Hi All - Help Please

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[JohnBennett]

Hi All,

My name is John and I come from Derby, England

I stumbled across this site in search of information on Aikido and was wondering as I am considering starting Aikido if anyone out there has any sage advice on what I should be looking for in a dojo. :)

Any help much appreciated.

[Ron Tisdale]

If you do a search you can find several threads of folks who have asked the same question. There are a variety of responses, all of them worth reading, way too many for me to repeat here. The search function should be available at the top of the page. Just one piece of advice from me; go to the dojo in your area (check the phone book), and try some classes at each. Choose the one that suits you best and has a strong link back to the founder (in terms of teachers).

Good luck,
Ron

[dan guthrie]

I would start looking for the basics: clean, safe (no nails poking out of the floor) and parking or close transportation. I had a roommate who settled on Tae Kwon Do just because the dojo had separate bathroom/changing rooms with lockers. Dojo first, martial arts style second.
I've been very lucky, my dojo's atmosphere is perfect, especially when I'm not there. :)
There are a lot of people with more experience than I here. I think you'll find your dojo right away. Be careful, you might spend a good portion of the rest of your life there.
Congratulations.

[akiy]

Here is my form letter when someone asks me to recommend a dojo. Hope it helps.

-- Jun

I can't give you a recommendation for any dojo in your area, but here are some suggestions to help you choose a dojo. Go visit all of the dojo in your area within a reasonable driving distance and observe a few classes at each of them. As aikido is not just something to be taken up and tossed away like some brief hobby, I think it's worth the time to do this -- especially if you're thinking about enrolling your child in a class, for instance. Never go by the "reputation" of a dojo alone.
Watch how the teacher interacts with his/her students. Watch how the students interact with their teacher. Watch how the students interact with each other. See if you feel comfortable with the way all of these interactions play out. It's often said that you can tell the quality of any kind of school by its students...
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Ask about the school's history and affiliation. Ask about the teacher's aikido history. Ask about the teacher's philosophy in doing aikido. See if any of their answers feels "different" than what you see being practiced and taught.
Do some research on aikido. Some good sites on the Internet include the Aikido FAQ <http://www.aikidofaq.com> and AikiWeb <http://www.aikiweb.com>.Basically, a good yardstick to use if to think if the dojo itself is some place you want to be practicing for the next five years, probably at least two to three times a week.

In any case, you may want to try using the AikiWeb Dojo Search Engineto look for a dojo in your area: http://www.aikiweb.com/search