Aikido and Me

If you are doing martial arts just to get a black belt, you are missing the point and will likely fail in your attempt. The belt is a reminder of the tremendous growth you’ve made while training in your art – becoming fit, learning technique, gaining confidence, becoming disciplined, showing respect, overcoming mental and physical challenges – all important life skills that make you into a better person.....🥋🫢
A black belt is just a belt. It’s the mountains you climb while on your black belt journey that should be your focus and your reward.
Unfortunately, It is very sad to see a large percentage of students, upon earning their black belt, soon quit martial arts training.☺️

For those who understand, it is a lifelong jourey, Go alone if you have to and Keep walking, warriors🥷🙏🥷💯( from internet)

Train, train and repeat again.
Train to keep to improve.

Some years back In Westminster CA

The journey once started, it attached. I don’t expect my Aikido journey is as smooth but to face the un-expected challenges happening along the way. 2020 is one of those challenges. 2021 is a new days. Wish for the best.
Happy New Year

“The older requires more effort to practice to maintain the skill.”
Just from my experience, the knowledge is getting thicker but the performance is leveled. This is when the spirit of Aikido kicks in into place. We have to accept the fact that you are no longer flexible, durable and invincible.
Keep practicing until you can’t.

Most of our kokyu Nage techniques are similar with Ken techniques. Start by using from short then the middle and last with the jo. When practice, the difficulty is increasing from short to long due to where your ki flows.

Second day getting back to practice with sticks (no contact) during COVID. Preferably being a practitioner to condition the body after a long break. Kokyu Nage was a good start. More with Jo and Ken will be next.

There is a question "Dear Sempai, I'm a 25 year old, I'm currently Shodan of Aikido. What can I do to contribute to Aikido in general?"
Please share your thought. Thanks

Ultimate goal for training any martial art either Judo, Aikido, Kungfu,.... is to train yourself a calm mind before thing can harm you, to act and react accordingly to keep yourself out of harm way. The best is when you are out of harm, you also keep the attacker also out of harm! Destroy the attacker is already hard, keep him/her safe is harder. That’s also the philosophy behind Aikido.

Celebrate 70 years of Martial Art teaching - Dang Thong Phong - Sensei