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Old 03-18-2005, 08:57 PM   #29
JamesDavid
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 28
Australia
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Re: What did you want from Aikido ? what changed ?

I first trained in a martial art when I was in high school. I was being intimidated by some bullies and wanted some confidence more than anything else. My father enrolled me in the most practical hard self defense course , which turned out to be 99% ju-jitsu. I trained for six months and stopped because of other life demands…

Recently I decided to take up a regular sport
I wanted discipline, self confidence, non competitive or rather a sport where one competes against oneself, some thing that will generally make me a better person, that I can continue for the rest of my life and constantly improve at. I new it had to be a martial art.

.in ten years since I left school I have only been in a self defense situation twice. In both occasions I executed locks taught to me in ju-jitsu. So my immediate plan was to find the best jj dojo in town and check it out…..then I started to research, I mean really research MA. Everything, from what is conflict to the advent of fencing….this art called aikido kept coming up.

To me training in aggression, is just that. I don't believe you can release anger by yelling!! It just teaches you to enjoy anger. But how can we protect ourselves from violence without knowing and practicing violence ourselves. Aikido? Can aikido do this? I was conceptually hooked. I went to the best (highest ranked instructor) dojo in town. I was just going to watch the lesson….but as I walked inside I was hit with a wave of good will. A kind of sensation that told me that I belonged. There was no conflict within these walls. I joined, paid for teaching and bought a uniform strait away. In retrospect its not surprising that I had such a warm feeling from the place. I now know that the man smiling at me from the counter was Sensei. Each time I train I look forward to that feeling. I train for that feeling.

whats changed? With all the analytical crap about why this is good for me, and how I got here in life forgotten. The answer is simple. I practice aikido because it makes me feel good!!
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