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Attendance has been ebbing these days rather than flowing. The upside of this is that I can give much more concentrated attention to the few who show up, which I think they appreciate. The downside is that it kinda' takes the wind out of my sails to have been running a dojo for so long and still find myself clawing and scraping for students.

Speaking of which, I have had some very odd would-be students at my dojo. One fellow, for example, showed up, watched a class and then began to query me enthusiastically about training. After I had answered his many questions, he then says, "Oh, actually, I should tell you that I've had torn retinas and can't bump my head or jar my body. If I do, they might tear again and then I'd be blind." I remember staring at him and thinking, "Well what in the world are you doing here?!" I mean, really, does a fingerless person take up typing? Does a blind person take up photography? Needless to say, the fellow never joined the dojo.

This keeps happening, though. I've had people with bad backs observe class and then explain that they'd like to train but they can't twist their torso, or bend their back, and falling is absolutely out of the question. I wonder if these same folk think deaf people should tune pianos?

There are also those people who ask, "What if I can only train once a week or maybe only a couple of times a month? Is that okay?" I always tell them "Sure, if you don't mind seeing people who start years after you, but who train three or four times a week, outrank you within a year or so. Oh, and the fee is still $60.00 a month no matter how little you train." Remarks like these usually dissuade the half-hearted and the too-busy prospective students, which suits me fine since it frees me from having a dojo full of perennial newbies.

Do I sound a little cranky? Meh, maybe I need more time in the sunshine...

or should that be The Next Frontier?

Now that we've gotten to the good stuff where do I go now?

Despite X years of training, Aikido does not, cannot, make you (one?) something you're (one's?) not. Part of the reason I took it up was because of my natural tendancy to undermine myself at every step, in just about everything I do outside of the climbing wall. The trouble is I am so used to doing that now, that it (it being the miraculous transformation from easily angered, insecure person with pronounced doormat tendancies and the organisational capacity of a lamp post, to invicible sword goddess (don't ask - ed.)) is not happening like I thought it would.

I still have a whole heap of issues with confidence (especially my tendancy to follow blindly/take what I'm given rather than adapting or fighting for something better ) but I will try and take the positive feeling about my grading into other ares of my life!!

If I'm honest I guess I'm in a rather quickly developed post grading slump. Not about my aikido, I'm enjoying the freedom to make things up and try things out, but in everything else.

hmm... Tea! I need a nice cup of tea and a sit down me thinks! That and a hug. Mainly because I can't drink after the Cider I could really do with.

Any advice for the next stage? Is there a next stage? If this was a hollywood film the next new student I tripped over at the Dojo would change my life. I'll get back to you on that one!

Love Ali

The Best Aikido Instructor

I've discovered over time that the best instructors are always on the look out for the best students.

These are the students that will learn the most and excel like no other in the art that they practice.

And, of course, vise versa, the best students are always on the look out for the best instructors.

I guess, one can not exist without the other.

Erik Calderon
Aikido shinkikan

www.shinkikan.com