Aikido...

Jordan and I have begun taking Aikido lessons. It's pretty cool. Our instructor Senpai Shant Palanjian is way cool. He can be no-nonsense when he needs to be, but he doesn't lose his sense of humor. He is patient with us both and will repeat instruction as many times as necessary till we get it. We all like him very much. I think Jordan is his star pupil :)

Aikido as Shant says is not a competition, but rather a partnership. The students learn together and help each other learn. We all learn both sides of each technique, attacker and defender. Besides being necessary for safety, it helps us to know how the motions are intended to flow correctly. Aikido is a true martial art (my opinion). That is, it's more than just self defense. It's a beautiful art form. Sometimes I feel like we are literally dancing the way we spar and evade one another.

I have a video of the demonstration we took part in a few weeks ago. If I can get it put into digital form I will post it here. It's worth a look-see.