Time for a change

[thewritinglotus]

Hello All

Comments

[randomdiversion]

Before finding my current dojo, I stopped taking aikido at a junior college because the class met only once a week, and slow as I am at picking up physical skills, I just couldn't progress in that environment.

I tried another dojo that is closer to me by mileage than the one I currently attend, but I had to drive over a mountain range to get there and kept arriving mildly car-sick.

It turns out my current dojocho has a much higher ranking than the others that I tried earlier (6d vs 3d), and there are many senior students, and that also makes a difference.

I think different 'lineages' make a difference in the emphasis during class as well. Some are more directive and technical, others more experiential.

[thewritinglotus]

I was experiencing something similar. After only 2 years I was the most senior student 80% of the time. I understand the educational value in teaching but don't feel that is the best use of the time I am able to allocate to Aikido. I was training with one of two highest ranking people in my state in our lineage. The other is too far away to be practical.

I am distinctly more thrilled and excited about it than others in the small class and I want more. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.

[dreamslesssweet]

I studied in one particular style (Yoshokai) for about 4 years. Although I bounced from one dojo to another, I only bounced for convenience sake. I started at the YMCA, but then I moved across town and the university club was more convenient. Then I started training at the main dojo. The style was taught in a very uniform manner, so training at the YMCA felt quite similar to the main dojo. I loved training, no matter where I was. Yoshokai was a wonderful atmosphere--it was physically demanding, the instructors and senior students were extremely patient and kind, and I always felt like I was learning something

[thewritinglotus]

Thank you for sharing your story. It seems a worst-case scenario. I hope to find what I am looking for without so much trouble. I, too, love the peaceful time spent without distraction and with kind people. I also appreciate the emotional maturity that should go with higher ranks. I have read enough and heard enough stories to know not to settle for anything less than a place you want to visit and a teacher from whom you can learn more than Aikido. Hopefully you (and me, too, for that matter) will find something that feeds everything we know martial arts can be.

[joxn]

The only thing about Yoshokai ukemi I find hard is the part where you're liable to get injured doing it. Not on a mat, maybe, but over rough terrain it seems pretty dangerous to me.

[alice_the_raven]

I had been taking Aikikai Aikido for many years, but my husband wanted to start a martial art together, one that neither of us had done before. So, we joined Kendo and Iaido, which we've been at over five years now.

We were looking for something that had both a spiritual and a physical aspect.

[thewritinglotus]

I am looking more for the spiritual aspect than anything else. I have found that anything that follows sincere spiritual motivations far outperforms everything else with less lofty aspirations. I have just looked and there is a Kendo and Iaido studio closer to my house than my Aikido dojo was. Every time I drove by I always thought I would round my Aikido education with classes there. Perhaps it will be the other way around. I understand that the following question could (and probably has) fill a book but in your personal experience and words, what is the basic philosophy of Kendy and Iaido?

Thank you.

[alice_the_raven]

One of the things I love about a dojo that offers Kendo and Iaido is that it's like a yin/yang thing. The two have fairly opposite philosophies, but are both rooted in swordsmanship. Kendo is very physical and aggressive and competitive, stressing the attack, while Iaido is very spiritual and has no opponent and is based solely on your inner strength to manifest the technique. Kendo offers a very aerobic experience and a chance to see how the art works in real like, but it is somewhat "sportified" in that the techniques are modified from real swordsmanship. Iaido uses a real sword, either steel or alloy, and is all based on actual swordsmanship from the 1500's so it has a great sense of history.

[marfan]

one dojo invited me to train for free. (other customers paid $80/month). then it e-mailed to tell me that the scholarship was over. thus, i left