Do girls get a bulking season? Silly question….
The other morning my son, the high school athlete, polished off one breakfast and then went to shower. I started cooking eggs and toast for other family members and when he emerged back on the...
View ArticleAikido, The Samurai Spirit
I just came across this great documentary on Aikido. It’s produced by NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster. The series featured different martial arts and this episode is all about Aikido. I think it’s...
View ArticleSelf defense is a feminist issue
Tips to prevent rape tshirt Let me begin with a story about why I first took self-defense classes. In 1984 I was an undergraduate student at Dalhousie University. I was attacked in Halifax on a...
View ArticleThe enthusiasm of youth is infectious (most of the time anyway)
It was a pretty hard workout even by CrossFit standards. 200 m row, 10 burpees, 10 box jumps. 6 rounds for time. I was sweaty and breathless on burpee 8 of my second last set when I hear, “Hey,...
View ArticleIce, age, and the fear of falling
Driving home from work today, en route to CrossFit actually, I listened to an interesting interview with a chiropractor about icy roads and sidewalks and the fear of falling. I was prepared for the...
View ArticleWeight training only?
I’ve written before about mono exercisers, advocating instead for an account of fitness that includes multiple components. See Is there life after running? and Fitness, yes but fit for what? It used to...
View ArticleFail again, fail better?
“All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” ― Samuel Beckett, Worstward Ho It’s been a very rough winter. I won’t go into all the horrible...
View ArticleTraining for my 4th Kyu Test in Aikido
It’s test review time in Aikido. Here’s what I need to know: http://www.aikido.on.ca/?ref=testing/syllabus_kyu_10-4 In our dojo, you don’t decide to test. Others decide for you. Those who are ready...
View ArticleI survived Jiyu Waza Wednesday
A friend has been nicknaming Wednesdays nights at our Aikido dojo, “Jiyu Waza Wednesday.” That’s because the instructor likes ending the class with Jiyu Waza. What’s Jiyu Waza? It’s one of the few...
View ArticleHold my calls, CrossFit, but I’ll be back!
Since my knee injury I’ve been reluctant to continue at CrossFit. It’s not them, it’s me. The coaches at CrossFit are very good at modifying workouts to accommodate athletes’ particular injuries,...
View ArticleWhy I Love Aikido (Guest Post)
I was standing watching the children’s class, waiting for my adult aikido class to begin, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was my aikido sensei (teacher). “I saw your name in the paper.” I...
View ArticleBikido! This weird thing I’ve been doing lately
I’ve started doing an organized weekly ride with a coach and a group of athletes he trains. So far it’s been all women which is lovely. Speedier than my usual rides with friends. Fun. We ride 40 km...
View ArticleNovember goals
I find it helps to have short term goals, medium term goals, and long term goals. Five years from now, what do I want to do be doing? What do I want to do next summer? But also, what do I want to do...
View ArticleIt takes a village, or a dojo…
… to teach me to breakfall and I’m very grateful. No photos or videos of my break falls just yet! I am simply feeling overwhelmed at the moment by how much the entire community of senior belts at the...
View Article“Trust the technique”: Life lessons from Aikido, #1
So in the drafts folder of this blog I’ve got a post that just keeps getting longer. It was called “Six Things Aikido Taught Me” but then that turned to “Ten Things…” and so on. And it’s also too long....
View ArticleZanshin and semester’s end: Lessons I’ve learned from Aikido #2
From AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information AikiWeb’s principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information,...
View ArticleSlow progress is still progress
“After you have practiced for a while, you will realize that it is not possible to make rapid, extraordinary progress. Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little....
View ArticleBroken: How a serious sports injury damaged more than my body (Guest Post)
It happened, as most accidents do, in an instant. One moment I was aiming a punch at my aikido partner, preparing to take his subsequent throw, and the next moment, instead of executing a neat...
View ArticleTouch me/Don’t touch me: Bodies, boundaries, and non-sexual physical intimacy
by Natalie Dee There’s an awful lot of physical intimacy in Aikido. I continue to find it fascinating how comfortable we are with that and how much trust it requires. I also think there’s a lot to...
View ArticleSerious off season training begins, now!
It’s the middle of January and I’m getting serious about off season training. It’s been going on for awhile but now it’s just one month until I’ll get to ride my new bike on the road, not the trainer....
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