Do people work with others of the same level or are beginners and advanced practitioners mixed? How can one learn at an advanced level?
Answer – In Aikido we mix everyone together. Beginners obviously benefit by working with an experienced practitioner. However, someone with experience also benefits substantially by practicing with a beginner. One of the best ways to learn is to teach. Also, beginners do not know certain standard ways to react, and can invent new responses in a situation quite easily. The experienced practitioner can learn quite a few new tricks from a beginner. When beginners practice with each other, they can begin to practice at an advanced level shortly after familiarizing themselves with a technique. There are no obstructions to advancing quickly. When advanced practitioners prefer to go off and work with each other to engage in more difficult forms of practice, this can be helpful from time to time. However, the desire to do so often for selfish gain is actually an obstruction to advancement, as it violates the underlying principle of the art by inflating the selfish ego. Bottom line, in Aikido e
