Aikido club which is located near or far?

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[Ali Raja]

If you had to choose between a Aikido club which is located just about 700 meters away (8 minutes walk) from your apartment or a Aikido Club which is located 54 minutes away from your apartment by bus. Which would you choose? and why?

[PuppyDoggie]

I would choose an Aikido club nearby (more like ~35 minutes walk away).
The other nearest Aikido club would be ~30 minutes away by bus (guesstimating ~3 hours to walk), which isn't feasible in my current circumstances anymore.

My choice mainly came down to one big reason:
The people who attend that nearby club.
Everyone practices safely and many are very friendly. If they weren't, then I would have left Aikido ages ago. I've made three good friends there since I started and I'm very happy that I ended up staying. I'm hoping they stay too!
I had (and still have) a relatively crazy busy lifestyle, so it's not practical for me to go too far away :)

[jamesf]

The bus ride is only slightly longer than my drive to the dojo where I train, which also happens to be the closest one to me. So, in my mind your decision should come down to other factors:

1. Are the dojo members friendly, welcoming, and sincere? Do they want to train with you and vice versa?
2. If you have prior experience in Aikido, does it matter to you if your rank carries over? Does the affliation of either dojo matter to you?
3. Does the style of instruction mesh with your style of learning?
4. Does the style of aikido match what you are seeking? Physicality vs. spirituality, for example.
5. Do the two dojos seem friendly toward one another? If you are a member at one, would the other allow you to simply pay a mat fee to train for a day (like on a day where first is closed)?
6. If either of the dojos are "rough and tumble", does the instructor teach good ukemi to make it survivable? (Do those ranked at least 4th Kyu usually exhibit good ukemi?) Do they do well in adjusting their techniques to make it survivable for total beginners?
7. Is there a cost difference in membership between the two. Can you reasonably afford the higher cost one?

Anyway, these are just some of the questions I would consider in making the decision, the choice is yours to make.

[Ali Raja]

Very interesting answers.

[lbb]

I'm with James. I've never been closer to a dojo than a 30 minute commute (when absolutely everything was going right). I'd choose the dojo that is the better fit over one that's more convenient.

[zak riley]

If there was a club near with a first dan instructor and a club 30 minutes away with a 6th dan instructor
I would go check out the nearest club with the 1st dan instructor if he was a good instructor and I enjoyed it I would train at the nearest club
All though it be good to get some training off high ranks occasionally on seminars

[StephanS]

Go to the dojo where you like the training more!
(If you're hardcore, you can move to whereever the dojo is you like best.)

[lbb]

If there was a club near with a first dan instructor and a club 30 minutes away with a 6th dan instructor
I would go check out the nearest club with the 1st dan instructor if he was a good instructor and I enjoyed it I would train at the nearest club
All though it be good to get some training off high ranks occasionally on seminars

Do you really think 30 minutes is a long time to travel to get to a dojo?

[PuppyDoggie]

If it's just 30 minutes away, I'd go to that one too in addition to the nearest one! I'm assuming their times do not overlap :D

After a while, I'd do what Stephan suggests:
Go to the dojo where you like the training more!

[Ecosamurai]

In my experience people new to aikido choose based on location of the dojo and the times of the lessons. After that in priority comes the feel of the dojo and the people in it.
If you already know a little bit about aikido or martial arts in general you might choose based on the instructor. In fact I'd say the more experience you have the more likely you are to choose based on the instructor alone.

[MRoh]

If you had to choose between a Aikido club which is located just about 700 meters away (8 minutes walk) from your apartment or a Aikido Club which is located 54 minutes away from your apartment by bus. Which would you choose? and why?

Strange question, it depends on so many factors, that nobody can tell who hasn't visited those two fictive dojos...

[nikyu62]

To the OP: walk into each dojo, challenge the instructor, and train with the one who defeats you.....:)

[TomAiki]

Go to each dojo and feel them. Then decide which fells right to you and train.