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Hi Tigua,
I was wondering if you lived near me 'cos I have just started an Aiki club up as well 'cos there are no local ones - however Jupiter is a bit far (is that really a place on earth?)
I think the important thing in Aikido is the basic principles, and just teaching your students these well should help them a lot (I have used extension on its own to throw someone in a real situ').
I try to visit other senseis as much as feasible, because I realise I feel I have a responsibility to my class to keep myself in good technique. Maybe you could do a summer school course or visit the nearest club once a month? This will help you to retain confidence in your own techniques.
One thing I find hard is that most students think of a completely different thing to you when you are teaching- they are just trying to get their feet/body arms in the right position half the time. The basics are pretty similar anywhere in aikido and can be based on your own experience.
Don't make the mistake I did, and try to teach a style that you are picking up from other instructors. I have found that many years of training makes your own style quite fixed and it is harder to actually teach how someone else does it 'cos you don't fully understand it yourself! Sometimes its good fun to try different things, but you must just teach what you know, otherwise you'll find the technique very poor.
Ian
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