Family Affair?

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[captain]

Just wondering how many of you train with your family members?

where I train it's quite a family affair, with my Dad, Sister, 2 Uncles, 1 Aunt and 1 Cousin, so when we are all on the mat together we just about take over the whole mat!!


David

[Chuck.Gordon]

My teacher was my uncle, my cousin and i trained together for years, my senior student now is my wife ...

cg

[captain]

Thanks Mr Gordon!

I have found I get a better practice with Family as they really enjoy a good hard practice!

the next generation will be on its way soon...

my 2 daughters aged 4 and 6, and my nephew aged 4

David

[seank]

I train with my wife, my brother and my sister-in-law.

Very similar situation in that we take up a fair amount of the mat (our class sizes are usually fairly small).

We've found it great being able to train together. We often find one or the other is happy to be a crash-test uke for new techniques, and it is often handy to have someone to bounce ideas off and to try and delve further into the intricacies of a technique.

(I also find it beats having to use a mirror if you want to check your footwork or whether you are really entering :) )

[captain]

yup we do a lot of crash testing! (through some french doors but thats a different story ;) ) but we do enjoy training together as there is nearly always opportunities to practice techniques off the mat, (family gatherings are a favorite) .

Sean,


do you find your family are willing to be more honest with your performance of your techniques? I know my family are painfully honest at times!

David.

[GaiaM]

I started aikido at the dojo where my mom and dad were already training. My little sister has since started as well and both my aunts did aikido in the past. At the dojo where I now train we have a dad and his three teenage kids. And the whole dojo is pretty much like my family! It's funny to be in my parents house because we are all (mom, dad and I) constantly talking about aikido and trying out techniques on each other in the kitchen.
Gaia

[Jorge Garcia]

My son and I started Aikido together ten years ago and have trained together all the way. We have also traveled doing almost 30 seminars and had many great experiences and memories. Until she went to college, my daughter trained with us ( the first 4 years) but after she left, it has been John and me. I wouldn't trade those years for anything.

[captain]

I was the first to start training in my family with my dad, he wasn't actually interested in training but my sensei would not let me train unless my Dad did, know he likes aikido more than me I think! traveled all over the UK on courses and have had some great times, with more to come I hope

[bryce_montgomery]

Well...I consider the people I train with my family even though it's not by blood.

The relationships I have with my instructor, sempai, and the other students are important to me and they also help with my training.

As far as blood relations go, none of my actual family train with me but I've talked my girlfriend into training this summer.

Bryce

[kironin]

but I've talked my girlfriend into training this summer.

Bryce

that path is full of woe...

;)

[bryce_montgomery]

that path is full of woe...

;)

Heh, thanks buddy. :D

It shouldn't be that bad...she has watched me train for the past 4 months and she likes it so I hope she'll enjoy flying for awhile.

Bryce

[bkedelen]

There is some intrafamily training at Boulder Aikikai.
Admittedly this is only because I'm my own grandpa.

[bryce_montgomery]

:eek:...:confused:....:freaky: ...

...nice reference Willie...

:D

Bryce

[Huker]

Yeah, obscure, but well-played.

[Eliott Beazley]

My brother just started about 3 weeks after me. I find it really helps to practice with someone you know well. It also makes it alot easier to practice techniques at home off the mats!

[seank]

Sean,
do you find your family are willing to be more honest with your performance of your techniques? I know my family are painfully honest at times!

Yeah, the can be. I don't think it necessarily a bad thing though; they at least are willing to point it out, and not take a fall just for the sake of it.

It does lead to some tension sometimes, but on the whole I think we all enjoy the shared experience.

[captain]

Yeah, the can be. I don't think it necessarily a bad thing though; they at least are willing to point it out, and not take a fall just for the sake of it.

It does lead to some tension sometimes, but on the whole I think we all enjoy the shared experience.

that's what I was trying to get at! ;)

Never much tension luckily we are all pretty much laid back and enjoy bashing the hell out of each other (on and off the mat).

David

[RebeccaM]

I know this thread is getting old but I saw it and couldn't resist...

Before I left home I trained with both my dad and my brother and my youngest sister. People made jokes about the Montange clan (who am I kidding, the still do from time to time). My sister finally, after trickling down to one class/month, got honest with herself and quit last year. My bro lives with me and we train together when we make it to class together. My dad still trains back in Seattle, and my bro and I train with him and the rest of our friends when we go back. We made a special trip last November. It was a one night stay in Seattle. My dad wanted us there for moral support and ukemi when he took his sandan test. Not that he really seemed to need it...

There's another family at my former dojo that also trains together. Both parents and two of their children. Families that play together stay together. :)

Edit: most of the time training with family members is fun. My bro and I bash the hell out of each other just because ew've knwon each other and trained together for so long we each know what the other's limit is (we're also climbing partners, so the level of trust runs deep). My dad pounds on me harder than I pound on him because he's had his hip replaced and shouldn't take breakfalls. The dynamic gets weird when my bro corrects me. He's four years younger but has a nidan to my shodan. Gracefully accepting your baby brother's correction is hard! Taking it from Dad isn't so bad, given that my dad has been on my case about anything and everything my entire life. Even weirder is taking corrections from my boyfriend, who's been consistently training about four years longer than I have but never got graded beyond a fifth kyu because he decided he didn't like taking tests. Exactly who has seniority in that situation?

[Nick Simpson]

I would say your father because he is the higher grade, therefore he would generally have seniority. By the sounds of it your father, brother and BF are all your sempai so from that point of view they are all bound by the sempai/kohai system to try and help you. On the mat other relationships dont matter, your father is 2 dan grades higher so listen to him, your brother is 1 dan grade higher so also listen to him. Its harder with your BF because although you outrank him he is also your sempai, so Common sense says listen to whoever makes the most sense. Or something. Id say your in a nice position to have at least 3 people to whom you are so close and can all offer you help and advice.

[MaryKaye]

I saw a nidan test locally where, just before the candidate's scheduled randori, the examiner called in two of her kids (they looked maybe 10 and 12) and had both of them attack her. The kids really went at it! I'd been sitting next to one of them, and it was clear he knew it was coming--probably his mom did too, but it was still quite an event.

After watching me train for years my husband finally decided to take introductory classes; we'll see if he's really interested. I hope so!

Mary Kaye

[RebeccaM]

I went up for my dad's randori at his sandan test. No one was surprised. :)

Maybe I should clarify. I've never ever had issues taking corrections from my dad. He's always out-ranked me. My brother, who is four years younger, used to be behind me but got ahead, and that coupled with the fact he's younger, makes it hard, but I swallow my pride and take corrections from him because 1) I have to and 2) it's a good lesson in humility. But my BF...that's where it gets murky.

[stuartjvnorton]

We have one particular family at training:

dad, 4 teenage boys in senior class and 4 younger girls in kids classes.

I shudder to think how much they pay in fees every month... 8-|

[maikerus]

But my BF...that's where it gets murky.

ha ha...I can see that. You wouldn't want to set that precedent :D

--Michael

[SupremeWarlord]

My cousin was the one who taught me, and my older brother trained with me. I would have learned a whole lot more, if it weren't for the fact that my stepmom @#$@ed about my cousin enough that my dad quit letting me go to class.

[bogglefreak20]

I started training 3 yrs ago and a year later my brother and his girlfriend started training too.

[MikeLogan]

I wish I could get my whole family on the mat. I'm the middle-toe of 7 kids, and we grew up wrangling one another. To be able to train with someone whose strengths and limitations you know very nearly as well as your own would be fantastic for my training.

I'll echo the sentiments on both CRASH and TESTING!

michael.

[Nick P.]

My wife came to my 2nd or 3rd ever class; back in the day when neither of us had a gi, and the club only had blue foam wrestling mats. She started a couple of years back and has been hooked ever since. She's on a bit of a break with our 1 year old, but is itching to get back.

As her (and most everyone else in the club)'s senior, it sometimes got sticky when I tried to teach her particular things; I was either being too vague or too direct, or demanding too much, not to mention the whole spouse angle. Here's a hint (mate or no) for everyone; not everyone learns the same way, and some people you just can't teach. And that's fine.

Others are already asking when my boy is going to start. Good thing our club has a minimum age of 16!

[Sonja2012]

I started aikido a couple of months after my husband, and I can only recommend it to any other couple - it is soo much cheaper than partner therapy :D
Seriously, we work great together on the mat (umm..., off the mat as well, of course ;) ), and we will be each other´s uke at our shodan tests later this year. It is great to share that.
OTOH, I also know couples that don´t like to practice with each other, but in most of their cases one of them is much further advanced and the other one feels patronized by them ;)

[bbleeker]

I really like training with my husband; our main problem is that we're both a bit shy, so we tend to end up training with each other a little too often. (Especially when we're tired, or when I don't 'get' a technique.)

[Melissa Fischer]

I started Aikido because my two sons started. That was 5 + years ago. It was weird having the older one (now 17) get bigger than me. The younger guy (12) throws like the dickens, look out when he "out grows" me!
Lots of families train together here. 3 families can fill up a whole mat!

Melissa Fischer
www.tenzanaikido.com