Hello everyone, This is my first post here. I have always love martial arts but I've never had the chance to practice them. I used to be fat and miserable and with discipline and a healthy diet and regular exercise I lost 26 pounds. A few days ago, I was walking by a karate center and I decided to enter. Since the responsible was not there the guardian told me to return the next day, so I returned with a lot of determination to ask if I can join the classes. The next morning I returned and I found an amazing old man and I expressed my desire to do martial arts, I told him that I wanted something more than just "fighting" or movements, I wanted something spiritual, something that would go along with my own philosophy in life, I told him that I did yoga and then he said that Aikido was the best thing for me and he suggested a nearby center. When I went back home I did a lot of research on Aikido and I have to say that it is everything I want in a martial art! I am determined I want to do it. The only problem is that I am 23, so do you think that's ok? Can I still do it anyway? What are your suggestions and tips? and if you have any good books? videos? resources to recommend so that I learn more about Aikido I would really appreciate it! Thanks!
just go for it. are there any aikido dojos in your area? if there are, you should try them all out (more than once if you can) before you decide which to attend. my suggestion: train.
I am not sure there are any dojos, I think it is unlikely to exist, usually martial arts are taught in a sports center, they have their own area, something like a small dojo perhaps. But I agree that it's a good idea to try all the available aikido centers in my area before picking one. Thank you. Also what did you mean by: train? Do you suggest I should practice on my own before starting?
You can't actually think that you must begin at age 5 or forever shun aikido. :bang: In the USA there's a famous aikido teacher who had his first martial arts lesson in the 50's. He got his black belt and continued and became an aikido teacher. It's actually hard to find a dojo without new students in their 30's, 40's, and 50's. Suggestion: get on the mat, and stay on the mat. Don't think a syllable about cross-training. Stay with one thing until you're very, very good at it. There are literally scores of books about aikido. I have 31 aikido books. My personal favorite is "Dynamic Sphere" by Westbrook and Ratti, and this because of the pictures and charts. My second favorite is "Principes of Aikido" by Saotome, because of the side-by-side sword and empty hand pictures for each technique. Not everyone does swordwork the way Saotome does swordwork, however, so that book might mess you up. Whatever lineage your dojo is, the leaders of that lineage probably wrote their own books. It'd be good to mostly read their books, for consistency. For spirituality and meta-principles, my favorite is "Secrets of Aikido" by John Stevens. For videos, ask your dojo for leads on that particular style, or search YouTube. Yes, there is a lot of trash on YouTube, but there is also a lot of good instruction.
Definitely give it a shot. It's a very technical art at times so I would definitely join a dojo before training on your own since it's a very hands on art. And you can never be too young / old for Aikido. Definitely give it a shot.
