When teachers are beginning Aikido dojos, what is their toughest challenge?
And what is your advise for them? In many ways, their toughest enemy can be themselves. There are obvious financial problems, but the toughest thing is learning how to deal with students and other people. It is the nature of the teacher-student relationship that some teachers can become too bossy. But it is very important to respect people as human beings – and not to cage students inside one’s own knowledge. Give them freedom. There is a tendency for instructors to worry that students will gain knowledge or learn something that they themselves do not know. The solution is to encourage students to grow, to have confidence, and not to feel threatened if your students grow. We must all try to improve ourselves and support students’ becoming exposed to other teachers. I am still learning from teachers, and I learn from my own students. Even though I am a Sensei, I am still learning. For example, I still learn from Tamura Sensei whenever we have a joint seminar. If he does something differ
