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I have now been tring via a class offered at HSU, for about 1 month. I am looking into joining the local dojo where my instructer even trains and teaches, but I been sick this last week, so havent yet. Thow they do seem to offer much insite into the art adn are a nice communty.
I attended a class yessterday and my teacher started out with the question "What if I told you taht you have never done anything wrong in your life?" Then she had us watch our breathing. Latter on she asked how many of you argured with that in your heads? She replyed I have aswhell. She went on to point out that , it is all in how you look at it. In other words if you look at it like it something wrong , then you are looking at like it is attater, adn you would rather shun away, but it always come back in one from or another. If yoiu look at it like you lurnrnd somehting, then you are just using its engery to your advatage.
The corrlation to Aikido was that actly, you want use what you are given not fight it , when you fight it you are seting your self up for felure. Thougut this was intristing idea to share.
Hope you guys enjoy.
As of today I will tryned more or less for 295 days or thats is the time that has passed since I strated in March 30, 20009. I have tryend mentaly all of those days , of corse with calssed for 2 hour spans mostly 3 days a week here and there, with two all weekend semmenars.
I am prapering to leave my dojo , that has become kinda second home, I never relly felt like conncent to people all that esally, but at the dojo , I feel a bit saffer, bit less juded. I not saying that there arent times I feel judged, but most are based on my ablitys or lack there of , as in there are set standerds and you meat them at you pace, virs some set norm that is never even told you so you dont know you missing the mark entill you are so far passed it you cant possibly meat it. I not saying all of dojo mates are best friends, but I in the reltivly short time I knwon them I grown closer to them then I have to other people that may have been knwo for longer perod of time. It might be that aikido lends its self to being close, becaues phiscaly you are closely working with one enother. I sure it also is partialy my dojo, but that bing siad, I went to some semenaers where other peopel come and over all they all seem very accepting and junaly wnating to help eachother and just lurn together.
While art tlest at my dojo we have ranks , but its more like wroking to gether most of the time to better eachother understanding. True while you are a kue rank you are mostly the lurner, but I knwo so
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Advanced Aikido Terms 合気道
The definition of aikido
Aikido-: The word "aikido" is made up of three Japanese characters: AI 合(harmony), KI 気(universal energy, or spirit) and DO 道(the way). So the proper definition for aikido is "The way of harmonizing the spirit."
Important people in aikido (Last name and then first, as is traditional in Japan)
Ueshiba Morihei -: The founder of aikido. (called osensei or kaiso).
Ueshiba Kisshomaru -: The son of the founder of aikido
Ueshiba Moriteru -: The grandson of the founder and current Doshu (head of aikido) at Hombu Dojo (head dojo in Japan).
Toyoda Fumio -: A student of Ueshiba Morihei, Founder of Aikido Association of America (AAA).
Sato Andrew -: A student of Toyoda Fumio, Founder of the Aikido World Alliance.
The Dojo
Dojo - A place where people practice aikido. Bowing in the direction of the shomen wall, often known as the kamiza, is required when entering and leaving the dojo and when stepping onto and off of the mat. It is important to treat a dojo as a respected place of learning. Talking and interruptions should be kept to a minimum during class. The head of the dojo (sensei) is called the dojo cho.
Greetings
Sensei -: Teacher, or the one who has gone before. It is considered proper to address the instructor during practice as "Sensei" rather than by name.
Domo Arigato Gozaimashita -: Japanese for "thank you very much." After training, it is proper to bow and thank
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So, last night we did alot of wepon work. We worked on jo kata 31 , jo kat, boken kat and another one I was tought hte worng thing of so I forgot what it was called.
I lurned also that sometimes when I am not thinking I am better then when I am.
We also worked on some iramanaga in slow mation , working on moving our watie froward.
I like it when we go down to the basics helps me understand what my body is really doing.
I even got conplamented on doing it relly well.
Time and Events Requirements
• Minimum 4 months and 40 hours of training after earning 6th Kyu.
Ki Tests and Exercises
• Hanmi No Kamae - "Half-body stance"
• Banzai no Kamae - Stance with feet shoulder-width and both arms raised ( Krati Kid)
• Zengo Undo - Raising and lowering arms as if cutting with a sword, with 180 degree pivoting motion
• Happo Undo - Raising and lowering arms with movement as if cutting in eight directions
• Tekubikosa Undo - "Crossing the wrists exercise;" high and low variations required
• Kamae with Bokken - Demonstration of five basic sword stances
• Bokken and Jo Suburi - Demonstration of basic strikes with sword and staff
Technique
• Shomenuchi Kotegaeshi - Downward strike to the head/ "Wrist turning" throw and pin
• Shomenuchi Ikkyo - Downward strike to the head/ "First teaching" and pin
• Katatetori Sankyo - Same side wrist grab/ "Third teaching;" both nage waza (throwing) and katame waza (pinning) variations required
• Yokomenuchi Sokumen Iriminage - Strike to the side of the head/ "Side of the face, Entering throw" (technique performed in the manner of Sayu Undo)
• Munetsuki Kotegaeshi - Thrusting strike to the chest / "Wrist turning" throw and pin
• Katatetori Kaitenage - Same side wrist grab/ "Rotary throw". Tenkan variation required
Last night class we worked on "31 Jo Kata's" , my sisay had a DVD of a friend whom is 8th Dawn, demestrating them and we all lurned with one another. This was somewhat of new experece for me. I offten a bit lost , espely when it comes to wepons. However, sisay is usuly teacher, he knows what he is doing. Last, night he was a student like all of us. It was more like lests see what we all saw and go for it. I have seen him not knwo before at semnars tought by our group leader, but not relly had had the exprece of being at the same place as everyone else. Alright, I was still behind because they knew the basic movement, but as close as I am going to get to being an equle with them and my teacher. I found it inttresting.
While we were watching hte film sisay shared that at 70 the man we were watching took up line-dacing, to try something new. Sisay siad that it is always good to get out of your element and be a beginer , even when you are more advaced in a fild.
Also, that night we celbrated two people geting there black bellts. Thow sisay siad that black belt ment that you could now the real trining begins. I suppect that he siad this beaue its like saying now tht you can add an subtract , now you can go on to higher concepts. However, some part of me was thinking then what am I doing , plying? I also felt glade becaue I got relize that even he was not an expert and that in some ways I may know as much as him. I not saying he is not greet or much more
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Here is question I was asked by my sisay...Your unkimi has gotton better, is that becaue of fear or pratice?
My answer was I do not know, he replyles with, I think fear.
This has stared me thinking, is it better to alow fear to lead your actions or to alow the logic of the brain to lead your actioms? I suppose this is kinda of an age old question.. whether the heart or the head should lead.
Fear thow is odd in its nature becaue it comes or seems to come form both the head and the heart. In that the head cause the fear offten by relizing what could happen and that the result is unwelcome, in fact decing that the oucum is ither welcme or unwelcom. However, it comes form the heart in that it is offen fear that cause the irational behaviors we find ourselves requrting letter.
I was thinking on his question, becvaue I never relly thought about fear being a motavtor , defently a inhibtor but not a motavator. The more I thought about it the more I relized in a way he was right , I was lead by fear. Fear that doing someing wrong would reslut in this. I wonder thow if the gole of Akido might be to move beonynd the fear as the movator and into a relam of simply knowing. Porhaps away then from the hart and in to mind.
As always pless let me know your thogghts ... I sure this one has many sides. Thankyou for reading.
I am a 6th kue, I know basic stuff and can figure out others but I am slow. Right now we are rellly trying perpare 2 of the dojo family to get there black belts, Infact they are going take the test in October. Welll , my delmia is that I know suck big time! I relly want to try and with some exsptions, I am eggero to lurn , thow they seem to to be tryed of teaching. I amit I am still quite scared of Koushes/high falls, mostly becaue I not sure hwo to do my part enoff to not get hurt, then there the whole trusting the other person. Other then that I will try, unless I have no idea how to do it then I just wnat to wantch so I can try to figure out what I am doing. I admit that lattly this happens , musch more then I like , it probly seem as if I am not relly perticpaating. Most of my dojo know that I have Asburgers, which means basicaly for me there is alot more to overcome and lot more that I notice that no one else seems bothered by. All, this is to say I am 6th kue but I , am still verry much a beginner, and dont even know how to be a good ukimi taker on much of the tecques. That bing siad we are doing alot of group ating of the 2 black belt caindits and I feel liek I am such a bad person to attack, half the time I barly know how to my side right , so what good am I to them? lattly I taken to just no pertacipating, sisays says they need my help, and that I need pratice my ukimie. Now I not trying to question him and I do as he says , but relly how am I helping them?
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SO... my dojo is kinda small I mean we proplbly have 20 people in a given class. So, we kinda close , thow I think akidio may lend itself that way ingernal.
I not one to say I feel like I belong anywhere , but I kidna feeling connected more times then not to people and to this dojo. Inharnely to the art of akiod as well.
Last class I was feeling like for the most part I was like that unwelcom fly. You know the one that you can't help but notice , but you relly want gone , but also cant get rid of , and cant relly be bothered to chase it.
I even thin I broke my thumb doing a role.
I wondering is how you tell in genral when it is you that needs to change and when it is the other peroson. I furhter exsprlate this to akido , by I not sure when to flow with the person and when to resist.
any advice?
Last night was led by one of what I would call our "higher" students, that is to say she is a nedone(2 degreeblack belt, not sure I spelt that correct). Well she stared class anyway, she handed it off ot a , unand coming brown belt, he will be testing soon, and also latter to a fellow one whom will also be testing soon, october to be percise.
Anyway, the class atmosfer was one of all lurning, while to me they all are my suprior on the mate, even the 14 and 15 year olds, for they all are more expreced then myself. However, I recon I fond it hobling to watch and exprece a class where the whole time was more like everone helping everyone to lurn, no rank noted. I mean do not get me worng noone ever asked to more they then can, but more like equeles and eveyone with limitations intact.
This is not to say that normaly we are obsed with rank, my dojo is not so much, but espely lattly because we are trying 2 people to be black belts, we kinda are. Also , not that I think he demades it persay, when sisay is there it's defenly , as it shold be , he is teacher and we are students. It's a diffent exprence when we are all the student.
I have alredy lurned while on the mate age, sex, race all fade intill they are all but gone, only a gost remaing. In that you are equesls. Even other socail handcaps and ocwardness seems to feed , thow for me that one is hardest to leave. However, at lest at my dojo most of the time I do feel safe. It has been siad before that Akido leds its
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02-09-2011 11:37 AM 
