?

-- Jun

provided I don't teach, nor I could:

1) Violence: in a real fight you will meet it
2) Brutality: they will face you ruthlessly
3) Disonhourability: they won't give a damn

To the few who are still there I'd say: Manage those - with Aikido. If your Aikido can manage those, you can truly afford being peaceful.

[Andrew S]

Pretty much what has been said before:

* ukemi - you need this to survive any kind of practice, plus it is the one "technique" you WILL use in real life.

* basic movement (irimi, tenkan, kaiten) - this is the core of the most common techniques, and can easily be "spiced up" with the introduction of taisabaki to avoid being clubbed with a bokuto or spitted with a jo.
.
* seiza (and by extension, shikko and reiho) - Asai Sensei said that suwariwaza were good for keeping people humble. Great for developing hip movement and posture.

My ￥2 worth (and at the current exchange rate, that's not a bad deal!)

[RuteMendes]

This is what they taught me:

1st- ushiro ukemi
2nd- tai sabaki
3rd- shihonage

:D It was absolutley AWESOME!

[Mark Uttech]

1. Get the big picture
2. Get off the line
3. Learn to forget the third thing.

[Phil Van Treese]

Ukemi, ukemi, and footwork/movement (tai sabaki). Techniques as they would relate to your level of "Ukemi expertise"!!! As time progresses and the ukemi improves, other techniques would be introduced----again in conjunction with the level of ukemi expertise.

[RealBeginner]

As a beginner, I have found this thread very interesting and enlightening. Thank you senpais!
As a beginner who as made it a bit past the first 2 months of training, may I suggest one more lesson to teach early: KEEP SHOWING UP.