I like to tell this story about my early training in Sarasota Florida. Sometimes I would ask Ikeda Sensei (what I thought were) deep and insightful questions regarding technique or principles. He would always give me the same"you're such a dumb-ass" look and the same answer; "Tom, you need to train more." After a couple of these encounters I was convinced that he was just not interested in answering my questions so I took the hint and stopped asking. It was only later in my training that I realized how wrong I was. The truth of the matter was that this seemingly terse and evasive answer was right on the money.
Not only was his answer the best possible answer, it was incredible advice. "You need to train more." This is a very simple statement that gets right to the heart of the matter. Training will enable you to discover the answers to your questions. This is because Aikido is a discovery process. Though explanations and instructions are useful, Aikido can only be learned by doing. One simply cannot learn the art of Aikido by talking about it.
To take this a step further, tapes, videos, books and even this blog (though I am loath to admit it) are just sideshows to the main event. The main event takes place on the mat. Doing is the secret to success in Aikido.
I recently read that, for the average person, to become highly proficient in an art it takes approximately 10,000 total hours of practice. If you do the math, you find that by training for 3 hours a day, every single day, you can reach 10,000 hours training in about nine years. It can be done but the sacrifice and discipline required to do so is far beyond what most people, including this writer, are willing to or are capable of expending. I might add that even with this incredibly intense schedule 9 years is a very short time to obtain true proficiency.
Let's look at a more realistic scenario. If you train 2 hours daily 6 days a week you can reach the 10,000 hour mark in about 16 years. Is it starting to look more attainable? Well, let's look at another schedule. Training for 1 hour and 30 minutes 4 times a week gets you to 10,000 hours in a mere 32 years. Ouch, 32 years is over a third of an average life span.
Though 32 years seems like a long time to invest, lets remember our aims. Add 32 years to your present age. A person who is now 25 years old will be 57 at the end of 32 years. If he/she has trained regularly and diligently during that 32 years he/she will be rewarded by both enhanced health (assuming a healthy lifestyle) and a proficiency in Aikido. This deal is looking better all the time.
But this is all just speculation and arithmetic. It's not the nitty-gritty of life. It doesn't take into consideration education, careers, moving, families (babies can put a real hitch in your giddy-up) or any of the other multitudes of factors that intervene in your Aikido training. But, let's examine one more time. We are just talking about 6 hours a week. Most physicians agree that this is a minimum amount of exercise needed in order to maintain good health. Just 6 hours a week leaves the other 162 hours free for all of those other things. And the real payoff is the tremendous boost to your Aikido skills and understanding.
The old adage is that if you want to get something done, ask a busy person to do it. We are all busy people. Life in the twenty-first century extracts an enormous toll from every one of us. Aikido, however, gives us a much needed and enjoyable reprieve from the daily grind. Making a lifetime commitment to Aikido and regular training ensures a more healthy and productive life. Oh, and don't forget there is mastery of the art thrown in for good measure.
Not only was his answer the best possible answer, it was incredible advice. "You need to train more." This is a very simple statement that gets right to the heart of the matter. Training will enable you to discover the answers to your questions. This is because Aikido is a discovery process. Though explanations and instructions are useful, Aikido can only be learned by doing. One simply cannot learn the art of Aikido by talking about it.
To take this a step further, tapes, videos, books and even this blog (though I am loath to admit it) are just sideshows to the main event. The main event takes place on the mat. Doing is the secret to success in Aikido.
I recently read that, for the average person, to become highly proficient in an art it takes approximately 10,000 total hours of practice. If you do the math, you find that by training for 3 hours a day, every single day, you can reach 10,000 hours training in about nine years. It can be done but the sacrifice and discipline required to do so is far beyond what most people, including this writer, are willing to or are capable of expending. I might add that even with this incredibly intense schedule 9 years is a very short time to obtain true proficiency.
Let's look at a more realistic scenario. If you train 2 hours daily 6 days a week you can reach the 10,000 hour mark in about 16 years. Is it starting to look more attainable? Well, let's look at another schedule. Training for 1 hour and 30 minutes 4 times a week gets you to 10,000 hours in a mere 32 years. Ouch, 32 years is over a third of an average life span.
Though 32 years seems like a long time to invest, lets remember our aims. Add 32 years to your present age. A person who is now 25 years old will be 57 at the end of 32 years. If he/she has trained regularly and diligently during that 32 years he/she will be rewarded by both enhanced health (assuming a healthy lifestyle) and a proficiency in Aikido. This deal is looking better all the time.
But this is all just speculation and arithmetic. It's not the nitty-gritty of life. It doesn't take into consideration education, careers, moving, families (babies can put a real hitch in your giddy-up) or any of the other multitudes of factors that intervene in your Aikido training. But, let's examine one more time. We are just talking about 6 hours a week. Most physicians agree that this is a minimum amount of exercise needed in order to maintain good health. Just 6 hours a week leaves the other 162 hours free for all of those other things. And the real payoff is the tremendous boost to your Aikido skills and understanding.
The old adage is that if you want to get something done, ask a busy person to do it. We are all busy people. Life in the twenty-first century extracts an enormous toll from every one of us. Aikido, however, gives us a much needed and enjoyable reprieve from the daily grind. Making a lifetime commitment to Aikido and regular training ensures a more healthy and productive life. Oh, and don't forget there is mastery of the art thrown in for good measure.
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