View Single Post
Old 06-20-2007, 01:03 AM   #15
Edward
Location: Bangkok
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 803
Thailand
Offline
Re: dojo head bans students from training with another teacher (ex student)

As an aikido practitioner looking for maximum knowledge, I consider it as almost an obligation to practice at as many dojos and as many different styles as possible. This has probably hindered my rank advancement and it is unfortunate that most aikido teachers require or prefer exclusivity for various reasons. However, situation in aikido is still a blessing as one does have the opportunity to train anywhere that accepts you. I remember in my judo days, it was impossible to do that because competing schools would not allow members of other schools, even non competitively active ones, to train with them. Anyway, I would rather keep my freedom to select where I would like to train even if I risk being unwelcomed at my initial dojo.