It has been a while, hasn't it? I'm not terribly good at making myself post on here - particularly since started graduate school. However, classes will resume soon! In a week in fact.. I was unable to attend Aikido classes very regularly last semester due to my library courses, however, i've arranged for my lis courses to be on different days so I will have both days a week open for Aikido!
This brings me to an issue... continuancy. As a new practicioner, it's easy to commit yourself to Aikido. It's simple in its approach.. easy to learn the basics of... but endlessly complex. It's enjoyable, however, it can be difficult to maintain that focus. The discipline requires a partner in order to really practice and this is good - as it helps you form a bond with someone that can be either helpful or detrimental (i'll talk about that next time.)
This partnership can be very helpful. Much like having a work out partner, it helps to draw you back when you might stray. It's one of the things that has given me such problems in the past year.. my partner moved away. Since then, specially since I reached shodan in a dojo that doesn't have many shodan, i've spent nearly all of my time bouncing from partner to partner - usually helping the newer students.
This has been good in a way - it has given me teaching experience and it certainly is my responsiblity to teach those newer than myself. However, it has made it difficult to commit myself. I admit, i'm flawed - I can only be so selfless before I begin to grow tired of not working on myself. It helps that I know that, in a way, I am improving myself. I get to observe the errors of others and to improve my teaching, but that's not always enough.
I've digressed a bit. It can be difficult, once you've been involved in aikido for several years, to make yourself stay. I still love aikido, but particularly when I spend little time on myself, it's hard to make myself keep going back. Given how many students i've seen come for a year or so and then leave - i'm sure that i'm not the only person with this problem.
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