I consider myself lucky to be a member of this dojo. Quite coincidentally, a few years ago, a friend from work told me about this place. I checked it out and right away I requested to be a member ?since the dojo members (and Sensei) have to accept you too.
This is a true Aikido environment in a sense that it preserves tradition, the spirituality of the art (the importance of Ki), and prepares you for real-life situations -- I don?t just imply self defense at a physical level, but also every aspect of life, including psychologically. It has helped me a lot!
During the first few weeks I was reading Aikido books and watching various videos, but then I realized that the only way to learn Aikido was that ?you had to be there!? The teachings are not just mere ?throw-techniques?, and no spectacular break-falls ? instead, everything is explained realistically down to the fundamental reasons and background of why a certain technique is that way, and often followed by short stories that Sensei tells the class, which I find very interesting :-)
Also, this dojo has a great crowd! Half of my learning was from the other students who sometimes even stay after class to explain to you if you ever have trouble understanding something in class. I also like the fact that the members range from all age groups, and in short time every new member has been able to adapt to the normal pace of the class.
Pros: Convenient location & schedule, great learning environment
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