What to Expect at Your First Aikido Class in Lawrence, Kansas
You've found our website and you are considering reaching out to let us know that you would be attending one of our classes. That is great news. But you are not quite sure what to expect.
A Few Surprises First
Laughter, to be fair, I have not trained in other dojos or martial art styles. But I can tell you, we laugh. Not because we are laughing at anyone — Aikido is downright fun. There is a spontaneous laughter that comes when a throw is so smooth it feels like butter.
We are not spring chickens; we still practice our techniques and strive to improve. This art is not limited by age. Some of the most powerful moves are done by the oldest in the group.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk logistics.
What to Wear
Your first challenge is figuring out what to wear. A gi is not required — a t-shirt and sweat pants will work just fine. No need to wear jewelry. Small rings (wedding bands) are fine. You should leave everything else at home. We want to avoid anything that might tear the mats or break. We will be barefoot on the mats, so clean feet are strongly encouraged. You can either bring your gear and change at the White School House or come dressed out, whatever makes you feel the most comfortable.
Finding the Parking Lot
Now your second challenge: finding the drive into the parking lot for the White School House. Just before you get to the stoplight at the intersection of Hwy 59 and Hwy 40, as you enter the exit ramp to 40, there is a gravel drive — it should take you right to the parking lot of the White School House.
Because we share the space, there may be several cars there if you are attending the class on a Tuesday or Thursday night. Their class ends at 7pm. When they start leaving the White School House, that is our cue to enter the space. Sundays at 10 we are the only class — if the front door is still locked, we will be there shortly.
The Same Pattern, Every Class
Regardless of the class you attend, all classes follow the same pattern. There will be some individual differences based on the instructor leading the class that day. That's one of the best things about our dojo — each instructor brings their own flair to the class.
When you come into the White School House, come on upstairs. If you happen to walk in with us, we will bow once we get to the top of the stairs. We bow to help us get into the mindset of training. We will pull out a chair for you and go through introductions and wait to see who else might attend. We share the space, so we will pull out the mats, the shomen, and photos to set up our practice space. For those of us that have a gi, we will go to one of the two available rest rooms and change. You will also see us putting on a hakama, the long flowing black pants we wear over our gi.
After we are all dressed out, we will begin to arrange ourselves on the mats. We will be on our knees in seiza. We line up in a row, with the most senior student on the left, facing the shomen. Sensei, the teacher, will walk onto the mat and kneel facing us. Sensei will turn to the shomen and we will all bow. Sensei will then turn to the class, we bow to each other and say onegai shimasu, which means wishing to have a good practice.
Sensei will read a shokushu. Tohei Sensei wrote these statements to help explain key principles of our practice. They will read a short portion of the shokushu and class will repeat that portion out loud in unison. We will bow at the end of the shokushu. A modern literal version of the shokushu will then be read. We will have the opportunity to briefly discuss any points that have special meaning.
There will be a series of stretching exercises that Sensei will then lead us through. These exercises are not done to warm you up physically but help you get into the proper mental state. This warm up helps us feel the group move in unison. Each stretch is lead once by Sensei, then repeated by the group. We count each stretching set in Japanese. It is during these stretching exercises that Sensei will start to help you recognize key principles. Principles like moving as a connected unit, using counting as a way to practice extending Ki.
After stretching we will start hitori waza. These are single person exercises. Doing these exercises help you practice fundamental movements for aikido. Sensei counts through the first set of the exercise in Japanese and the class follows along. For the second set, the class joins in the counting. At this point you will start your work on mind body coordination. This is where you will realize how disconnected you have been moving all your life. These exercises are kind of like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time. To help a beginner, we will only focus on a couple of hitori waza in class. Usually, the hitori waza is one that is related to the art you will be learning in that day's class.
After the hitori waza, we move on to kumi waza. These are two person exercises which are the full aikido technique. Learning an art is done in steps. We will demonstrate the art at full speed so you will see the flow of the movement. The Japanese name for the art is usually the attack and the defense. For example, Katate-tori Ikkyo — the attack Katate-tori is a same side arm grab, the defense is ikkyo. We would start the move static, then break down the defense into steps. Usually, we focus in on one or two arts in a class.
Near the end of class, we will practice meditation or Ki breathing for ten minutes. Then we end class by lining back up on the mats. Sensei will bow to the shomen, then to the class, and in unison we say arigato gozaimashita, which means thank you for a good session.
At the end of class, we will fold the hakama, change back into our street clothes, and put the mats up.
On the Drive Home
As you drive home, you may come to realize a few things.
Everything we do in the dojo is a learning opportunity. We are teaching mind body unification, a condition that is not limited to the mats but should touch all aspects of your daily life. When we stretch, we will point out situations where you are not completely unified. During single person exercises we will gently remind you to be aware of your posture. During actual aikido moves we will talk of being aware of your opponent's direction (their Ki) because that is where we want to help them go.
We are experiential, meaning we want you to do it the wrong way, then the right way. You can learn a lot as you feel the difference between the right way and the wrong way. You will also learn a lot by being the attacker — as the attacker (uke), you can feel where the defender (nage) hits a bump and is not flowing with you.
We all are black belts, but we learn more when new students are in class. New students bring an energy and a curiosity that reignites the entire group. Think about how much you learn when you try to explain something you have done for years to someone new. There are aha moments for both the instructor and the student.
I hope that this helps you develop the first kanko — "the courage or daring to begin."
Until then, Arigato Gozaimashita.
Ready to come to a class? Reach out and let us know which one you'd like to attend. Link to (https://kansaskiaikido.com/contact)