Not long ago, I was promoted to brown belt, nikyu, in aikido. This marks an interesting boundary in my aikido journey. From now on, any new ranks I earn are accompanied by a demonstration of skills, starting with ikkyu. I'm excited about this, and I can see where someone would find their aikido journey begin to slow down around now. I'm starting to see why sensei puts so much emphasis on being consistent and determined about one's training.
What have I learned? I can now take air falls with some grace. Up until now, I have been falling in a controlled roll over my shoulder, kicking my feet up over my head. The air fall is a little different. For a moment, your entire body is off the ground, flipping over your head. It was strange at first, but now it's a lot of fun! Now I try to end every night by going up to one of the more advanced students and asking if they'll throw me kotegaishi!
I've found that I'm starting to be more comfortable teaching some of the beginners in the dojo. Some of the basics are now feeling more fundamental to me. Basic mistakes still happen, but now they're very easy for me to spot, both in myself and others. I've also really started to appreciate the role of uke in practice. The subtleties of uke going through the correct motions is becoming more and more important in my training.
I've taken a big step and have started reading about aikido outside of class. My first book is called Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere, and I like it so far. It's not a Tomiki-specfic book (our style of aikido is most closely Tomiki-ryu, but without the competition aspects). The techniques in this book are somewhat familiar to me, but they don't have the same names or organization as what we learn in class. The real value seems to be all of the physiological information about aikido. There's also a great deal about the history and culture of aikido as well. It's a great book and I'm having fun reading it.
Soon I need to choose an uke for my ikkyu demonstration. One of my goals for 2011 is to earn my ikkyu. That's very doable normally, but I know I'm going to have less time to devote to aikido when Alexander is born. If I choose my uke soon and begin setting aside some time outside of class to work, I'll get there.
It's interesting. The nurse doing Tianna's sonogram recently asked if we were "active." I answered almost immediately that I am a martial artist. It sounded really natural saying it, too. I almost didn't even think about it. It was one of those moments where you realize that you are what you want to be. I guess I secretly always wanted to be a martial artist, and now I am.
Now I just need to study to become a better martial artist.