Robets aikido shines in many ways

When you train in the art of Aikido it is not just about learning self defense. When you start to understand the art you will start to learn what you really make you tick.  I am talking about the things that define us from everyone else in the world. As you learn the art of Aikido you will really start to notice your personality changes almost always for the better i.e. more calm in a crisis, things that really bothered you before aikido don’t even raise a hair on your neck.  But there have been some students that will find the power of aikido and use it for no good such as becoming over confrontational.

An aikidoka will soon start to feel their ability to help others in time of need.  An example of what I am talking about would be from one of my student’s recent actions.

Back when he joined our dojo his hair was really long, he was quiet, bashful and nowhere near aggressive. He was just the person in need of leaning aikido to bring him from his shell. As he trained over the last summer and tested I noticed something starting to change. His personality started to stand its ground. Now he looks you in the eye when he speaks with you.  After his second test and was awarded his next rank. He really started to take on the more advanced students in class. I could see his confidence was really starting to grow. He has gotten to the point of not backing down and asking to be the uke for teaching the advanced techniques. In his everyday job he was asked to move up the ladder to manager. He accepted and the corporation sent him of to the managerial classes. He is doing great in his new position.

The one thing that I noticed most was he started to work with the new students as a true sempai mobile c should, too the extent of almost spending his entire time on the mat with them.  I see the sign of a student becoming a true aikidoka. Then he came to class and told me what he had done.  Of course I already noticed but did not know why. You see he had very long hair. You know the kind that you just loved pull or step on.  I would always mention in class how I loved guys with long hair and how I could use it against them.  So when I noticed that his hair was cut short I immediately thought of all the trouble I given him in class about his hair and he just cut it for that reason. I was truly wrong in my assumption.

Here is an email that I received from him.

Sensei,

Here are the before and after pictures. I donated 12in. To locks of love today