by Wes White, 4th Kyu
Men and women, boys and girls take Aikido for a variety of
reasons, physical fitness, self defense, strength development, flexibility,
grace of movement, serenity of mind and a plethora of other reasons. No matter why you came to Aikido, it is
important to learn and remember certain aspects of being a beginner. And we are all beginners forever.
First of all, Aikido in general is one of the most
challenging and difficult martial arts you will learn, and it is a martial art,
which gives it a combative aspect.
The combination of foot work, hand work, brain work, opponent
coordination and awareness makes it quite challenging for the beginner, and all
ranks for that matter. DO NOT BE
DETERRED if you cannot grasp basic concepts and movements as quickly as you
think you should.
Second of all, as in most all martial arts where the teacher
is linked to the traditions and rituals of the art, there are basic movements
and rituals you will need to be familiar with from the first couple of days you
train.
Bowing.
We bow a lot in Aikido, it is to show respect for your
teachers and fellow aikidoka (a practitioner of Aikido) and to show respect for
our traditions and those who came before us.
One bows when one enters the dojo (workspace)
One bows when one leaves the “dojo proper” and goes into the
common door that leads to the dressing rooms.
One bows when one come out of the dressing room common area
One bows before coming onto the mat for class.
At this point the student or teacher positions ones self in
seisa (a kneeling position) and does a formal bow in. This is both a way to show respect for the founder of the
art and to clear ones mind of all things outside of training.
Warming Up
At this point if class has not started yet, students are
allowed to warm up by stretching or doing ukemi (rolling and falling, blocking
and break falling) until the class begins.
Class begins
But watch for the senior student (HOW DO I KNOW WHO THAT IS
EVERYONE LOOKS THE SAME??!!) You
will figure it out. When the
senior student takes his or her place in a formal kneeling position to the
right side of the dojo facing the kamiza (all these terms!!) it is time for the
class to begin. It is the
responsibility of this senior student to kneel down at the moment the class is scheduled
to begin. So if you know when it
begins and pay attention, you will know it is time to line up.
You should line up in order of ranks. But wait you ask, everyone has a white
belt, how do I know? Well the
short answer is you observe and figure it out. As a beginner it is always appropriate to go to the end of
the line and wave all other students to your right. There is a pecking order and you will eventually know who is
an upper rank and who is a lower rank.
This brings us to the subject of ranks. Everyone wears a white belt until you
become a black belt unless you are in a childs class. There are however 5 ranks in between beginner and black
belt. They are called Kyu
ranks. First Kyu students line up
to the left of the ranking black belt students. Fifth Kyu is the first rank. One should always have a beginner's attitude, and keep
humble, open and hungry to learn and improve.
The formal Bow in
At this point when all the students are lined up the
instructor (Sempai or Sensei) will enter the class from the left or right and
kneel down in front of the kamiza, situate their self and bow to the
Kamiza). We all bow to the kamiza
as a group at this point. The
teacher then turns around and bows to the class. The class bows to the teacher and says in Japanese “Onegai
shimasu”. It is done this way most
every time and is one of the basic and most important rituals of an Aikido
class.
The formal warm up
The teacher then takes the class through a series of warm up
exercises conceived precisely to help our bodies prepare for the unique
exercises and techniques practiced in the Aikido Class. This is another important ritual in the
Aikido world. The formal warm up
ends with the teacher saying to the class “Ukemi” which means to practice on
your own your rolling and falling skills.
At a certain point the instructor will say “Shiko” which mean knee
walking. Students will practice
knee walking for a few minutes then the formal instruction will begin.
Teaching or Demonstration of Techniques
After knee walking is over, the students sit down generally
in the back of the dojo and the teacher then calls up a ranking student or
anyone she wants to demonstrate a technique. The teacher either demonstrates it in total silence or gives
verbal clues as to how to do the techniques depending on the instructor or the
night. In very traditional dojos
or with traditional teachers in our dojo, no words are spoken. While the demonstration is in progress
students are expected to sit in seisa.
Practice
When the demonstration ends, the teacher will kneel and bow
to the class, the class will return the bow. The students then pair off AND THEN BOW to each other and
begin working together to try and perfect the techniques. The formal terms are Uke and Nage (Uke
gets thrown, Nage throws) The lower ranking person will first “attack” the
higher rank first as per the attack demonstration. The nage “drives” the technique, for example, if the attack
is a shoulder grab, the Uke grabs whatever shoulder the Nage offers, it can
start on the left side or the right side.
Then the technique switches to the other side. The technique is performed four times and then the partners
switch and nage becomes uke, and vice versa. The technique is practiced four times. Right left right left. You should practice in silence as much
as humanly possible. No one but
the chief instructor should be giving any sort of criticism or advice.
During this practice session the instructor comes around the
class and offers more personal instruction, criticism, and helpful hints,
philosophy or anything they want to offer. You should consider it a great honor to be singled out for
advice from the instructor. When
the instructor stops talking to you, you should bow and thank them for their
advice. After a certain time, the
instructor will clap their hands or call an end to the technique, then the
students will BOW AGAIN to one another and thank each other for the
practice. This happens with each
and every technique. Then we all
run back to the lineup and wait for another demonstration and the cycle begins
all over again.
Formal Bowing Out
The instructor calls an end to the class and students fix up
their uniforms and then kneel in the rank order explained above. The instructor then kneels and formally
bows to the kamiza, turns around and makes any pertinent announcements and then
formally bows to the class.
Students return the bow and repeat in Japanese “Domo Arigato
Gozaimashita" (Thank you very much).
The instructor then says to bow to “your partners.” Students bow once to the kamiza and the
face each fellow student to thank them for their help and assistance.
Cleaning Up the dojo
Part of each class’s ritual is to sweep the dojo after
class. Pay attention to how its
done and join in.
Most students will then do a “formal bow out” off of the mat
from kneeling. Then one more bow
at the edge of the mat before going into the dressing room.
Miscellaneous to remember:
When in doubt, bow to a senior student.
When in doubt bow to the instructor.
After the instructor tells you something thank them (can be
done in Japanese or a simple “Thanks you sir/m’am” will suffice.
Never turn your back on the instructor.
When the instructor is in your proximity giving advice or
instruction you should kneel and pay attention.
Never show the bottom of your feet to the instructor
Never turn your back on the kamiza
Never fix your uniform facing the kamiza or the instructor.
Always be aware of your space and techniques so you don’t
run into anyone.
Posts
