The good, the bad, and the ugly. You decide if the good outweighs possible consequences
Good:
1) Learning more about Christ
2) Higher cardio (heart) rate = better health
3) Learning to defend yourself against multiple attackers
4) Possible weight loss, or maintaining weight
5) New friendships
6) That sense of accomplishment when you throw a guy bigger than you to the floor. :)
Bad/Ugly:
1) Soreness (and a lot of it!)
2) Occasional injury (not often, but I'm not going to hide it from you)
3) Many, many bruises.
4) Occasionally getting sick from too much exercise (take a break if this happens to you!)
The Payment System
So, first month is free - what happens if you join in the middle of a month? You get 30 days free, and when times up, you pay half of what it costs per month (or for whatever is left of that month). Why? Because all fees are do the first of the month and that gets your payment schedule in line without you losing out on free days.
About one or one and a half weeks before payments are due, Sensei Joe will send an e-mail to everyone in the dojo letting them know that the first is coming up. You either pay via paypal (you have to reply and he'll let you know how) or mail the money/check to him so that it arrives before or on the first of the month. I don't know how the paypal works, so don't ask...
So, there's a form to fill out so that you know how much money you owe. It varies depending on how many classes you are taking and for how many days. You check the boxes and then add them up and you should have your total. There are also additional options for purchasing additional uniforms, t-shirts, and the like.
About one or one and a half weeks before payments are due, Sensei Joe will send an e-mail to everyone in the dojo letting them know that the first is coming up. You either pay via paypal (you have to reply and he'll let you know how) or mail the money/check to him so that it arrives before or on the first of the month. I don't know how the paypal works, so don't ask...
So, there's a form to fill out so that you know how much money you owe. It varies depending on how many classes you are taking and for how many days. You check the boxes and then add them up and you should have your total. There are also additional options for purchasing additional uniforms, t-shirts, and the like.
If you are ever confused, e-mail Sensei Joe or message him through Facebook for more information.
Language
Torukukai Aikijitsu is a Japanese martial arts system and the instructors will be using Japanese terms and English phrases you may be unfamiliar with. When you join, Sensei (meaning teacher) Joe will send you a packet via e-mail that will include various terms that are "frequently" used in the dojo ("the place where you find the way" - essentially, the place where we practice). I use quotations because not all of these words usually come up and some of the more frequent ones are not mentioned. Below I will list out the terms you may find helpful to know before your first class and their pronunciations within the dojo.
Counting
Ichi (eech) - one
Ni (knee) - two
San (sahn) - three
Shi (she) - for
Go (goh) - five
Roku (rroh-ku) - six
Shichi (sheech) - seven
Hachi (hahch) - eight
Kyuu (ku) - nine
Juu (ju) - ten <-- most important one*
English Words/Phrases
Belt level - indicates how far you've gone through the curriculum, shown by color. From newest to black belt: white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, shihankyuu (see below), black.
Tips - Indicates what level you are at within your belt level, called degrees. (eg. First degree white belt means you have one tip, second degree means two, etc.)
Ready Stance - stand with legs close together and arms down and a little to the front.
Attention Stance - military style, aka feet shoulder width apart and hands behind your back
Fighting Stance - stand with feet shoulder width apart, slide one foot back, bend front knee, hold arms up in, well, fighting positions ^^'
Japanese Words
Uke** (uu-kay) - "One who suffers for the sake of learning," or the person we practice on.
Tori (toh-rree) - Person doing the practicing on the Uke.
Huntai (uhn-tie) - switch legs in Fighting Stance
Migihamidachi (mee-gee-hah-mee-dahch)- Fighting Stance, right leg forward; aka "Migi" because no one can remember the full name.
Hidarihamidachi (hee-dah-rri-hah-mee-dahch) - Opposite Migi; aka "Hidari" because, again, no one can remember the full name.
Kibidachi (key-B-dahch) - Ever heard of horse stance? Legs fairly far apart, back straight, and knees outward.
Shihankyuu (shee-haan-Q) - Master-Student, wears a brown belt (sometimes with a black stripe through it) with red lettering. One step from black belt.
Shodan (shoh-daan) - Black belt, no tips.
Kata (ka-ta) - A series of movements to simulate a fight (each belt level has one).
Bunkai (buun-kah'ee) - Meaning behind the movements of a kata.
Seiza (say-zah) - sit on your knees.
Nunchaku (nuun-chah-ku) - nun-chucks, weapon.
Jo (joh) - five foot staff, weapon.
Bokken - Wooden sword
Japanese Phrases
...Ni Rei (knew rray) - Bow to...
Otekai Ni Rei (o-teh-kIh knee rray) - Bow to eachother
Shihankyuu Ni Rei (shee-haan-Q knee rray) - Bow to Shihankyuu
Shodan (shoh-daan knee rray) - Bow to Shodan
Sensei Ni Rei (sen-say knee rray) - Bow to Sensei
Osensei Ni Rei (oh-sen-say knee rray) - Bow to Head Sensei (in other words, Sensei Joe)
Uchi atemi goshin ka (u-chi a-teh-mee goh-sheen ka) - The name of the first white belt kata
Nunchacku atemi sono ichi (nun-cha-ku a-teh-mee soh-noh eech) - Nun-chuck weapons kata number one, the first one you will learn if you join the weapons class.
Misc. "Words"
Hiss - expulsion of breath as you strike or block. Loud.
Hissa - expulsion of breath for a final strike or block. Also used when "falling." Very loud.
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And that's just scratching the tip of the iceberg! However, don't worry about memorizing everything, your first class will be an orientation class. This is a one to one instruction from a higher belt where s/he will teach you stances, words to look out for, and other things you will need to know for class. Don't worry about perfection, nobody expects it and Sensei Joe is very understanding.
-------------------------------------
*Why is Juu (ten) the most important number? Because that indicates the final strike, meaning you hissa rather than hiss. Give it your loudest and best.
**Number one rule in the dojo - "Protect the uke!" This means when you practice on him/her, you aim to do it in such a way that you don't injure the uke.
Counting
Ichi (eech) - one
Ni (knee) - two
San (sahn) - three
Shi (she) - for
Go (goh) - five
Roku (rroh-ku) - six
Shichi (sheech) - seven
Hachi (hahch) - eight
Kyuu (ku) - nine
Juu (ju) - ten <-- most important one*
English Words/Phrases
Belt level - indicates how far you've gone through the curriculum, shown by color. From newest to black belt: white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, shihankyuu (see below), black.
Tips - Indicates what level you are at within your belt level, called degrees. (eg. First degree white belt means you have one tip, second degree means two, etc.)
Ready Stance - stand with legs close together and arms down and a little to the front.
Attention Stance - military style, aka feet shoulder width apart and hands behind your back
Fighting Stance - stand with feet shoulder width apart, slide one foot back, bend front knee, hold arms up in, well, fighting positions ^^'
Japanese Words
Uke** (uu-kay) - "One who suffers for the sake of learning," or the person we practice on.
Tori (toh-rree) - Person doing the practicing on the Uke.
Huntai (uhn-tie) - switch legs in Fighting Stance
Migihamidachi (mee-gee-hah-mee-dahch)- Fighting Stance, right leg forward; aka "Migi" because no one can remember the full name.
Hidarihamidachi (hee-dah-rri-hah-mee-dahch) - Opposite Migi; aka "Hidari" because, again, no one can remember the full name.
Kibidachi (key-B-dahch) - Ever heard of horse stance? Legs fairly far apart, back straight, and knees outward.
Shihankyuu (shee-haan-Q) - Master-Student, wears a brown belt (sometimes with a black stripe through it) with red lettering. One step from black belt.
Shodan (shoh-daan) - Black belt, no tips.
Kata (ka-ta) - A series of movements to simulate a fight (each belt level has one).
Bunkai (buun-kah'ee) - Meaning behind the movements of a kata.
Seiza (say-zah) - sit on your knees.
Nunchaku (nuun-chah-ku) - nun-chucks, weapon.
Jo (joh) - five foot staff, weapon.
Bokken - Wooden sword
Japanese Phrases
...Ni Rei (knew rray) - Bow to...
Otekai Ni Rei (o-teh-kIh knee rray) - Bow to eachother
Shihankyuu Ni Rei (shee-haan-Q knee rray) - Bow to Shihankyuu
Shodan (shoh-daan knee rray) - Bow to Shodan
Sensei Ni Rei (sen-say knee rray) - Bow to Sensei
Osensei Ni Rei (oh-sen-say knee rray) - Bow to Head Sensei (in other words, Sensei Joe)
Uchi atemi goshin ka (u-chi a-teh-mee goh-sheen ka) - The name of the first white belt kata
Nunchacku atemi sono ichi (nun-cha-ku a-teh-mee soh-noh eech) - Nun-chuck weapons kata number one, the first one you will learn if you join the weapons class.
Misc. "Words"
Hiss - expulsion of breath as you strike or block. Loud.
Hissa - expulsion of breath for a final strike or block. Also used when "falling." Very loud.
-------------------------------------
And that's just scratching the tip of the iceberg! However, don't worry about memorizing everything, your first class will be an orientation class. This is a one to one instruction from a higher belt where s/he will teach you stances, words to look out for, and other things you will need to know for class. Don't worry about perfection, nobody expects it and Sensei Joe is very understanding.
-------------------------------------
*Why is Juu (ten) the most important number? Because that indicates the final strike, meaning you hissa rather than hiss. Give it your loudest and best.
**Number one rule in the dojo - "Protect the uke!" This means when you practice on him/her, you aim to do it in such a way that you don't injure the uke.
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