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Aikido Taiwan

A Word About Training from Michael Sensei

I remember when I first started learning Aikido, I was a little confused at what we were doing and where I was headed. I did not really have a clear picture of the "Grand Scheme" and how I fit into it. Being new, I was afraid to ask my instructor because I thought that possibly he would feel that I was in too much of a hurry and only concerned with being promoted. Consequently I continued for quite some time just showing up for class and doing what everybody else did, without really understanding were I was going or what I should be learning. In order to give you a clearer picture of your training at Heaven & Earth Aikido I have prepared the following information on what you will be learning, how you will be learning it and most importantly the approach you should take towards your training at various levels.

Aikido is an Art/Martial Art and in training to be proficient in any art, repetition and practice are essential. Techniques must be practiced thousands of times until they become a part of your very nature. Eventually techniques will become so internalized that the thought process in doing them no longer exists. 

Combine this with the hundreds of techniques and we can begin to understand how training in a Martial Art is a life long endeavor which one can only hope to touch upon mastering.  Having said this, I now must emphasize the importance of training. Direct experience is the only way we can learn a Martial Art, we can get some theoretical understanding from, books, videos and discussion but in the end they are no substitute for direct training. An intellectual understanding of the technique is only useful after we know what it feels like. 

Though constant repetition is essential in learning Aikido, I also feel that doing the same thing each session can be counterproductive. Not only do modern Aikidoist become bored at repeating the same thing session after session, they can also easily loose sight of Aikido as a whole. A bit like not being able to see the forest because of the trees. With this in mind I have designed the Heaven & Earth Aikido curriculum based on variety and what I call learning circles. Within each session we cover a variety of Aikido related lessons progressing from warm-ups to basic techniques to free form Aikido and finally a bit of weapons training. Each month we concentrate on a specific basic technique, when we have gone through all of the basic techniques once then the circle continues and we do them all again. 

David & Bruce

I also feel that it is important that all Aikidoist practice together. This means that no matter what your level we all train as one. One of the prime goals in Aikido established by O'sensei, is that we learn to have the ability to protect ourselves and control any hostile situation without doing harm to the aggressor. This requires a great deal of self control and knowing how much force or technique needs to be applied in any given situation. In Aikido, knowing when to be gentle is just as important as knowing when to use force. We should know how to adjust a technique for different intensities of attack. By all of us training together we learn to read and feel different levels of opponent/training partners, thereby learning how to adjust the technique accordingly. This should not be confused with meaning that everyone will be learning exactly the same thing, as you progress a more deeper understanding and application of the technique will be expected of you.

Marina & Jordan

Even though a white belt and black belt may be practicing a specific technique together, the black belt should have a much deeper understanding and grasp of the finer points of the technique, such as blending, use of chi, various hand manipulations, control and preparation for a second or third attacker. On following pages I give a brief outline of what is expected of you at a specific level and what goals you should be working on for yourself.

Boelo & Noel

To prevent you from becoming frustrated with yourself it is also important that you do not expect too much of yourself too soon when learning Aikido. It is not necessary or realistic for you to feel that you should be doing the technique as well or with the same degree of detail as someone who has been training for years. By expecting the impossible of yourself you will only become frustrated with your progress, this will only lead to a slower pace of learning. Relax and learn what you can at any point and time. In my experience the learning process does not move straight up it moves in a series of peaks and valley, sometimes progressing very fast and then at other times learning seems to come to a complete stop. Remember, without the valleys there can be no peaks.

HEAVEN & EARTH AIKIDO

E-MAIL: aikido@heaven-earth.com

#401 Chang Chien Rd.
Hsih Dze, Taipei County
Phone: 886-2-2645-2390
Mobile: 0932301752
SKYPE: heaven-earth