Poll: How many total hours were you on the mat for aikido training in the past seven days?

AikiWeb Poll for the week of May 12, 2002:

How many total hours were you on the mat for aikido training in the past seven days?

• I don't do aikido
• 0 hours
• 1-2 hours
• 3-4 hours
• 5-6 hours
• 7-8 hours
• 9-10 hours
• 11-12 hours
• 13-14 hours
• 15-16 hours
• 17-18 hours
• 19-20 hours
• 21-22 hours
• 23-24 hours
• 25+ hours
  

Here are the current results.

You know ... depending you where you are in the span of years of your life, how far along you are in your training, and what you want out of your training, can drastically change the hours you train?

For instance, Say you do three classes, at an hour of mat time with a half hour of stretching three times a week, that could be interpreted as either three hours, or four and a half hours. Say you go to a seminar that has two hours of mat time scheduled, but the sensei lets the session run over for the morning and afternoon, you could average another three and a half hours for that particular week?

Or, if you are teaching? Two, maybe three classes a day, four or six days a week, averaging three to four hours a day ... that could easily be interpreted as twenty plus hours a week?

My point?

How many actual hours of practice for one week, do you actually learn, or benefit in the arena of proficiency in acquiring more acute skills in Aikido?

I would say when I could do four or five classes a week, the average classe with advancing skill was about two hours each week for mat time, and one hour a week with out of class practice, study, and reading.

Whittle down the time, observe the insight, and find your own balance of learning, maintainence for the distance you have come in learning? As you understand the connection of movement and techniques, how much harder is it to go further, and further?

Maybe that is why the old guys/gals smile when the new guys/girls come to class? We wish we could start over with such wonder, energy, and once again cover old ground with new eyes ... once again.

How many hours?

So long as they are fruitfull and fill with wonder, does it really matter?

I seperated my AC joint a few weeks back and broke two ribs... so I am STILL off the mat

its so frustrating.
I would usually put in 8 hours a week. to go from that down to 0 is a shock to the system

When I first started aikido, I used to do all classes at the dojo, averaging 15 hours a week. But now I skip the beginners class which is basically for white belts only, so my training hours are reduced to 9, except seminars or visits to other dojos.

It's a pity because I really feel I should be doing at least 2-3 hours per day, but it's difficult to find other dojos where I live.

Originally posted by Bruce Baker How many actual hours of practice for one week, do you actually learn, or benefit in the arena of proficiency in acquiring more acute skills in Aikido?

Every hour. Learning, consolidating, training. I come away with something every single lesson, whether I'm teaching, training or sitting by the side of the mat with a broken foot.

I don't have enough time. Even if I'm really lucky, I've only got another 40-50 years left. I've wasted so much training time already that it'll be really hard to understand anything in what's left.

No time to waste. Not on chatting to my partner in the middle of class, not on practicing sloppy techniques, not on bad ukemi, teachers who show off or students who don't want to learn. Not on 5-minute water breaks, pee breaks, Oh-no-I'm-starting-to-sweat breaks or I'm-a-dan-grade-so-I-can-sit-this-out breaks. No time to waste on 'Is my hair OK?' or 'Is my gi straight?'. No time to chat up the women or play with the lads. No time to waste at all.

Tim

P.S. You're all slackers (Only 18 hours this week - I skipped a couple of lessons)

Five minute pee breaks? Water breaks? Sitting it out because "I'm a Dan grade" Jeez!! This I gotta see.If you try to sit it out at our Dojo Sensei asks why...quite pointedly.
Have fun.

I have always found that my biggest improvements are made off of the mat. The mat is where I can be exposed to concepts and experiment, but I find that off the mat, in meditation and isolation, I make my greatest discoveries.

That being said, there is still no substitute for mat time.