Classes

AIKIDO CLASS

Classes at the Mojo are much more casual than traditional martial art classes. I was a high school teacher and coach for thirty years and that experience colored the manner in which I conduct class.  ALL learning is a voyage of self discovery.  Students, left to try to discover the principles and correct movements of aikido will have years of  frustration to even begin to try to understand them. This was my own learning curve and it did take years.  Most students will not stick around that long and most walk away before they even think there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

OPEN DISCUSSION STYLE
I facilitate an open discourse and exchange of ideas with my students.  I put out sign posts  to help guide them on their voyage of self discovery.  Students will learn at a much, much slower pace when they are told to just do this or that technique and that they will eventually come to know it. When I teach techniques, I teach how and why to move, what principles are common for the current technique and other already taught, and what these techniques have in common with drills we practice as a class.

DRILLS AND REPETITIONS
Because of my teaching background, I turn every aspect of aikido into a drill, the expand the drill into a more complex drill and finally into techniques themselves.  To really understand a technique,  one must be able to teach it and verbalize what and how to perform the technique.  All students teach techniques, drills, and principles to other students.

Basic drills may include roll falls in all directions, proper body movement in all directions, proper body dropping on to uke so that he/she is un balanced, understanding what center really is and how to maintain your own while making uke become unbalanced and how to throw uke. More complex drills are body movements with a bokken, body movements to reposition one’s self out of the way of a weapon attack and unbalance uke at the same time, and the most difficult drill of all…SLOW DOWN.

TESTING
Students will perform many mock tests so that they will be at ease when it is time for them to do a real promotion test.  I explain to all of my students that they don’t have to worry about tests because I would never put them in a situation where they could embarrass me, and I will never let them embarrass themselves.

You can find our schedule here if you would like to attend class!