How much space?

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[Kat.C]

My husband and I are planning to build a screened-in enclosure this year(you cannot sit outside in the summer for the bugs) and we want to be able to use it for aikido practice. So I was wondering if someone could tell me how big we should make it. Obviously we won't be throwing each other for a while, but when our training reaches that level I don't want to go crashing through the screen!:eek: So if anyone has any ideas on how much square footage we'd need I'd appreciate it.

[Greg Jennings]

Originally posted by Kat.C
My husband and I are planning to build a screened-in enclosure this year(you cannot sit outside in the summer for the bugs) and we want to be able to use it for aikido practice. So I was wondering if someone could tell me how big we should make it. Obviously we won't be throwing each other for a while, but when our training reaches that level I don't want to go crashing through the screen!:eek: So if anyone has any ideas on how much square footage we'd need I'd appreciate it.

Hi Kathryn,

Square footage doesn't tell the whole story.

E.g., 20x20' would be wonderful for two people, but 40x10' would limit what you could do in the short dimension (10').

If you want to throw in a given direction, I'd say 12-15' would be as short as I'd want it.

I bought and installed out dojo's mat. If you have questions about that sort of thing, please feel free to e-mail me.

Best,

[erikmenzel]

Hi Kate,

depending on what kind of training you want to do now or in the future (taijutsu, aiki-joho or aiki-kenpo) you should also consider an usefull height.

[andrew]

I take it you've both just started Aikido? If you're both beginners, I wouldn't think of actually throwing each other about much at any stage in the near future without somebody on a teaching kind of level there.

What you need is really enough space to have you both stretch comfortably, or enough room to do a shoulder-roll accross it without hitting the wall if you want to practive rolls. You can train quite a bit without throwing each other- Ikkyo, Nikkyo etc.

Go to the archive at www.aikidoonline.com and take a look at Tamuras "Etiquette and Transmission."

andrew

[Kat.C]

Greg, thanks for the measurements, we will probably aim for 15'x20' or if we can 20'x20'.
Erik, as for weapons I'm not sure I'd want to use them in a screened enclosure it would be to easy to ruin the screen. My karate bo is 6'long, I don't know how long aikido weapons are but I don't think I want a 16' ceiling. I think we'll stick to the great outdoors when using weapons. By the way, please, please, it is Kat or Kathryn,:) not Kate. Kate always makes me think of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew.:grr:
We have no intentions of throwing each other any time soon, but we do not want to have to build a bigger structure when we have reached that point in our training.

[Jim ashby]

Nice quandary to have. Take an imaginary line, get thrown from it and add five feet. That will give you a minimum dimension. Like I said, a nice problem to have.
Have fun.

[erikmenzel]

Originally posted by Kat.C
By the way, please, please, it is Kat or Kathryn,:) not Kate. Kate always makes me think of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew.:grr:

Sorry,
I did not mean to offend you, just a stupid little missspelling, please forgive me.:blush: :blush: :eek:

<Erik bows in shame>

[Kat.C]

Originally posted by erikknoops

Sorry,
I did not mean to offend you, just a stupid little missspelling, please forgive me.:blush: :blush: :eek:

<Erik bows in shame>

No offense taken at all.:) I must say I was pleasantly surprised by your apology, not alot of people bother.

<Kat bows in respect>

[deepsoup]

Originally posted by Kat.C
Erik, as for weapons I'm not sure I'd want to use them in a screened enclosure it would be to easy to ruin the screen. My karate bo is 6'long, I don't know how long aikido weapons are but I don't think I want a 16' ceiling. I think we'll stick to the great outdoors when using weapons.

Hi Kat,

The main weapons are jo and bokken, the jo is the longer of the two at usually just a couple of inches over 4 feet. You wouldn't need to go to 16', I'd say about 10' would give you clearance enough for almost all Aikido weapons work.

(I'm quite envious of your back yard, by the way. :))

Sean
x

[Kat.C]

Originally posted by deepsoup


Hi Kat,

The main weapons are jo and bokken, the jo is the longer of the two at usually just a couple of inches over 4 feet. You wouldn't need to go to 16', I'd say about 10' would give you clearance enough for almost all Aikido weapons work.

(I'm quite envious of your back yard, by the way. :))

Sean
x
Wow weapons for people my size! At only 5'2" it took me a bit to get used to a 6' bo. Of course once I did I loved it. Is a jo used the same way as a karate bo?
No need to be too envious of my yard. We have an acre of land (which I'll admit is great) but it is mainly rocks, dirt, weeds and some scraggly trees. It is mine, I love it, but it is ugly.