This is a fantastic club full of mostly amazing people. I say mostly because if I'm here…read more..
Any who, if you are new to Judo and training at AJA makes sense logistically, then don't even think about it. Give Sensei Miller a call and get to your first class.
For your first class, you'll get paired up with a higher belt.
A minority will find you annoying and burdensome, because it's infinity easier to refine techniques with people who know what they are doing.
That's okay, don't feel bad. It's not your fault.
We're all in it together. Nobody achieves a Kuro-obi (黒帯) "Black Belt" by themselves in an empty dojo. I forget sometimes that I was once a white belt...
Sensei pairs advanced students up with newbs, against their will, because learning-by-teaching works, fantastically. He also probably wants you new people to learn safety and fundamentals correctly.
They say that teaching is good for the soul, I think that they, are on to something.
自他共栄 (Ji-ta Kyou-ei), which means "Mutual Welfare & Benefit", is one of two central principles of Judo. Pause to ponder the significance of this.
Interdependence is a codified social norm in Judo.
Where do you find that away from significant others, family and friends?
Moving on.
By working with an advanced student from the beginning of your training you will also become familiar with the other side of the philosophical judo coin: "Maximum Efficiency with Minimum Effort"（精力善用 Sei-ryoku Zen-you). Hopefully through them you will understand what economy of movement means within judo, and start looking for it in every technique.
At some point in the beginning of your training it would be in your best interests to internalize the difference between a poorly executed throw and a flawlessly executed throw. Without this intuitive understanding you run the risk of putting to muscle memory poor form. Your level of understanding regarding critical concepts will open or keep doors closed for you.
We train with the explicit goal of perfecting our techniques, and ourselves. The perfection of self through training cannot be adequately explained on yelp, ask somebody with gray hair when you get here.
Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Or to make observations.
If I had a toonie for every time a white belt shared their exasperation or disappointment with me, I'd have approximately thirty dollars (if they were more forthcoming it could easily be hundreds). Feelings of abject hopelessness can be avoided.
Sharing is caring.
Pain shared is pain divided.
Nothing worth having, comes easy.
Blah. Blah. Blah.
You need solid technique, the right opportunity and correct timing. All difficult things to develop. You use the above in a dynamic, continuously changing environment which imposes heavy psychological demands on you. You constantly and instantly need to defend, attack, and counter-attack. In judo you are always fighting 3 adversaries, yourself, your opponent and the situation, not "The Situation.".
Moving on.
There are no meat heads here, if you are a meat head please go up north, and don't stop until you reach permafrost. This is where you belong, welcome home, you've made it.
This club has personality, it's full of characters. How could they not be interesting? They spend their free time throwing, arm-barring and choking each other.
After not going to a class or two, you will begin to experience withdrawal, these symptoms will disappear after going to the next available class.
If you want an aggressive and hard randori, (乱取り, free-style practice) there are training partners available for that. Don't assume that everyone wants to fight to the death. Ask around, you will be pointed in the right direction.
Its hard to categorize this club. We are not a competition oriented club, but we do compete.
We are a social club, but we don't spend all our time talking.
We are a very international club, but we are still very much Canadian. Whatever that means?
Sensei Miller treats us like his extended family.
Sensei teaches in a seminar style, we gather round and he talks and demonstrates techniques, then we practice.
Everything is very hands on, a lot of the learning is accomplished through osmosis. You absorb from others what they know. That's why the quality of the club is higher than most, enough of us know the right way to do things and can pass that to along to others. Unfortunately it can sometimes be like the telephone game (especially when new techniques are introduced), the message deteriorates a little with each new caller...To avoid miscommunication you should screen calls from beginners.
This club is way up there. I started Judo with the Takahashi family in Ottawa and judowise they taught me how to read and write. I like to think of the Annex Judo Academy as the place where I learned how to produce poetry ;-)
