My answer is “if we were fighting, I wouldn’t be standing here teaching you”.
This made me think a lot about the difference between our training forms and how we “would fight”.
Training and fighting are polar opposites.
Training is the model of a healthy relationship.
They deceive, overwhelm, ambush, injure, exploit and change directions without warning…. Not the best environment to learn.
Unfortunately this is the only world some people know and assume all relationships are like a “fight”.
It might seem you are holding them, hitting them, but this is only done to help them move correctly.
See you on in the dojo!
Come and watch some classes so you know what to expect.
All forms filled out and payments to be made before beginning training.
Wear comfortable, clean clothes that can be gripped.
Keep nails trimmed and long hair tied back.
Do not drink alcohol or anything that will impair your ability prior to training.
Arrive for a class at least 15 minutes before training starts to allow time for changing, setting up the dojo and warming up. Shoes are not to be worn on the mat. Bare feet are not to walk on the floor.
Take off and put on shoes at the edge of the mat. Sandals make this easier.
Do not leave the mat without the instructor’s knowledge.
Treat everyone with respect. Do not train beyond the level of your partner.
Follow the teacher’s instruction carefully. Injury is more likely to occur when students are competing.
Avoid challenging people to test techniques. There is no good outcome of this sort of challenge.
The dojo is a place where people come to improve themselves. Careless and brutal training is not tolerated.
Senior students care for junior students, as was done for them.
We train slowly and precisely to learn what is really happening. When the movement is correct, speeding it up makes it very powerful.
Everyone is making the best of their life with what they have. Some people are just doing fine and don’t feel any need to change anything. Others have no resources to invest and training is not possible.
For me it is a way to maintain the strength and range of movement of my body.
It also gives me a blueprint for relationships.
The way we train is a model for a healthy relationships. Learning to deal with the worst that can happen, makes more everyday difficulties more manageable!
Do you want the Good News or the Bad News ….
20% of people are depressed, 50% of marriages fail, and 80% of business fail.
The good news is training is proven to improve performance.
You just need to do the training before you need it. You are too busy during and after is too late!
It’s about leveraging your time.
Will you prepare in advance for success, or will you be mopping up the mess?
Nothing will beat the experience of coming to the dojo and seeing our training.
It would be impossible to come to any conclusion or decision about whether you shouls join any of our classes without visiting us first. If you had trained for years in Aikido, you could get to learn about our dojo and might even dicover some positive differences!
Just a thought: having trained ina any other martial art form may not even help you in the slightest to appreciate what we do.
The kid’s classes are different from the adults'.
Weapons classes are different from the empty hand ones.
I would suggest you see a couple of different ones. Show your kids our advanced training, even if they won’t be doing it for a while.
the range of power of the human body.
There are some things that even just seeing, will change your mind and attitude to life.