Another Newb Says Hello, Asks Questions

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[Terry Donaghe]

Hi all,

I've been interested in Aikido for quite a long time. I recently put my 7-year-old son into a karate class, and my wife commented that we should probably find some sort of martial arts activity to do together. I knew right off that I wanted to do Aikido. She took Ju-Jitsu way back in college, but wanted to do something that didn't involve beating people into bloody pulps, so I think I made the right choice.

Last Thursday I visted the dojo that I found while doing internet research. It's an USAF aikikai dojo, and I was very impressed with what I saw. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the sensei, while serious, certainly had a sense of humor. There was also a lot of attention paid to the beginners in the class.

I really wanted to start the next day, but I'm doing a lot of travelling this month with my family, and didn't want to have a lot of interuptions in my first month of practice, so I'm planning on starting June 1. This will also give me time to see an eye doctor about getting contacts.

Although my wife and I will not be able to practice on the same nights (someone needs to take care of my son), I think we'll be able to train together on Sunday mornings. I'm really looking forward to our new journey in Aikido.

Is anyone else training with their spouses? I'll be glad for my wife to have a new way of working out her frustrations. :D

Has anyone had any problems training with contacts?

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to participating in this community as my training progresses!

[akiy]

Hi Terry,

Welcome to the AikiWeb Forums and thank you for your introduction! I hope you'll let us know how your initial training sessions go.

-- Jun

[GaiaM]

I think it would be great to train with your wife.
And, no, I've never had any problems with my contacts. Then again, I do whitewater kayaking with them in and I've never lost one!
Good luck! Enjoy!
Gaia