I had always wanted to take a martial arts, but never felt I had the time. Well 
one day I decided now's-the-time and started contemplating what I should take. Being 
Japanese, I decide to pick a Japanese martial arts. I started looking on the Web and
discussing it with a few of my friends and one mentioned that he was taking Aikido. I 
had never really heard about it, but after he described it as a mostly defensive martial 
arts, I decided to check it out. That was 3-1/2 years ago.

One of the main reasons I continue to take it is because I feel it's a great martial art 
for my body stature. I may be on the tall side for an Asian guy, but would be considered 
on the smaller side compared to the general populous ... even in Hawaii. I once read that 
Aikido is an excellent martial art for women and smaller guys because the main idea is 
to use your opponents strength against him. Unlike Karate where you would enter the attack, 
in Aikido you redirect it. Having taken it for 3-1/2 years, I can say for a fact that it 
is true. It doesn't matter weather your opponent is taller and more muscular than you are.

As for my current Dogo, it has an equal number of beginners & black-belts so I feel I get a 
lot of quality instruction.

For anyone reading this who is thinking about giving it a try, please spend at least 
3-months evaluating it. You won't get a very good sense of what Aikido is all about by 
spending only a week or even a month checking it out. My impression of it changes yearly, 
and I'm positive that how I feel about this art right now will be totally different 
from how I'll feel about it in the years to come.

-Lance

July 31, 2005