I may have a little Aikidoka on my hands

[Gerry Seymour]

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.

Sometimes we all need to miss something to really appreciate it.

 

[Flying Crane]

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

I failed to respond to this one.

Of course if she doesn’t like forms, she doesn’t need to do forms. Still plenty in kung fu without them. Lots of interactive training.

When is she ready to head off to college? Send her to UC Davis or Sacramento State University. Then she can drop by my place and I’ll teach her. No forms, if that is how she wants it.

 

[Xue Sheng]

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

Well...with a father like me and a mother like Mrs Xue....bacon hasn't got a chance....by the way, Mrs Xue is less tolerant of bacon than I am.

I will admit when she was little she did eat it...but now that she is older she no longer wants the filthy stuff

 

[Xue Sheng]

Well, my not so little Aikidoka walked into the family room last week and said.... "I wonder how the old Dojo is doing, I may want to go back there this summer"

now I wait and see...time will tell

Note: I have been told the old dojo is not what it use to be since sensei's death. But if she wants to check it out, we will, if she doed not like what it has become, there is another option Her old Sempai opened his own school so we could check that out to. Assuming, come summer, she still wants to go back.

 

[_Simon_]

Well, my not so little Aikidoka walked into the family room last week and said.... "I wonder how the old Dojo is doing, I may want to go back there this summer"

now I wait and see...time will tell

Note: I have been told the old dojo is not what it use to be since sensei's death. But if she wants to check it out, we will, if she doed not like what it has become, there is another option Her old Sempai opened his own school so we could check that out to. Assuming, come summer, she still wants to go back.

I was literally thinking about this thread just this morning, wondering how it was all going, how bizarre!

That's really great hear her interest is still there, thanks for the update

 

[Xue Sheng]

I was literally thinking about this thread just this morning, wondering how it was all going, how bizarre!

That's really great hear her interest is still there, thanks for the update

She has been in my basement guan, her basement dojo, for 2 days doing rolls. She has not done any since she stopped aikido during the early months of the pandemic.

Now just wait and see if she still wants to go back come summer.

 

[dvcochran]

She has been in my basement guan, her basement dojo, for 2 days doing rolls. She has not done any since she stopped aikido during the early months of the pandemic.

Now just wait and see if she still wants to go back come summer.

How old is your daughter?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Talking with my little, not so little Aikidoka today about her returning to Aikido for the summer before college.... she told me she is not really interested in it as far as self-defense goes because she does not feel that summer is enough time to get her to that level to properly use Aikido for SD. Also, she started Aikido because at the time she really did not want to hurt people and was not into striking. She was in Aikido about 8 years

However now she has now problem with it..... so she is considering 2 styles I trained, one I am currently training. She is considering JKD and she is considering Wing Chun. So she may be doing Wing Chun with me in the summer

we will see

 

[_Simon_]

Talking with my little, not so little Aikidoka today about her returning to Aikido for the summer before college.... she told me she is not really interested in it as far as self-defense goes because she does not feel that summer is enough time to get her to that level to properly use Aikido for SD. Also, she started Aikido because at the time she really did not want to hurt people and was not into striking. She was in Aikido about 8 years

However now she has now problem with it..... so she is considering 2 styles I trained, one I am currently training. She is considering JKD and she is considering Wing Chun. So she may be doing Wing Chun with me in the summer

we will see

Excellent! Thanks for the update. Yeah we naturally have different phases don't we, hoping she can still remember her Aikido and the principles for her future training. But that's really exciting

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Talking with my little, not so little Aikidoka today about her returning to Aikido for the summer before college.... she told me she is not really interested in it as far as self-defense goes because she does not feel that summer is enough time to get her to that level to properly use Aikido for SD. Also, she started Aikido because at the time she really did not want to hurt people and was not into striking. She was in Aikido about 8 years

However now she has now problem with it..... so she is considering 2 styles I trained, one I am currently training. She is considering JKD and she is considering Wing Chun. So she may be doing Wing Chun with me in the summer

we will see

I love to hear when someone decides to try something new to fit what they want now, rather than what they used to want.

Some folks find the thing that keeps them interested for decades, others find a series of things that draw them in. Either way, what a nice journey it makes!

 

[Xue Sheng]

To be honest with you, if she does pursue this, I'm pushing for Wing Chun. Nothing against the JKD teacher I use to go to, and you would learn SD, it is great training and I would recommend him to anyone who asked for JKD. But I refer to it as "Getting hit int he head lessons". And I'm pretty sure I could not take seeing that and Mrs Xue wold kill me if she came home with a black eye.

Note, the WIng Chun Sifu I go to is, IMO, the best in the area and is the only one, as far as I know, that has sparing. And keeps it within Wing Chun

 

[Hanshi]

I've always thought aikido was an excellent art for most women and men who are not effective hitters or kickers. It is a good soft art for interested children. At the higher levels striking is a significant part of the actual "combat" mentality. O sensei even once remarked that striking was 90% of aikido. I don't know if that was a bit of exaggeration or not but in a real situation striking is of huge importance. And in aikido, admittedly, the crushing power of karate/etc strikes is not at all necessary.