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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n1. What is their style?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The first, and most basic thing, is whether or not the aikido being taught matches your own style. Training in a different style isn\u2019t a bad thing and shouldn\u2019t be an automatic rejection when looking for somewhere new. If you\u2019ve only been training for a few years it\u2019s quite likely that changing styles won\u2019t require a lot of effort. The habits and movements are far less engrained in you and converting can be done. It can feel like a major step back though. I have visited dojo\u2019s of a different style as a shodan and it felt like stepping back to 2nd<\/sup> kyu it was so different. That sensation stopped somewhere between nidan and sandan, and I believe the reason was that my martial knowledge of aikido reached a point where I could easily translate between what I knew and what I was supposed to be doing in the class. The other thing about training in a different style is that if there is only 1 aikido dojo around then it\u2019s better to be training than not training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second thing is whether or not you feel welcome there. There are places that are not that welcoming for whatever reason. This is usually down to personality. Some people will prefer a very formal atmosphere, others something more light-hearted. Where one person feels welcome another may not. If you don\u2019t feel welcome though it can be very hard to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thirdly, you should be getting value for money. If you\u2019re paying a large sum for a small amount of mat time that mat time had better be really good. You need to determine whether you consider the training good value or not. Bear in mind that value is relative to the individual. One person might value an emphasis on weapons training and another meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This next one is a personal preference but I would suggest it\u2019s a requirement for all martial arts classes, not just an aikido dojo. Fourth, when you are nage you should feel threatened by uke. If you don\u2019t feel threatened by your uke then your uke isn\u2019t attacking you, which means there is no reason for you to do aikido. At all. We do aikido because uke makes us do it, for that to happen there must be a committed attack, which means you feel under threat. Now, that doesn\u2019t mean that uke attacks you full force and speed on every attack. It simply means that you know, for certain, that if you don\u2019t get off the line of attack then the uke will hit you. It\u2019s such a simple thing but there are an astounding number of places where you will never feel threatened by your uke\u2019s attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fifth consideration is what they are claiming to teach. For instance many places claim to teach self-defence; generally I consider that to be a bad indicator, or at least something to raise my skeptic radar. It\u2019s not that they can\u2019t be, it\u2019s more that the majority of people who teach self-defence are not actually teaching it. It would not be difficult to make an argument that self-defence should actually be regarded as a martial art in it\u2019s own right. The red flag I have from this is that they don\u2019t understand what they are teaching. If they don\u2019t understand what they are teaching then I would be concerned about the depth of knowledge they have with regards to their understanding of the techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note that I\u2019ve used self-defence as an example here but only because it\u2019s the most convenient. I could easily have used spiritualism, fitness, meditation or religion instead. I have seen all of those things advertised by aikido dojos. While possible that they can all be taught in an aikido dojo in my mind it\u2019s rather like putting \u2018learn plumbing\u2019 on the poster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I would suggest a last resort is to start your own dojo. It\u2019s a lot of work, requires a lot of commitment, and without at least 1 person to take decent ukemi is a nightmare to get going. If that uke is available then it\u2019s probably easier to train where they do. At least in the short term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A final piece of advice which ususally goes without saying is, stay away from McDojo\u2019s. If they promise you a black belt in 6 months you should probably run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can afford it, and would like to help out, 2. Does the atmosphere suit you?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3. Is it worth the price?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
4. Does the training feel real?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
5. Do they teach what they advertise?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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consider donating some brain fuel!<\/p>\n\n\n