Words of Wisdom from O-Sensei

“Iron is full of impurities that weaken it; through forging, it becomes steel and is transformed into a razor-sharp sword. Human beings develop in the same fashion.”

-Morihei Ueshiba

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Aikido talent

I was so impressed with Levitt and Dubner's Freakonomics that I'm now reading their follow-on book: Super Freakonomics. I often look at some dans at seminars and wish I had that kind of Aikido talent. Levitt and Dubner cite Ericsson's research that suggests there is no evidence to support the existence of raw talent. "Any kind of exceptional performance [requires] spending a lot of time perfecting it." Oh snap!

Erricsson discovered that mastery of anything requires practice, but more import than just practice is what he calls deliberate practice. Deliberate practice has three keys parts: setting specific goals, getting immediate feedback, and concentrating as much on technique as on outcome. But here's the trick: only I know if I'm concentrating on my technique in the dojo. Admittedly, I'm not on my game with every practice--sometimes showing up is me meeting a commitment to myself. However, the good news is that it's really just practice and a frame of mind needed, not any Aikido talent that one is born with. Very good news. ;-)

For more information, see: Outliers by Gladwell, Talent is Overrated by Colvin, and The Talent Code by Coyle.
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Club News

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Aikido Club Details

Days, Times, and Location: Aikido Club sessions are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. We meet in PE 221 on UVU campus.

Club Dues: As a club at UVU, we are actually required to collect dues. We currently collect $20 per semester in club dues per person. Many dojos outside of UVU run about $40 per month, so this really is a great opportunity to learn Aikido at a great price! Club dues go right into the club fund where they can then be used for equipment for club and other club expenses.

Equipment: Bring a T-Shirt and athletic style pants, such as sweat pants. Those that have a gi are welcome to wear that. We recommend that you not wear shorts.

Testing: As Sensei is an Aikido Association of America certified instructor, he is able to conduct belt promotion tests. This is an awesome opportunity to progress further into Aikido. AAA fees apply (Ex. 7th kyu test fee is $25).

If you have any other questions about the club, please click the "contact me" button found on the right side of this page and send us a message.

Note to those who are not UVU students: The UVU Clubs organization states that we are able to accept non-UVU students into the club. However, at least 75% of our club membership MUST be UVU students. If you would like to join the UVU Aikido Club, prior approval must be obtained from Sensei.