Poor Warrior

I am new here and have spent a long time looking for the techniques need to be a Aikido student. Being in my location I have no dojo, teachers or fellow students to learn from. Basically All I have is this place. And I hope it to be a very enlightened study in the way. But Can I learn Like this? If just the basics, I would greatly appreciate any and all info. Not just my location hinders me from learning, but my financial situation as well. So I could use the knowledge greatly, if it is given to a poor student freely. Thank you for reading this.
My Name is Landon Aka. Morbid7.

That's tough. The only way, within my experience, to really learn aikido is to practice with someone else, preferably someone who knows more than you do. In your situation, that'd be very difficult.

The only thing I can think of right now is to work with someone else, even a beginner, and try to figure things out on your own using whatever sources you have available. I don't know that you could learn very much, and could easily mislearn a lot, but at least it'd be something.

If you're looking for general information, I strongly recommend www.aikidofaq.com

Good luck.

Yours,

Thomas

Or don't do Aikido - there has to be some other martial art nearby. Aikido is not the world.

Poverty is a cop out. I know people that have taken really low paying unpleasent jobs just so they could train with who they wanted to.

I know someone who lived out of their car for a few years, dropping 1000$ a weekend on privates. Nice guy, too.

First you must change your outlook. Aikido starts with a loving heart. Embrace everything you do with a loving/open heart and an empty mind. Have no expectations, try to find the pattern of the flow of energy. That'd be a start at least. If you really want to train and there are no dojos near you, have you thought of being near a dojo? It's an option. Some places let you work off your tuition in some kind of work/student program. Good luck.

A long shot, but worth a try, would be to ask around and see if there is someone in town who's capable ot teaching aikido but not currently doing so, and would give you private lessons. You could offer to mow their lawn or clean their garage or something in return. I think my first try would be sticking up a flier at a local store or community center, or putting a note on a local online bulletin board if one is available. Word of mouth can also work for you; tell your friends you're interested, ask them to ask around.

If an aikido teacher is flatly not available right now, my second suggestion would be anything that lets you learn to fall and tumble. Gymnastics training leads to a different style of tumbling than aikido, but my experience with aikido newcomers is that it's easier for a gymnastics student to modify their style than for someone with no tumbling at all to learn to do it. I think falling and rolling are our #1 reason for newcomers to quit--they can be very discouraging initially--and if you had a grounding in that you'd have a definite head start on aikido.

Mary Kaye

PeterR: Aikido is not the world.

Blasphemy!

I have been studying Aikido for about four months. IMHO, there is no way that I could learn anything without studying under my instructors. Without a doubt, the errors that I would develop in my technique would far outweigh anything I might learn on my own. You might be able to learn where to put your hands and your feet but you will inevitably miss the finer points that make aikido what it really is.

I drive about 45 minutes one way to get to my dojo and I would drive two hours if I had to. If Aikido is something you really want to do then you will have to make some sacrifices. Travel, relocate, do what you need to do. If you aren't willing to make those changes then Aikido may not be that important to you. Like Peter said, there may be something else in your area that can give you what your are looking for.

I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, but you do need to really search yourself and ask if this is something that you are willing to pay the price to do. If it is, then do it. If it's not, then that's okay too.

Good Luck.

If you are serious, you'll move.

Have you dropped Oklahoma into the aikiweb search engine ?

are you anywhere near Elk City, Tulsa, Enid, Texhoma, Ponca City, Claremore, Oklahoma City ?

I grew up in Oklahoma, it's not that big a state. And there a lot of schools near the borders of Oklahoma in surrounding states (Denton, Texas for example).

Have you looked for anyone teaching Judo or a jujutsu ?
(Just make sure it's not video trained teacher.)

It all comes down to just how bad do you want this ?

Poverty is no excuse, you live in one of the countries on this planet where
it's possible if you have the desire and determination, to make a very good income. I have seen people with debilitating diseases start their own business or get an education and become successful through their own persistance. No excuses!

Location ? no opportunities? no aikido schools?
The Universe is telling you, "MOVE!"
Really desire to do aikido ? You have access to the web. Do the research! Pick a dojo, be it in Texas, Colorado, California, NY, Canada, Japan, Europe and "MOVE"!

have a nice day

Craig

Whoa, whoa, let's not blame the guy for being a bit hard up for cash. ^_-

There's only so much you can learn without a dojo/sensei, but it shows good spirit that you're willing to try what you can. Finding somewhere to train, and people to learn with and from, should be part of that, as people have said.

Failing that, you might try to pick up an aikido book and learn from it. I know that Yoshokai/Yoshinkai aikido has a number of "basic movements" you can practice on your own, to build your ability to 'get low', pivot, be balanced, etc. Try, maybe, investing in a copy of Shioda-sensei's "Total Aikido". (I think that's it? The big textbook one?)

You could also try to grab a friend, buy some books/tapes together, and see what you can learn that way. My optimistic instinct suggests it might be a rewarding process; lots of good experimentation. (Just remember to be /safe/, especially when you don't have an instructor around to stop you before you do something too risky.)

Although tumbling is good, my experience has been different from Mary's. I find that gymnastics students have some advantages like flexibility and general fitness, but actually have a hard time with rolls, since they're not afraid of rolling over their head/neck. Somersaults and forward rolls are very different. For one thing, rolls (forward and back) are asymmetric.

Of course, "everyday Aikido" can be practiced without a mat. Think about eliminating "me versus them" barriers and insisting on "getting things your way." Read the expansive literature (available at many libraries) written about aikido and its philosophy. Not only is this rewarding, but I find it's really helped me with the technique.

Good luck, and I hope this experience teaches you to enjoy each training opportunity in the years ahead. Some of us are spoiled. ^_-

I was gonna say! Don't be too hard on the guy for not having a lot of money.

Be strong for the weak, patient with the young, compassionate for the old, for someday you will be all of these things.

I know a Sensei in Central America who taught himself Aikido strictly by watching videos of Saito Sensei. He is very, very good. He studied for years and then when Saito was in California he flew there to test in front of him.

Just find a place to train and things will work themselves out. If you find a school let the instructor know your situation and he may let you practice in exchange for cleaning the dojo, etc. You could start your own club! Get some people together who are interested in Aikido, get some books, some videos, study and practice what you think you know. Once you get started I am sure you can find an instructor willing to visit/train/teach/test your group say once a month? If you get that far, I will urge my sensei to drive to Oklahoma to test you guys. Get a book, get a video, just start your training!

Paul Sanderson-Cimino wrote: Some of us are spoiled. ^_-

Yeah, if you are in California. You are definitely spoiled.


It's not about blaming the guy.

It's about waking up the guy to life doesn't just hand you what you want.

If you want it, go get it.

Craig

George S. Ledyard wrote: If you are serious, you'll move.

I did.

When my sensei came back to Michigan from California he would make 2 or 3 trips a year back to study from his sensei along with bringing his sensei to Michigan as often as he could.

Bronson

Landon Miller wrote: I am new here and have spent a long time looking for the techniques need to be a Aikido student. Being in my location I have no dojo, teachers or fellow students to learn from. Basically All I have is this place. And I hope it to be a very enlightened study in the way. But Can I learn Like this? If just the basics, I would greatly appreciate any and all info. Not just my location hinders me from learning, but my financial situation as well. So I could use the knowledge greatly, if it is given to a poor student freely. Thank you for reading this. My Name is Landon Aka. Morbid7.

Have you considered an upright(suspended) grappling dummy and some training videos? Just a thought.

A long shot, but worth a try, would be to ask around and see if there is someone in town who's capable ot teaching aikido but not currently doing so, and would give you private lessons. You could offer to mow their lawn or clean their garage or something in return. I think my first try would be sticking up a flier at a local store or community center, or putting a note on a local online bulletin board if one is available. Word of mouth can also work for you; tell your friends you're interested, ask them to ask around. If an aikido teacher is flatly not available right now, my second suggestion would be anything that lets you learn to fall and tumble. Gymnastics training leads to a different style of tumbling than aikido, but my experience with aikido newcomers is that it's easier for a gymnastics student to modify their style than for someone with no tumbling at all to learn to do it. I think falling and rolling are our #1 reason for newcomers to quit--they can be very discouraging initially--and if you had a grounding in that you'd have a definite head start on aikido. Mary Kaye

My gymnastics training (15 years ago) was an immense help. I have good body awareness and I am comfortable upside down. A BIG help!

Oh, hey, here is a link with one person's idea on how to make a grappling dummy!
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/archive/t-2443.html

I just got done reading an interview with the local kendo instructor. He said that when he wanted to get into kendo he couldn't find anything closer than two hours away. He did some research and found the kanji for kendo and made some little flyers with the kanji saying that he was looking for someone to practice with/learn from. He took them to a Japanese owned factory here and asked the receptionist if she could hang them on a bulletin board. She smiled and said she knew what to do with it. A few days later he got a call from a guy who was here with the company from Japan for a couple of years. The guy was a sandan and was able to teach him the basics. After he had to go back to Japan the local guy was already hooked and would drive the 2+ hours to Chicago on a regular basis.

There is a way....

Bronson