r/aikido

Hi!

I’ve been training BJJ for a while now and really enjoy it, but I’m also curious about trying something else to develop new movement patterns and broaden my experience.

A friend of mine who trains Aikido thinks it would suit me well and could be a useful complement to BJJ, so I’m considering giving it a try.

A bit about me: I’m a woman, 194 cm tall (about 6’4”) and around 95 kg . Since I’m quite tall, I’m wondering if certain movements in Aikido might be more difficult for me, or if my height could actually be an advantage in some situations.

For those of you who train Aikido and maybe also have experience with BJJ do you think Aikido can offer good complementary skills? Have you combined both? And would you recommend it for someone with my body type?

Thanks!

Hello, i’m a 42 yo guy. I am 7 years training aikido but I would like to improve my physical skills and condition my body better for my own training..I do some exercise moreover my martial training but i feel that i am out of shape. I am running, doing suburi & tanren and i am working on my flexibility.What kind of exercises would you recomend to improve my training?

Hi, first post here.

Background:
I started training around 19 years ago and currently Aikikai nidan. I'm lucky to say that my first sensei is an excellent instructor with lots of experience training yudansha and creating teachers. We trained hard and went deep even for basic techniques, which we did a lot of.

I moved to another city a while back, took some time off from regular training and have been back training at a local dojo (different organisation, still Aikikai) a few years ago. I also recently started teaching occasionally at a different dojo as a sort of substitute teacher.

At this point I feel like I'm stuck at the same level of training. I'm not able to find people who train with the intensity, centre-to-centre connection, and martial awareness that I'm used to in my first dojo. Teaching has allowed me to practice how to instruct and share what I know but it only scratches the itch for deeper practice. The dojo I train at (not teach at) also doesn't do weapons and the teacher, while high-ranking, is not as experienced with developing yudansha. I'm not saying that I'm better than the students there but I miss that deeper training than just the physical practice of Aikido. I don't care much about rank or teaching either, other than to share what I know with other students.

So the question is:

Have you been in a similar predicament, especially when you don't have access to the best instructors? How have you found the motivation and spark to go deeper into your training? Is it by doing extra training, going your own way, or something else?

In the Shu-Ha-Ri training philosophy, I feel like I've been doing Shu forever, which I also enjoy. But I also want to be able to progress into the Ha and be a better martial artist. I've started some FMA as I have found an excellent instructor that really develops me and my skills. It also makes me question and analyse my Aikido, which I believe is part of the Ha stage. However, at the moment Aikido training is more accessible to me logistically.

Hey friends! I will be traveling to Naples, Italy starting the week of June 7. I’m looking for a dojo that would be accepting of a foreigner and I would love to train in a style with which I’m unfamiliar. I found a dojo that’s just a block from where I’m staying but couldn’t find contact info. If anyone practices in the area or knows how to contact a dojo in Naples city center, please let me know. Thanks all!

Any fun seminars going on? Feel free to share them here! At a minimum, please indicate date and location and how to sign up!

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1. Please read the rules before contributing.
2. 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.)