Hi everyone,
Yeah I know. You just took a look at my username and couldn't resist singing to yourself
"Louie, louie, louie, louie...."
(I think that was from Hot Chocolate).
I get a lot of that. Doesn't mind at all
Anyhow, I'm new both to this forum and to aïkido : never visited a dojo before, never got flipped over, but will soon be. This is why I'm qualifying myself as being 500th kyu.
Starting next monday, I'm taking my first lesson at the Aïkikaï from Laval University in Québec City, Canada.
I took the decision to take aïkido lessons last July, so you can say that I've been waiting for this moment for quite a while.
Before reading on aïkido, I often said to myself (I talk to myself a lot
) that I would sign up for any martial art where there would be no competition. I'm 40 and there is no way I'm going to fight with some 20 something who recently saw Karate Kid and is eager to beat the hell out of me.
No seriously, when I was young, I took kung fu lessons and really enjoyed it. That was until the teacher thought that I was ready to fight. I did, but that turned a joyful experience into a nightmare. What I liked though about those kung fu lessons, was when before each class, the master picked someone in the room and threw some Confucius sentence (don't know exactly) at him so he can tell everyone present what his thoughts were about this.
What I remember from that experience, is that this master not only taught how to fight, but also how to think. That impressed me and still impresses me some 30 years later.
So I recently went on a search for some sport. Turning 40, I had to "move" again. I read about Tae kwon do, Karate, Kung Fu, Jujustu, Judo, etc. And then, I came across a text on O' Sensei Ueshiba. I was stunned. It was as if I had finally found what I was searching for a long, long time. The text was talking about a "non-violent martial art". What !? A "non-violent martial art" ?
I've always admired Ghandi, so you can bet that this text caught my eye. I couldn't even believe my own eyes that a martial art of that kind existed. A martial art where efforts must be put both the mindset and the more physical aspect. "Aïkido, I read, is more than a martial art. It's a way of living."
And there were no competition.
So I eagerly went on a search for a Dojo. After reading on the myriads of aïkido styles (that gave me a headache!), I chose to follow the Aïkikaï style. Luckily, not very, very far from where I live, there was a dojo. The rest of the problem was to wait for the summer to end so I could sign up for a beginners class
So here I am, waiting and looking forward for my first class next Monday. I have my dogi. I'm prepared. Since a week or two, there is this phrase I read in an Aîkido book that's goes over and over in my mind (a bit like that Louie Louis song). It's in French, but it says something like:
"The aïkidoka is the one who, through his techniques, and with sufficient vigilance, allows himself to open the door and let the tiger get out of the cage."
Thanks all for letting me introduce myself.
"Louie, louie, louie, louie...."