Aikido dojo

Hi. I'm sorry that I have wrote for while because I've been so busy. I went to the Aikido dojo last night with my boyfriend and it was very interesting. I liked it better than the Shotokan dojo. I think I like it better because it doesn't have any kata and it involves throwing and take downs. I don't mind kata; but, I know that I don't love it like some other people like Supergroup. When we worked on Bunkai Oyo during Gasshuku and worked on Sandan Gi in Chinen's dojo, I had more fun than doing kata by myself.

Bowmen Sensei was very nice. When I talked to him, he related Aikido to dancing. There were only four people in the regular class that consisted of three black belts and one white belt. The atmosphere was so much more relaxed than Chinen's dojo. When working with each other, they were laughing and smiling quite a few times. I think that Bowmen Sensei encourages creativity too. For example, white belt took down him with a Judo technique. Then, Sensei told him what he did wrong when he threw him and pulled a hamstring. He said that the white belt pulled Sensei on top of him instead of allowing Sensei to fall forward. Then, he told us the difference between Judo and Aikido. Aikido practitioners use their opponent’s center of balance and his motion against him instead of relying on muscle. That is so true when I did Judo in Chinen Sensie’s dojo. I really had to rely on strength when I did kakie with Sempai Art during Gasshuku because I physically had to lift him up and set him back on the ground without hurting him. Throughout the class, Sensei said not to use muscle. I can relate that to throwing disk because I couldn't use my muscle when throwing. I had to rely on my how fast I spun in my approach. My dad said that throwing disk is probably around 85 or 90 percent of speed and technique.

I'm going to go back to the dojo on Saturday to try it out. I just wish it was later because class starts at 7 A.M. That's really early for a Saturday morning because I usually like to do things on Friday night. However, that makes me arrive at the college and do my homework earlier. However, the other class time is on Monday night. Monday's are Family Home Evenings and I should go to them because it’s recommend by my church leaders. However, I don't go that much because of homework. I think I’ll feel a little bad going to the dojo instead of FHE. I heard that they sometimes have class on Fridays. I like the class size because it's really small. Therefore, I can get to know the people much faster than a big dojo. Plus, aikido would only cost me 25 dollars a month which is like nothing.

I just need to try out Gene Villa's dojo and see how I like it. I'm thinking about calling him today because I want to get back in a dojo. It's just so expensive. I know that they have many classes, but I don't know if I have that much time. However, I would love to go to a class more than twice a week. I would have to use some of my savings that I earned during the summer because the money that I earn cleaning my grandma's house won't cover all of it.