Beginner’s Information
Message from Peter Sensei
Although the roots of Aikido technique reach back into the fighting styles of feudal Japan, present day Aikido is the creation of Morihei Ueshiba, commonly referred to as O Sensei, meaning great teacher. O Sensei studied a variety of traditional martial arts including Daito-ryu Jujutsu, Kenjutsu and Sojitsu. He became one of the most renowned martial artists of his day.
O Sensei was also a follower of the Omoto religion and a man of high spiritual understanding. He came to the realization that fighting is a futile means of resolving conflicts, that violence only creates more violence. O Sensei understood that ultimate victory came from not fighting at all. He saw that by manipulating and harmonizing with an attackers movement a fight can be completely avoided. In this way Aikido became an actual physical expression of his spiritual beliefs.
O Sensei continued his practice of Aikido until his death at age 86 in 1969. After he passed away his son, Kisshomaru Ueshiba, became the first doshu (keeper of the way) and oversaw the development of the Aikikai Hombu organization and the building of the Aikikai Headquarters in Tokyo—Hombu Dojo. After Kisshomaru Ueshiba died his son, Moriteru Ueshiba, became the third and current doshu.
Gi (Uniform)
New students receive a free, white Aikido gi as part of our Adult Intro Package.
When you put on your gi top, make sure that the left side is on the outside. You may wear a t-shirt under your gi top, or just the top by itself. There are lots of pictures and videos online that show how to put on and care for your gi. Please feel free to ask a Florida Aikikai student to help you.
Before class
Make sure your hands and feet are clean; remove earrings, necklaces, and heavy rings; check that your gi is neat, and your fingernails and toenails short! When you enter the mat bow in the direction of the picture of O Sensei (great teacher). If you are late to class, wait at the edge of the mat until the instructor gives you permission to join the class, then thank him or her with a bow.
The beginning of class
When the instructor is ready to start the class, sit with the other students in line at the front of the dojo. Beginners sit at the far right of the line. It is traditional to sit in seiza [say-zah] (on your knees) but you may sit with your legs crossed if seiza is uncomfortable. When the instructor bows to O Sensei’s picture, follow suit. Then bow to the instructor and say “Onegaishimasu” [Oh-nay-gah-ee-shee-mahs] which is Japanese for ‘please’, when asking for a service – in this case meaning ‘please teach me’.
During class
After the warm up and the demonstration of the first technique, bow to the instructor. Bow to your partner before beginning practice. In this case, Onegaishimasu means, “please practice with me”. Whenever the instructor claps or calls for attention bow to your partner, move to the side of the mat, and sit in seiza or cross-legged. Don’t sit directly in front of the kamiza (the area at the front of the room where O Sensei’s picture is displayed). When the instructor tells the class to continue practicing, bow to the instructor, bow to your partner, and resume practicing. When it is time to change partners, students bow to their partners. Once the class has started, do not leave the mat area without speaking to the instructor. Any time you step off or onto the mat bow to O Sensei’s picture. There is no shame in having to stop to catch you breath. Sit in seiza or cross-legged at the edge of the mat until you are ready to resume practicing
The end of class
At the end of class straighten up your gi facing away from the kamiza. Line up in seiza and, as before, bow to O Sensei’s picture and then to the instructor, saying “Domo arigatou gozaimasu”, [Doh-moh ah-ree-gah-toe go-zah-ee-mahs] which means ‘thank you’. Finally bow to everybody who you practiced with. Florida Aikikai is your dojo. Take pride in its appearance. The mat should be swept and the dojo cleaned after each class.
Some students choose not to bow for religious reasons.
The aim of Aikido is to develop the truly human self, to train mind and body to be strong yet flexible, and to produce sincere, earnest people. It should not be used to display ego, in any kind of competition, or to hurt your partner. Students must carefully follow the instructor’s teaching and not compete to see who is the strongest. Instead, maintain a modest attitude and apply yourself to perform the techniques correctly.
Students must practice being alert and aware of people practicing on all sides so as to avoid collisions. Always practice the exact technique in the way that was demonstrated by the instructor. Do not overly correct your partner in class. We learn best through experience, not words. Use your ukemi to help correct your partner’s movements. Leave the verbal explanations to the instructor.
In daily practice begin by gently moving and stretching your body, then progress gradually to more intensive practice. Never force anything unnaturally or unreasonably at any time. All practice must be adapted to the skill level, physical condition, limitations, and age of the partners training together. By following this rule people of any experience level, age, and gender can all practice Aikido without hurting themselves.
Training should be conducted in a pleasant and joyful atmosphere!
The United States Aikido Federation is a non-profit organization made up of affiliated Aikido dojos and clubs from all areas of the United States. It is the only Aikido organization within the United States with an unbroken affiliation to the Ueshiba family and the Aikikai Foundation, Aikido World Headquarters in Japan.
The USAF serves the interest of its affiliated dojos by developing and improving the practice of Aikido, establishing grading standards, and representing the interests of its members in the Aikikai Foundation. It promotes many seminars and training camps throughout the United States and publishes a regular blog.
To support the USAF each member dojo is required to pay a yearly fee, as is each Aikido student. For an individual student membership the charge is $50 per year. Once you become a member after you pass your 6th kyu test you receive a USAF membership card and Yukyusha record book.
We adhere to the ranking and testing structure of the USAF, which is based on a traditional Japanese ranking system consisting of kyu (below black belt) and dan (black belt) ranks. The kyu rank curriculum focuses on technical principles in order to build a solid foundation for advanced aikido practice. After black belt, training becomes more focused on the subtleties of aikido and students begin to develop their own style.
Most adult students complete their first test and achieve their first rank within the first few months of practice. As training progresses, tests become less frequent and cover a broader range of techniques.
Your first test: 6th kyu
Your first test is designed to teach you the basic body movements that will be your foundation. It is advisable to start preparing for the test right away, a little at a time. Don’t worry if you can’t remember all the Japanese terminology—the most important thing is to get familiar with the basic movements. You can take the test after 20 classes. Please check in every time you come to class (one check-in per day).
Seminars are usually 1, 2, or 3-day intensive training events with multiple classes during the day. All new Aikido students are eligible to train at Florida Aikikai seminars for free in their first year.
We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from a range of highly skilled teachers. Every year we host shihan (master teachers) from the USAF Technical Committee, and other high-ranking chief instructors from within the USAF.
We also hold seminars that celebrate our local Aikido community, including our annual Senior Instructors Seminar.
All seminars are appropriate for beginners. You will be able to train slowly and carefully just like in regular classes, and members of Florida Aikikai will be happy to help.
Florida Winter Camp
Every year we host Florida Winter Camp, the biggest weekend Aikido seminar in the United States. The seminar is attended by hundreds of students from all over the world, and features instruction from the USAF Technical Committee. The seminar is held at the Ocean Sky Hotel and Resort in Fort Lauderdale from Friday to Sunday over the Veteran’s Day weekend.
The instructors who teach at the seminar are all world-class teachers. This is a wonderful opportunity to dive in and experience the global Aikido community and to see Aikido practice at a very high level. You can attend as many classes as you like, and it’s fine to hop on and off the mat in the middle of classes to take a break or watch.
Getting started
During the first few months of training don’t worry about trying to understand all the Japanese terms right away. The most important words for you to know are the Japanese words for please and thank you that we say at the beginning and end of every class:
- Onegaishimasu [Oh-nay-guy-ee-shee-mahs]: Please
- Domo arigatou gozaimasu [Doe-mo ah-ree-gah-toe go-zah-ee-mahs]: Thank you very much
Diving deeper
As you progress it will be helpful to learn the names of the different types of attacks and techniques. Eventually you may wish to understand the meaning of a much broader range of terms, including some of the concepts that underly the art of aikido. The following resources may be helpful:
- Aikido Terms and Meanings: This glossary of terms was created by Blue Spruell Sensei, 6th dan Shidoin and chief instructor at Peachtree Aikikai, to accompany the presentation linked below.