If you have been a practitioner for a long time, it is possible to research on the internet to find what other practitioners are doing. Personally, I always enjoy watching videos and I research how other sensei are performing different techniques. Research helps us to improve our skills and it is also important to participate in different seminars to learn from other aikidokas.
At the beginning of your journey, it is fun to watch videos from different online platforms but are you really learning anything?
The eyes of the beginner see differently than the eyes of the advanced student. From my personal experience, when I was a beginner, I used to buy books about Aikido and I tried to learn everything that I could to improve my skills. Overtime and after years of practice, I reread the same books and the information provided had a different depth. So experience guide us towards more and new knowledge. Experience helps us to see details that we couldn't see before.
As it is said in the Dao de Jing:" A journey starts with a first step..." The first step, in anything you want to learn is: to find a teacher who can provide you with the fundamentals.
As you advance in your journey, you will start observing changes within yourself and you will start having a better understanding of Aikido. You will be able to enjoy watching the same videos and you will find new details that you didn't see before. It never gets boring.
Practicing with a teacher guides the student safely in the right direction so the student can learn the fundamentals and discover the secret hidden in the martial art.
"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret, it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
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