Some Realities of Practicing Sydney Aikido

At Times, You May Never Apply Self-Defence

How can your verify your expertise as an aikidoka? One way of verifying your Sydney aikido training is through an actual physical event. Sad to say, you might be unlucky. Not every aikidoka will be given the rare opportunity to put their skills into real life practice.

Because there is no competition in aikido, all of us will be contend with having to wait for a real life situation wherein you can test your skills and verify what your sensei has taught you. But actually, how many of us could really get to encounter a mugger on the street? How many of us would face a bully at school? Could you practice your wrist grabbing techniques, locks and throws on a drunk who just passed you by without hurting you? Sad to say, it’s zero chance.

Our society could be dangerous, but most of us will never have to really defend ourselves. It’s kind of sad, right? So what are you taking Sydney aikido for?

You Can Never Measure Your Skills

How successful is your aikido or any other martial arts training? To measure it, you would want to participate in an actual physical event. For practitioners of judoka and taek won do, there are always the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and other sports competitions. What about us practitioners of aikido? Well, best thing we ever got is demonstrations with Steven Seagal and the masters from Japan.

It sucks that an aikidoka will never have the chance to measure his or her success. How can you know if your training has improved your self-confidence and awareness? How can you know if you are never attacked?

Expectations

But would you look forward to be attacked just so you can apply your nikyo or sankyo? Would you be sad that you were never attacked? Should you consider yourself lucky that you are never attacked? If you are thinking of benefits, don’t you think that aikido has taught you to avoid confrontation and de-escalate potential trouble?

For certain practitioner, they would be disappointed to the point that they would give up practising Sydney aikido altogether and get depressed. Worst, they would think their training is just a waste of time and money and their sensei is teaching them a lot of baloney. However, let’s realise a few things:

• No one would be mad enough to look for a fight. If you want a fight just to measure your martial arts skills, why don’t you take up karate?
• Aikido is for self-defence, not for self-aggrandisement. What a total waste of energy it is to make yourself greater with your aikido skills. O’sensei never taught us that.
• In any other way, our aikido training success is manifested in the way we express our self-confidence and conduct ourselves in public. Could it be that people never attacked you because they perceived you as someone never to mess with?

Sydney aikido is like insurance. You hate paying insurance, right? But you should pay for it and you also wish you will never you it. In some ways, aikido is like insurance, but we love our training. Despite the lack of attacks at the moment, it will be useful at the appropriate time.

The sensei at Shin Sen Dojo invites you to our Sydney aikido training. If you are interested, please contact us today and visit our website.

General Information about Aikido Australia Dojos Offer

If you are interested in learning aikido, you need to give yourself a pat on the back as this is a very smart decision. Not only can aikido Australia dojos offer get you fit and help you become fit and lean but it also acts as a great way to bust stress and learn discipline that will benefit other areas of your life. Indeed, aikido has tons of benefits just like a lot of other martial arts and if you want to get started right now, you have to start looking for a dojo. 

You need to look for a dojo

When looking for a dojo, you have to look for one that is within a reasonable distance to where you live or where you work so it is easy for you to go to. There is no sense in choosing one that is hours and hours away as it will be highly inconvenient for you to have from work to your dojo and from your dojo to your home. You may check for dojo listings online or you can check for ads in your local papers and see what they have to offer you.  

Once you have found dojos that you like, try to give them a call or pay them a visit so you can ask if you can perhaps sit in and observe their classes. This will give you an excellent feel for what aikido is like and you can decide if it is indeed for you or not. After all, aikido isn’t just something you can enjoy for a couple of weeks and toss aside like yesterday’s news as it needs dedication if you are to go anywhere. 

Cost 

While you are visiting dojos, as them about their rates so you can juggle your finances and see if you can afford their lessons. Some dojos may charge as little as $15 per lesson while others may charge about $75 or so. If that seems a bit steep, ask them about their monthly rates as they usually give discounts to people who pay for monthly lessons. You can take advantage of major discounts this way but only if you stay dedicated to aikido and never miss classes.

Aside from paying for the actual lessons, there are other things you need to pay for like uniforms and belts. If you want to move up belts, you will have to pay. Again, the lower belts will not cost you much but if you do work your way up to a black belt, you should expect to pay a fair bit of money. The uniform too will be mandatory and you need to know right now that gi are not cheap but you only really need one or two as they are very sturdy.  

Etiquette

You will need to know the basic dojo etiquette and this is also why you need to visit the dojos and ask about their rules. They are very strict with their dojo etiquette and you better learn before you actually start classes. 

You may check Shin Sen Dojo as we have some of the best masters in Australia. Check our website and you will find all the information you need.

Aikido and Stress Management

One of the best ways to manage stress is through regular exercise. On a medical note, all forms of exercise like aikido triggers the release of certain hormones that help improve your blood circulation and the function of all organs in your body, giving you an overall great feeling. The plus about learning sydney aikido is that you get to hit many birds in one stone, since you will improve your physical fitness and combat stress while you learn self defence. In aikido, not only is stress busted out during sparring and other physical trainings but also during meditation and relaxation sessions.

Relaxation and peace is not only very important in learning the skills and techniques in aikido. In fact, it is the core of the art itself, as it builds the stronghold of its spirituality philosophy. It is so essential that during aikido trainings in the dojo, relaxation techniques and meditation take a considerably huge part of your entire training session. That is because the founder and the instructors of aikido believe that the ki or energy can only be harnessed and can only truly flow efficiently if a person is in a completely relaxed state.

Flexibility and endurance are just some of the physical benefits that you will gain in the practise of aikido aside from muscle and strength building. However, before that can be attained, a completely relaxed state of mind must first be established before one can properly execute the aikido techniques that will help develop those physical attributes. Unlike muscles that are built through physical activities, relaxation cannot be rehearsed and can only be achieved by embarking on a spiritual journey that must be tackled every single day as a part of a routine and with or without aikido practice or combat. 

During street attacks, presence of mind is very vital because it can spell the difference between life and death. However, for you to achieve that, you need to be completely relaxed. This tip may sound absurd in the face of fear, danger and panic but it is the most important thing that you should achieve first before trying to resolve the conflict through negotiations, selecting the most effective technique to disarm or subdue the attacker or plan for a way to flee from the situation. If you remain calm and focused, you will be at an advantage over your attacker because you will be less likely to get caught off guard and get thrown.

Aside from physical combats, the most important thing that sydney aikido imparts to students in the aspect of calmness and relaxation is the way the same principle and philosophy applies in everyday life. There are so many conflicts that people face every single day, such as those concerning relationships, studies and work life. Tackling on challenges and obstacles all require a calm disposition and presence of mind to be able to find effective solutions. The same principle is also a vital aspect in building tenacity of character in order to outgrow immaturities and come out as a better person in the process.

Shin Sen Dojo is an aikido institution that provides lessons, trainings and seminars in this renowned martial art. If you are looking for a Sydney aikido dojo and instructor, visit our site to know more about us.

Ten Reasons Why Learning Aikido is Great for Kids

When adults learn sydney aikido, they do it to learn self defence and health improvement, exercise and stress relief. However, these reasons may not be applicable or appealing to children. So, how can the martial art benefit them? Below are ten reasons why learning aikido is still great for kids.

1.       Aikido teaches children to resolve conflicts using self defence as a last resort. Since it is regarded as a non-aggressive martial art, it can help kids to get away from fights in a non-aggressive manner.

2.       It teaches children relaxation, calmness and balance. Although kids are less likely to calm down, at least they know that they have a choice, and that getting into that calm and relaxed state will help them concentrate better in anything they do.

3.       It teaches children “practical” self defence. Contrary to other martial arts that emphasize physical aggression such as karate and taekwondo to get away from conflict, aikido teaches that there is more to physical combat when dealing with other real life conflicts, such as stress, bullying, and disappointment.

4.       It teaches children to think positively by habitually achieving a calm and correct way of thinking. Just as they can master the martial art through consistent training, they will realize that they can achieve anything they want to if they work hard for it.

5.       It allows children to enjoy the best there is in life, as it is a good outlet for them to deal with pressures they encounter on different stages of their development, such as academic challenges and peer pressure. The activity is a great outlet for them to release stress and unwind after tackling life’s challenges.

6.       Since aikido helps kids achieve a calm, clear and balanced way of thinking, they will do better at school. That is because they will be able to improve their concentration and attentiveness, making them absorb knowledge better. Since children spend most of their time at school, they will greatly benefit from having a clear way of thinking when harnessing their potential.

7.       Aikido helps kids in sports, as it encompasses everything that will prepare a child for a certain sport, both physically and mentally. It develops a child’s stamina, proper breathing, balance, and many others while developing a clear mind, concentration and optimism to win.

8.       Since aikido does not require a specific talent or skill, it is a great martial art for children. It also does not require them to have an incredible amount of strength, speed and degree of flexibility. Children can always learn the martial art no matter what may be their level of physical fitness.

9.       It is a good martial art for kids because it can be mastered by all people with varying shapes and sizes. Parents may even be surprised at how effortlessly children may be able to throw even adults. It also teaches children that in real life, there may be people bigger than them who will try to attack them and that with the application of the skills in aikido, they always have a chance to walk away from the situation safely.

10.   Sydney aikido is great for children who have ADD and ADHD, as well as any normal kid since the martial art is a form of exercise.

Shin Sen Dojo is a reputable martial arts school that offers trainings, seminars and lessons in aikido. If you are looking for a dojo in Sydney teaching aikido, visit our site to know how to reach us. 

The Importance of Finding the Right Dojo in Learning Aikido

Like every other form of martial arts, aikido has its own place of learning, and it is called a dojo. A dojo is where

• A sensei holds class and seek student to learn from him
• An aikidoka learn the techniques
• Both master and student develop relationship
• The sensei trains his student to be the next sensei
• The student help his fellows learn the technique

But overall, a dojo is where both sensei and aikidoka train to improve their techniques, to develop their inner energy and learn discipline, centeredness and balance in life. By now, you should know that there is more in a dojo than just going there to learn self-defence. But like any other establishment, how can you find the right dojo to learn aikido?

The search for the right dojo is like the search for the right school or church where you can grow as a person and where you can nurture your values and develop learning. However, one should know the search for a dojo is also a personal journey, similar to how early students of martial arts travel far and wide to learn from the early masters. Every person has different path of learning, different purpose, different goals and different expectations in learning aikido. It is sad to say that like other establishments, even the best dojo won’t be the right one for you, but there is bound to be the right one for you.

Think of a dojo as a college. Many people would want to enter college to learn and develop their skills to a higher level, but only a few will endure and last until graduation. The same is true with dojo. Enthusiasts are eager to learn aikido at first but later on, they will miss trainings and gradually lost the will to learn further. 

How important the right dojo is in cultivating your yearning for aikido? It is just like taking up your degree in the right college. By studying at the right college, you will receive great opportunity to hone your skill and even learn from the best teachers. With the type of education you receive from your college, you will apply what you learn learning in practical life. A sensei will expect his students to apply aikido in everyday life.

When you enter a particular college, you expect something to learn in there. The same is always true with the dojo. All colleges will offer the course you are after, teach you the same things, offer you the same curriculum but only one college will get to give you the right education you deserve. This is the same vein with dojo. It’s all about the learning.

What are your expectations in learning Sydney aikido? Do you think you can fulfil your expectations? Are you ready to spend time and effort to learn the techniques? Are you ready to learn with other people? If you answer ‘yes’ to all of these questions, you will have no hard time finding the right dojo.

Shin Sen Dojo offers regular Sydney aikido classes. If you want to learn aikido or would want to watch a demonstration first before committing, please contact us today and visit our website for more details.