# Where to go



## hong kong fooey (Aug 8, 2007)

I went to the meet and greet and learned some AIKIDO and was wondering if anybody knew of a AIKIDO school in or around maryland


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## morph4me (Aug 8, 2007)

Here are a couple Joe, I don't know what their affiliations are, you'll have to check them out for yourself.

http://www.aikiweb.com/search/search.html


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## hong kong fooey (Aug 8, 2007)

thanks! I found on that is close to me and is within my budget. and no contract just in case I decide not to take the class. you are the man MORPH


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## tshadowchaser (Aug 8, 2007)

Now that you have decided on which school be sure to leep us updated on how your training is going


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## morph4me (Aug 9, 2007)

hong kong fooey said:


> thanks! I found on that is close to me and is within my budget. and no contract just in case I decide not to take the class. you are the man MORPH


 
Let me know how it goes, and since Kerri mentioned that she really enjoyed throwing you at the M&G, you should find the ukemi particularly useful


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## hong kong fooey (Aug 11, 2007)

yeah she did enjoy that. but thats okay we had fun and are exicted about taking aikido. like I said we have been in a karate school where they teach some AIKIDO so im used to being thrown around.


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## bluemtn (Aug 14, 2007)

Well, we had an introductory class yesterday, and I had fun!  I think Joe did too.


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## morph4me (Aug 14, 2007)

What did you do? What did you learn? Are you going to go back? Details, I want details:boing1:


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## theletch1 (Aug 14, 2007)

You've got Tom salivating now, you'll have to leave a detailed account of every class from now on.  I had the last chance to train with Tom when several students from our dojo here in Va came to NY to train for several days.  Morph is an excellent instructor and I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit of our unique style of aikido.

ps, Tom, Erica and I finished up our I-kyu testing in the last week.  All went well.


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## morph4me (Aug 14, 2007)

theletch1 said:


> ps, Tom, Erica and I finished up our I-kyu testing in the last week. All went well.


 
Well enough that congratulations is in order? or do you still have to do your lines?


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## theletch1 (Aug 14, 2007)

Lines went very well, thank you.  If it comes down to technique looking like classic then it was crap, if it comes down to technique being effective against varied attacks with dubious intent  then it was quite a confidence boost for both of us.  The old saw about having three or four core techniques that you wind up relying on is very true.  Just waiting on paperwork now.


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## morph4me (Aug 14, 2007)

Congratulations to both of you :asian:


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## hong kong fooey (Aug 16, 2007)

well since it was our first class he didn't want to teach us to much. so we learned a wrist grab. the hardest thing for me is to not use strength but use energy. but I will get the hang of it. we are going to go back


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## morph4me (Aug 16, 2007)

hong kong fooey said:


> well since it was our first class he didn't want to teach us to much. so we learned a wrist grab. the hardest thing for me is to not use strength but use energy. but I will get the hang of it. we are going to go back


 
Only took me about 15 years to learn that. Actually in only took me about 12 years, it took me another 3 to realize I wasn't quite there yet. It's really very simple, just not very easy. :erg:


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## charyuop (Aug 16, 2007)

It took me a couple of classes to learn that I don't have to use strength and that muscles will only create tension which will disrupt my posture, prevent me from free movements and gives something to my opponent to work with. 
Unfortunately that is the theory...can't apply it to the practice yet hee hee.

I can give you fellow newbe a few more things that you might hear alot, that you will understand immediately, but that will take a lifetime to put into practice:

"Do not focuse on the hand!"
"Push...push...push harder..." (my Sensei loves this one when I use muscles LOL)
"Do not try to lift Uke's arm, just raise yours" (notice the hands are connected when Sensei says that)
"Cut through his center" (sometimes during a technique good luck in finding it)
"Move your hand like in a sword cut, all they do is going up and down" (funny how they just want to separate instead)
"Feel the connection with Uke" (easy to do if Uke charges you like a bull...otherwise....lol)
"Move with your center, don't use your arms"
"Row excercise, use row excercise" (I hear this at least 3 times per class LOL)
Not to mention the new relationship you will have with geometry...trinagles and circles and spheres everywhere...


But I am a slow learner so maybe you will hear these things less than I do LOL.
One thing tho is not in those phrases, but I will tell you from the bottom of my heart. HAVE FUN! Aikido if taken in the right way can be alot of fun...when you are not frustrated of course LOL.


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## theletch1 (Aug 16, 2007)

Light as a feather, heavy as a mountain!

I've always found that when defending myself that as the attack comes in as soon as I wrap my fingers around a wrist, hand, foot, whatever I begin to tense imperceptably.  Therefore I've gotten into the habit of parrying with the shuto edge or the back of my hand, rarely the palm.  I've tried to explain the movement of aikido as floating instead of walking or stepping.  It's very different from the hard styles in that the more power that you try to generate the less able you are to use the power and energy already generated by your attacker.  As Tom said, aikido takes a long time to get very comfortable with and almost forever to master. I've been at it for close on to 5 years and I'm just now getting to a point where I can finish an attack line, feel good about it and not be able to really remember all the techniques I used to get through it.  Best of luck to both of you.  BTW did you figure out which style of aikido the school you're at teaches?


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## morph4me (Aug 16, 2007)

charyuop said:


> It took me a couple of classes to learn that I don't have to use strength and that muscles will only create tension which will disrupt my posture, prevent me from free movements and gives something to my opponent to work with.
> Unfortunately that is the theory...can't apply it to the practice yet hee hee.
> 
> I can give you fellow newbe a few more things that you might hear alot, that you will understand immediately, but that will take a lifetime to put into practice:
> ...


 
I have heard, and given, almost all of that advice for as long as I've been training, and I'm pretty sure everyone who has ever studied aikido has too.


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## morph4me (Sep 18, 2007)

Time for an update, how's it going?


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## hong kong fooey (Oct 11, 2007)

the class is going great! I love it. im starting to get the hang of it now. just have to make sure I don't use force and just go gently. we do alot of things with KI so thats pretty cool as well. like we use our energy to make the attacker do what ever we want


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## theletch1 (Oct 11, 2007)

hong kong fooey said:


> the class is going great! I love it. im starting to get the hang of it now. just have to make sure I don't use force and just go gently. we do alot of things with KI so thats pretty cool as well. like we use our energy to make the attacker do what ever we want


You're using HIS energy to make him do what ever you want.  I'm so glad to hear that classes are going so well for you.  It is truly a beautiful art to study.  Have you had any truly "A-ha!" moments yet?


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