Brooklyn Aikido Dojo Survives Quarantine
In the Dojo Volume 2 Issue 9
By Josh Paul Sensei, AOSB head instructor
The September news for Aikido of South Brooklyn is short but momentous: we are open and offering classes in the dojo and online for all ages.
It is a community success story. We are surviving only because of the commitment and passion of our students and their families, and their deep appreciation of the challenges faced by aikido’s resistance to commercialism, and those of family-owned, independent businesses in an era of franchises, box stores, commercial gyms, the internet, and expenses that persisted even when the economy was shutdown.
Our planned “phase III” class schedule (see side bar) is already active. All classes are in-person and in the dojo unless otherwise noted. We are ready to add more classes as soon as there is demand.
Of course, we are operating with limited class sizes and with a specialized curriculum. In the absence of hand-to-hand practice, we’re focusing on flexibility, a little conditioning, and lots of weapons. Weapons—the Japanese staff (jo), sword (bokken), and knife (tanto)—are an integral part of aikido. Aikido’s founder, Morihea Ueshiba, studied all three extensively, as well as the naginata (halberd) and spear. There is an extensive repertoire of solo and paired exercises with the jo, bokken, and tanto to choose and learn from all the while improving our empty-hand practice. Need to burn some energy? Try 500 bokken strikes. Want to practice hand-eye coordination? Try spinning the jo for several minutes. Need to feel a physical connection to your training partners? Try kumitachi (bokken vs bokken forms).
Nevertheless, we’re hoping to phase out some restrictions soon. After all, the numbers in NYC and NY State are continuing to trend in a positive direction. For example, on Wednesday, September 23, there were 209 new cases of COVID-19 reported in NYC, more than 26,000 new test results, a test positivity rate of 1.1%, and no new deaths.
Notably, some public schools, after a few false starts, have begun welcoming some students back for in-person education, restaurants have resumed seating patrons inside (but with the loss of bar service), and gyms and fitness centers have reopened. Martial arts and dance schools were allowed to reopen because of how we are categorized in the rather arcane North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Because of that same seemingly arbitrary bureaucracy, yoga and pilates studios, and similar businesses remain shuttered. Likewise, the Metropolitan Opera, NY Philharmonic, and other cultural institutions remain closed.
“The Art of Peace is medicine for a sick world.”
All of that said, the path before us remains murky and uncertain. However, the pandemic has generated some expansion and creative approaches to aikido’s path. And like the practice itself, perseverance—that is, shugyo—is the only way forward. In the meantime, wash your hands, wear a mask, and get your information from reliable sources.