Acquiring a new skill is like changing a bad habit. We have to get pass the ‘I’ factor. As in I’m not ready to change. Look at your Stages of Change model; people must be ready for change. We can’t force it on them.

A parent that was bullied as a child about their weight will have difficulty when the topic of weight is brought up about their own child. Think about how racism is passed on, in some schools of thought it is listed as a mental illness, but through fear and the inability to get over this fear, racism continues to exist.

Identify what you must change. Accept that you are changing for the better. Accept that it will take time. Accept that you are not a bad person by needing to change a bad habit. Accept help from others, sometimes we can’t do it alone.

So the next time you feel the fear of falling in class; Identify that this is a bad habit, accept that you can change it, accept that you are not a bad person by failing the first time. Persevere and try and try again until you succeed in being the best ‘try’-er. Later on you will look back and see that you will be the best ‘do’-er!

When we arrived in Osaka we looked into getting a taxi to Tennoji but it was a very expensive (£400 for the 4 of us). We decided to take the train which was pretty quick. It cost 1000 yen (£8 / £9) and took about 45 minutes to get to Tennoji.

Matt and I are staying in the Tennoji Miyako hotel which is just over the road from the train station and only a 15 minute walk to Shodokan Hombu.

The jetlag hit us a little but made worse because we didn’t sleep on the plane.

If you don’t have any yen with you when you arrive you can get some from the 711 just around the corner.

Next post on it’s way soon…

BAB Coach Level 1
BAB Tutors Ann and Steve Billett
Saturday 24th March 9am to 5pm
Sunday 25th March 10am to 4pm
Cost £55

Central London Shodokan Aikido Club
Albion College
23 Bloomsbury Square
London WC1A 2PJ

For more information on the Aikido Coaching Course details visit the British Aikido Board website.

The word ‘Competition’ is an insufficient way to explain what happens when two individuals/ groups meet in a Shodokan Aikido tournament.

Most of the time, these groups have trained using the same syllabus and under the same senior instructors. There is also an understanding of etiquette, respect and common skills being honed, implicit in our training. This is usually lost to the onlooker.

As a tutor I use many tools to evaluate my teaching and students learning. Demonstration, being the major tool.

Kata (wiki) is a tool which informs both the student and myself that the knowledge has been absorbed, internalized (mastered) to an extent! Doing something once is Ok, doing the skill when necessary and under pressure is true mastery.

Kata by its nature cannot teach us everything, as there is usually a designated winner and a loser in kata practice. How difficult is it to train a student to react ‘proactively’ in a tense situation, where there is risk. How do I train someone to maintain mental focus under pressure?

Randori (wiki) is my method, as designated by the Shodokan Aikido syllabus, I could use other methods, but Aikido is what has brought people to me.

With students who have a basic understanding through kata practice, what’s next; a true test of application, demonstrating that they have mastered the skills they have been learning. We translate that description to the word ‘Competition’, insufficient as stated above.

The reasons for the poor state of men’s health in the UK and around the world are numerous and complex and this is primarily due to a lack of awareness of the health issues men face. This can largely be attributed to the reluctance in men to openly discussing the subject due to longstanding traditions, coupled with an ‘it’ll be alright’ attitude. Men are less likely to schedule doctors’ appointments when they feel ill or for an annual check-up, thereby denying them the chance of early detection and effective treatment of common diseases.”
Excerpt from http://uk.movember.com/mens-health/, really important health news.