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Old 06-22-2009, 06:58 PM   #1
"Troubled"
IP Hash: b06fea1b
Anonymous User
Not coping with the new sensei

My story. I just moved to a new town, and found a sensei and dojo I thought I would fit into. My first dojo was not associated with any Aikido organization. You can say we were independent. This new dojo is associated with one of the big Aikido associations. The sensei is tight with the Shihan. I made several visits to this dojo and each time it was pleasant. The sensei was nice, a working professional type. The new sensei being a higher rank than my old sensei wasn't as good, or knew as much. I didn't care; I only have about a year of experience. Being in my old dojo, we were taught to believe anyone who's got more time in Aikido has something to learn from. After seeing other dojos, I like this one and joined. Everything was fine until lately. It all got really ugly when the sensei turned.

The sensei started getting pissy a little bit, and then it got worse and more frequent. The sensei moved to making really rude and covert sexually degrading comments to me and other new students. Not about our technique. Hey, that I can take. But this wasn't right. I mean first it was comments like we are incapable of doing anything intelligent. Comment like these made in and outside of the dojo. I and the other student are getting from the sensei; we are beneath the worthiness of the sensei. Then there are other very degrading words coming out of this sensei's mouth. Then came round two of comments about us as people. The sensei would blame us and accuse of things we obviously didn't or couldn't do.

It has been hell. I don't think, I can stand anymore, and want too, but am not going to get in the sensei's face about it. The other new students feel the same as me. The dojo has some great other students. I have made good friends and training partners there and I am making progress. I follow all the dojo rules and I know this isn't my old dojo. I am not acting up, and being respectful. I am there to learn, not to take verbal beating by of a nasty sensei that is now always pissy.

Oh yea, I have talked to the other students and they say the sensei's moods come and go and they deal with it. But the sensei isn't even that good!

I would like some good advice about this to take back to the other new students. I am sure they are like me; they want to stay because of the other relationships with the students. Yet they want to leave because of the pissy sensei.

I don't find it too important but the sensei is a female. The dojd is mostly a mix of the sexes. I am male, and all the other new students are male too.
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