So, I’ve taken to teaching the entirety of the newbie class in my Aikido dojo, and we get a fair few new arrivals, most of whom don’t stay for very long. I’ve kind of developed a sort of FAQ, because there are a lot of questions I get regularly. I have people hold the questions that arent immediately important until the break or after class, though. I’ll answer them here in no particular order. “How long until I’m able to use this ‘on the street’?” Five to six years if you’re a quick learner. If you’re looking for a martial art that’ll allow you to learn to defend yourself very proficiently, look no further. If you’re looking for a martial art that’ll allow you to learn to defend yourself quickly, go for kickboxing. (If people abandon the martial art after the first few classes, this is usually why. Fair enough.) “Can you throw me without touching me?” (I actually get this question or some variation of it pretty often) Ki is a central part of Aikido, and it’s control of one’s body, breathing, and circulatory system. It’s not Kame Hame Ha. “Is being weak an advantage?” (Yes, I actually do get this question sometimes.) Being weak is never an advantage. Ever. We don’t “use our opponent’s strength against him,” we use his momentum and center of gravity. There is no such thing as a martial art where being weak is anything but a disadvantage. This is an art where physical strength doesn’t matter as much, but it still matters. “Why are they jumping when you throw them?” (Usually said with a shit-eating grin as if they’ve just figured out a magic trick) They’re breakfalling. It works on the same principle as a forward roll after a jump. Otherwise you’d only be able to train every several weeks to allow for recovery time from torn ligaments and concussions. “Why all the stretching?” (I suspect every martial art has people who ask this) To warm up the body, get the limbs ready for movement, and ensure that you don’t rip something you really, really need. “I thought I’d get to wear that long skirt you have...” (This is a reasonable question, since the hakama is the one thing most widely associated with Aikido) Our school (and most schools) gives those to black belts specifically. Some schools let all students wear it, and a few schools (although I have to take Sensei’s word for it, since I’ve never personally seen one) don’t use it at all. “I saw a demonstration on Youtube, and it looked fake.” (*describes the things that happened in the video*) Martial arts demonstrations aren’t improvised. They’re staged to show the techniques of the martial art being demonstrated. “I thought Aikido didn’t do sparring.” Some schools do, some don’t. Ours does. “Why do we learn defenses against sword attacks? It’s not like we’re going to get attacked with a sword.” True. Being attacked with a piece of metal or a piece of wood or a broom handle or a crowbar or an axe handle or a baseball bat or a golf club is far more likely. Think about that for a second.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 13:05:49 +0000
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