Set the aiki free...

To say that aikido is a hobby for me would be a grave understatement and an insult to the art. Many are the people that go to their aikido class on a regular basis, but as they leave the dojo, they also leave the aikido there. They would neither consider training a little bit extra after the class is over, or on some other occasion outside of the formal schedule. This is their choice and nothing I put any judgement in, because when the day is over it is still better that they do some aikido than nothing at all. This is also a thing that depends on the aikido "culture" from which every person has started off. In some dojo's you simply don't do any more aikido when the class is over, whereas in other places this is encouraged.

For me, the class is the forum where you are introduced to new things, corrected and inspired. After-class practice is where you implement and drill this new knowledge. If I don't get any of this free practice, I cannot feel whole and satisfied. I don't think that free practice really existed here in Israel before the group started to mingle with the Swedes and go to Lillsved summer camp, where all of us are constantly doing aikido; before, in between and after classes. Now the Israelis got a taste of it and together with my arrival into the group a strong force started whirling around. Since we got back from Sweden we have stayed after class on several occasions, first only Yoram and me, but after the last practice we were 5 people who stayed and we did a lot of high falls training and it was loads of fun. I think we might have a small movement going here, that will be hard to put in reverse...