Training at Aikido of Norwalk

Aikido is learned by sincere, committed training over time. This is in direct conflict with the modern world's desire for on-demand results and instant gratification. Penetration of the art's deeper aspects requires a student to immerse him/herself into the practice. There is simply no other way.

Those that do commit - over the weeks, months and years - will be rewarded as once-foreign movements become fluid and learned skills become internalized and spontaneous. Later, one's perception of conflict and even the self, will begin to change.

Finding one's Path
In Japanese Culture they say all of the Do (Ways) are different paths up the same mountain of self realization. In choosing Aikido, one is choosing a martial path which is taught using tools of self defense - strikes and throws, weapons and forms.

As one might imagine, such a journey will have its ups and downs. There will be moments of accomplishment and others of frustration. It is in navigating these peaks and valleys over time, that the student evolves as a martial artist and human being.

10,000 First Days
Students are encouraged to cultivate a Beginners Mind. Whether they have been training for two weeks or twenty years, this means focusing for what is yet to be learned, rather than on what is already "known".

Our school puts little emphasis on belts and rank. Students train to understand the art of Aikido. External trappings like colored belts, certificates and titles come only when the student has learned what is necessary. This means each student must focus on his/her own development, not on "keeping up" with peers or attaining a certain status.

Our dojo is your dojo
Dojo literally means "place of the Way". As such, the dojo is a training hall - your training hall, should you join us. Students are expected to leave the outside world at the door and focus on their training. 

Inside the dojo, you will find a community of practitioners who will welcome you to share the practice. All students work with each other, regardless of rank. It is understood that the twenty-year veteran has as much to learn by working with a beginner as the beginner has by working with the seasoned practitioner.

Ultimately, when you strip away the walls, mats, calligraphy, belts, uniforms, ranks, and terms, you are left with the purest sense of "dojo" - a group of people with a shared interest, working together to derive from that art something which they believe will make them a better person.