Or, how to survive bicycling in traffic. How does it feel to have practiced aikido for over ten years? I was late. I was biking in a light drizzle to the dentist’s office, wearing my new rain jacket and rain pants.
I enjoyed your essay Rey. I also enjoyed the "hit me like a girl" article you wrote to. You're writing always digs a little deeper then the obvious which makes it interesting.
Years ago I was in Hawaii walking with a friend of mine who had practice aikido for many years. I commented to him that I wished I had got involved in martial arts. He asked me "You did didn't you? How many years did you play football?" About 12 I reckon, maybe more. It was at a pretty high level as well.
The similarities are that:
I know how to fall.
I can complete tasks that are overwhelming.
Not afraid of the unknown.
I'm not afraid of getting hurt although I don't welcome.
Thanks for sharing, Stephen! I think there's a lot of similarities between sports, physical practices, and martial arts. That's great that you know how to fall and that your practice helps you with overwhelm and fear of the unknown.
Oh, the many times I have fallen off my bike IN TRAFFIC. Such a relatable fear. I can't say that I had any martial arts training to help me out. I think I've just gotten lucky.
I love this! I used to have a friend who practiced akido, and they had really interesting reflections to share about how it improved their "off the mat" life, both physically and spiritually. I wish I had taken their advice to learn it when I was still physically able to do such a practice. I did start a yoga practice about 15 years ago, and it has provided me with some of the same benefits, such as avoiding falls, or falling in a way less likely to cause injury. But there's something about the way that akido practitioners talk about akido that leads me to believe I would have loved the practice, had I not let my social anxieties deter me from exploring it.
I'm glad you got similar benefits from your yoga practice, thanks for sharing! I have done a bit of yoga and appreciated how it made me feel more stable and flexible. The social anxiety of starting with a new group is very relatable too. I would probably be intimidated by starting aikido now if I hadn't already been doing it for a long time.
Rey, I loved reading this! I grew up doing taekwondo and miss it dearly. Martial arts has always been a really important part of my identity. As I've gotten more into adulthood and settled more comfortably into my trans-nonbinary self, I've actually been worried that finding a new dojang or other martial arts studio would be harder because of that identity. It's such a relief to read about another nonbinary person doing a martial art! I look forward to reading more of your writing!
Thanks so much for sharing, Reed! It's so nice to meet another nonbinary martial artist. We are out there!! The concern about joining a new martial arts place as an adult is very relatable - if I wasn't already training in this community I'm not sure I'd be comfortable starting from scratch with a new group.
The exact same thing happened to me in the past. And one of those times I was transporting a live frog..
Congrats on 10+ years. It's been 23 years since I first started training!
Wow, well I have never transported a live frog on my bike haha! Thanks so much, and congrats on your 23 years of practice!
I enjoyed your essay Rey. I also enjoyed the "hit me like a girl" article you wrote to. You're writing always digs a little deeper then the obvious which makes it interesting.
Years ago I was in Hawaii walking with a friend of mine who had practice aikido for many years. I commented to him that I wished I had got involved in martial arts. He asked me "You did didn't you? How many years did you play football?" About 12 I reckon, maybe more. It was at a pretty high level as well.
The similarities are that:
I know how to fall.
I can complete tasks that are overwhelming.
Not afraid of the unknown.
I'm not afraid of getting hurt although I don't welcome.
Thanks again
Stephen
Thanks for sharing, Stephen! I think there's a lot of similarities between sports, physical practices, and martial arts. That's great that you know how to fall and that your practice helps you with overwhelm and fear of the unknown.
Oh, the many times I have fallen off my bike IN TRAFFIC. Such a relatable fear. I can't say that I had any martial arts training to help me out. I think I've just gotten lucky.
Falling off the bike in traffic is super scary! I'm very glad you've been lucky! (Knock on wood)
I love this! I used to have a friend who practiced akido, and they had really interesting reflections to share about how it improved their "off the mat" life, both physically and spiritually. I wish I had taken their advice to learn it when I was still physically able to do such a practice. I did start a yoga practice about 15 years ago, and it has provided me with some of the same benefits, such as avoiding falls, or falling in a way less likely to cause injury. But there's something about the way that akido practitioners talk about akido that leads me to believe I would have loved the practice, had I not let my social anxieties deter me from exploring it.
I'm glad you got similar benefits from your yoga practice, thanks for sharing! I have done a bit of yoga and appreciated how it made me feel more stable and flexible. The social anxiety of starting with a new group is very relatable too. I would probably be intimidated by starting aikido now if I hadn't already been doing it for a long time.
Oops, just realized I consistently misspelled aikido!
Nice association with falling. Enjoyed this!
Thanks very much!
Rey, I loved reading this! I grew up doing taekwondo and miss it dearly. Martial arts has always been a really important part of my identity. As I've gotten more into adulthood and settled more comfortably into my trans-nonbinary self, I've actually been worried that finding a new dojang or other martial arts studio would be harder because of that identity. It's such a relief to read about another nonbinary person doing a martial art! I look forward to reading more of your writing!
Thanks so much for sharing, Reed! It's so nice to meet another nonbinary martial artist. We are out there!! The concern about joining a new martial arts place as an adult is very relatable - if I wasn't already training in this community I'm not sure I'd be comfortable starting from scratch with a new group.