the aikido techniques and when taking the falls. Your cardiovascular fitness will increase over time. What once made you out of breath will later only take your breath away as you experience the beauty of aikido.
Soreness
Many new students find they are sore after their first class. You have used your body and muscles in ways you are not used to. The body takes a while to adjust and accommodate itself to the new workload. If you are in pain, it may mean that something has been injured. Talk to your teacher and consult with a medical care professional. Some soreness just means that you had a good workout and that you are taking your body beyond its normal limits. It means you are learning. You will learn eventually to relax and gain harmony with your body.
Now that you know what to anticipate in your first class, don't expect it to be exactly as described here. Each training partner you have will approach you with slightly different energy. You must be able to respond to each. This adaptability is essential to aikido. It is explicit in the teachings and implicit in the training.
DESPITE ITS STRONG philosophical base and its emphasis on peace and harmony, aikido is a martial art. On first observing it, some will say they can see the gentleness in the art. Others witness the painful joint locks and hard landing on the mats. To them, aikido looks very violent. The practice of aikido requires a measure of safety, and there are safety rules and requirements for the environment in which you train.
Before any rigorous exercise program, consult your primary care physician. Physical illnesses and limitations known ahead of time can prevent injuries or reinjuries.
Some Personal Safety Rules
There are many basic rules to follow that will make the training in aikido safer. Many of them are common sense.
No Horseplay
A basic safety rule is no horseplay. You may want to mimic some character from your favorite action movie. Your own bit of acting may get you some laughs from others, but ultimately, it will distract you and others from what you came to the school for—to learn aikido. Because aikido is a martial art, the techniques you will be practicing have the potential of inflicting great damage and harm. They must be practiced without horseplay to minimize the likelihood that someone, possibly you, will get hurt. Enjoy your training, but remember it is not play.
Pay Attention
Pay attention to what your teacher tells you to do, and do it. Pay attention to your movements. Pay attention to your training partner's movements. Pay attention to the space around you. It is easy to get caught up in the momentum of your own training and forget that others are training next to you, and that they are more than likely caught up in their own training. This can create accidents as you both throw your training partners into the same space. The impact can be dangerous. Try to pay attention to where you throw your training partners and where they are falling. These awareness skills pay great dividends in the school as you practice aikido. These skills alone can be your first line of self-defense.
Other Safety Considerations
Relax
It is important to stay relaxed during your training. The usual response to stress is to tense up and stop breathing. Learning a new skill, especially one that incorporates joint locks and throws, could be considered stressful. Staying relaxed helps the body move freely and more fluidly. This relaxation actually prevents injuries.
Rolling and Falling (Ukemi)
It is impossible to practice aikido without learning how to take falls. This can be very frustrating. You may want to learn all the fancy throws and footwork that make aikido such a beautiful art, but learning how to fall is for your safety and the safety of your training partners. Falling is not just important in aikido, it is an essential necessity. Taking ukemi and learning to be a good training partner is as hard, if not harder, than learning the techniques of aikido.
First Aid
Injuries do happen. They cannot all be prevented. If injured, report it, clean it up, and clean yourself up. Your instructor needs to know if you are injured and can help to determine whether or not you need additional first aid or medical attention. How you react to injuries can affect healing and recovery. Many beginning students want to "tough it out" and train although they are injured. This is not wise training. The sooner an injury receives the proper diagnosis, the sooner you can begin proper treatment, which will help you make a faster recovery. If you accidentally injure your training partner, check on him or her and apologize. If a training partner accidentally injures you, offer your forgiveness and the reassurance that you are okay. Like you, your training partners are learning aikido. Train in peace and harmony.
Don't Train When You Are III, Injured, or Fatigued
It is not a safe practice to train if you are ill, injured, or too fatigued. If you are ill, you will not be able to pay attention to your instruction or training, and you may infect others at the school. This is considered disrespectful. If you train injured, you may complicate your injury and have to postpone training or stop altogether. If you are too fatigued, you will not pay attention and will get sloppy in your practice. Sloppiness causes accidents and injuries.
Warm Up
Always warm up before you train. Warming and stretching the muscles readies the body for a good workout. It is one of the best ways to train more safely and effectively.
Common Sense Is Wisdom
Remember that you are training in a martial art that ultimately can cause great harm. Always use your common sense. Train wisely and train safely.
Safety Requirements for the School
Mats
One of the most important pieces of safety equipment for any aikido school is a good mat. Good mats absorb the impact of a throw and absorb the mistakes you or your training partners make. Mats should be in good condition. Since you practice barefoot, it is possible to get your toe caught or broken in a tear of a mat. Mats used today are softer and absorb more impact than the traditional tatami mats used in years past.
Ventilation
Good ventilation is a good safety precaution. The air you breathe is the fuel that runs your body. Stale air can breed bacteria and spread infection. Good ventilation helps keep the air fresh.
Lighting
At advanced stages, it may be stimulating to train in a darkened school—limiting the sense of sight helps you develop auditory (sound) and kinesthetic (feeling) awareness. However, in the beginning stages of learning aikido, it is very important to see what is being demonstrated for you, what you are doing, and what is being done to you. Good lighting makes for safer training.
Heating and Cooling
Common sense will tell you that it is not wise to train in a place that is too hot or too cold. The facility should have an adequate heating and cooling system. Fans are very useful and appreciated during the hot summer months.
Cleanliness
Cleanliness is a means of safety. Cleanliness prevents diseases and injuries, and provides a positive atmosphere and environment for training. As a beginning student, you may not feel responsible for the cleanliness of the school; you may only participate in the required sweeping of the mat before or after class. Eventually, however, as you progress, you too will take great pride in helping to provide a clean environment in which to train.
Just as the mat area should be clear and clean, so should the surrounding areas. There should be no beams, pillars, or radiators that are exposed and potentially dangerous. Anything on the walls should be well secured.