The Covid19 situation has not been an easy time for any of us and like almost all walks of life, sporting activity and Aikido is no exception, particularly due to the contact and close proximity required for training.
We suspended training as venues were closed and although guidelines were established we wanted to act responsibly to protect our fellow club members, ourselves and our families.
The gravity of the situation was brought firmly home when the virus dealt us a tragic blow and we lost our colleague Ismet, much loved as both a friend and instructor.
We took our training into the cloud and continued to meet virtually every Thursday at 7.30 almost as soon as lock down began. It was been a challenge to find ways to continue learning and practicing Aikido from front rooms, kitchens and other spaces within our homes.
We may have been one of the first Aikido clubs in the world to attempt this and we missed only one session on the night the first lock down was announced. While difficult at first, it became easier to find ways to train together virtually and while not ideal, the virtual meetings were a rewarding and uplifting experience.
Teaching in this way has put a focus on posture exercises and visualization techniques which produced some valuable themes and thought processes that we have carried back into training.
When restrictions were eased we met in person and trained 3 meters apart and focused on weapons training with Bokken and Jo kata both solo and in pairs. Where appropriate we also trained with masks, however, we continued the posture drills and visualizations that we started online as part of our “in-person” routine.
And now we are back to a more normal mat configuration, although we are still testing and respecting some measures to minimize the risk of spreading Covid, protect each other, our families and friends.
Keeping a sense of routine, supporting each other and enjoying each others friendship has been just as important as keeping up our Aikido practice. So while we would give anything for Covid not to have affected our lives and taken our dear friend from us, there have been some positive outcomes.