Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido Forums
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > General

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 09-18-2002, 08:59 AM   #1
Jermaine Alley
Dojo: Aikido Of Richmond
Location: Richmond, VA
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 63
Offline
Training: Separate the Sexes?

There is a very interesting thread on the line now discussing the pro's and con's of flirting with fellow aikidoka or budoka.

My question is: Does anyone attend a dojo that keeps the sexes separate while training?

I am sure that there aren't any here inthe U.S....but what about abroad?

jermaine
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2002, 09:04 AM   #2
Creature_of_the_id
 
Creature_of_the_id's Avatar
Dojo: Alnwick aikido club (UKAU)
Location: Newcastle, England
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 217
England
Offline
I dont know of any here in the UK either. But, I do sometimes recommend women train with women for certain techniques when I am teaching.

To be honest, there are a few techniques in which you dont even have to recommend it. Women will just partner up with each other out of instinct over potential pitfalls of training with men at that time.

  Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2002, 09:20 AM   #3
Genex
 
Genex's Avatar
Dojo: Warrington Seishin Kai
Location: Warrington, England
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 155
Offline
Cool Oh no not again!

If there are there shouldnt be, today were living in a sociaty where everybody should be treated the same (although they're not) weather your a particular colour, sex, or even if your a lawyer you can still train with all the other human beans.

I beleive there have been many threads on aikiweb about this and they have ranted on and on about the same stuff over again some women think its a great idea so they dont have to put up with men, some men think its a great idea for the same reason, some for religious perposes, some for the fact that they think women are inferior or that men just plain cannot understand women (who can)

aikido is about the art, it doesnt matter who you train with, it doesnt matter because weather you have breasts or not has no influence on wheather you can throw someone 20 ft or drop a guy like a sack of spuds.

at our school if your black, white, green, pink, female, male ,N/A or just plain nutz i'm still gonna practace yonkyo on yer and i aint gonna ask does it hurt because it bloody well should.

yoroshiku

pete

like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick. - The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy on the Pan-galactic Gargleblaster!
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2002, 03:05 PM   #4
Jermaine Alley
Dojo: Aikido Of Richmond
Location: Richmond, VA
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 63
Offline
Thanks guys,, i didn't think that there were too many dojo now a days that actually separate the sexes.

Did they do it in the old days though? In our dojo we like to concentrate on street effective techniques. If we separated the sexes, we would be instilling a false sense of security in our instudents and removing a valuable learning too....the opposite sex. Thanks again.....

jermiane
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2002, 08:08 PM   #5
batemanb
 
batemanb's Avatar
Dojo: Seibukan Aikido UK
Location: body in UK, heart still in Japan
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 1,031
Offline
One of my Sesnei`s here in Japan went to Indonesia to train for a vacation, he told me that they have segregated classes there, the women also keep their faces concealed as they do in public. Must be bloody hot for them during keiko.

I have seen a dojo`s here in Japan, including the Aikikai Hombu that have womens classes, all other classes are mixed though.

A difficult problem is easily solved by asking yourself the question, "Just how would the Lone Ranger handle this?"
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2002, 10:27 PM   #6
opherdonchin
Dojo: Baltimore Aikido
Location: Baltimore
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 586
Offline
I was in a dojo in Burlington VT where men and women not only train together on the same mat, but actually dress in the same dressing room. Disconcerting at first, but somehow not very difficult once you get used to it.

I was brought up on the lie that men and women are the same, and I believed it for many years. I was very annoyed when I found out that they are very different creatures, with different brains, different hormonal systems, different behavioral patterns, different sensibilities, and different skills. The support this myth got from many circles was unconscionable: a victory of a dream over a willingness to struggle with reality.

Not that difference justifies any sort of inequality before the law or oppressive patriarchy within society, of course.

Yours in Aiki
Opher
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2002, 11:16 PM   #7
Tadhg Bird
 
Tadhg Bird's Avatar
Dojo: New School Aikido, Stockton, CA
Location: Casper, WY
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 55
United_States
Offline
Quote:
Did they do it in the old days though?
I was perusing _Aikido, The Way of Harmony_, the other day and there is a picture of a woman doing ... wel I'm not sure *what* technique she is doing, any way uke is a dude, and he's bent over backwards, and the caption reads: "Throughout the history of Aikido, women have practiced together with men under the same conditions on the same level" So I would say, yes. They *did* do it in the old days.
Quote:
But, I do sometimes recommend women train with women for certain techniques when I am teaching.
What techniques would these be? And why?
Quote:
i'm still gonna practace yonkyo on yer and i aint gonna ask does it hurt because it bloody well should.
*owie* I'm glad that last night's yonkyo pratice didn't hurt at all!

Smooth Roads,

-- Tadhg (who likes his yonkyo effective and pain free)

"Words and letters can never adequately describe Aikido -- its meaning is revealed only to those who are enlightened through hard training." -- Ueshiba Morihei O Sensei
--

http://www.AikidoStuff.com
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2002, 11:27 PM   #8
Chris Li
 
Chris Li's Avatar
Dojo: Aikido Sangenkai
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 3,313
United_States
Offline
Quote:
Opher Donchin (opherdonchin) wrote:
I was in a dojo in Burlington VT where men and women not only train together on the same mat, but actually dress in the same dressing room. Disconcerting at first, but somehow not very difficult once you get used to it.
Happens a lot in Japan. Nobody pays much attention to it...

Best,

Chris

  Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2002, 01:55 AM   #9
drDalek
 
drDalek's Avatar
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 155
Offline
I have an issue training with women, luckily its not a big one because we only have about two girls in the dojo.

The issue is not a sexual one though, I can make the seperation between sexual intimacy and aikido intimacy.

The issue is the whole 'never hurting a girl' thing that I was raised with. I sometimes catch myself going a bit easy on the girls when practicing with them and I am a bit scared that they are picking up on this and that it might hurt their feelings because they might think that I think they are unable to take the falls.

Anyone else having a case like this?
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2002, 02:25 AM   #10
peteswann
Dojo: Shinwakai UK
Location: Slough, Berkshire
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 38
Offline
Quote:
Opher Donchin (opherdonchin) wrote:
I was in a dojo in Burlington VT where men and women not only train together on the same mat, but actually dress in the same dressing room. Disconcerting at first, but somehow not very difficult once you get used to it.
We went to a course in Holland at a Dojo run by a former student of our Sensei and they all seem to get changed and even shower male and female together!! As you say, it was a bit of a shock at first being from the slightly prudish UK but people soon got over it!!

Pete

Pete
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2002, 04:49 AM   #11
JJF
 
JJF's Avatar
Dojo: Vestfyn Aikikai Denmark
Location: Vissenbjerg
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 803
Denmark
Offline
Quote:
Wynand van Dyk (drDalek) wrote:
I have an issue training with women, luckily its not a big one because we only have about two girls in the dojo.

The issue is not a sexual one though, I can make the seperation between sexual intimacy and aikido intimacy.

The issue is the whole 'never hurting a girl' thing that I was raised with. I sometimes catch myself going a bit easy on the girls when practicing with them and I am a bit scared that they are picking up on this and that it might hurt their feelings because they might think that I think they are unable to take the falls.

Anyone else having a case like this?
This was discussed A LOT quite some months ago. Since then I have been wondering wether I 'go easy' on women or not. At first I thought I did, but then I realised, that yes I do go easy on most of the women in our dojo, but that is because they are not very advanced students and tend to be easily hurt. I act the same way with male beginners, who are not used to take ukemi and ajust their movements to the pain. It all comes down to the fact that I ajust the level of power and intencity in my techniques according to the other person. I HAVE been practicing with very competent female aikidoka and they can take just as much heat as any man on the mat.

Just rambling.....

- Jørgen Jakob Friis

Inspiration - Aspiration - Perspiration
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2002, 08:32 AM   #12
stoker
Dojo: Dallas Judo & Jiu Jitsu
Location: Southlake, Texas
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 31
Offline
I have always been taught that the smallest person must be able to do the technique on the largest person (usally me at six foot five and 265 lbs) or the technique is not valid. It's easy for someone to use my strength but there is always someone stronger jsut around the corner.

dave stokes
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2002, 08:35 AM   #13
DGLinden
Dojo: Shoshin Aikido Dojos
Location: Orlando
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 159
Offline
I not only seperate the sexes, I keep women out of the dojo altogether.

I may have the only dojo in the country that does not accept any women students.

I could go on for hours as to why, but the real reason is that it pleases me. As I turn away anywhere from 5 to 10 potential students a week (the dojo has a waiting list) I seem to be doing something right.

We have no issues with dating, male dominance, PMS, jealosy, locker rooms or toilets. Back when I allowed women to train I NEVER let husbands and wives or couples train together. Over 30 years I've seen too many personal problems brought to the mat. I should mention that my lovely wife is a Shodan. I have no problem women training everywhere else, I think its just fine.

Daniel G. Linden
Author of ON MASTERING AIKIDO (c) 2004
Founder Shoshin Aikido Dojos
www.shoshindojo.com
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2002, 08:46 AM   #14
opherdonchin
Dojo: Baltimore Aikido
Location: Baltimore
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 586
Offline
Please do go on a bit about why you decided to do that.

Yours in Aiki
Opher
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2002, 09:04 AM   #15
akiy
 
akiy's Avatar
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 6,049
Offline
Quote:
Opher Donchin (opherdonchin) wrote:
I was in a dojo in Burlington VT where men and women not only train together on the same mat, but actually dress in the same dressing room. Disconcerting at first, but somehow not very difficult once you get used to it.
One dojo in Germany where I trained had "coed" dressing rooms.

One of my teachers went over to Germany a long while back when she had just gotten her nidan. After training with a bunch of burly guys, slamming each other on the mat, she thought it was quite a test for her to get into the showers with them all.

Incidentally, her dojo (in the United States) also had coed dressing rooms for quite a long time -- over twenty years, if I remember correctly. She said it was actually the men who started feeling uncomfortable and asked for separate dressing rooms, interestingly enough.

-- Jun

Please help support AikiWeb -- become an AikiWeb Contributing Member!
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2002, 02:22 PM   #16
Don_Modesto
Dojo: Messores Sensei (Largo, Fl.)
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,267
Offline
Quote:
Bryan Bateman (batemanb) wrote:
One of my Sesnei`s here in Japan went to Indonesia to train for a vacation, he told me that they have segregated classes there, the women also keep their faces concealed as they do in public.
Indonesia? They never covered their faces when I was there. They seldom even covered their heads as they do in Malaysia...

Don J. Modesto
St. Petersburg, Florida
------------------------
http://www.theaikidodojo.com/
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2002, 06:26 PM   #17
batemanb
 
batemanb's Avatar
Dojo: Seibukan Aikido UK
Location: body in UK, heart still in Japan
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 1,031
Offline
Quote:
Don J. Modesto (Don_Modesto) wrote:
Indonesia? They never covered their faces when I was there. They seldom even covered their heads as they do in Malaysia...
Don,

thanks for that, rusty memory, it was Malaysia that he went to, not Indonesia.

A difficult problem is easily solved by asking yourself the question, "Just how would the Lone Ranger handle this?"
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2002, 10:07 PM   #18
Abasan
Dojo: Aiki Shoshinkan, Aiki Kenkyukai
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 813
Malaysia
Offline
'Don,

thanks for that, rusty memory, it was Malaysia that he went to, not Indonesia.'

Really? I've been to a lot of dojo's here in Malaysia... being Malaysian and all, and I don't recall any segregation of sexes. There is a university dojo that does this, but thats more an exception than the rule.

Furthermore, they don't cover their faces. They cover their hair, neck. Like nuns...

Keiko with it is not extremely uncomfortable. You may need to get used to it... but hey, ask the kendoist who cover their heads (even without the helmet thingey).

Did your Japanese Sensei which dojo he went to? Or was it during the Asian Aikido Federation meet? Was it when doshu came over?

Draw strength from stillness. Learn to act without acting. And never underestimate a samurai cat.
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2002, 01:51 AM   #19
batemanb
 
batemanb's Avatar
Dojo: Seibukan Aikido UK
Location: body in UK, heart still in Japan
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 1,031
Offline
Quote:
ahmad abas (Abasan) wrote:
'Don,

thanks for that, rusty memory, it was Malaysia that he went to, not Indonesia.'

Really? I've been to a lot of dojo's here in Malaysia... being Malaysian and all, and I don't recall any segregation of sexes. There is a university dojo that does this, but thats more an exception than the rule.

Furthermore, they don't cover their faces. They cover their hair, neck. Like nuns...

Keiko with it is not extremely uncomfortable. You may need to get used to it... but hey, ask the kendoist who cover their heads (even without the helmet thingey).

Did your Japanese Sensei which dojo he went to? Or was it during the Asian Aikido Federation meet? Was it when doshu came over?
I could well have the whole thing twisted, especially the country. I am positive he told me they had separate classes, because his wife trained in one and he trained in the other. He also mentioned the head scarves, although I may well have misinterpreted his story to me. As to which dojo, I have no idea, it was a couple of years ago, I don`t believe it was in conjunction with Doshu as they went for a vacation.

Wasn`t trying to cast aspersions at any specific country, just relaying that someone had told me about training in a segregated dojo.

I`ll try and confirm next time I see them.

A difficult problem is easily solved by asking yourself the question, "Just how would the Lone Ranger handle this?"
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2002, 02:12 AM   #20
PhilJ
 
PhilJ's Avatar
Dojo: Aikido Bukou
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 240
Offline
General B.S.:

I have to believe that there are more options besides running away from the situation.

If we don't practice with the opposite sex... is there a balance? Where's the yin for the yang? Sure it works for a while, but isn't it unhealthy to the body, mind, and soul to only deal with one kind of energy?

At work, there's some people I don't enjoy -- but I still have to work with them. Conflict is at the heart of harmony -- without conflict, there is no need for harmony, right? Rivers would sink through the earth into space and lawyers would be jobless.

Phillip Johnson
Enso Aikido Dojo, Burnsville, MN
An Aikido Bukou Dojo
http://www.aikidobukou.com
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2002, 07:30 AM   #21
Bruce Baker
Dojo: LBI Aikikai/LBI ,NJ
Location: Barnegaat, NJ
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 893
Offline
There is a polarity of body to consider when learning techniques. Men and women do have a different polarity, so in the application of techniques and that little spark that flashes brightly, or the dull action of a physical throw, there is a difference when men work with men or women work with women.

I do advocate people of same ability working the same sex, but not for the entire class. If , for nothing else, than to get a feel for the technique before moving on to a male or female partner. As for separation of training for male or female? Well, I guess that is up to the society or the people who are practicing, isn't it?

Even if they practice gender separation, sooner or later, they will advance in skill level, visit other countrys or dojos, and have to train without gender separation.

As for the polarity thing, you will need to study this when you see the hidden meanings for many techniques with pain, or in pressure point study by finding them within your Aikido techniques. But that is for another time.
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2002, 07:51 AM   #22
rgfox5
Dojo: Shobukan/ASU
Location: DC
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 25
Offline
It seems to me that any dojo where the sexes are separated, or as in one remarkable case mentioned women are disallowed altogether, is doing an extreme disservice to both men and women but especially the women. Where then should women learn to deal with attacks, which almost always will come from men?

There are some women in our dojo that are so tough that any thought of "taking it easy on them" totally evaporates as my concentration has to be 100% in order to try and take their center or take the best ukemi I can so I don't get hurt. It is quite an uplifting experience since I was also raised not hit girls. So to attack them with my best attack and then feel myself completely and thoroughly dealt with shakes loose the cultural baggage and feels great.

An interesting aside, I fairly recently had a road rage incident directed at me where a pretty small girl came up to my parked car and screamed and cussed at me and spit in my face. I moved my head but still caught a little spray on my cheek. The temptation to knock her out was quite strong, but I thought to myself "Whoa, have I studied martial arts for years just to damage this, admittedly obnoxious, girl?" So I swallowed my pride and did nothing except get more distance. I have no doubt that had it been a man my reaction would have been quite different.

I am quite shocked that a dojo in this country in the 21st century would not allow women, and would be very interested in hearing what possible justification the teacher has for what is, to me, a completely untenable position.

Rich
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2002, 08:21 AM   #23
DanielR
Location: New York
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 164
Offline
Quote:
Richard Fox (rgfox5) wrote:
I am quite shocked that a dojo in this country in the 21st century would not allow women, and would be very interested in hearing what possible justification the teacher has for what is, to me, a completely untenable position.
Same here. As much as I sympathize with the principle of a private practice and the complete discretion of its owner in business decisions, the fact there're segregated dojos out there is rather surprising.

Interesting observation, I checked the web site of this dojo, and, unless I'm missing something, there's no mention of the fact that women are not welcome there.
Quote:
Daniel Linden wrote:
Back when I allowed women to train I NEVER let husbands and wives or couples train together. Over 30 years I've seen too many personal problems brought to the mat.
Would you please elaborate on how you deal with other types of personal problems that your students might be having? Say, if over the 30 years you had several student that experienced prolonged depressions because they'd just been laid off, would you condlude that you'd rather not deal with such problems at all and expel students that let their personal problems affect their performance on the mat?

Daniel
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2002, 08:59 AM   #24
opherdonchin
Dojo: Baltimore Aikido
Location: Baltimore
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 586
Offline
All right, now that we've created a truly supportive and accepting environment for Daniel to explain his approach, it's a wonder that he isn't coming forward to explain himself.

I've very curious about the single sex policy. It doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy or be particularly interested in trying, but I don't see a reason to condemn it out of hand, or even to condemn it once it is in hand. If a group of men want to train together then one imagines, given the state of AiKiDo in the U.S. today that the women will have plenty of other options that they can go to for their training.

I wonder if Daniel Rozenbaum or Richard would have felt the same way about a woman teacher who had a woman-only dojo. I'm not implying that they would feel necessarily differently (or even that they should). I'm honestly curious whether for either of them that would be a different situation.

Yours in Aiki
Opher
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2002, 09:03 AM   #25
paw
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 768
Offline
Hmmmm....
Quote:
I not only seperate the sexes, I keep women out of the dojo altogether.
Is that legal? Even if it is, seems like a lawsuit just waiting to happen....
Quote:
Back when I allowed women to train I NEVER let husbands and wives or couples train together.
What about same sex relationships (ie homosexual men)? In 30 years you must have had a few.
  Reply With Quote

Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
The Nage/Uke Dynamic - Guidelines senshincenter General 47 02-20-2006 05:20 PM
David's Drills Pauliina Lievonen General 34 02-05-2006 12:18 AM
committed attack/sensitive ukemi paradox Janet Rosen Training 30 10-13-2005 07:18 PM
*Really* Tough Training… jxa127 Training 29 05-09-2001 07:49 AM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:22 AM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate