{"id":871,"date":"2019-08-28T16:03:12","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T16:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/?p=871"},"modified":"2020-04-19T14:20:39","modified_gmt":"2020-04-19T14:20:39","slug":"3-things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-aikido","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/3-things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-aikido\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Things you can do to improve your Aikido!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"880\" height=\"515\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/R5vsUJtLNyM\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-drop-cap has-very-dark-gray-color\">My senior year of college, I moved to Japan in order to pursue my passion and learn Aikido from the masters themselves at the Aikikai World Headquarters in Shinjuku, Tokyo.&nbsp; I trained everyday and pushed my level of Aikido higher than I ever dreamed of.  It\u2019s not easy to improve in Aikido, it\u2019s actually not easy to improve your skill in anything you do.&nbsp; We\u2019re just lazy by nature and leaving our comfort zone is never an easy task.&nbsp; Just think about it.&nbsp; If you want to run faster, you have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone, this means, you run so fast you feel like you\u2019re about to pass out, then you\u2019ll get faster.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I do pull ups very often.&nbsp; Pull ups aren\u2019t easy.&nbsp; You\u2019re lifting your entire body weight, and I weigh about 175lbs, that means I\u2019m lifting 175lbs.&nbsp; So, I do 10 pull ups easily, but to get to 15 is a stretch.&nbsp; That last pull up I\u2019m struggling, my body\u2019s shaking and&nbsp; I feel like I can\u2019t make it.&nbsp; I hate that feeling, it\u2019s so uncomfortable!&nbsp; But guess what, after a few sessions like that, I can do 13 pull ups pretty easily, then 14, then 15, then at 16 my body starts shaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Guess what, It\u2019s just got easier to do 15 pull ups.&nbsp; I\u2019ve improved, I\u2019m getting better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, Aikido is no\ndifferent.&nbsp; To improve, you have to push.&nbsp;\nIt doesn\u2019t feel good. It gets you outside of your comfort zone, but in\nthe end you do improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you haven\u2019t seen my vlog or read my blog, &#8220;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/index.php\/2019\/03\/28\/book-review-talent-is-overrated-what-really-separates-world-class-performers-from-everyone-else\/\" target=\"_blank\">Book Review: Talent is Overrated, What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everyone Else,<\/a>&#8221;  check it out and it will explain in more detail the mindset and the attitude to get better.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What do you think we should\ndo to improve our level of Aikido, please comment below and add your thoughts\nand ideas.&nbsp; You never know, I might just incorporate them into my class!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>OK, the three things, you\ncan easily do that will improve your Aikido immediately:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#1.&nbsp; Reading.&nbsp;<\/strong> Read every book you can find on Aikido, Martial Arts, Zen, Buddhism, Meditation and make sure you\u2019re reading books from different authors and different perspectives.&nbsp; You don\u2019t want to become a groupie, you want to become better at Aikido!&nbsp; Reading expands your knowledge.&nbsp; Aikido is a belief system, it\u2019s a philosophy, so by developing your knowledge and your mind, you improve your belief system about Aikido.&nbsp; You know, they say, knowledge is power!&nbsp; The more you know about Aikido, the martial arts, zen, meditation, the stronger you become, the better your Aikido gets!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The #2 thing you can do to improve your Aikido is Kushin!<\/strong>&nbsp; What is Kushin\u2026.Kushin are squats.&nbsp; Squats make your quads stronger.&nbsp; The stronger your legs are the more powerful your techniques will become.&nbsp; Some people like to compare Aikido to dancing &#8230;I like to compare it to ballet.&nbsp; Have you seen the quads on ballet dancers!&nbsp; Have you seen how fast, graceful and powerful their movements are!&nbsp; Aikido is about movement, movement comes from the hips and legs, not the upper body!&nbsp; Practice Kushin everyday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The #3 thing you can do to improve your Aikido, is show up for class!<\/strong>&nbsp; You get better by practicing, watch my video, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/L4vsX_2TuMM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Book Review: Talent is Overrated, What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everyone Else (opens in a new tab)\">Book Review: Talent is Overrated, What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everyone Else<\/a>\u201d&nbsp; They say 80% of the battle is just showing up.&nbsp; Come to class, even if you don\u2019t feel like it.&nbsp; I understand that to get better, you push yourself outside of your comfort zone, and that\u2019s not easy, it\u2019s also the main reason you\u2019ll find an excuse not to show up for class, but showing up is all you need to do, and let the rest happen naturally.&nbsp; When I was in Japan, my walk to&nbsp; honbu dojo was always nerve racking, because every class took me way out of my comfort zone.&nbsp; Luckily, I was in Japan to do Aikido, and even though I would try to come up with an excuse to skip class, I rarely did.&nbsp; It just became a habit, I was young and naive about being sore and uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe you don\u2019t want to\nbecome a master, or a professional Aikidoist, or maybe you do, either way,\nimproving your skill is important.&nbsp; Henry David Thoreau a famous American\nphilosopher from the 1800\u2019s, said, \u201cWhat you get by\nachieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your\ngoals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about that for a\nsecond.&nbsp; You work hard and save up to buy a car.&nbsp; Wow great you\nshould celebrate, not because you bought the car, but because you worked hard\nto achieve your goal.&nbsp; You became disciplined and hard working.&nbsp; Getting better at Aikido isn\u2019t really about\nbeing able to perform the techniques better, it\u2019s really about improving and\nworking on who you are.&nbsp; It\u2019s funny, but I\u2019ve been told this and read\nabout it in several books, but didn\u2019t truly understand it until recently.&nbsp; Aikido has impacted my life, not because I\ncan do the techniques extremely well, but because of who I\u2019ve become in order\nto master these techniques!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to become\nbetter at Aikido, and improve who you are in the process, why not stop by and\ntry a class. Visit my website for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hello, I\u2019m Erik Calderon and I&#8217;ve been doing martial arts ever since my dad stuck me in some classes when I was 5 years old. &nbsp;At 20, I moved to Japan for the sole purpose of studying Aikido.  I trained on average 3 to 5 hours per day.  I chose Aikido because I like it\u2019s philosophy and I saw it as something I could do for the rest of my life.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote style=\"text-align:left\" class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default\"><p>What you get by achieving your goals isn&#8217;t as important as what you become by achieving your goals<br><br><\/p><cite><strong>\u2013 Henry David Thoreau<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s always exciting to look back and see how much you&#8217;ve improved, but it&#8217;s always hard to leave your comfort zone in order to improve.  Here are three things you can do that will help you improve your techniques in Aikido.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":879,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,33,30],"tags":[20,164,151,40,39,165,166,26,91,38],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido.jpg",1920,1080,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido.jpg",1536,864,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido.jpg",1920,1080,false],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido-600x338.jpg",600,338,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido-100x100.jpg",100,100,true],"shop_catalog":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"shop_single":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido-600x338.jpg",600,338,true],"shop_thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/3-things-to-improve-your-aikido-100x100.jpg",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/author\/admin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"It's always exciting to look back and see how much you've improved, but it's always hard to leave your comfort zone in order to improve. Here are three things you can do that will help you improve your techniques in Aikido.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=871"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":905,"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871\/revisions\/905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shinkikan.com\/houston-aikido-martial-arts\/aikido-houston-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}