Dojo Training Update for the Month of March, 2012

Last month, the white belt student who logged the most training hours was Alan Abelson – and he’s held the title for three months now! The black belt student who logged the most training hours was Meredith Abel. It looks like all those training hours are starting to pay off!

In March we also welcomed 1 new member to our dojo. Please welcome Jonathan Espinoza!

Dojo Training Update for the Month of February, 2012

Last month, the white belt student who logged the most training hours was Alan Abelson. The black belt student who logged the most training hours was Jon Posnick. These students are really setting the bar! Congratulations!

In March, we will begin preparing students for kyu testing in April (before or at the start of USF Finals) – if you might be ready, be sure to focus on your test techniques and get your hours in!

ASU Yudansha Exam Preparation Handbook

In theory, regular practice of Aikido under a qualified instructor will prepare a student to pass their black belt test and to handle situations of stress, aggression and violence.  However, we are often nervous when test time approaches, as subconsciously we don’t have confidence that normal keiko is sufficient preparation for the above-normal stress and performance associated with testing.  We’ve all heard stories about students who have trained for a long time but had bad tests or even failed.

Psychology teaches us that humans perform best when provided clear and consistent goals and expectations, and then are given the tools to achieve them.  This handbook was assembled to help bridge the gap between testing expectation and preparation by sharing the best advice of some of ASU’s top instructors.

Sharing this handbook and linking to this page are encouraged; please, however, link to the page and not directly to the handbook. While the handbook is worded and focused foremost for members of the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba, it’s our hope that the concepts and advice will be useful for Aikido students regardless of their affiliation or style.