What We Do When Teacher Isn’t There

The aim of Aikido is to develop the truly human self. It should not be used to display ego. - Morihei Ueshiba (O Sensei), founder of Aikido In last night's class I did what I believed was my best effort to date at teaching a technique. I covered all the points I had practiced, demonstrated …

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Learning to Teach

I SIGNALED FOR THE ATTACK TO BEGIN. My opponent came at me with a stomach punch. I blocked it; he struck with his other hand. In quick succession: block. spin, grab his wrist and shoulder, pull him off balance, takedown. I then hyperextended his elbow and applied pressure. He slapped the mat twice; the technique …

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Intentions

I have turned in my "Intent to Test" for 1st Kyu (the final Kyu test). Assuming I pass, my next test will be for pre-Shodan (black belt level). As I passed my pre-1st Kyu test in July, the earliest I could test for 1st Kyu is October. So the choice was whether to push for …

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What I Learned from a Vacuum Cleaner

Today I visited the Genyokan Dojo for a noon stretching class. I was the first student to arrive, so after changing into my dogi I got out one of the vacuum cleaners and began to clean the mat. No one told me to do this; I had learned it from earlier classes, watching other students …

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