Kyu Ranking

[Bokatu]

I have decided that I want to practice aikido but since I am unemployed and beyond broke I can not afford to practice till employment comes my way. So while I wait to find a job in NYC I am doing all the research I can into the art.

I was checking out the United States Aikido federation and found the school I am interested in not listed there. Does this mean that one school with have a different set of skills to be tested?.

[David T Anderson]

Hi John -- Evidently you have found an independant dojo, which could mean many things. Some are good and merely have their own idea about how things should be done...some may teach a lot of rubbish. However any decent Aikido dojo will teach pretty much all the same techniques, although with possible differences in style and emphasis

If it's good, people will know the reputation and background of the instructor and you will learn the same basic skills as any mainline Aikido dojo. Some independant dojo [like the one I attend] don't do testing or award ranks, so if these things are important to you, you may want to look farther.

If you want to investigate this particular dojo, ask to observe a few practice sessions...this should be no problem at all. Find out the instructor's background and why he's not affilliated. Also take a look at the senior students there and find out what kind of experience they have. One of the things that initially impressed me about my dojo was that the seniors had quite a range of experience with other arts, but found our group to be preferable, both in terms of technique and philosophy.

Good luck!

[Bronson]

Originally posted by David T Anderson
...you have found an independant dojo
And

Originally posted by David T Anderson
...Find out the instructor's background and why he's not affilliated.

There is also a good chance that they are affiliated with some organization...just not the USAF. Ki Society, Yoshinkai, Seidokan, and others are legit organizations that are independant from Hombu so their dojo won't show up on the USAF lists.

With that little caveat what David offered is good advice.

Good luck.

[Bokatu]

Ah ok, Thanks for all your help.

Here is the dojo i am interested in http://www.shinbudokai.org/ . There is one close by that is affliated with the USAF but I was dismayed that I would have to set up an EFT for 12 months. Not that I am not into the art I plan on studying it forever I am just wary of dojo's who want me to pay for a year since I am a graduate student first year and money is always so tight that I need a place flexible enough that I can pay each month.


Have a happy new year everyone = ) .

[Howard Thiery]

With out knowing anyone who has trained there or having trained there myself I cannot guarentee anything..BUT.....the lineage and credentials check out fine and make this a dojo that is worth checking out. This is NOT a fly by night organization with no background or grounding in traditional Aikido.

Good luck and best wishes with your search,
Howard

[rabbivj]

I am also going to be starting Aikido as well. Since I am finishing my masters degree in March I will have more time to devote to Martial arts. I studied briefly in high school and in college, but never had the time. The dojo I will be studying at is a satellite dojo of a dojo that is affiliated with the IYAF.

[Tim Mailloux]

What USAF dojo in New York are you intrested in. There are several really good ones in the city. The first of course would be New York Aikikai headed by Yamada Sensei, 8th dan Shihan and former uchideshi of O'sensei.

The two other are members of the USAF- Western region headed up by chiba sensei. The schools are Brooklyn aikikai, head instructor Robert Savocca. Savocca sensei is a 4th dan shidion, was an uchideshi for several years with Chiba sensei at San Diego Aikika. He is in his early 30's and very tanlented.

The other USAF-WR school is Manahhatan aikido, cheif instructor Juba Nour sensei, 6th dan shidion. He was also and uchideshi of Chiba sensei years ago. He is an extremly good teacher and very intense. IMO and that of some very high ranking aikidoka I have talked to. many consider Nour sensei's aikido to be the closet to to Chiba sensei's aikido of all sensei's students. If I lived in New York city that is who I would train with!

http://www.usafwr.org/WRpages/wr_list.htm

[kokumo]

The USAF is arguably the largest aikido organization in the continental US, which may or may not be of significance to you.

Imaizumi Sensei, the chief instructor of Shin Budo Kai, was a direct student of the Founder of Aikido, as was Yamada Sensei, the chief instructor of NY Aikikai. As head of the USAF-ER, Yamada Sensei travels widely and frequently, but he's got a deep bullpen of solid senior students who teach when he's on the road. Classes at Shin Budo Kai are, from all reports, more likely to be taught by Imaizumi Sensei himself.

IIRC, one of Imaizumi Sensei's former students -- Kevin Leavitt -- is now an assistant instructor at George Ledyard's dojo in Seattle, Washington, and George has commented favorably on the large range of technical variations preserved by Imaizumi Sensei and detailed in Kevin's extensive notes.

Manhattan is also home to Bond Street Dojo, co-founded by Terry Dobson and Ken Nisson. Bond Street has been affiliated with Mitsugi Saotome Sensei's Aikido Schools of Ueshiba since the mid-Seventies or so and current chief instructors and Bond Street dai-sempai Paul Kang (rokudan) and Christine Jordan (godan) both bring over thirty years of training to their classes.

Both Saotome Sensei and Hiroshi Ikeda Sensei teach at Bond Street one or two weekends each year, and the dojo also hosts a number of seminars taught by other senior students of Saotome and Ikeda Sensei throughout the year. (www.bondstreet.org)

There is also Aikido of Park Slope out in Brooklyn; chief instructor Hal Lehrman is a long-time student of Yamada Sensei who still teaches regularly at NY Aikikai.

Bottom line -- NY is a big city with lots of good teachers and good dojo, but each one is a little different. Check them all out and find the one that's right for you before you sign on the dotted line.

Good luck,

Fred Little

[Bokatu]

Ah ok, I will look at them all. The USAF dojo was http://www.aikidosi.com Which is the Aikido of Staten Island where I live. Hard to explain to non nyc resident but staten island is the hardest borough to live in case thier is hardly any public transporation.

My concern is this article about aikido http://martialarts.about.com/od/styles/a/IsAikido1.htm Since I would not know which dojo is good and which one is as described in this article.
Overview is that it talks about practicing and how uke is not doing his/her job and that people are not learning how to deal with a real attack cause the uke is not attacking properly and just going along with the technique also something about ki but I never understand ki I am more interested in body mechanic.


kokumo - Can you please explain further how each dojo is different?. Are you talking about technique or teaching style?

[kokumo]

Originally posted by Bokatu
kokumo - Can you please explain further how each dojo is different?. Are you talking about technique or teaching style?

John:

I'm talking about both. And more. Technique, teaching style, even personality. Take a look at the chief instructor, the senior students, the junior students and so forth. What's the feeling of the group as a whole? Are these people you want to spend a lot of time with? What about convenience? It may be that the most important feature of a dojo is whether or not it's convenient enough for you to practice at least three times a week.

As others have said in response to similar questions: the best dojo in the world is no use if it's two hours away and you're not willing to make the commute. On the other hand, a significant number of people will commute an hour or two to regularly train with the teacher they have decided is the right one for them.

While it may sound like I'm ducking the question, the truth is that since I don't know you from Adam, I don't know what you're looking for, how far you're willing to go to get it, how frequently you're looking to train, and a host of other similar questions.

That's why it's important for you to take some time and visit around, maybe even paying multiple visits to some places to get a broader picture than a one-night snapshot. Do all of that and you'll have a clearer sense of what is out there and what it will take on your part to get you there regularly than I could possibly give you in a series of quick thumbnail sketches. And maybe, since you're looking for a job now, if you know where you want to train, then that becomes a consideration in your job search.

Besides, any excuse to explore NY is a good one.

Best,

Fred Little

[Bokatu]

Fred,
I was trying to avoid visiting each dojo before making my decision cause with all the factors involved I wanted to narrow it down to only three to visit. I am willing to tolerate many things after working for the gov't. What I am looking for is a good teacher and at least three(3) to seven(7) days a week training. Training I am flexible but the teacher is important I am looking out for what is described in the article I posted earlier. Travel is a minor issue I live in staten island and I would like to keep the traveling down to at most an hour or so, I will make a exception for certain school like the one I want to check out but my time is very precious.

Thanks for all your help =).

Sincerely,

John De Vincenzo

[Chuck Clark]

Hi Fred,

Akemashite Omedetoo gozaimas...

Is it possible that it is Kevin Lam you're referring to at George Ledyard's dojo? He's a talented budoka for sure (as well as being an all around fine fellow) and good to train with.

Best regards,

[kokumo]

Chuck --

IIRC....sometimes I don't recall correctly.

Happy New Year's to you too -- and thanks for the correction.

Best.

Fred Little

[kokumo]

Originally posted by Bokatu
Fred,
I was trying to avoid visiting each dojo before making my decision cause with all the factors involved I wanted to narrow it down to only three to visit.

John,

All that is understandable, and I think that out of the range of suggestions you've elicited, narrowing the list down to three or four shouldn't be too difficult.

One other item you may wish to research in relation to the schools you do decide to seriously consider, particularly given a) the emphasis of the article you linked to and b) your statement elsewhere that you don't currently have any health insurance, is the incidence of injuries in the dojo. Some schools strive to keep injuries down, some view injuries as a natural outgrowth of serious training. The former will often view the latter as careless, the latter will often view the former as insufficiently martial.

My view is consenting adults can play as they wish with other consenting adults, and each dojo has its own take on such things. The key is that the adults are fully informed about just what they're consenting to.

"Act in haste, repent at leisure," is a lesson I've had brought home in a very immediate way more than once......

Good luck in your search,

Fred Little

[jimbaker]

Make Aikido of Park Slope one of the three on your list to visit.

Upfront, just so you know, I taught there for 13 years.

They have classes every day at a reasonable cost and no contracts. Hal is a 6th dan and the dojo has been around for 22 years now. Every class will probably have at least one 5th dan and a bunch of 4th dans taking class. Hal also teaches the Friday afternoon class at Yamada Sensei's dojo in Manhattan.

Not a lot of philosophy, but a lot of throwing. They also have fun.

The dojo is on 15th St and 5th Ave, close to the R and F lines. Driving in from Staten Island would probably mean using the bridge, so you'd have to figure that in with the cost of the classes.

You should also stop in at Ralph's Aikido of Staten Island dojo. He's also a long time student of Yamada Sensei.

Jim Baker

[Bokatu]

You should also stop in at Ralph's Aikido of Staten Island dojo. He's also a long time student of Yamada Sensei.

Jim Baker
[/B]

Mr Baker,

I am interested in studying at 2 schools, Ralphs on Staten Island is one of them but I a bit put off about EFT and a 12 month commitment. Being a graduate student in abject poverity sometimes I may have to skip a month of studying because I simply can not afford it. This is the life we choose =(.

Sincerely,

John Adam