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[leonagastya]

Hello everyone, my name is Leon from the country of Indonesia. I've been practicing Aikido for 6 months now and am interested in the philosophies that are in the martial art. I generally hate fighting which is why I tend to avoid martial arts but Aikido is different as it would let me take someone down without actually hurting them. I got into it due to a project that I have to do in school which is where I try to improve my physical, mental and social life through Aikido. I joined this forum because I wanted to know what other people think about Aikido and how its affected their lives. But anyways I hope to be meeting new people here and engage in friendly discussions with you all.

[GovernorSilver]

Welcome, from a fellow beginner!

Every time I attend class at the dojo, my eyes get opened a little bit more, which results in me thinking of Aikido a little more differently after class than I did before class. One of the teachers last week said that Aikido is about learning how to use one's body - adding yet another way for me to look at it. Before I started training in this art, I knew of it as an art oriented towards self-defense and neutralization, rather than going on the offense and striving to inflict damage on an opponent. I am slowly learning it is more nuanced than that - for example as uke, I of course have to go be on offense and deliver a decent attack to help my partner traing, but I also have to follow my nage's lead in a way that benefits me (eg. counters, minimizing risk of injury) as well as the nage.

Socially speaking, I am meeting a variety of new people by training at this dojo so that's good. I appreciate the importance of having a good community to train with - it has to be the right mix of serious attitude -about improving one's skill and helping others improve their skills - and lighter attitude (kindness towards one another and humor, so the atmosphere isn't constantly tense).

[akiy]

Hi Leon,

Welcome to AikiWeb and thank you for your introduction.

-- Jun

[fatebass21]

Welcome!

Aikido has had a big effect on my life even through periods of not actually training at a dojo. I am more mentally clear, more patient, and less resistive in generally with Aikido.