Hi there, First off, sorry if this has already been asked but I have looked around the various threads and couldn't find an answer so thought I would just ask. My son started Aikido a while back and is now at the stage were a book which lists the beginners moves, holds, stances etc would be a great help. Basically since he is only young he struggles with all the various Japanese terms so a book which listed this with picture examples would be ideal. Does something like this exist, I have looked on amazon not certain which is best for his needs. I remember years back when I was first learning karate I found a couple of Shotokan kata books which showed the whole kata in pictorial form which were a great help to my learning and believe something similar must exist for Aikido techniques. To make it clear this is to help in his training not for him to solely learn from its realy more of a revision aide memoir for him. Cheers for any help.
To be honest it all depends on the style of Aikido they are learning. Aikido has evolved into so many different styles that some are completely different systems to others. The teacher of the school is the best one to ask as he will know what is best suited to the style they practice, Does he Practice a form of Aikikai (many different styles in this) Yoshinkan, traditional Iwama ryu? Tomiki? Ki? there are many and some are completely different to others. For my own students and myself the best book I read from a beginners view point is; [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Aikido-Bruce-Klickstein/dp/0938190857"]Living Aikido: Amazon.co.uk: Bruce Klickstein: Books[/ame] Written by a guy who spent along time living the founders Dojo in Iwama, best book I've ever read from a westerners point of view. But best to ask the teacher what they recommend
Cheers for the advice I will ask the teacher on my next visit as I am clueless when it comes to Aikido (and many other things in life).
is there a syllabus? the aikido federation i was a part of clearly spelled out the requirements for every promotion. using the syllabus will help your son keep track of the terms and then you can use google or some other internet search engine to find pictures or videos of the techniques. edit...see the attached. even has a glossary.
There is a syllabus but I know the sensei broke away from the main body several years back because he got sick of all the politics etc which I can understand from various arts that I have studied. Maybe my lack of aikido knowledge shows through as I thought a variety of the basic techniques would span many of the styles. Anyways I now have a few questions to ask at his next training session, make myself seem like a pushy parent. Cheers again.
There are dozens of books like that, Zombie dude. Dozens. You want to pick the one closest to your style, e.g., Gozo Shioda's picture book has different terminology and different poses than that in Mitsugi Saotome's picture book. If you're doing Yoshinkan, pick a Shioda's book. If you're ASU, take Saotome's book. If you're Ki Society, get Koichi Tohei's "This is Aikido." Et cetera.
Yeah, terminology can be vastly different: Ushiro waza ryotemochi ikkajo osae ichi vs ushiro tekubitori ikkyo, for example. A lot of schools have dojo student handbooks, and a lot of students I know at a lot of different organizations don't read them like they should. Its something I, as a student or father of a student, would ask the dojo cho about, and ask if he would consider coming up with one if there is none.
This is a good basic text from an Aikikai Shihan https://www.thegreatbritishbookshop...ful-martial-art-shown-in-over-500-photographs
You may want to examine: http://www.culturesmith.com/files/KlxConAikiWebp1-37604.pdf and http://www.fbi.gov/losangeles/press...-receiving-and-distributing-child-pornography Before purchasing the above book. Best, Chris
Thanks for adding that, I had no idea about the recent issue but I know he was found not guilt in the original case. If he IS guilty then no one should buy his book to prevent him from making any profit. I still believe its the best book written by a westerner which is a shame if this is true
I was around when it all happened, and as I remember it never got to court - but that's not the whole story. In any case, I would hesitate before purchasing the book. Best, Chris
Like Chris I was also around at the time and had some (peripheral) knowledge of the matter. Whilst I agree it's a good text I also agree we should absolutely not support Mr Klickstein in any manner. Despite his assurances at the time of the original allegations the 2013 incident shows nothing has changed.
There is a book called "The Dynamic Sphere of Aikido". For a beginner it might be a little difficult. But read it once a year throughout your Aikido Journey and it will all fall into place..
I'm not the biggest proponent of tech books, but books like Dynamic Sphere are kind of interesting to read every few years throughout your training life, to see what new things you pick up, or discard.
Books are crap. Actually, I've asked a few people about books and most seem to be of the opinion that books for learning techniques are garbage. Especially the Dynamic sphere, I purchased that book in hope of getting a head before starting. Sadly no such luck, my sensei suggested I get a refund. . Now if your interested in books on the history and philosophy of, that's an entirely different thing.
Tech books are good for cataloging what techniques are...more so than how to do them. But good notes are a cheaper option. I refer to a judo book to recall technique names quite frequently. For aikido? Maybe a little less practical as aikido tends to vary in technique approaches than other martial arts: I've definitely seen more ways to execute shomenuchi iriminage than O Soto Gari, for example. But as is often said - you have to learn techniques with your body, you can't just think about it (or watch Youtube).
The Book im talking about isnt about techniques but a on the theory of Aikido. Its actually a decent book recommended by a few people at my dojo..
Dynamic Sphere is a quasi tech book, more conceptual, and certainly highly regarded by many in the aikido world. I honestly didn't get much out of it, and I've read it a couple times. But I'm pretty open about what one can learn from - just because I didn't find it had value doesn't mean someone else won't.
