Yay! My first list. I’m going to list some things that anyone, no matter what level, but especially if you are a beginner, can do to enjoy their Aikido practice. Let’s get right into it:
- Practice on your own. Even Ueshiba said that an instructor can only impart a small fraction of the lessons in Aikido. That’s a hint to do some keiko on your own time.
- Read some books. Not just about Aikido, but any martial art. Not just martial arts – there are all sorts of books that might make your Aikido light bulb go off.
- Visit other Aikido dojos. Especially the ones in your own city. These other dojos are your family also. You should make a point to make friendly with them. For extra credit, when you visit, bring a gift – usually a bottle of sake is nice.
- Invest in a nice set of bokken and jo. I personally own a set of Iwama styled ken and jo, made of Japanese white oak. I was a bit hesitant to order them at first because they were on the pricey side, but once I got my hands on them, I fell in love.
- Practice weapons of some sort. Whether it is suburi or kata or kumi. Whether it is Saito Sensei or Saotome Sensei. Whether it’s Aikiken, Iaido, Kali, or Okinawan Kubodo. Weapons practice always does something good for you.
- Learn to fold a hakama. You don’t want to be the person that shows up with their hakama crumpled and stuffed lazily in a duffle bag. Plus, you never know when you will be asked to fold someone’s hakama.
- Learn how to take ukemi. This seems like a no brainer, but really, the art is literally hidden in the ukemi. I tell anyone that really wants to get good at Aikido two things: 1) take lots of ukemi 2)takes lots of ukemi.
- Earn your Shodan. No, not so you can write your book or open your own school. Do it so that you can train with the big dogs at the seminars. Do it so that when you go to seminars, the guest instructor may pull you aside to share some insight. That’s all.
- Go to seminars. Any chance you can. Just do it.
- Take notes. About anything. Add as much detail as possible. Add diagrams and illustrations. Add pictures from your own camera or the internet.
- Video everything you can. Seminars. Daily class. Your own practice. Your students.
- Participate in discussions on internet forums. There are some really nice people out there that share all sorts of knowledge on these boards. Some of them might be someone you met at a seminar. Some of them might live on the other side of the world. And you can access them easily via the internet.
- Write about your experience. And share it. It could be as simple as writing a email to someone. It could be a blog. It could be an article for a magazine or website.
- Watch videos. There are so many videos out now. Between what you can buy, and what you can watch for free on sites like Youtube, there’s no reason to not be watching videos.
- Take your instructor out for dinner. Or your student. Or your fellow training partner. Hang out, enjoy each other’s company outside of the dojo.
- Come a little early, stay a bit later. Get to the dojo early if you can. Help with any setting up. Talk to any visitors that may arrive. Sneak in an extra long warm up. Stay a bit after class if you can. Help put things away. Work a bit more on something else.
- Focus on your worst technique. My teacher told me that to get better, one should practice their worst technique until it is their best technique. Then repeat.
- Become an expert. Aikido is the sum of interconnected parts. For example, one could practice everything in Aikido by only focusing on ukemi, or weapons. Pick a part that you think you have a knack for, and go at it. Pretty soon, you will have a basis for a growing level of expertise, because you have specialized.
- Find someone that you can’t pin or throw. There is a lot to learn in success, and a lot to learn in not succeeding. When you realize what you don’t know, what you are not good at, that’s when you can really start to take command of your own progress.
- Contribute to the art. Don’t be the person that just shows up when they feel like, ho-hum and such. Learn Aikido so that you can transmit it, improve it, share it with others. Take care of your teachers. Things like simply coming to every class, or always paying on time are always really appreciated. Take care of your fellow Aikidoka – always a smile and a hug.
