Aikido In Life

The class was a lot more than I had first expected. There was so much focus used to learn and to practice a technique repeatedly, which was something that I was not very used to. Although it may seem that the techniques would be the most difficult thing to learn, the more advanced basic movements were most difficult to me. At the start of every class I find myself deeply focused on doing the movements slowly with proper form so that I would be able to correct myself of any mistakes. I am glad that these movements require a lot of focus because I believe that life also requires much focus. The strong focus in aikido reminds me that I shouldn’t sit around and watch TV or play video games all day like I used to in the summer. My days would fly by over summer and seemed even appealing then because I was lazy, which d

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Although it may be seen as only a small accomplishment, completing all of them every night up until now is a big accomplishment to me because it requires discipline, determination, and perseverance.

“Everything that we think we know to be true about the nature of the human experience, is in the end, no more than a belief. I coach JV football at my old high school, and my quarterback always had trouble remembering his plays; I would get mad at him for it because we practice them everyday. Back break falls are little reminders for me that the road to achievement may be long and tiresome, but the end is well worth the effort. I had believed that aikido was an art that involved power and forced, but a movement such as that cannot be aikido. But nor can we say absolutely that there is not such a thing. It was as if the lock that once was hinged on my brain, broke open. Putting more focus into the basic movements has helped me to take a step into concentrating on the more important aspects of my life.

In Chapter 22- The Critical Question, Ueshiba Sensei says,”’ the best strategy relies upon an unlimited set of responses. ”(44) The first page of Chapter 7- The Adventurer (The Soul) really called out to me because I began reading the chapter with belief that there was no such thing as a soul. ”(44) Now having finished the chapter, I believe there’s always a possibility. The feeling that I get after completing a whole set of the falls in proper technique is rewarding and such an accomplishment. I revere the word because it reminds me of what training and discipline is all about. I came into the classroom only looking for solitude and something less imperative than my other courses, but I ended up finding something so fundamental in life—a focus I had never thought I’d find in Aikido, a determination I didn’t think I had in myself, and I now open my mind to a broader and greater outlook to life.

Common topics in this essay:
, Ueshiba Sensei, Adventurer Soul, Id Aikido, require focus, basic movements, critical question, break falls,

Approximate Word count = 753
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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