Practice is held in the Intramural (IM) Building — across from Shields, near East Halls (photo; aerial view) — in the wrestling room in the rear basement (past the men's locker room). We meet from 6:30–8:30 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the fall and spring semesters; we continue to meet regularly during the summer as well, but the Friday classes are cancelled.
Anyone (18 years or older) may join as an associate member. Currently employed faculty and staff and currently registered students (undergraduate and graduate) may join as active members. (There is little practical difference between the two.) Only students may run for club office. No prior martial arts experience is required.
Dues are quite inexpensive at $35/semester. You're welcome to practice for a few weeks before paying, to make sure the club is right for you.
If you decide to stick with aikido, you will want to buy a uniform (gi) to wear. This is for pragmatic reasons rather than show: the tough fabric stands up to grabs and throws better than ordinary clothing. A gi costs $37 and includes an unbleached double-weave (judo-style) jacket, pants with reinforced knees, and a white belt. You don't have to buy it right away, but it's convenient to have one once you're sure you'll continue practicing. Most beginners buy one sometime before their first belt test. Talk to an instructor about this: we sometimes have some spare gi's in stock which may be purchased.
Also, if you want to test for higher ranks, there is a belt-testing fee for each new rank, which varies by level. Testing is optional.
In addition, there are optional camps and seminars held throughout the year, which have associated mat fees.
Sure, you don't have to make prior arrangements. Just show up to practice and ask if you can either observe or join in, as you prefer.
You're welcome to observe, but we prefer you join in directly; you'll get a better feel for aikido by experiencing it. If you do choose to observe, please sit quietly somewhere off the mat for the duration of practice. You may ask questions of the instructors or students after class, or, if there's time, before class. (The instructors are usually the ones wearing the "black skirts", or hakama.)
No experience is necessary. If you haven't done rolls and backfalls before, a more senior student will be assigned to give you a crash course at the end of warmups.
If you don't already have a uniform, wear loose, comfortable clothing; a T-shirt and sweatpants are common. Shorts can be worn, although occasionally that can lead to friction burns on the legs; some also wear jeans (without a belt, which makes it hard to roll). Please remove watches, jewelry, and other items which could get caught on something, abrade the skin, hit your partner, etc. If you're wearing something with pockets, remove everything from the pockets. (It's not fun getting stabbed in the thigh by your keys when being thrown...) No shoes on the mat! Some wear socks (which may be slippery on the mats), but most go barefoot.
Other than a uniform or training clothes, you may also want to bring a bottle of water, Gatorade, etc. There are breaks to use the IM Building water fountains, but it's often convenient to leave something to drink near the edge of the mat where it's accessible during practice.
In addition, if you change in the locker rooms, you should bring a padlock for the lockers: several members' wallets have been stolen from unsecured lockers. If you don't have a lock, bring your wallet and other valuables into the wrestling room where you can keep an eye on them during practice.
Users of the locker rooms should probably also bring flip-flops or sandals to wear between the locker room and the wrestling room (though you can also wear clean sneakers), so you don't have to walk around the gym in bare feet. No shoes are allowed on the wrestling mat itself, of course.
Make sure to let your partner know if they're throwing or applying joint locks to you too hard (or too easy). Don't attack faster or harder than you're willing and able to be thrown. On the other hand, give serious and committed attacks aimed on-target, not limp and randomly aimed offerings.
You will be asked to sign a standard PSU athletic liability waiver before practice.
If you are injured during practice, notify the instructor immediately.
If you are on the mat and need to leave the room for any reason during practice, please notify the instructor before you leave.
No food or drink on the mat; you can do this off to the side.
Please turn cell phones off. This includes those who are observing practice.
Attend as many or as few practices as you like; there is no requirement, and you're certainly welcome to return after a hiatus of any length.
However, if you come late to practice — i.e., when everyone is already on the mat kneeling in seiza in a line, or warming up or practicing — you should not step onto the mat and interrupt the ongoing class, but instead sit in seiza at the edge of the mat, and wait to be acknowledged by the instructor. Then you may join the rest of the class.
There is an attendance book kept at the side of the room near the glass windows; you may sign in before or after class. This is mostly for those who intend to test for higher ranks, to verify that they have the minimum training hours required for that rank.
It varies from day to day and instructor to instructor, but it starts with warmups (stretches, ki exercises, rolls, etc.). Then it is mostly partner practice, where people pair off and take turns as the attacker (uke) and the defender (nage) to practice particular techniques that have been demonstrated by the instructor.
For "big throws" (techniques that send the attacker some distance away), line practice is often used, where one person rotates as the defender while the rest of the class attacks in turn.
Partner practice sometimes involves weapons defense. Towards the end of class there may be solo weapons practice (kata), freestyle defenses (randori) against single or multiple attackers, and kokyudosa (a kneeling partner ki exercise).
After the instructor has demonstrated a technique, everyone stands and bows to a partner, choosing them to train that technique. Beginners should try to pick a more advanced practitioner to train with, usually anyone with a colored or black belt. It's a good idea to switch partners after every technique so you get to work with everyone during the course of practice.
Once you have chosen a partner (or they have chosen you), the format is usually: one person defends twice against the other's attack, then they switch roles and the other person defends twice, etc. Etiquette is that the higher-ranking partner is the first to defend, so as to demonstrate the technique.
Practice continues until the instructor claps to indicate progression to the next technique.
Weapons practice takes place more often after newcomers to the club have become more seasoned. We use a tanto (wooden knife), bokken (wooden sword), and jo (short staff). (With the exception of a knife, these may not seem like the most relevant weapons in a modern society, so think beer bottle, baseball bat, pool cue, ...)
Because much of aikido empty-hand defenses were derived from weapons defenses, the weapons techniques are often not grossly different in form from the usual techniques, but they differ in timing, distance, and angle, always involve a disarm, and pins are emphasized more.
We also practice stylized solo weapons drills (kata) with bokken and jo.
In order to learn specific techniques, much of practice is partner practice, but we also do randori freestyle practice where nage can choose the defense to use. For beginners this is often against a preannounced attack from one uke at a time, but can be against any attack by multiple simultaneous attackers.
The main goal in randori is to dispatch attackers quickly, efficiently, and calmly, and to hold up under pressure, handle the unexpected, and endure physically. Don't spend time tied up with a lock or pin with multiple attackers, and don't worry too much about having perfect form at first: executing a throw of some kind is of primary importance. This is not to say that you should be sloppy, of course: correctness should be sought in all things.
Attending practice regularly is obviously the best way to improve. Ask more senior practitioners if you have questions about a particular problem. But here are some tips:
Many problems arise from forgetting one or more of the four basic principles. Some of them overlap to an extent.
The corollary is to take uke's one point, to deny your attacker physical and mental balance. Many aikido techniques are won or lost at first contact, before the main technique has even been executed: if you don't seize uke's one point from the very beginning, and keep it throughout the entire technique, it may well fail. Pay attention to how you are affecting uke's center. If you are moving uke's arm, are their hips moving too? Do they feel off balance? Are you controlling the movement of their entire body? Or are they just standing there, strong and balanced, while you wave their arm around?
Don't stand tensely as you wait to be attacked; stand naturally and calmly, with correct posture and positive mind. Don't try to anticipate the attack; react quickly yet unhurriedly when the attack actually comes.
Don't try to do techniques too fast, even if you see others throwing fast. It is more important to throw correctly: speed can be added later once the form is correct, and all the speed in the world won't save you if your technique is sloppy. In fact, rushing degrades your technique. It's important to blend properly and match your speed to the speed of the attack, responding no more quickly nor slowly than what you are offered by uke.
Don't try to apply too much strength, either. Like speed, strength does not compensate for poor technique, and it can also injure your partner. And paradoxically, in aikido the best technique frequently involves the least strength. If a technique is getting "stuck" partway, muscling through it is virtually never the correct solution. (More often the problem is that you have not properly kept uke's one point.)
Remember to breathe! Don't hold your breath during techniques. The more advanced practitioner pays subtle attention to breathing. Often you inhale as you receive and blend with the initial attack, and exhale as you apply the main technique (breathing in as you draw them in, breathing out as you project them away). It seems odd, but this can make your technique smoother and more powerful while requiring less effort. (In fact, there is a whole class of techniques called kokyunage, or "breath throws", which take particular advantage of this.)
Again, the corollary is to deny uke correct posture. Make them lean over, force them to take a step to prevent themselves from falling over (and then make them fall over anyway).
More generally, your posture should at all times and in all ways be comfortable and natural for yourself, and uncomfortable (this doesn't mean painful!) and unnatural for uke. This only scratches the surface of correctness in aikido practice and daily life, of course.
Some phrases you might keep in mind:
All aikido techniques make use of one or more of these ideas. An illustrative, very simple, yet very powerful technique that combines all of them simultaneously is the "20-year" kokyunage throw (so called because Morihei Ueshiba reputedly refined it over a period of 20 years).
In addition to tips on technique, some tips on being a good practice partner:
Be a good nage. Gauge uke's level; don't throw them too hard or too softly. (Err on too soft, if you have to!) If a technique is not working, don't try to force it. Relying on muscle usually means you are doing something wrong (usually, not having taken uke's balance.). Try moving in a different direction instead. Be aware: don't throw uke into other people, or run into them yourself. In randori, don't anticipate what attack you're going to get.
Be a good uke. Give strong, committed, aimed attacks. Gauge nage's level and don't resist too much or too little. (Too much and nage can't learn because their ability is not high enough to develop a counter; too little and nage can't learn because there is no challenge.) Learn where in the midst of a technique it's logical to resist, and where resistance just opens you to a counterattack. Don't anticipate what technique is going to be applied. (For instance, if you give a running attack, remember to stop and attack, instead of plowing through nage assuming that they will move out of your way!) Be aware: in a multiple attacker randori, know where the other uke are lest you run into them.
Pre-black belt ranks are kyu levels, and count down with higher rank; black belt ranks are dan levels, and count up with higher rank. You start out as 7kyu (white belt). Your first belt test promotes you to 6kyu; the next higher rank is 5kyu, and so on. Kyu belt colors above 7kyu come in pairs: 6th/5th are orange belts, 4th/3rd are blue belts, 2nd/1st are brown belts. After 1kyu comes the first black belt, 1dan. The next black belt is 2dan, and so on.
There is usually one opportunity to test per semester. If you miss it, you'll have to wait until next semester, unless you test at one of the camps or seminars (most of which are not held at Penn State.) For tests of brown belt (2kyu) or above, you must be tested by an instructor more senior than those at Penn State, usually at one of the tri-annual camps.
You can only test if you have trained for enough hours (sign the attendance book) and enough time has passed since your last test (or since joining, if you haven't tested before). For information on the hour requirements, fees, and techniques, see the printed handouts kept in the box that holds the attendance book and flyers. (Usually your first belt test for 6kyu is towards the end of your first semester of training.) The techniques may also be found online in the Kokikai test requirements.
First, you do standard ki tests, like unbendable arm, sitting/kneeling, standing, and sitting to standing balance tests, etc. Then the testing instructor will call out techniques which you have to perform against volunteer uke. You continue performing a technique against repeated attacks until the instructor calls out the next technique. (Remember to offer for both sides of an attack. For techniques that have a finishing pin, the pin is mandatory, except at high levels.) At higher levels, there may be randori against specified attacks, and the test will end with a completely free randori or a weapons kata. You may be asked to recite the Kokikai four basic principles. There is some bowing to your uke, instructor, and class at the end.
Obviously, practice the techniques that are going to be on your test. Memorize the Japanese names of the attacks and defenses (glossary), and be able to execute them when their names are called out to you. Don't count on only getting the techniques listed on your test, either; sometimes the instructor testing you will request a few extra techniques from a higher test (or not on any test) to see how you handle them. Thus, you should be familiar with all the techniques and their names, to the extent possible. (The majority, and possibly all, of the techniques will be those listed for the test, however.)
Review the tips for improving your technique. Keep the four principles in mind. Relax. Go slowly. Take the time to get it right. On a test, being correct is much more important than going throwing fast or hard, despite one's inclination to "look good" by throwing fast and hard. Executing the technique properly is how you look (and indeed, be) good. (A rule of thumb: go no more than 3/4 or even 1/2 as fast as you think you ought to. Still, you should ideally try to match the speed of the attack.)
Don't freeze up. If you can't remember exactly how a technique you're attempting is supposed to go, abandon it if necessary and just do something to defend against the attack (such as a different technique) — at the very least, don't get hit! Then collect your wits and try again. Forgetting a technique is not unrecoverable; you'll be given some opportunity to correct mistakes, so don't get discouraged. (Most of those testing for the first time forget something.) The major black marks are freezing up or otherwise panicking, along with (seen very rarely) hurting your uke.
Our practice is very informal and causal. The training environment is relaxed and relatively egalitarian. Everyone is on a first-name basis. You should be enjoying yourself and having fun. Nevertheless, there are a few customs to be observed.
Bowing during practice is used as a gesture of acknowledgment and thanks. (If bowing goes against your beliefs, you don't have to do it.)
At the beginning of class, when sitting in seiza, everyone bows towards shomen, the scrolls and signs at the front of the class. This is symbolic of appreciation of our aikido teachers and predecessors (it's not a form of worship). Then the instructor and the rest of the class bow to each other, for helping each other to study aikido. In the middle of class, partners bow to each other at the beginning of a technique to indicate that they want to pair with each other, and at the end to thank them for the practice. The beginning class bowing is repeated at the end, and then everyone stands and bows to everyone else in turn in thanks.
Also, you should bow upon entering or leaving the practice room, and bow again towards shomen upon stepping on or off the mat.
If this is confusing, just watch what everyone else is doing, and if someone helps you or bows to you, bow back: it's respectful.
At the beginning and end of class, everyone formally lines up in order of rank (highest ranks to the right) facing the instructor, sitting in the Japanese kneeling seiza position. (You don't have to do this if you have bad knees, but you should try.) In between techniques, everyone also lines up and sits facing the instructor while the next technique is being demonstrated, but it can be agora (cross-legged) rather than seiza, and it's not in rank order.
If you're practicing and the instructor interrupts to speak or demonstrate something, you should either stand, or if it takes a while, drop to one knee or possibly sit in seiza. At no time during practice should you be lounging around, lying down, etc.
We call all Penn State members by their first names, including instructors. Highly-ranked visiting instructors may be addressed by their names with sensei added. Maruyama-sensei, the founder of Kokikai, is often referred to as just Sensei, and Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido, is sometimes referred to as O-sensei ("great teacher").
If you arrive late, sit in seiza at the edge of the mat, and wait to be acknowledged by the instructor. Then you may join the rest of the class.
If you are injured during practice, notify the instructor immediately.
If you are on the mat and need to leave the room for any reason during practice, please notify the instructor before you leave.
If you arrive early, you can help sweep the mat (ask for a broom at the desk down the hall next to the men's locker room), get the closet unlocked (request this at the desk), and set up the shomen on the mat, or the attendance book, picture of Maruyama-sensei, and filing box on the window ledge. You can also put these items back in the closet at the end of class.
No shoes on the mat.
No food or drink on the mat.
Please turn cell phones off.
No horseplay with weapons. Also, be careful not to damage the mat with them.
Three Kokikai camps (fall, winter, and summer) are held every year. The East Coast camps are usually in Philadelphia or New Jersey. These are the main Kokikai events, run by Maruyama-sensei. They last for several days and are attended by hundreds of Kokikai members of all ranks. Maruyama-sensei also runs some one-day seminars, which are sometimes open only to certain ranks. There are also more informal seminars run by other instructors, and our Penn State club tries to invite visiting instructors at least once a semester.
Hakama aren't really skirts, they're "baggy trousers", with two legs. They're thinner versions of what were originally heavy cloth riding chaps for mounted samurai. They became traditional dress for unmounted samurai, and remain part of Japan's martial tradition. You also see them in some other Japanese martial arts, like kendo, iaido, and kyudo. In Kokikai aikido, the hakama is worn by those who have earned black belts.
