LOVE FOR THE AIKIDO STUDENT MANUAL
JONATHAN WEINER, AIKIDO OF CHARLOTTE
The author did a very nice job tying in his personal martial arts experience while focusing on the present and some great advice on what to look for in a dojo, an instructor, and some important things to embrace in your training. Whether it’s your first day on the mat or decades later, this book can offer you something. It can be a guide, a mirror, and a tool to enlighten yourself.
PETER BERNATH, FLORIDA AIKIKAI
Reuven shows a passion for aikido and imparts a wealth of practical advice to help you get the most out of your aikido training.
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More advanced aikido students can also relate to Reuven’s personal aikido journey, gain insight into their own training, and to the greater aikido community in which live. This is a well thought out book and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in aikido.
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Congrats on work well done my friend.
MATTHEW ADDISON, PINELLAS COUNTY AIKIKAI
This [book] is something special. A dojo is suppose to be a sacred place; it’s not a gym, it’s somewhere you go, where humans meet and become one family.
That’s what I feel when I walk into this place, a dojo that is encompassing the philosophy and principles of Aikido!
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Thank you sensei!
BLUE SPRUELL, PEACHTREE AIKIKAI
Lirov Sensei’s experience and passion for martial arts in general and Aikido in particular show in this comprehensive introduction to Aikido training.
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Beginners will find a very clear and concise introduction to the practice and philosophy of Aikido, and longtime Aikido practitioners would do well to reflect on questions Lirov Sensei poses regarding “committed” training.
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Aikido is often misunderstood or maligned in the world of competitive martial arts by individuals who simply missed its point. Aikido is physical, mental, and spiritual training toward personal refinement, and Lirov Sensei’s manual offers an accessible, insightful introduction toward that goal.
THE AIKIDO STUDENT MANUAL
The Aikido Student Manual is an invitation. It invites those Millenials and younger who have ever wondered what the purpose is of training in traditional martial arts? Why not just practice modern fighting arts? Why not just become a monk? It invites those older folks who may or may not have studied traditional martial arts to reflect on what this practice and path offers.
The goal of The Aikido Student Manual is not to conflict with any other style of martial art, teacher, or method of achieving your goals, but instead to give beginners an outstretched hand to help them enter this strange world of bows, throws, and joint locks. It seeks to find the commonalities between all disciplines so that there is more, not less, freedom in our lives.
This book's challenge to you is to establish a strong foundation and never stop reinforcing and building on that foundation. A dojo should be the one place you can delve into yourself without judgment and find a community, a family, of like-minded practitioners who are on the same path as you. Make your mistakes boldly so that you may revel in the victory they bring.
Anata no tabi ni ganbattekudasai! (Good luck on your journey!)