I may have a little Aikidoka on my hands

[_Simon_]

Had to stop back in to post this

My little Aikidoka took her first test in the adult class. She is now an 4th kyu, and I'm a proud dad

Oh brother... that is sooo awesome, congrats little or not-so-little Aikidoka!!! 4th Kyu is huge. Tell her I said congrats (from a completely random person on the internet haha)

Thanks for keeping us in the loop (hoping you continue to)

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Had to stop back in to post this

My little Aikidoka took her first test in the adult class. She is now an 4th kyu, and I'm a proud dad

Hey, that's cool! Sounds like she's still doing well and enjoying the challenge.

Hope life's good out your way, brother.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Please tell us more about her test.

4th Kyu (Yonkyu) 80 practice days after 5th Kyu Shomenuchi Nikyo (omote & ura) Yokomenuchi Shihonage (omote & ura) Tsuki Iriminage (irimi, tenkan & tenshin variations) Ushiro Tekubitori Sankyo (omote & ura) Ushiro Ryokatatori Kotegaeshi (omote & ura) Suwari waza: Shomenuchi Ikkyo (omote & ura) Katatori Nikyo (omote & ura) Katatori Sankyo (omote & ura)

Hey, that's cool! Sounds like she's still doing well and enjoying the challenge.

Hope life's good out your way, brother.

Going well, however might be looking at knee repair surgery on the other knee, find out on February 11th

Hope all is well with you

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Going well, however might be looking at knee repair surgery on the other knee, find out on February 11th

Hope all is well with you

All is well, on the whole. Well, except for the well, which is not well, at all. Damned thing went dry while I was out of town. A bit of an adventure.

I take it the knee has not improved. I hope they are able to get you some relief. Surgery is no damned fun, but sometimes it does the trick.

 

[Xue Sheng]

All is well, on the whole. Well, except for the well, which is not well, at all. Damned thing went dry while I was out of town. A bit of an adventure.

I take it the knee has not improved. I hope they are able to get you some relief. Surgery is no damned fun, but sometimes it does the trick.

Left knee had the surgery and has improved immensely.....the right apparently got jealous though and now its a problem too

 

[Xue Sheng]

One last thing to mention. My little Aikidoka (who is not os little) was worried, as we were driving to her 4th kyu test, about how she would ever learn to fold the Hakama properly when she got her Dan rank...I told her I thought the other Dan rank folks and\or Sensei, would show her how when the time came. She was also nervous about the test in general, I just thought the Hakama thought was interesting

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Left knee had the surgery and has improved immensely.....the right apparently got jealous though and now its a problem too

That, or without the left knee problem to toughen you up, you’ve gotten soft enough to notice the right one.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

One last thing to mention. My little Aikidoka (who is not os little) was worried, as we were driving to her 4th kyu test, about how she would ever learn to fold the Hakama properly when she got her Dan rank...I told her I thought the other Dan rank folks and\or Sensei, would show her how when the time came. She was also nervous about the test in general, I just thought the Hakama thought was interesting

Anxiety about folding a hakama (autocorrect wants to make that “Havana”) is well grounded. Those things are hard to fold. Easier than folding Havana, but only a little.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Sadly my little, not so little, Aikidoka has stopped aikido. Makes me sad, but I understand. The Sensei of the school passed away just before the pandemic, then the pandemic hit and the school closed and went to online classes. She tried to keep up with the classes online, but without someone to work with it got hard to understand, especially when the person teaching that day forgot that everyone on line was not a dan rank and got into complicated things she could not catch on to and it got rather frustrating for her.

They are now doing weapons classes outside, but her allergies make that rather difficult. So for now, she is not training Aikido, she has taken up tennis with Mrs Xue at an indoor tennis club, but no Aikido. She has said she might go back if they start regular indoor classed again, but for now, no more Aikido.

 

[_Simon_]

Sadly my little, not so little, Aikidoka has stopped aikido. Makes me sad, but I understand. The Sensei of the school passed away just before the pandemic, then the pandemic hit and the school closed and went to online classes. She tried to keep up with the classes online, but without someone to work with it got hard to understand, especially when the person teaching that day forgot that everyone on line was not a dan rank and got into complicated things she could not catch on to and it got rather frustrating for her.

They are now doing weapons classes outside, but her allergies make that rather difficult. So for now, she is not training Aikido, she has taken up tennis with Mrs Xue at an indoor tennis club, but no Aikido. She has said she might go back if they start regular indoor classed again, but for now, no more Aikido.

Oh that is indeed very sad to hear .. have rather really enjoyed seeing her journey on here, hoping she will get back into it as it sounds like she was loving it so much.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Oh that is indeed very sad to hear .. have rather really enjoyed seeing her journey on here, hoping she will get back into it as it sounds like she was loving it so much.

I hope so to, I am trying to talk with one of the people who are now in charge of the dojo since the sensei passed away, and I am considering talking to her last sempai, who started running his own dojo prior to the pandemic. But I am not sure what anyone can do since everyone in aikido is practicing social distancing

 

[_Simon_]

I hope so to, I am trying to talk with one of the people who are no in charge of the dojo since the sensei passed away, and I am considering talking to her last sempai, who started running his own dojo prior to the pandemic. But I am not sure what anyone can do since everyone in aikido is practicing social distancing

Yeah, a tough situation all round... good idea talking to them, it's hard to even plan for the future just how quickly things can change again. But keeping in communication with them seems the best thing to do

 

[Bruce7]

Sadly my little, not so little, Aikidoka has stopped aikido. Makes me sad, but I understand. The Sensei of the school passed away just before the pandemic, then the pandemic hit and the school closed and went to online classes. She tried to keep up with the classes online, but without someone to work with it got hard to understand, especially when the person teaching that day forgot that everyone on line was not a dan rank and got into complicated things she could not catch on to and it got rather frustrating for her.

They are now doing weapons classes outside, but her allergies make that rather difficult. So for now, she is not training Aikido, she has taken up tennis with Mrs Xue at an indoor tennis club, but no Aikido. She has said she might go back if they start regular indoor classed again, but for now, no more Aikido.

Everyone is sorry to hear her story has taken a pause. Everyone loved your post.
I hope when the pandemic is over, she will find a new good Sensei.
Her story is so beautiful I don't want it to end.

In these sad times tennis is probaly the best sport to play.
I found skills learn playing tennis help me both physically and mentally.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Everyone is sorry to hear her story has taken a pause. Everyone loved your post.
I hope when the pandemic is over, she will find a new good Sensei.
Her story is so beautiful I don't want it to end.

In these sad times tennis is probaly the best sport to play.
I found skills learn playing tennis help me both physically and mentally.

Thank You, I'm pretty sad about it too. I remember year ago. sensei of another dojo found out she did aikido and asked what she liked best, her answer was "what is not to like". Her sensei once asked her what she like best, after he passed a test, she said "everything"

The sensei's senior student took over the dojo, so it still exists. But it feels like the organization got much bigger, one sensei and a lot of managers. Prior to sensei's death it was all sensei. But My Aikidoka just does not seem to be interested at the moment. And I have to let her do what she wants, and at the moment it is tennis. And Jim Kelly (of Enter the Dragon fame) was a serious tennis player, so I guess there is still hope

We will see what happens after the pandemic is over and things can start getting back to normal. She has not said she does not want to go back, she has said she wants to think about it, but she has no desire to go back if it is not a regular class.

 

[Hanshi]

Quite understandable in your daughter's case. It's sad she had to quit but the current crises won't last forever. I always had to have personal instruction; videos helped but I have trouble learning from them. I was karate for a long time after I started but then branched into other arts with aikido being being one of my two favorites. I can't punch anything now because of bad hands (rheumatoid arthritis) but can still do most aikido techniques. Good luck.

 

[Flying Crane]

With Covid preventing close contact training, which of course Aikido pretty much mandates, I see only one solution: kung fu.

Plenty in kung fu that can be done without close contact training.

Time to start writing a new chapter.

 

[Xue Sheng]

With Covid preventing close contact training, which of course Aikido pretty much mandates, I see only one solution: kung fu.

Plenty in kung fu that can be done without close contact training.

Time to start writing a new chapter.

Tried that, I know a real good kung fu/Wushu guy (Wushu, Sanda and trains BJJ and JKD too). She is not into just forms. Tried taijiquan, even with applications, no luck there either. But time will tell. I'm thinking of contacting her old sempai, who taught her when she was in the kids class. He left and started hs own dojo. When possible, and if the knees allow (per usual) I think I'll go work with him to get my rolls and break-falls back, and some basic aikido (it is similar [not the same] to some taiji applications). Maybe then she will want to go back. The original plan was that she start and then I start later. But arthritis and knee issues got in the way.

Her original school is still there, and still good, but it has a feeling of getting bigger sense sensei died. Use to be one sensei, now it feels like 1 sensei and multiple managers.

If she goes back to Aikido, and I hope she does, she may go bak to the original dojo, they are all good people and I like the community, even though it is larger. Again, time will tell

 

[Xue Sheng]

My little Aikidoka, who is not so little anymore, came into the family room tonight and told me she missed Aikido. I'm not pushing it, I will let her come to her own decision, but she seems like she might be interested in going back after this whole Covid thing calms down.

 

[CB Jones]

I just hope somewhere she learns to appreciate bacon....

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I just hope somewhere she learns to appreciate bacon....

And now we get back to the REAL issue.