New here! At this time I am a shodan in my dojo. (I’ve practiced Kung Fu in the past, do boxing, jiujitsu, and practice various weapons and dabble in other martial arts too) Anyone know of barehanded kata in Aikido similar to in karate or kung fu? I know there’s Jo katas, bokken katas, Kumi Jo, Kumi Tachi, etc for weapons. submitted by /u/338TofuMagnum [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

A few years ago one Aikido practitioner stated, somewhat poetically, that the Aikikai was like a family, and Moriteru Ueshiba Doshu was our father, to which I replied (perhaps less poetically) that I wasn't a child and Doshu's not my daddy. Which didn't go over that well at the time. But what about Morihei Ueshiba's "world family"? This was one of Morihei Ueshiba's common themes, but the concept actually pre-dates him, going back to Onisaburo Deguchi, and describes Deguchi's (and later, Morihei Ueshiba's) vision of a right-wing ultra-nationalist utopia in which the world "family" was subservi ..read more

How is everyone’s training going this month? Anything special you are working on? What is something that is currently frustrating you? What is something that you had a breakthrough on? Couple of reminders: Please read the rules before contributing. This is a personal progress report, no matter how big or how small, so keep criticisms to a minimum. Words of support are always appreciated! Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.) submitted by /u/AutoModerator [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

If you haven't explored Masahiro Shioda's aikido channel, he brings on a variety of different martial artists to explore Aiki. In his latest video, he and Robert John go explore BMLT machines. These are the same weight lifting machines that are credited with Ichiro's long baseball career. https://www.stack.com/a/the-unorthodox-training-behind-ichiros-unparalleled-longevity/ Here's the video: ​ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG2ZPB4mW_0 The idea of lifting weights with the focus on "brain training" rather than "muscle training" isn't the first thing that comes to mind for many martial artists ..read more

So first off, obvious disclaimer of “Every dojo will have a different standard of what solid means” and “No prizes for what my next exam is supposed to be.” That out of the way…. When people think of Nidan exams (as in people currently shodan attempting to test for Nidan), what are the criteria (besides just basic technique knowledge and competence) that make people say “That was a solid exam.” Not looking for blowing people out of the water with amazement, but just a solid grasp of what a nidan should embody as part of their next step in training. Not surprisingly, I’ve had a handful of peop ..read more

Hello Aikido community, as I've continued to explore Aikido and learn more about it, I've been absolutely fascinated by this art and am excited to start practicing later this year, hopefully starting over the summer. I do, however, have one big question about practice as a beginner, what's it like to train with one? To the experienced students, instructors, and those who like to work with new students, what is it like to practice with a beginner? Especially if they don't have any previous martial arts experience, like me. I'd imagine that a higher-ranked student or the sensei themselves would ..read more

Where are you training? Have you done something special? Has your dojo released a cool clip? Want to share a picture of your kamisa? This thread is where you do this. Couple of reminders: Please read the rules before contributing. Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.) submitted by /u/AutoModerator [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

Hello everyone I’ve lurked this subreddit awhile as I recently became interested in aikido especially the internal aspects of the art. One person that is recommended a lot Is Dan Harden. I got really interested in attending a seminar especially since I saw on his websites that there are some upcoming ones in California. My only problem is I haven’t able to get in contact with him. I sent him a few emails over the course of a few weeks and even messaged him on Facebook but he never responded. I don’t wan’t to pester the guy as I understand he has been dealing with cancer, so I realize that may ..read more

Any fun seminars going on? Feel free to share them here! At a minimum, please indicate date and location and how to sign up! Couple of reminders: Please read the rules before contributing. Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.) submitted by /u/AutoModerator [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

As the title says. It is the most difficult thing in aikido for me. I was never good at rolling in general, it was my biggest nightmare in PE classes during my childhood. I just cannot let myself roll on the tatami. I am really afraid to injure myself. When I am rolling, I lose all control over my body, and I don't know what I am doing. The only thing I can do is to do it in a sitting position, or on a big soft cushion. I cannot join advanced training because of this. It really interferes with my progress and motivation. Any tips would be really appreciated. I am on the edge of quitting. sub ..read more