Purpose: to foster discussions on improving the dojo, particularly in the following 4 areas:

• Beginner's care
• Retention
• Advanced Students
• Cleaning
• Etiquette

Some ideas:

Beginners

Require "Application" or "Interview" before being admitted as a student.

(Existing students may also be asked to do this in order to be allowed to continue training).

Give each new beginner a three month structured curriculum with items to be accomplished during each week.

Assign each new student to a sempai, who will monitor and access his/her progress. Sempai will talk with the new student at least once a week and go over the curriculum list and monitor progress.

Sempai can suggest areas that their kohai needs work in. Sempai can set up "training" plan for next test.

Revise new student information.

Retention

Tailor information packet to kyu levels. Have separate pages for each kyu.

Make students aware of requirements for their next test, early in the process (as soon as they pass their previous test). I suppose test oriented is a good thing because it builds motivation.

People have different reasons for practicing aikido. These may include exercise, self defense or just the need to join a social group. After capturing a student's reasons from his Application , we could try to nurture them in those specific areas; (ie if they are interested in aerobic exercise, once they learn to roll, we encourage a more vigorous workout for them). We do this until they develop their own "addiction" for aikido.

Do we want to have a more formal curriculum, where core techniques are covered over a 2 or 3 week period and then repeated? I believe Saito sensei did this at Iwama. Right now it is very informal: we look at book and see what was taught the last few classes and then go out and teach something different. {comment: probably not, this traditionally has not been our approach, and I don't want to adopt Saito Sensei's approach (and I say that with all due respect)}

Advanced Students

We have a group of students who are around first kyu to shodan. The period between second kyu and sandan is critical. It is usually the time of the most intense training.

We should have a clearer focus for this group.

Cleaning

From my perspective, we have been very successful in getting the mat sweeping done, but less successful in doing anything beyond that.

It does little good to sweep all the dust into the lounge and leave it there without vacuuming.

So, people should not sweep unless they are going to also vacuum.

Students have to be taught to take the next logical step.

Other items that must be done: emptying trash cans, replacing paper in shoe racks. Next tier: bathrooms and dressing rooms, dusting, kamiza.

Etiquette

TBD

References

USAF test requirements

Jo Birdsong Introductory Aikido course

Framingham Aikikai new student info.feb07.doc

26 July Instructors meeting