Category: aikido

For the last 4 months I have been the co-lead instructor of our aikido dojo, and the dojo-cho (person who runs the dojo).

The pandemic was rough on us. We lost most of our students during the months we couldn’t practice. People understandably moved on to other things. No regrets at all for shutting down during the worst of those pandemic months. We probably saved some people from being hospitalized.

So now we practice at a local recreation center, and we are an official class offered by that rec center, for about $60 a month. Being in a rec center attracts a different kind of student. We get a lot of people who just want to see what it’s all about. They stick around for a month and we never see them again. That’s fine. We get fewer people who are martial arts fanatics, which is really good. We don’t need people who jump from art to art to art. Honestly, I’d prefer we just have normal, average people who want to study aikido. That’s it. We’re not training people for the Octagon.

We have two students who are up there in age. One is 68, the other I think 73. They have been practicing with us a year now.

As I personally approach retirement in just a few months, and as I also enter the last “chapter” of my life, I’ve become very guarded about how I spend my time. I put a lot of thought into what I’m doing. Those remaining hours of relatively healthy life are valuable, because at almost 62 right now, even if I lived to be 80 and I was healthy for most of it, I know it will feel like the time just flew by.

Now, I have to admit that I have felt some frustration with our new students. The two older guys are good guys. One of them is learning. The other, well, I feel like he might have had a stroke at some point because I can’t tell that he is learning anything. And we almost always have a teen boy in class who is just has no relationship with his own body. Very hard to teach. It stretches my patience as an instructor, but I understand that is part of it. I believe that aikido is for everyone, and now is the time to prove it.

What I have come to realize this week is this: Those older guys — they are choosing to spend the valuable and precious remaining time in their life practicing with us, and being taught by us. 

When I think of it in those terms, which I did for the first time yesterday, it is a bit overwhelming. They are HONORING us with their time. They are honoring me by being my students. That time they are using – it is beyond precious. Like all our time on earth, it is really the most valuable thing we have, and we can’t save it, stop it, or get any replays.

So I feel re-energized, and I will do the best I can to teach them well.

In Aikido, “Ukemi” goes beyond taking falls. It is the entire art of being Uke — the person who attacks and receives the aikido technique. However, in this little video I just do some rolls. I got to practice early and was curious how my various rolls and falls look. I’ve been practicing for over 18 years now, but I’ve only shot video a couple of times, and that was years ago.

Anyway, this is me warming up last night. I feel pretty good about my ability to move. I wasn’t really loose and warmed up. Next week I’ll shoot some more difficult rolls.

I’ve not been posting a lot here, other than pictures of Riley and Lefty. I’m fine. Just been busy with reading, gaming, and aikido. The date of December 14 has been set for my Nidan (2nd degree black belt) test. I must admit the Imposter Syndrome is strong in me. I know enough to know that I’m not really that good, but as one of my fellow Shodans said, black belt – at least the first one – is really a beginner’s belt. It shows that you know enough that you can really start learning.

My aikido studies were put on hold during the pandemic and post-pandemic years. I’m glad my teacher still thinks I’m ready.  Since returning to practice in January of this year my agility and overall fitness are back where they should be and I’ve lost 15 pounds. Now, I’ll be turning 60 next month, and I have to admit that practicing three times a week is rougher at 60 than it was at 50, but it’s not too bad. I enjoy it. Just a bit tired on the days after practice.

I haven’t been skating much at all. Not for lack of interest, but simply from lack of time and of course the accursed summer heat. It is just too hot in the summer. I’ll skate up to about 90 degrees F in the evening, but not higher. Also it doesn’t help that my beloved freestyle practice spot by the public library has been demolished and is now a 10′ deep hole, due to the total rebuilding of that complex.

But really, in addition to all that, I’ve spent the last 1.5 years taking a look at my priorities and making adjustments. I like being at home in the evenings, with my wife and our dog and cat. Reading, watching movies, listening to music, working on gaming stuff. It has taken a while to really get used to not running around like a lunatic all my waking hours, going from one thing to another.

I have returned to Aikido.

The pandemic nearly destroyed our dojo. When we were able to return to practice our rent went up. Due to reduced membership we could no longer afford it, and our landlord would not negotiate. I negotiated a deal with the city’s Parks & Rec department for us to teach our classes there and we share the revenue. This is how a lot of classes are done there. It has worked out well, but I was just not ready to return to class. Things at home were not settled down enough from the pandemic and other issues. I practiced a few times, but it wasn’t really time yet.

I’ve never considered myself to have “quit”. I knew I would go back to practice. When I started back in December 2006 I made the commitment that I would never voluntarily quit. It just wasn’t time  to come back yet. I needed more time to deal with things at home and my own battered mental health. This year it was time.

I’ve been back at practice for about 3 weeks now. I assumed I was in horrible condition. I was wrong. It’s not like I’ve been totally inactive the last 4 years. I’ve been skating a lot. Anyway, as it turns out my fitness level needs improvement but I’m pleasantly surprised. My body isn’t very sore. My ukemi (falling and protecting myself when being the “aggressor”) are still pretty good. I am rusty and need refreshers on some details and of course need a lot of practice, but that’s always the case in Aikido.

After one practice my mind felt clear again. I feel like I have energy again. Everything is just better.

What really makes me happy, however, is that my friend David has started. Like all of us, the last few years have been rough on him. He says he feels good. He’s engaged with practice. I can already see the change in him. It is really great to have one of my oldest friends at practice with me. I hope he really gets a lot out of it.

Survived my first aikido practice since the start of the pandemic.

Felt good. I was not in as horrible condition as I feared. I’ve been having a nagging shoulder muscle pain and a weird muscular or ligament problem in my inner hip area for a few months. Nothing horrible, but just annoying. I think the hip thing is probably the result of a skateboarding slam I took when I was 21.  Things got stretched out real bad but no breaks. I think it probably healed up with some scarring, and now at 56 the bill has come due. Aikido has been keeping it from flaring up all these years. One practice and it is better.

I’m not going to jump to any conclusions, but I think I just need to keep up my practice to keep this stuff from being an issue. Clearly I am not the kind of person that is going to do the things outside of practice to keep things good. I am not really a fan of “exercise.” Exercise is just a side effect of the things I like to do. So there you go.

Going back to aikido practice in the morning, for the first time since February 2020 when the pandemic wrecked everything. I’ve stayed away a bit longer than most due to a nagging shoulder injury and family illness, but I’m ready to get back. I’m ready to get reacquainted with that part of who I am.

So, I tested for Shodan rank (1st degree black belt) in Aikido this weekend. The test went well. I’ve seen the video, and I wasn’t as horrified as I usually am. In Aikido, we normally test for black belt ranks at seminars — big gatherings of aikidoka from around the region and beyond. I tested at the Spring Seminar (Kagami Biraki) at Aikido of Dallas. I was honored to be tested by Harvey Konigsberg Shihan. His teaching over the weekend was subtle to say the least, and fascinating. Thank you to Aikido of Dallas and Bob Mason Sensei for again hosting the seminar.

You never “just take the test.” In aikido, they normally do the testing after at least a couple of hours of practice. In this case, after 4 hours, with a lunch break in the middle. So yes, I was tired. The idea is to see what the student can do when “there’s no gas left in the tank.”  Critical issues are not freezing up, forgetting how to do things, etc. It’s all about keeping your composure, from which you maintain your center, your posture, and your flow.

As I’ve said before, Shodan is really a beginner’s belt. It signifies you have what you need to really start learning. As I’ve prepared for this test, and now taken it, it is clear that my journey in aikido is getting a new start. Time to look at things with a beginner’s eyes again, and really evaluate the basics of distance, movement, centering, and everything else. Wouldn’t hurt to improve my cardio a lot either. And keep the weight under control.

I’ve thanked a lot of people, but I really want to thank my wife. Having a spouse that understands and supports my endeavors and shares in my joy and accomplishment means the world to me.  So thanks, Toni, for supporting me now and in the days to come.

Right now I’m on my way to a funeral. My aunt. My mom’s youngest sister. I will sure miss her. It will be good to see my extended family, laugh, cry, and celebrate her life. Smooth sailing, Aunt Trish. I love you.

A week from today I’ll be taking my black belt (Shodan – 1st degree black belt) test in aikido. I’ve been practicing for a little over 11 years. It has been a long but great journey — one I don’t intend to stop. As I may have written before, Shodan is really a beginner’s belt. At this point, I should know enough to really start learning. The closer I’ve gotten, the more apparent this has become. I’m 53. I had really hoped to do this by the time I was 50, but life had other plans, and that’s just fine.  I have 1 open mat practice, and 2 normal practices before the test, which will happen at a yearly seminar.

My friend Bachar will be testing with me. We have prepared together, with help from our classmates and our patient, excellent teachers. I’m glad he’ll be out there with me. I’m not nervous. It will just be nice to take the test alongside a good friend.

So this week is all about practice, rest, remaining uninjured, and getting my mind where it needs to be. The primary challenge of this test is mental. Keeping your composure. I know all the stuff fairly well. Now is the time to do it all calmly, smoothly, beautifully, to the best of my ability.

Tomorrow is my 1st kyu test in Aikido. This is the last one before Shodan (1st degree black belt).

I have a lot to learn.

I am preparing for my 1st Kyu test in Aikido. This is the last test before black belt.

In December it will have been eight years since I started. That seems like a long time, but it’s a hard art to learn, and we don’t give the belts away or “sell” them. When I hear about someone earning a black belt in an art in a few years, I now laugh.

Anyway, this is a pretty long test. I lost 3 weeks of prep due to a case of poison ivy, but now I’m in the groove and feel pretty good about it. I have 2.5 weeks to finish preparing myself. There’s nothing on this test I’ve not done before, but more is expected of me. More flow. More centered. More finesse.

The longer I practice, the more I realize what they say is true. Black belt is a beginner’s belt. When you get black belt, it means you have enough knowledge to really start learning.

Our lead instructor has now been practicing for 30 years. He is a 4th degree black belt. Our other teachers, 2nd and 1st black belts, have been practicing for 16 years each. We are lucky to have them. Each presents aikido in his own particular way – each fantastic, sharing a common core, but emphasizing different aspects.

It’s a long road, but I like it.

Sometimes I feel that if I’d started this when I was younger it would be easier. That is possible. But I also think that by starting at 42 it has forced me to learn a more efficient aikido, not so reliant on muscle and brawn.

I need some Aikido.

Went to Aikido practice Saturday morning, then taught kids class.

Then went home and spent the afternoon – until 7pm – helping a friend bust up about 60 feet of concrete sidewalk and haul the chunks back to the rubble pile he’s going to get hauled away.

I felt pretty good afterward. Not hurt, just tired and a little sore.

Two days later my legs really need some Aikido. My legs need it. Need to get them going, get the muscles stretched out, and get the nice back massage that falling down and rolling for 1.5 hours provides.

A good friend of mine is moving.

This is a guy I’ve done Aikido with for the past five years.

When you do something like Aikido you develop great trust in your training partners. Over the course of years, as you grow in the art, as you lend them your body again and again to help them learn, and they do the same for you, and you each learn to receive the techniques with more power without getting injured, a unique relationship develops.

You may not see these people outside the dojo. But for the hours you spend in practice, you share something special.

Something about Aikido attracts a very diverse group of people. I live in a fairly diverse community, but our dojo is even more so. Lot of different national origins, religions, professions, and ages are represented.

My friend who is leaving is a Muslim. I am going to miss him. Through Aikido I’ve gotten to know him and I’ve taught his young son in our children’s class. I think many Americans don’t get to know many Muslims very well.  My friend is such a deeply good man, and is raising a good family. I am happy for this new opportunity for my him. I’m so thankful for the happy accident of blundering into an Aikido dojo where I could meet such extraordinary people.

In a recent email, my friend closed by saying “May God bless you and your family”.

I have never been so moved by such words. People throw around talk of “blessings” and “being blessed” all the time — so often it becomes part of the background noise of American life.  But coming from my friend, it had such impact. It was appreciated. When a Muslim wishes blessings upon you, you know you have been blessed.

Thank you, my friend.

I don’t write much about Aikido these days, though I’ve been practicing steadily for 6 years now. I guess I just don’t have a lot to write about, or rather, perhaps I don’t know how to properly convey what I’ve learned.

Anyway, Aikido is a long road. In the US Aikido Federation we don’t just hand out belts (or sell them). In mid-November I’ll be taking my test for 2nd Kyu. I feel pretty good about it. At this rate, assuming I have learned what I’m supposed to, I will be ready to take my Shodan test (1st degree black belt) when I am 52. And of course, then I’ll be starting over. They say that Shodan is a beginner’s belt. At that point, the aikidoist has enough of the basics to really start learning.