advice

[smee193]

hi there everybody!

My name is Mark, i live in london and i have just enrolled in an aikido class!

I could do with some idea as to what to expect for my first lesson ( Tuesday night ).

ive watched a lesson but it all seemed so fast and fluid i couldnt really pick anything up!

any help would be great!

Thanks a lot

Mark

[Marku]

Hi mark welcome to the forum. my real name is also Mark ^_^

How old are you?, How many free lessions(if any) do you have?

[smee193]

excellent 2 Marks!

right ive only been to watch so far so i spose you cant call that a free lesson as such!
i think this first one is free, and then its £3.00 from then on with £20 for insurance/license.

I looked at a lot of different dojos before i picked this one though it seemed to have less testosterone flowing! everyone was enjoying what they were doing!

I also looked at different styles and different martial arts! i wanted to shy away from more aggressive styles ( im 6'3" and 18 stone) so i wanted to do something subtle and unexpected!

Hopefully it will be as good as i expect it to be and i hope the mats are softer than i expect!

Thanks for the reply.
Mark

[smee193]

ooops sorry im 34 by the way!

[Saz]

Sounds like you picked it for the right reasons, and the price sounds about right too. Let us know how you get on

Welcome to MAP! :D

[smee193]

Thanks! yeah i will keep you posted on how im doing! mind you after watching them throwing each other around last week i may not be in any shape to reply!

The sensei did say that i would learn how to breakfall first but even that can be painful if done wrong i spose!

anyway wish me luck.

Mark

[kobudo_tob]

The good thing about Aikido is that you get to throw people. The bad thing is that sometimes you are the person to be thrown :D

[Knight_Errant]

Hey there! You're in our world now...

[smee193]

yeah cool ! im glad to be a part of it.

thanks for the welcome!

Mark

[smee193]

i have another question for you all.

Is it worthwhile me buying a book on Aikido?

just as a supplement to my training!

if so can anyone recommend a good one?

cheers

Mark

[smee193]

Well i did it and i survived!

but christ do i hurt i actually feel like ive been beaten up!

my legs are the worst.

my feet feel like i have had all the skin burnt off ( now i know what mat burn is ).

however!

It was great fun and i cant wait until next week!

im off now to practice my foot movements..

Mark

[Jags]

since u hve just started i wouldnt advise buying a book just yet, maybe in a month or two, once you understand the basics a bit more, aslo the bits of the book you might understand just at da mo wil probably be taught to u by ur instructor, but if u really want a book then u mite aswell get one cus if u really do want it u will probably get it l8r anyway

i found this one is quite good;
Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere by Adele Westbrook

hope it helps

[Jazman]

"my feet feel like i have had all the skin burnt off ( now i know what mat burn is )."

Just wait till you get cement burn... hurts like hell everytime you step... youch youch *stumbles in pain to bathroom*

[teacher]

Hey there Smee. Do you have any skin left on your elbows and knees? If you want books I say go to your nearest library so its not expensive and look at what they have. You will learn from your instructors not from books but if you are curious go ahead. If you're not sure about the books you now have lots of opinionated mates to listen to/argue with.
Enjoy your training.

[smee193]

oddly my knees and elbows are fine!

but i made a complete arse of myself.

i tried the Samurai walk and fell over!

oh well try again on Tuesday..

Thanks for the advice on books i have actually bought one now.
its called dynamic Aikido by Gozo Shioda!

Its a fascinating read..

Mark

[Spirit Reaper]

hey smee193, Aikido is one of the styles i will be practicing.
and since i lack money, and live in alaska, classes are out of the equation, so i have to train without a sensei....

i know enough about Aikido to have realized that training alone is a bad idea. so i've got my buddy Dragon Man to help out but i was hoping that you, seeing as how you've trained in a dojo with other people, could give me some advice on how to train with Dragon Man in the art of Aikido.

any feedback would be great, thanks!