Swine Flu - Affected Your Training?

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Tsubaki Kannagara Aiki Taisai - 4/27-29 Aikido, Misogi & O'sensei memorial in Shinto Jinja, Granite Falls, WA

[misogi]

Just wondering if the threat of pandemic :eek: will affect your training. Understandably, close contact would not be a recommendation for anyone avoiding a cold/flu. This just isn't any flu...thoughts? Anyone got any good recommendations for safe practice?

:ki:

[Eva Antonia]

Dear Judith,

her in Europe we are luckily some days behind, but if it hits us as it hit the Mexicans, I'd be much more afraid about my kids in school...there are LOTS of them in one classroom, as close as we are with our toris and ukes.

So I suppose if schools stay open, dojos may also.

Best regards,

Eva

[misogi]

Good point - however, we choose to put ourselves in extremely close contact when training. I have done a little ju jutsu recently, and there is not much between you when grappling. There have been several occasions over the years when I have had someone's sweat drip in my eye/ear and even mouth:yuck: It is something we all deal with during intense training. It just doesn't seem sensible when under threat of a serious illness we are being warned cannot be contained. We then take it back to family/work/ supermarket/school...
I don't want to avoid practice, nor do I want to be paranoid - just interested in other's thoughts and advice :)

[Abasan]

Be considerate. If you're feeling the worst for wear, especially with flu symptoms, then leave the dojo and check in to a clinic. Isolation of the vectors is the key to stopping a pandemic.

[Janet Rosen]

Scrupulous handwashing with soap and water before getting on mat and immediately upon getting off mat. Anybody with upper respiratory infection symptoms should not be in the dojo, period (I always recommend this anyhow). If there is an outbreak in your area, follow local public health suggestions about cancelling/closing temporarily.

[Flintstone]

Be considerate. If you're feeling the worst for wear, especially with flu symptoms, then leave the dojo and check in to a clinic. Isolation of the vectors is the key to stopping a pandemic.
+1

[John Furgerson III]

It's affected out training here in Mexico City. Ground zero for the outbreak. Our last class was Sunday April 26. We had the ceremony for the 40th anniversary of O' Sensei's death and then we all got into a circle.
Sensei asked for a vote for those who think we should follow the goverment's example and shut down until May 6. Most were in favor of shutting down. I think Sensei would have shut it down anyway because of the flu.
Hopefully we will have classes start again on May 6 as long as everything looks OK here in the capital. They have said that it's leveling out here so hopefully May 6 will be the date. That's a week and a half with no dojo, possibly longer. Sensei recommended we work at home with the boken and jo. That's about all on can do without a dojo. You can also go to Home dept and buy a painters mask like ereryone here in Mexico City are doing. I sometimes may wear a mask when i clean the dojo before class because there's a lot of dust here. Hope this helps.

[eric_lecaptain]

What's swine flu?? just kidding!
here in Green Bay we have only one sicko. and we usually make her wait outside when she shows for practices. (alright, still kidding)
umm, if we had an outbreak (i understand it is fairly hard to contract and we only have two cases in the area) i would simply not attend classes whether we were open or not. while we do have that shot (forgot the name) to treat the flu we still lack a vaccine. but, i wouldnt worry too much, the CDC is on it. :)

[gdandscompserv]

If you don't clean/sanitize your mats before or after each class, begin doing so now!

[lbb]

If you don't clean/sanitize your mats before or after each class, begin doing so now!

You're kidding, right? Just what procedure do you use to "sanitize" your mats, and how long does it take?

[gdandscompserv]

You're kidding, right? Just what procedure do you use to "sanitize" your mats, and how long does it take?
Nope!
Bleach, water and rags. Everybody grabs a rag and starts wiping. Takes about 15 minutes or so.

[Maarten De Queecker]

Dear Judith,

her in Europe we are luckily some days behind, but if it hits us as it hit the Mexicans, I'd be much more afraid about my kids in school...there are LOTS of them in one classroom, as close as we are with our toris and ukes.

So I suppose if schools stay open, dojos may also.

Best regards,

Eva

You needn't worry about your children that much.. swine flue mostly hits healthy adults between 20 and 50 and it seems that only the mexican version of the virus is dangerous seeing how hardly any people in the US, Europe or Asia have died.
That being said I'm not too concerned about this flue. Probably the same hysteria as with SARS ("there's only a 96 percent chance that I'll survive" - Randy Marsh) and the bird flu. The world has other, more urgent matters on its mind, such as finding a solution to a certain economic crisis that hit us.