Advice Please

Hi

I am thinking of going to Aiki Expo in spring but I only have a few months aikido experience.

Given the impressive line up do you think it would be worth it for me? Would I be able to get anything out of it? I imagine many of you will be there. Will it be worth it for the social aspect alone if the aikido is too advanced for me?

thanks,

Fiona

Whatever you do, do not microwave the kitten.

Oh, sorry, wrong thread.

Originally posted by FionaByrne Hi I am thinking of going to Aiki Expo in spring but I only have a few months aikido experience. Given the impressive line up do you think it would be worth it for me? Would I be able to get anything out of it? I imagine many of you will be there. Will it be worth it for the social aspect alone if the aikido is too advanced for me? thanks, Fiona

If you can afford to go and can get there, my advice is by all means go. I'm sure you'll get plenty out of it, in terms of inspiration if nothing else.

The Aikido Journal website has a discussion forum specifically for people to talk about the Expo. If you're still not sure, maybe you should ask your question there.

ps: If you do go, will you take lots of pictures and put them on a website, please?

Sean
x

The first seminar I went to (Birmingham, UK), I was barely 2 weeks old as an aikidoka. The ppl I met there were superb and inspirational.The support I got from them and the visiting senseis was invaluable in giving me a good lasting impression of aikido.

If you can go, go. It doesn't matter that some of the techniques taught there would be very complicated for beginners. There would always be some emphasis on basic techniques as well. Besides, its about meeting new ppl as well.

When I went to my first seminar, I'd had 3-4 months of Aikido in a dojo that mixed Yoshinkai and Aikikai styles (and been booted out of it ), and it was an Iwama seminar. Everyone was friendly and nice, and no one complained about the very small white belt with a funny stance and giant rolls. At least not to my face. I don't recall all of the sensei's who taught, but do fondly recall getting help from each of them as they travelled the mat (Thank You! once again to Alexander, Goto, and Tatoian Senseis...hmmm, is that the proper plural?)

Any way, I learned a lot, and I'm sure you will too...and if it gets to be all too much, well, I always get a lot from watching. I hope we'll have a chance to train together there!

Oh, one last thing...some senseis don't want their beginners to train at a different style's seminars...me, well, I can't live with rules like that, but I don't advocate over throw of dojo rules, either, so you might want to consider asking a senior or your sensei if it's OK...or not...

ps,
I will now share my best observation of seminar training: always try to grab a blackbelt (yeah, so what else is new)...and the easiest time to do this is the Sunday am session. They are sore and tired after pounding each other for two or three days, and there is usually a fair amount of alcohol to be had in the evenings. Rather than chase them down (like the earlier sessions) I find the yudansha to be eagerly grabbing for me, with a 'come here little white belt beginner girl, we'll do this REAAALLL slow so you can get it right, and the room stops moving...'

Although the price tag for the event is a bit steep, I think it'll be a good event nonetheless. I'm all for supporting events that bring together people from across stylistic and organizational boundaries.

As for seminar tips, here's my article on the subject:

http://www.aikiweb.com/training/akiy6.html

-- Jun, who'll be there at the Aiki Expo