Читать книгу Aikido Basics. Everything you need to get started in Aikido - from basic footwork and throws to training онлайн

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Be Prepared and Show Up Early

It is considered disrespectful to show up after a class has begun. Arrive early to show that you respect the teacher, the school, your fellow students, and yourself. Have your uniform ready to go. Give yourself enough traveling time. Walk in, look around, and welcome yourself to your new home.

Introductions

Introduce yourself to others. Aikido practitioners are usually friendly. It is a way of practicing harmony and extending ki beyond the traditional practice on the mat. These strangers will become your friends, and most importantly, your training partners.

The Start of Class

Bowing

Expect to bow in class a lot. Bowing, called rei in Japanese, is a form of greeting and respect. Bow when you first enter the school and when you first step on the mat. At the beginning of the class, kneel and bow to a picture of O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba. Bowing is not a religious gesture or ceremony that goes against anyone's faith of choice. Bowing to O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba is simply thanking him and showing respect for what he has given to the aikido community. In the front of the training area, usually opposite to the entrance, is the shomen. This is traditionally a raised, or recessed, shrinelike structure that is a place for ancestral spirits to reside and watch over us as we practice. The shomen usually contains a picture, a scroll, and some plant or greenery to remind us of nature. The shomen is a way to remember and honor O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, as our ancestor, for giving us aikido as a physical and spiritual practice. The shomen becomes a focus of training.