Running an aikido dojo
The ups and downs of running an aikido dojo.
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Of course, the major aspect of aikido is the training of it on tatami, the mat. That can only be done in a dojo, so there just has to be one for aikido to be explored at all. We were all lucky to find one, when we started training aikido, or we would have gone bowling instead.
As time goes by, for some of us it becomes necessary to take over the responsibility for that dojo. For others there is no other way to continue training aikido than to form a dojo of their own. Don’t hesitate to do it, when the necessity arrives !
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Learning aikido, from the very first awkward ukemi and onwards, is a mighty struggle. So is running a dojo. There is no shortcut, and if there were, it would be just as bland and boring as seeing Paris only on postcards. You have to do it for real, or it has not been done at all.
I have started a couple of dojos, and I have witnessed the making and development of a few others. Here are some things that these experiences have taught me. Maybe they are of use to you, if you’re in the same process.
You want training partners
You know why you need a dojo: you simply want training partners. Maybe you took over a dojo when its former teacher left, or you star a brand new dojo because you moved to another town, or you needed a change because you wanted to pursue aikido in another direction than that of your old dojo – whatever the case, you need a dojo because you need training buddies for your continued aikido practice.
Don’t forget that. It is reason enough to go ahead and start a dojo, no matter how much trouble that will bring. It also gives you a compass that helps you in all the choices you need to make during the forming and the governing of the dojo. Choices that work well with your own training at the dojo are good, and other choices are bad. Of course, you must have a broader perspective than just the next class, but at the bottom line: you must want to train in the dojo, and long for the next class, or something is wrong.
So, don’t hesitate to form the dojo and its training in accordance with your own preferences in aikido. If you prefer a certain style of aikido, allow the dojo to be devoted to it. If you like a small club with just a few members who are close friends and equals, then stick to that and don’t bother about trying to make the dojo grow. The more the dojo agrees with you, the more you agree with it, and you will be an inspired leader of it.
Consequently, if for some reason the dojo develops into something that doesn’t suit you that well, don’t hesitate to leave it. You can find another dojo to your liking elsewhere, or start a new one. It might not be the dojo changing, but you. Change is a basic force in the world. Don’t expect things to be the same year after year, but expect things to change. That’s the only way you can adapt.
Still, until the day arrives when you feel like leaving the dojo, as long as you lead it: let it be governed by your personal preferences.
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