Aikido
Tonight, I got up the nerve to go in to an aikido dojo, hoping to watch and check it out, get some information about costs, requirements, will they teach me if I don't speak Japanese?
I was greeted at the door by someone who was a little late, and he turned out to be one of the head students. All the other students were running drills until he walked in, and then they all stopped and sat down in an orderly fashion. He directed another "black belt" to talk to me, and the process was explained to me. There is no teacher...only students. Some students have been studying for decades, and the longest practicing student is the president of the dojo. About half of them were advanced students, so there are many teachers, in another sense. As far as he described it, each student teaches each other student, and so as of tonight, I teach him as well. Even though I wasn't dressed to actually participate, he asked me if I just wanted to watch or learn something. I hesitated for a moment and decided to jump in.
His name is Masa, and he was funny and patient and used English only when he felt it was necessary. We practiced forward and backward rolls and the first 3 "waza," or moves. By the end, I could see how explaining it to me was also teaching him the particulars of the waza, and he would ask me words in English too, so he was definitely getting something out of it as well.
By the end, I was really enjoying it and learning a lot. In addition, many of the moves and the ways they are used to describing them are fundamentally Japanese. It required that I know some Japanese calligraphy because some of the moves are like making a large version of the shape in the air. Some of the moves are named after and related to culturally significant Japanese items, like the short curtains hanging in doorways or types of rice. If I hadn't lived here first, I would never had understood these concepts so easily or clearly.
I have my work cut out for me, but it is going to be a completely enriching experience, and I'm so grateful I actually came here and made it happen, no matter how long it took.
I'll let you know how it's going...
I was greeted at the door by someone who was a little late, and he turned out to be one of the head students. All the other students were running drills until he walked in, and then they all stopped and sat down in an orderly fashion. He directed another "black belt" to talk to me, and the process was explained to me. There is no teacher...only students. Some students have been studying for decades, and the longest practicing student is the president of the dojo. About half of them were advanced students, so there are many teachers, in another sense. As far as he described it, each student teaches each other student, and so as of tonight, I teach him as well. Even though I wasn't dressed to actually participate, he asked me if I just wanted to watch or learn something. I hesitated for a moment and decided to jump in.
His name is Masa, and he was funny and patient and used English only when he felt it was necessary. We practiced forward and backward rolls and the first 3 "waza," or moves. By the end, I could see how explaining it to me was also teaching him the particulars of the waza, and he would ask me words in English too, so he was definitely getting something out of it as well.
By the end, I was really enjoying it and learning a lot. In addition, many of the moves and the ways they are used to describing them are fundamentally Japanese. It required that I know some Japanese calligraphy because some of the moves are like making a large version of the shape in the air. Some of the moves are named after and related to culturally significant Japanese items, like the short curtains hanging in doorways or types of rice. If I hadn't lived here first, I would never had understood these concepts so easily or clearly.
I have my work cut out for me, but it is going to be a completely enriching experience, and I'm so grateful I actually came here and made it happen, no matter how long it took.
I'll let you know how it's going...
posted by Spencer Douglas at
11:31 PM
7 Comments:
Welcome to the study of aikido. I hope you enjoy it!
Howdy Spencer,
Congratulations! Taking the first step is often the hardest. The key to success in Aikido (maybe anything) is to just keep doing it. So, keep going to class and you will progress.
BTW, in many schools they don't do much verbal explanation at all. Students watch and try to replicate what the person demonstrating just did. For that reason, you may find that not knowing Japanese is not as much of a hardship as it might be otherwise.
Have fun!
e.
im proud of you
How refreshing! I get so sick of having to be the teacher all the time. Some reciprocity would be nice now and again.
yay! Spencer, that sounds great.
Hey Spencer
I hope that all is going well!
Hugs,
Ross Yerger
あきらまないで！がんばって！しんぞのなかになにがある？！ちから！！！
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