Address your teacher as Sensei (Japanese for teacher) or Fabia Sensei. The senior ranks or assistant instructors are addressed as Sempai. Cell phones must be in vibration mode when entering class. It is appropriate to be punctual as this is part of the training discipline. Be there fifteen minutes before class to help set up mats and put mats away after class. Remove rings, watches, and other jewelry before class begins. Chewing gum is not appropriate. Health and good personal hygiene go hand in hand, and you should keep your uniforms and yourself clean. Keep shoes off the training mats. Wash your hands and sanitize them before training. Socks are preferred over bare feet. Good posture is a necessary part of your discipline. Lying down on the mat is not acceptable. Students are expected to wear the full uniform. A student is now required to wear a hakama at Nikyu rank. The Yudansha (black belts) are required to wear their hakama. At the beginning and end of class, the students will bow (standing) with no particular order of rank. Bowing in the dojo is a practice meant to pay respect to O Sensei, Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, and express gratitude for the art and its concepts to your instructors and fellow students. Bow to each new partner before and after each technique. If you arrive late after the warm-up exercises, you should spend a few minutes off the mat and warm up for personal safety. The appropriate manner to join a class already in session is to wait until the instructor acknowledges you before stepping on the mat. If you must leave the mat during the class, ask the instructor for permission, bow, and step off the mat. When you return, bowing to rejoin the class is only necessary. Talking while the instructor is addressing the class is discourteous. Minimize talking while training with your partner. As a student of SAC, it is expected to support a minimum of one workshop per month and quarterly workshops held in January, April, July, and October in which testing is conducted. When SAC hosts a weekend seminar by an out of state instructor, it is required for the student to support the seminar. Students should train cooperatively, not giving unnecessary resistance when being taken down but generally attempting to maintain balance. The purpose of training with a partner is to help each other develop a strong connection within your center. When training with a lower belt partner, avoid offering too much correction. Slowing down during training means practicing controlling the first move, staying calm, maintaining fluid motion with balance, and developing clean lines of movement. Skills for Ukemi Sincere intent when delivering attacks. Maintains connection with nage by giving adequate energy throughout the technique. Develops a high level of sensitivity when appropriately following Nage's leads. Strong ukemi skills are 50% of one's training, and results lead to being a strong technician. A skill that protects and reduces the chance of injury. Do not resist or counter (unless the instructor specifies how to deal with resistance). Recovering your balance by blending on the mat. Breathe and stay relaxed while being flexible and agile. If asked to assist as uke for the instructor, be mindful that the intent is to demonstrate the art to the class. Follow the instructor's movements with adequate energy. While the instructor is speaking, it is appropriate for uke to stand a short distance from the instructor. Skills for Nage Do not force techniques. Maintain awareness of others and space. Let go when projecting uke, and uke letting go of nage when being projected. Do not disturb Uke's tumbling or cause them to fall too hard. Train appropriately according to the level of your partner's ability. When taking down an uke, the idea is to guide rather than control or dominate. Use the uke's energy to redirect them. Redirecting aggression rather than absorbing it is a concept that can save and change your life. Nage/Uke Relationship A blending, rather than a resistive mind, is necessary to work together. Test Etiquette Effective September 1, 2023, the Board panel for testing will now consist of Fabia Sensei, Woods Sensei, Jensen Sensei, Kevin Scott, Greg Pannell, and other high-ranking Yudansha at Fabia Sensei's discretion. The test pace should be a fluid, continuous movement without speed. To meet the test requirements, the student must be consistent in their training and support monthly, quarterly, etc., workshops. Fabia Sensei teaches Aikido for life, which enables the student to practice at any time, anywhere.