Tiny Gems of Aikido Wisdom

I may never know enough about Aikido to give real advice, but this kind of smart-assery is right up my alley.

Don't break your uke. You should get years of wear out of a good uke.

When taking ukemi, always follow the direction your head is moving. Doing otherwise never works out.

The higher kyu tests will always be scheduled for the hottest day of the year.

On those hot days, the thoughtful nage with pin her uke in front of the fan. The smart uke will take his time tapping out.

New aikidoka can sense any sore joints or bruises which are activated during waza automatically countering your ukemi attempts to avoid this. This sense fades with training.

You lose one rank worth of skill when visiting another dojo due to differences in how techniques are practiced. Two if the dojo visited is affiliated with a different national organization.

As you progress in ranks, you will gain new Aikido skills and techniques -- one of the most useful in your day-to-day life will be repairing quarter-sized holes in drywall.

Also gained as you study is knowledge -- most will be Japanese terms for the dojo, but some will be useful elsewhere. In particular, medical terminology like "rotator cuff injury."

Aikido will teach you new communication tools like how to answer the question "What is Aikido" a dozen different ways. Unfortunately, none will give the listener a clue.