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Voice of the Fox
The Newsletter of the Martial Arts Training Service

A November Weekend in Ann Arbor
by Rick Arnett
Spring 1999

We were about 60 miles from Ann Arbor and Scott was snoozing in the passenger seat when I realized I needed to drive a little faster if we were going to make the Friday evening aikido class at Great Lakes Aikikai. When we had left Naperville to head to the November interclub workout, Scott and I had decided we would go to the evening class if we made it in time. Although, one toll booth was backed up for several miles, we must have made up for it because it looked like we would make it to the class after all.

Less than an hour later we were driving up to the dojo with 25 minutes to spare. As we took our shoes off, Dennis stuck his head in to tell us that class had just started and that if we hurried we could join them. Surprise! Instead of 25 minutes early, we were five minutes late. Class started a half-hour earlier than we thought.

A quick change into our gis and we bowed onto the mat. Class was small, and Emma split the beginners and the rest of us into two groups. Scott, Brian, and I watched Emma demonstrate the first technique. We got up to practice and Emma pointed out some details to us almost immediately. Oh well, that was why we were there--to learn. I just did not think it would start with the first technique I practiced. I know we had a good time because Scott and I stayed after class for some extra pointers from Emma while Brian headed home. We were staying with him so he went to get things ready for us.

Saturday's seminar classes seemed to fly by for me. The next thing I knew we were waiting for the tests to begin. I had never uke'd for anyone taking a test at our interclub workouts because I could never get up off my 45 year-old knees fast enough to get to nage before anyone else. As I watched the first part of the test, I realized that this was my chance! Dennis was already out there, and Dulcey was sitting on the sidelines healing her knee. I had a chance against everyone else if I started to get ready now. I got in seiza and started shifting my weight slowly back and forth from one leg to the other. The blood started moving again, and when Okuyama Sensei said "Change uke," I was up and moving toward Peter Berthold in a flash. I made it! Attacking and being thrown sure beat sitting on the mat, at least as far as my knees were concerned.

The dinner that night was fun, with lots of good food and even better conversation, but Sunday morning sure came fast. A few more hours of instruction and we were on our way back to Illinois. How time flies when you're having fun.

Scott and I spent a lot of time in the car reviewing all the pointers and details we had seen during the last three days. There seemed to be a lot of things to discuss compared to other seminars I had attended. I wondered why and started to think about what made this one different. I compared it to other seminars, especially those where shihans had taught, and I realized that what made this one different was that we had really concentrated on the basics. Also, after five years of aikido, my observation skills have improved and I can now catch things that I probably missed in the past. It was a little scary to learn so much in one weekend when I'm looking at testing for shodan in '99. As my knowledge of aikido expands, it allows me to see how much more there is to learn. I expect (and hope) it will always be that way.

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