A privilege I have as webmaster, particularly for a blog like this, is the advantage of what strategists call the “mile high view.” In a nutshell: I was present at the creation.

I remember when Tonya–boisterously, emphatically–first stepped on the mat. I also remember, less fondly but with gratitude, those exhausting weeks Tonya and I trained, prepping me for an even more exhausting black belt test. And I’ve marveled at the progress she’s made in New York, and the glimpses I’ve received into her life outside the dojo–her engagement to Luke, her budding medical career.

But, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

And so, as webmaster, I find myself on the other end of that “mile high view.” I get to tidy up, put things in order, and, sadly, turn off the lights.

But before I do, a few quick points. (Longtime readers of this blog are, I’m sure, cringing right about now.)

Although this blog was most definitely about Tonya, and her adventures in the big city, its spirit, its driving force if you will, was the contributions of our many commentators.

I only hesitate to mention the epic Watchmen thread, and The Incident On Buck’s Street, because I fear the emotions are still too raw. Give it time.

And what about the future? Well, if I know Sensei, (and I hope I do–our anniversary is a few short weeks away), I’m sure a new idea for a blog is percolating somewhere in the ether, near the kamiza, next to the bokken. Whatever she has planned, you can be sure I’ll sound the trumpets.

But that’s later. For now, Tonya, on behalf of the dojo, thank you.

*click*

Sadly though, for all of my dedicated readers, I can no longer continue this blog. I have more pressing issues with finding an apartment, a job, planning a wedding, and helping Luke start a dojo (wherever he decides to go). My plate is a bit full.

Jerry’s got the lowdown if you want to hear it. I think its very silly, but hey, my opinion isn’t the one that counts.

Thank you all. You’ve been lovely. Email me or give me a call if you want to talk.

When I am tired, I watch the clock and feel bad for my partner who in return feels bad every time I drag myself off the floor only to be thrown again. I try not to complain but when my energy is low I do it more, and am less able to pay attention to detail or take criticism well.

As a result of these conclusions I always try to get a nap in somewhere so my mind is rested. Plus I try to eat enough so that I don’t feel hungry and distracted during class.

On another note, Luke is seriously looking at several places to start his dojo. I’ve been researching several coastal cities to see which ones will offer him a good chance at a successful student base.

Charleston SC has a good economy with military and healthcare being the strongest employers.

Miami has one USAF dojo already, but with 5 million people it can certainly support another.

The west coast of mid Florida appears to be lacking in any serious dojos, and so may provide an opportunity.

Mobile Alabama has a large population.

Savannah Georgia also has a large population.

What do you guys think? Aside from St. Augustine, what coastal cities offer a good economy and population for an Aikido school. Which coastal city has good surfing! lol, I know Luke likes to surf.

Luke will speak with Sensei about his options, but intelligent opinions from knowledgeable sources would be appreciated. I think pointers on how to run a dojo as far as cash flow and taxes would be appreciated. I know we have some lawyers aboard this blog who might understand such things better than the rest of us.

If you see that Sensei’s wine glass is getting low, offer to fill it for him. Nowadays he will probably decline, but offering is a good thing.

Regular guests should not help with cleaning, it gets the deshi in trouble and is extremely irritating. We are not supposed to accept help cleaning from guests. Sensei can help clean up if he wants. He can do pretty much anything he feels like during the party. Its amusing to see him wash dishes and tell everyone else to relax. Even with the cleaning it can be a lot of fun. Usually one or two of the guests are exuberant and make funny conversation that delights the rest of the room. As a general rule, the quieter the party and the less alcohol consumed the shorter it ends up being. There used to be nights that parties would go very late, but now they usually end before 12 am.

Though Aikido is peaceful, it is not demure or submissive.  For a technique to work, one must be aware of her surroundings.  This includes the attacker(s) and the space in which you move.  If you are unaware, the attacker will overcome you before you know what is happening.  If you are unaware of the surroundings, you may trip and fall, or throw your attacker into a brick wall or off a cliff.  (These are extreme examples.)  I’ve heard spectators at Aikido demonstrations say that often they had trouble telling who attacked first.  To me, this means that nage’s response to uke must take place at nearly the same time as uke commits to the attack.

Aside from a few Aikido novels, most of what I learned has been through training and listening to my instructors.  Books are certainly useful, but they are purely supplementary.  It is impossible to truly understand Aikido without doing it.

1. The first and most obvious rule in any martial arts dojo is bowing. To simplify things you should bow upon entering and leaving the dojo, getting on and off the training area, and any time other people are bowing.

Some dojos require a certain type of bow, how deep you bow, how long you stay down, where you look, et cetera. New York Aikikai doesn’t really give specifics on such things. Most people don’t really care, but because Aikido is peaceful, we don’t usually maintain eye contact with someone when we bow (except during randori).

There are some people whose religious stipulations forbid bowing.  They need only give a simple explanation to the teacher of the class and there is no issue.

2. Another rule is to enter and leave the mat through the doorway near the kamiza. This promotes order, so the teacher can clearly see if someone is leaving the mat. Also the side entrance leads to a clean carpeted area where we are free to walk around barefoot or with indoor slippers. The viewing area at the back has a wood floor where people with outdoor shoes walk around. Beginners sometimes leave the mat the wrong way. It isn’t a big deal when this happens, but someone must explain the rules to them so they don’t keep doing it.

The exception is if someone is injured and has to leave the mat the other way, the windows need to be opened, or the phone answered.

3. Another rule commonly broken by beginners is leaving the mat for a drink of water, often without asking the sensei. First of all, we are expected to stay on the mat without water unless we are feeling sick.  Secondly, if you do need the water you must ask the teacher permission to get it.

4. If you are late to class, you must wait at the edge of the mat for the teacher to acknowledge you before jumping in and training.

5. ALWAYS, ALWAYS greet the instructor of the class when you see them. Not acknowledging their presence is a guaranteed way of offending a shihan, especially Yamada Sensei. It doesn’t matter if you are shy, distracted, or intimidated by him. If he has his eyes closed and head down or is doing breathing exercises, greet him anyway. Don’t think he won’t notice. He may not say something the first time, but he’ll remember. This is doubly important for more senior students to remember. Remember though, it is forgivable for a beginner to make such mistakes as they don’t understand the etiquette.

6. When someone corrects you, especially the teacher of the class, you should listen to what they say and try your best to do it. It doesn’t matter if you think what they said is stupid or completely useless. The fact that they are teaching means that you need to listen.

7. If you are visiting and staying at New York Aikikai, you should offer to help the regular deshi with chores. They are usually very tired and hungry. If you are a kyu rank and visiting, you should ask to fold Yamada sensei’s hakama. He is flattered when several people ambush him all wanting to fold it. This is not a requirement of course, but it certainly is polite and makes everyone like you.

8. Do not trash anyone on the mat. Going fast is okay. Beating up someone who is a beginner is not okay. There are always a few people who are like that and they earn themselves a bad reputation. If you trash the wrong person, then every black belt on the mat will take turns doing the same thing to you. If there is a mutual agreement to beat the snot out of each other, fine, just please don’t get blood on the mat.

If someone is being too rough with you, tell them. If they don’t ease up, you are free to refuse to train with them (politely, of course).

9. Visitors staying at the dojo should give Sensei a gift before they leave. They should also visit him at intervals afterward to show their respect.

There is only one instructor here that focuses on the strategy of randori. Sadly, Junya only teaches one or two evenings a week and doesn’t always do randori. The last time I did it in his class I felt my skills in this area had slipped. I know the principles of good randori, short entrance techniques, looking at your next attacker immediately after connecting with the present one, moving so that attackers block each other, being aware of walls, using uke as a shield, and not letting people get behind you to attack. After that a variety of basic techniques and some flair can be added if you are in a good position. I heard a story of Toshi a former deshi who finished his randori for a test in suwari waza. That is some cool stuff right there. I hope I’m that good one day.

First of all I would like to tell you that you will not always enjoy being in this position, quite often you will be irritated when someone tells you to do something.  Don’t eat too much cheese.  Take lots of naps.  Consider all advice given to you on the mat (forget who the source is) and decide for yourself what it is worth.

Training hard is often fun, but to keep your sanity train with someone who enjoys learning and has a good attitude.  If someone makes you angry enough to become upset even after class is over, avoid training with them.

Spend time talking with members after class.  It’s a good way to make freinds.

I know you’ve learned to separate your anger and your technique, so you don’t injure people who frustrate you, but do not allow anger to close your mind.  Most advice has merit even if the source has less skill than you.

Do your best not to let your mind wander while a technique is being demonstrated.  Its pretty embarrassing to go first in line and not know whats going on.

Don’t wait to be confused when teaching a beginner.  Ask Mike what you’re supposed to teach them.  If they have trouble with front rolls, abandon those and focus on back falls and techniques that use back falls. Don’t use terms like ki, extension, or center when talking to a beginner.  These words are meaningless to them.  Use concrete language refering to each individual step they must take to complete a technique.  “Move this leg now, keep your arm straight, bend your knees.”  Most of all be patient with a beginner, they appreciate this more than your ability to throw them hard.

If you have the energy, train with a black belt or high ranking kyu.  Make your goal in each class to improve some small thing in your technique.

You’re going to lose weight gain some muscle and eat a lot.  You probably already know this, but you’re going to need a smaller size in jeans.

Tonya, the uchi deshi

Lol.  I apologize for the almost swear in my blog entry, but this comment was too funny for me to let it pass.  Sensei said this after watching a former student teach who had started his own school and been away from NY Aikikai for a while.  He’s basically saying, in an extremely blunt way, that isolation causes Aikido to deviate from its main base and become stagnant.  Several points of view are necessary for an Aikido school to remain strong.  Isolated Aikido schools or even individual people often develop strange habits and ideas that remind me of defects caused by inbreeding.  To keep your Aikido strong it is good to see other styles and to attend seminars with instructors different from the usual ones at your home dojo. 

The nice thing about NY Aikikai is that different instructors and students from all over the world visit there and train together, which constantly refreshes the dojo and brings in new ideas. Still it is good to go to seminars, even with a wide instructor base.  Seminars tend to give you enthusiasm for Aikido, sort of like how going to Church refreshes people spiritually.

At the moment I don’t have the energy it takes to invest in attenting lots of seminars.  I think once my time here passes I will try to go to a lot of weekend seminars, maybe some from different federations.  It could be exciting.  I just missed the chance to go to a seminar taught by Wee-wow and Lorraine DiAnne because I was busy that weekend.  I hope they have another one sometime.  I’d love to take attend one of their classes.