Is this your first time joining an Aikido class? No problem, we will tell you briefly what to expect. This is handy if you have never entered a dojo before. In any case, make sure you know where you want to train and what time this training starts.
When you pack your bag to go to the gym, make sure you have something of a have sweatpants with a t-shirt. Also slippers (to walk to the mat) are nice. Bottle of water is allowedThat is usually something for after training.
As soon as you enter the sports hall/dojo, it may be that the mats still to be laid. Laying down and clearing up is done together. Think of it as a pre-workout, but also to get to know each other a little.
As soon as the mats are in place, the lesson begins. Everyone sits down in order, with your place back of the line is next to the other white belts. Once seated, we salute the founder, who invented Aikido. (There is nothing religious behind this.) Followed by a salute to the Sensei or teacher.
You would think that lifting the mats would warm you up, but nothing could be further from the truth. First follows a short warming up in which all your muscles are activated. Then we get to work, if the Sensei tells something he will stop the group for a moment, so you can sit on your knees in line. (Or cross-legged, if that is more comfortable for the knees.) During the training we try to train as much as possible at restso you can focus more on what the movements are and what you must do. Of course, as a beginner you can check with your partner whether you are doing well. But try to keep this to a minimum, socialising is fine before and after training.
As soon as the lesson is over, we sit down again in the same order as at the beginning. This way, we end the same, only it is polite to thank your very last partner one more time. So you look up and greet them after.
No, Aikido is a self-defence art. (Not to be confused with sport. Sport is competitive and you will not find that in Ando). Aikido is meant to be a reaction to an attack. It never initiates an attack.
No, that is not necessary. It will help, just like having a sense of rhythm to learn ballroom dancing.
If you have a Judo-suit lying around somewhere, it is handy, but not necessary. Loose-fitting" clothing is fine, think of a sweatpants with a t-shirt.
We do not exclude anything. However, we think it it would be nice to know what kind of disability it is and if it is subject to medical approval by the doctor. For as long as we have existed, we have come across blind people on the mat, people in wheelchairs, with no legs... and more. But where there is a will, there is a way.
Of course! Fun even. Please let us know via the registration form and we will make sure that after the training you will receive answers to all your questions.
Ten thousand hours. At least according to Macolm Gladwell, you have to put a minimum of 10,000 hours into something to become 'good' at it. He explains this in his book 'Outliers', you can also watch this short video. We believe that training twice a week is enough to learn the basics of Aikido.
Of course! I would be happy to. Ando has three training locations where you can go, at no extra cost. You learn all the more from different teachers who explain the same basics.
You can go to different suppliers, but we ourselves work through the Aikido-shop.nl
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