Summer seminar | Students' assays: Part V

Seminar Expectations
by Don Schuette

Let me start by saying that I attended my first seminar as an unranked Aikido student who had only a month of practice under my belt. Now, almost two years and several seminars later, I thought I knew what to expect this time. I was wrong.

For the first time, I was not nervous as I drove up I-5 toward Berkeley. I knew what was ahead. My collarbone injury hadn't bothered me for a couple of weeks. I looked forward to seeing familiar faces and practicing with new people. Friday sessions were a great. Everyone was practicing with good energy and intensity.

Saturday morning arrived and so did the soreness. Everything was going good until we started practicing Sankyo. After a couple of pins, the collarbone started popping and cracking. Okay, I told myself to take it easy on that side. After another 10 minutes, I had to make a decision. Do I push through and risk re-injury, or sit out? 5 more minutes and I knew what I had to do.

Sitting on the sidelines was just as painful. I wanted to be out there learning, adapting and evolving. That is why I practice Aikido. But I thought sitting out a few classes is better than re-injury and sitting out another month or two. That's when my attitude changed and I began to refocus.

I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started concentrating on what was happening on the mat. Watching the Sensei instruct the classes and the subsequent practice revealed nuances that I had not noticed before. I felt the energy emanating from the mat. I discovered I could still benefit from the practice as long as I was willing to engage as best I could.

Driving back home, I realized that I should never have assumed what to expect from a seminar, or even regular practice. Leave expectations at the door and accept whatever happens. As Aikido teaches us, we should blend with what comes at us and always engage. These are great concepts we can apply in all areas of life.

Summer seminar | Students' assays: Part IV

My experiences from Summer seminar
by Morgan Samuel

It was intimidating and exciting to be in the same room with so many people practicing Aikido. The first day I held on for dear life. Feeling out how things would work. Learning a new vocabulary of practice. I did not move too far up into hakama territory but did get to take ukemi from one of the Sensei.

The second day I felt a bit more outgoing and followed Lee Sensei's advice to move out of the corners and practice with the Yodansha students. I could feel the difference. Not to say the practicing with the unbelted students was not good but it is different. Besides having to sit out of the last class, it was a very good day. I also found watching the Dan tests to be very inspiring. To see what happens when individuals dedicate sthemselves to the study of aikido and what they can achieve was very motivating.

The third day was the most fun and rewarding for me. I had found my groove and a small level of self confidence to move through the crowd. I especially enjoyed the class on Kihon, which I had to look up when I got back to the apartment that night. So Kihon means basic or basics. It offered great perspective on how to do things correctly

in both etiquette and technique and why we do it that way. I really liked the explanation about what the non-attacking hand should be doing in Yokomenuchi (one-hand side attack).

The one thing I notice the most from the seminar was the way my body had learned to move in aikido. Sunday afternoon when I got back to the apartment, I noticed that my body was moving differently, especially after the class about kihon. My wive, Jasmine, her sister and husband asked me each day about the techniques that we learned so I

would show they what I could without dropping people. While doing this, I could feel things that had once been difficult or caused me to hesitate come easier, flow smoother. I just thought it very interesting how much my body had learned without me knowing it.

The Avatar Summer Camp: Week I

The first week was full of great action and a field trip to Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles.