Aikido on Wheels

karen Wolek (Kingston Aikido)
kwolek@hvc.rr.com

My daughter was invited to a birthday party at a roller rink; this was her second time skating. So I figured I'd rent a pair of skates, too, and help her out.

Ha.

Rollerskating is NOT like riding a bike. It doesn't just come back to you as soon as you strap those puppies onto your feet. I was worse off than she was, since she'd been skating just a few months ago. Me, it's been about 20 years, I'd say. I swear I thought I would be able to skate as well as I did as a kid in the 80s.

Double ha.

Another mom said she'd like to try skating again, but she plans on going on an Open Skate night, right when it opens at 5, so no one else will be there to see her fall on her butt again and again. I laughed and said I'm so used to making a fool of myself at the dojo, this will NOT be a problem. If there's anything I've gotten out of aikido it's humility.

So I got my size 6 boot skates and tied 'em on; no way was I going for the inline type. After all, I already knew how to skate with regular ones.

Triple ha.

The first time I tried to skate without holding on for dear life, I landed on my butt. A kindly dad nearby helping his 7 year old....gave me a hand up off the floor, as I laughed and laughed. We talked about how different it is to do this at our age.....he mentioned the fear of falling and getting hurt. I laughed and said I really don't have that fear, since I do aikido about 12 hours a week!

I hung out on the carpet area with my skates on (you don't roll so fast on carpet), with the other parents, the ones who were smart enough to keep their shoes on. But after awhile, I really, really wanted to skate. I remembered how much I loved it when I was a kid, the freedom, the speed, the wind in my hair, the music, the laughter, the pure exhilarating joy. One of the moms said I looked very confident on them, anyway, so I decided to hell with it. I'm going for it. Even if I have to hang onto the sides like my daughter, who was having a blast! I did hang on for awhile, but eventually I was skating for real.

I realized that skating has a lot in common with aikido.

For one, you have to keep your knees bent. Second, you have to keep your head up above your shoulders, your shoulders above your hips, and your hips above your knees. Third, you HAVE to relax. Fourth, keeping your center is very important. Fifth, you have to be aware of the other people practicing around you. And sixth, once you stop thinking about the actual movement, you skate SO much better.

Oh, and seventh....the only way you get better is by practice, practice, practice! Watching the kids start out in tears, but then skating around the perimeter, occasionally having to let go to cross a break in the wall.....well, that was too cool. I gave a lot of thumbs up and encouragement to my daughter and her friends. And hey, one of the moms gave ME a couple thumbs up....as I finally took off and was able to zip around the rink with confidence and ease.

I only crashed into one other skater; both I and the little boy were laughing, though. Much like aikido.

And hey, I fell three times and didn't get hurt. That's gotta count for something. Although, my left knee would appreciate no suwari waza for awhile.

I just thought it was interesting that when I started thinking of aikido when I was skating, I improved dramatically. And when I stopped thinking about skating, I did much better, too.

Go figure.

I told my daughter we'd do this again soon. We both had fun. And while she has no muscle memory to fall back on, she'll be zipping around in no time. (They still play that song from "Grease" and "YMCA", by the way)

Hey, can I count those two hours toward my aikido attendance? Just kidding, Sensei!