Can any Aikido player dispell some misconceptions for me?

[cheesefrysamurai]

First let me start off by saying that I have always been a huge fan and that it may be part of my own evolution.

My misconceptions regard the training.

I have the impression that for the first leg of the journey you are learning ukemi, terminology, and etiquette. The next leg is years of being an uki.

What is the flow of an aikido class, can you give me a broad overview of the first let's say 3years, is it possible to start aikido later in life and how?

Thank you.

[JusticeZero]

The Aikido classes i've seen aren't much different from any other martial art classes i've seen. As usual, people walk into the class and start training. It's just that instead of drilling punches, you're drilling rolls and breakfalls, then do a lot of paired drills where you throw each other around the room. Why not walk into a class and try it out?

[cheesefrysamurai]

Right now I am learning goju and judo. But I was always a big admirer of aikido

[JusticeZero]

I don't have huge experience in any of them, but the format of the Aikido classes i've seen in three different schools was not much different from the format of the Judo classes i've seen, or for that matter the classes I teach. The difference is in the techniques and tactics, not the class format.

[Kusotare]

Most Japanese Jujutsu/Judo/Aikido dojo always start keiko with Ukemi.

Ukemi is more than learning how to break fall. It's a body conditioning tool - it’s also one hell of a good workout in itself.

When you say years of being Uke? That’s not my experience.

You learn to throw and be thrown in equal measure.

Actually if anything - the role of Uke is most correctly played by the more senior students at first, so beginners can get to grips with the technique itself.

K.

[Tempest]

Being an Uke is something that takes more practice with most Aikido techniques than being Tori.

You do spend a great deal of time learning Ukemi, terminology and etiquette, but it is interspersed with learning basic techniques.

Aikido is VERY possible to start later in life, in fact I don't recommend the art as it is usually practiced for children because of 2 things.

1. Aikido contains a number of techniques that rely on the practitioner understanding fighting in general to be effective.

2. Several of the techniques require higher level reasoning and exploitation of psychology as well as physiology. This means that you, as the practitioner, should be emotionally in control throughout the technique. This feeds in to the philosphy of Aikido as well as the technique.

[bushido_man96]

My experience with it is that you start class with stretching, then rolling/breakfalling, then work into techniques, being both tori and uke. The test I took included more than just ukemi. I had to demonstrate 3 or 4 different techniques, along with the falling and rolling.

I say give it a shot.

[Kusotare]

My experience with it is that you start class with stretching, then rolling/breakfalling, then work into techniques, being both tori and uke. The test I took included more than just ukemi. I had to demonstrate 3 or 4 different techniques, along with the falling and rolling.

I say give it a shot.

Do you still train?

How long did you practice for?

K.

[bushido_man96]

My experience with it is that you start class with stretching, then rolling/breakfalling, then work into techniques, being both tori and uke. The test I took included more than just ukemi. I had to demonstrate 3 or 4 different techniques, along with the falling and rolling.

I say give it a shot.

Do you still train?

How long did you practice for?

K.

Unfortunately, no. I trained for around a year, off and on, and was with it long enough to test for my first rank, and then was able to drop in from time to time. My work schedule makes it a bit tough to be consistent with more than TKD at this point, and I have much more invested in TKD than Aikido at this point.

[cheesefrysamurai]

is it an art one can take later in life?

I found getting the "ju" in judo very difficult to aquire. I can't imagine being half as flexible and slower and achieving that finesse.