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Ukemi, Please by Clarence E. Davis I started my aikido training at ACV last July. I was excited to finally be training once again in a martial art. Four years of intense training followed by a five-year hiatus had left me with a void that conventional exercise could not fill. Yearning to get back on the mat, I called ACV and spoke with Sensei who encouraged me to come in and speak with him and perhaps watch a class. I went in and spoke with Sensei and immediately felt at home. We talked for almost an hour, and at the end of that time I knew that this was where I wanted to train. I had erroneously believed that I could pick up where I had left off in my earlier training. It would be like riding a bike I told myself, after a few classes I would be back "in the groove." I could not have been more incorrect. The first class that I took started out easy enough, stretching and a warm-up. Sensei then clapped his hands and said, "Ukemi, please." I immediately launched into a diving roll and a few break-falls (pretty good I thought after not having done this for a while). Sensei approached me and said, "Those were very good, but we don't usually do break-falls in our dojo." Ok, I wondered, how do I get down to the mat? I did not have to wait long for an answer to my question. Sensei very gracefully showed several forward rolls, and sprung to his feet "Ok, you try." Surprise... I tried it and failed miserably, this was not going to be easy. After several weeks of fighting with my ego and my stubbornness, I made the conscious decision to let go completely of everything I had previously learned and open my mind. I had once again found shoshin (beginner's mind). At that point things became a little easier. I no longer left the dojo angry and frustrated with myself, I started to relax and really enjoy practice. Well, it has been seven months since I started studying aikido. In that time I have settled into the rhythm of the dojo and my various training partners. I would like to thank my sempai (senior students) for working with me outside of class. Although far from being graceful, I no longer feel like I have two left feet and no longer fear the words "Ukemi, please." See you on the mat.