My Encounter with New Members

Hi there! Hello. I am Author C. :)

"Aikido is derived from jiu-jitsu, aiki-jutsu and sword techniques." 

- Sensei Leong (2014).

Aikido is a very soft yet could be destructing kind of martial arts (if it is done harshly that it could break the joints and bones). The styles being practised in different dojo's could be different. Some are very soft, some are very tight and some are very violent. Aikido is very different than all other martial arts that I have seen before. Actually, I have been wanting to be a practitioner of at least one kind of martial art. But seeing the aaggressiveness of all the martial arts that I have seen, I always let this one wish down and try to forget it.

Despite that, just after a few years of studying in UTP, I saw a poster on UTP Aikido Club and felt attracted to it. So, I did some research and fall in love-at-first sight with it. There is this one video that made me contacted the secretary of the club and made my decision to join the club soon afterwards. (This video is however, on Yoshinkan type of Aikido, though.) I am now still in love with Aikido and I hope to be able to open a school of martial arts. I always had fun imagining having students coming to school wearing the gi-s and hakama-s. Ohh that would be really awesome!

I am actually quite new in this Aikido Aikikai (UTP) Club. Basically I have had 64 hours Aikido lesson with our Dojo's Sensei (Sensei Leong) since my first class in the last week of December 2013. Ever since then, I have seen many new members keep on coming and leaving the dojo. The reason why they left could be because they think that Aikido is ineffective (because you need to train for a long time for the techniques to work) and they are not patient enough to see the real outcome. 

Aikido is the harmonisation with energy. In Aikido, we do not use force but we harmonise with the source of the force instead. That is why it needs time for the techniques to work since we need to understand the flow of energy and how to harmonise with it. Most students that come and go probably came to the dojo with the mind that martial arts is all about hitting, kicking and hurting our opponents. They maybe just want to win the fight. But that is not how Aikido works. 

In Aikido also, we need to have the right mind. We need to relax and have the right intention during the practise. If our mind is focusing somewhere else, our body will not properly harmonise with the energy line and that leads to inefficient techniques. But of course, those are not all that it takes. Time is certainly needed for the skill and understanding to come naturally to you. Training, discipline, relaxation, the correct mind and understanding of the flow of energy are all very important points to take note.

Last but most importantly, patience is vitally needed in all learning processes, no matter where we are and what subject we are learning. Here are the words of the founder of Aikido (O-Sensei). Before we part, to end this post with quotes from two Authors,

“In Aikido training, we learn from everyone. 

We learn from the most experience people, but we also learn from new students. 

Everyone is connected through the heart and develops a mutual understanding. 

It is important to create a place where that can happen.” 

― Linda Holiday, Journey to the Heart of Aikido: The Teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei

“Aikido ain't a defensive nor offensive martial art. 

It proactively halts the enemy's intention to attack.” 

― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

P/S : Correct me (in a positive, constructive way) if anything that I have written above is incorrect. After all, learning is a lifetime process. :) 

Thank you,

      C