View Single Post
Old 05-02-2004, 05:44 PM   #16
Dario Rosati
Dojo: Zanshin - Milan
Location: Milan
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 71
Offline
Re: Aikido as a journey

Quote:
KaitlinCostello wrote:
Has Aikido been a personal journey for you? Have you found your philosophies have changed? Has a aikido changed who you are, or were?
Hi Kaitlin,

Here's the journey of a newbie.
After 10 months of Aikido, I've rediscovered my body, and that was my initial target... this means, to me, that Aikido works.
This fact alone has made me truly a reborn man.

I'm 32 and I've awaited too long to join the MA path, due to the fact that when I was 19, I tried Judo and Karate but was disappointed by some side-aspects... the arts were cool but many practitioners made me feel uneasy (most of them wanna do MA to look cool in brawling situations).
Unfortunately, Aikido was absolutely unavailable/hidden here by the time, so I became a volleyball pro and forgot the MA things for 13 years... until now: no more volleyball for age constraints, and a sedentary job... hey, time to try again with a MA

I choosed Aikido out of videos, some Seagal unavoidable marketing effects, because it's hard to master compared to other MAs and this is definately a guarantee of quality, because atemi have didactical meanings, because it has no kumite, because you may be great even at 60 years old (no kicks/extreme body stress involved like many others athletic MAs), and the finding of a great sensei skilled in Aikido and KSR, two complementary arts, highly geared toward effectiveness and the martial aspect.

Now I'm completely addicted; I've started to journey in other cities to attend seminars, even if I'm doomed to get splattered around for 5+ hours due to my low rank.
I've found a lot of new friends (probably not an aikido specific feature, but it did'nt hurt ).
Overconfidence lead me to my first errors, like a gaffe on this forum I did on Saito Sensei (at the time, I didn't know who he was and didn't know that there are many styles of aikido besides Aikikai, and that each one of them has interesting aspects, how I've discovered after someone pointed me in that direction).
I spend nights reading book and watching videos; I even "train" alone sometimes in my house (I know, it sounds stupid, but my mae-ukemi need improvement )

Like you, I'm a quiet person and hate violence, but since my youth I cannot whitstand the idea that I cannot master my body... I have a body so I MUST be able to use it in the BEST way possible, not only in a pub brawl... even when walking, sitting, breathing.
To my eyes Aikido is great to accomplish this, and I'm looking forward for the next lesson, tomorrow evening.

Journey speaking, I'm still probably in the queue to buy the ticket compared to the majority of you all, and yet looks great... I'm excited like a guy the day before the vacation days, and cannot wait the time I'll reach the beach/sky/mountain/sea/snow like you "hakamized" guys out there

So yes, aikido changed my life, as volleyball did, my wife did, and my daughter will

Bye!

Last edited by Dario Rosati : 05-02-2004 at 05:55 PM.

--
  Reply With Quote