Aikido of Nebraska

Congratulations to Kira on her green belt! Kira, you work hard and persevere! We are proud of you! Keep being a strong leader you are! Gambate!

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT!

Meet Steve. Steve is currently a blue belt at our Dojo. When he's not training, he works as the Science Stockroom Manager at Nebraska Wesleyan University.

When asked why he joined Aikido Steve says, "Mostly exercise. However , I was attracted by the beauty and grace displayed by well trained practitioners."

What Steve loves most about Aikido: "How aikido has changed something within every aspect of my daily life. From how I move, to how I approach difficulty, to how I treat others and myself."
Steve's satori (little enlightenment): "Relaxing is often the solution to getting unstuck."

Come check out a class, meet Steve (make sure to ask him to tell you one of his favorite dad jokes) and see how great Aikido is for your body and mind!

https://aikidonebraska.org/

Congratulations to Ursula on her orange belt! Keep growing in your training, Ursula! We are proud of you! Gambate!

As an Instructor, the biggest hurdle in getting new students is getting them to remove their pre-conceptions.

Forget what you see in the movies. Forget that you are older. a woman, or not athletic.

You can do this. Just try. 🙂

Monday Student Spotlight:

Meet Noah

Noah has been doing Aikido for approximately 7 months and just tested for his 1st orange belt (and passed!) last week!

Noah is going to be a Junior at Lincoln Southwest next year, and works for his mom, as well as being the "Green Team" Lead at the Sunday Farmers Market. In Noah's spare time he loves collecting and researching vintage cameras.

When asked why he started Aikido, Noah says: "My mom convinced me to do it. I also thought it would be cool to do a martial art."

What Noah most loves about Aikido: "How you move your body and all of the awesome techniques you can do".

Noah's satori (little enlightenments): "I'm getting better at understanding Japanese and the different techniques".

Noah also studies Japanese at LSW and was just hired to be a Japanese Ambassador this summer for exchange students coming to UNL.

Noah is a great example that anyone can do Aikido, because it was 4.5 years ago that he received a heart transplant, and has found a martial art that he can still train just like everyone else, without the fear of injury. Aikido helps give kids the skills to protect themselves while also protecting others from harm.

If you think that you might be interested in Aikido you can find more information at https://aikidonebraska.org/ as well as sign up for your first class Free to give it a try!

Watch your THOUGHTS- they become your WORDS.
Watch your WORDS- they become your ACTIONS.
Watch your ACTIONS- they become your HABITS.
Watch your HABITS- they become your CHARACTER.
Watch your CHARACTER- it becomes your DESTINY.

-Lao Tzu

Maai = proper distance

In Aikido, maai is a distance between self and an attacker. However, this skill goes beyond the dojo. Aikido students learn to be aware of who is in their maai (pronounced “my-eye”), and this teaches them awareness of their surroundings and safety in such places as a playground, a grocery store, a parking lot, and so on. With practice, being aware becomes a part of daily behavior.

Congratulations to Anderson on his orange belt! Anderson, you did a great job, and we are so happy you are a part of our dojo! Keep learning and growing! And remember: your hardest test is always the next one!

MONDAY STUDENT SPOTLIGHT!

Meet Dave!

Dave is a black belt and has been training in Aikido a little over 12 years

Dave works for NDOT/Aeronautics, cares for 3 cats and likes music & stargazing.

When asked why he started Aikido:

"I had been curious for many years about learning a martial art. I noticed the dojo's sign one day driving home from the grocery store. I'd probably driven past it a hundred times without seeing it ("When the student is ready, the teacher appears").

What does Dave most love about Aikido?

"It's very hard to pick just one thing. The human contact and the respect we show each other. The way people give their best efforts. Learning some skills that can help me defuse or control a situation without causing injury. Learning about and improving myself.

One of Dave's satori (sudden enlightenments):

"When I was first learning the sankyo pins I had a lot of trouble with them. One night we were practicing them yet again, and I still wasn't getting them quite right -- but by the end of class, for the first time I felt like I was beginning to understand what I was doing wrong, and I realized that next time around I would probably 'get' them."

If you're interested in seeing what the art of Aikido is about, the best way to do that is to come and try a class! Adult classes are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 - 7:30 and Saturdays from 11a - 12. Youth classes Tuesday/Thursday from 5:30 - 6:30 and Saturday 10am - 11am.

Students of all ages are welcome!

For more information check out our website at: https://aikidonebraska.org/ and sign up for your Free Trial Class!

Coming to class and consistency is a key component to successful Aikido training and growth as a student. Leo, you show up and work hard. Congratulations on your purple belt!

From people, to property, to pets - kids learn respect in Aikido. They learn that respect is earned, not given, and they respect their adversaries as well as their friends.

Traditional Aikido teaches discipline and respect. Teaching kids how to successfully interact with their fellow students is essential for success later in life.

We value character over talent. Students with the great character, but poor talent, progress quickly. Students with great talent, but poor character, progress slowly.

The right character succeeds over all other shortcomings.
Develop your character.

Aikido students come in all shapes, sizes, and abilities. The only starting prerequisite is a desire to learn. Everything else will take care of itself. Come and try a class.

Dojo is a place where Aikido students train. Our dojo is one of the most welcoming places one can go no matter age, level, or skill set. Every student is positively challenged and betters him/herself as a student and a human being.

The key to success?
Increase your failure rate 😉

We learn more from our failures than from our successes. Do not be afraid to try something new and make a mistake. The more mistakes, the more you learn.

Ruby earned her orange stripe yesterday! Well done! You are doing great!

Learning to connect with your training partner and keeping your balance is crucial in any martial art.
In kids' class, we often spend time with fun balance exercises.

Es tested successfully for his purple belt yesterday evening! Great job! You did so well! Keep going!

Congratulations to Cameron and Xavier!!!
Yesterday evening, Xavier earned his purple belt and Cameron got his yellow stripe! Great job, keep going!!!

On February 9th, 1948, the Aikikai Foundation was officially recognized by the Japanese Government.
After the war, in order to help the recovery of Aikido, Kisshomaru Ueshiba Second Doshu focused on the rebuilding of the organization.
He reorganized the pre-war Kobukai Foundation, and applied to the Japanese Government for recognition as the Aikikai Foundation under a different organizational structure.
This laid the foundations for the post-war reconstruction of Aikido.

📣Congratulations to Beth and Sasha for receiving their testing certificates last night!
Careful... there is a new second orange and a new brown belt on the mat!!! We are looking forward to training with you!

Congratulations! Yesterday evening, Oliver earned his orange stripe! Great job, keep going!

Respect means being able to work with any training partner... no matter whether you just started or whether you have trained for many years.
And training with a new partner is always fun!

Did you know that we clean and disinfect the dojo between classes and at the end of every evening?
In this current Omicron surge, please be safe, wear your masks, use hand hygiene and practice careful social distancing. If you feel sick, stay home.
We want to protect ourselves and our loved ones - and we want to do everything we can to stay open and keep training, safely and carefully!

"Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow."
Morihei Ueishiba (O'Sensei)

Aikido is about following these words of O'Sensei to the best of our ability with our training partners.

The 2022 Aikikai Foundation Aikido Hombu Dojo Kagamibiraki Ceremony (New Year's Ceremony) just finished.
906 Aikido practitioners were promoted at this special annual ceremony. If you would like to watch the event, you will find the link below.

Our youth class is working on balance and teamwork this morning! Good job!

On the anniversary of his death, we remember the second Doshu and his importance for the survival of Aikido.
Kisshomaru Ueshiba Second Doshu, under the guidance of the Founder, restarted Aikido practice after the end of World War II.
Kisshomaru Doshu opened Aikido to the public, as well as worked tirelessly to spread Aikido domestically and internationally.
We want to express our gratitude for his efforts.

Aikido of Nebraska - Aikido of Nebraska

📣 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑'𝐒 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋!!! 📣
You want to start the new year in better health? You want to be in good shape, have fun, train with great people, and learn something new?
Then start your Aikido journey now!
If you sign up between now and the end of February, you can train for the first two months for the price of one!

Aikido of Nebraska - Aikido of Nebraska Aikido of Nebraska Discover Aikido | Discover Yourself Martial arts classes 7 “To Obtain Sight & Knowledge” Martial Arts can be used to discover who you truly are; mentally, physically and spiritually. Aikido training is some of the most valuable and important instruction that you will receive i...

May you all have a happy, healthy, peaceful, and successful New Year!
Aikido of Nebraska will be closed tomorrow for New Years Day, and we will be open again on Tuesday 1/4. We look forward to seeing you on the mat soon!

Being part of a dojo means more than just training on the mat, it means taking care of our training space and of each other.

"December 25th was the final day of practice for 2021 at the Aikido Hombu Dojo in Japan. On Dec 26th, staff and volunteers gathered to give the dojo a final cleaning (osouji) before the new year."

⭐️ Happy Holidays from Aikido of Nebraska! We hope you have a good and restful time with your friends and family. And then come back on the mat!

Eleanor and Lilianna earned their orange stripe last night in the kids' class - well done both of you! And after a celebratory picture with their classmates, it was time to have some fun and be silly 😄