The Uchideshi Experience
Jeremy Neff
Upon arriving in Japan and making it safely to Aikido
Kobayashi Dojo my first class was taught by Soshihan Yasuo
Kobayashi at Kodaira dojo at 11:30 on Sunday. The firstthing I noticed about his class was the massive positiveenergy that he brings into the class and how it spreads toeveryone in the class. The energy cheers everyone up andeveryone smiles as they practices Aikido. I want to grow andbe like him as an Aikido instructor with positive energy thatcan fill a class of any size.
After our first class I became immersed in the Zen of cleaning andtraining. Day after day I woke up and cleaned, trained and ate. At thebeginning my mind was still darting around trying to figure out what needed tobe done. My time as an uchideshi progressed and I fell into a Zen awarenessthat guided me from task to task. As I completed one task the next would bestaring me in the face; I would just continue the flow of motion with the world
around me and complete the next task. This Zen state helped me realize how
important it can be to just live life as it comes.
When I started the rigorous schedule of an uchideshi my mind turned thisway and that. The question of “Why did I want to come be an uchideshi?” cameto mind a few times. Then one morning after practice in Kodaira dojo I sat
talking with Sensei Barbara. I talked openly with her and she gave me the little
push I needed to realize why I came. The first push was the realization that I
could leave whenever I wanted. It sounds simple but it sank in. The reason Icame was to get out of the rut of normal life and Aikido training. I had reacheda point where I was questioning myself and needed to find my purpose in Aikido
again. The first time I became an uchideshi at Aikido Kobayashi Dojo in 2007
for 3 months I came looking to learn the physical side of aikido. I did some ofthat this time as well. However my biggest gain was in understanding what aquality instructor is and how they take care of their students. Another big thing I
gained as an uchideshi was what different teaching methodologies do and how
they can affect the way we learn. This information was what I came for to help
my development as an Aikido student and instructor.
As the old saying goes “When in Rome,do as the Romans”. This fully applies to being
an uchideshi as well. As daily life took hold I
found I was doing things as a Japanese would
do them not as I was culturally raised to dothem. A good example is sweeping the mats.
We do this before and after every practice withtraditional brooms. When we are done, rather

than vacuuming up the debris we sweep it out the window to be collected when
we sweep the street later. Another one is the window screens. We don't use
them to keep bugs out during practice as I was raised to do. Instead we havethem open so the fresh air can flow in without interruption.
As an uchideshi I was busy, but that doesn't mean I didn't have fun! We
had the opportunity to help with the dojo newspaper. As I inserted fliers andfolded them for everybody I had a wonderful time chatting and talking to theother uchideshi and wonderful college students who helped us out with the task.
Even though we were busy doing work for the dojo it was still fun. Just because
it is “cleaning” or “work” doesn't mean you can't be smiling and laughing atthings. I really enjoyed sweeping after class with everyone. We worked
together and found ways to make people laugh and enjoy the process.
As an uchideshi you will inevitably make mistakes. I learned andaccepted that it wasn't the fact that I made a mistake that was the issue; it was
how I reacted to the mistake that mattered. If I took the information in strideand tried my best to do it right the next time, that is what really mattered. I
wanted to make the dojo clean and beautiful for the students and I also wanted
them to have a good experience. This made life as an uchideshi very rewarding.
Creating a good environment is important for Aikido. I want to makepeople feel at home and happy to be at the dojo. This will help me when I returnto America. I will try and make the classes I attend better for everyone by being
there and making people feel welcome and happy to practice Aikido.
I also learned that if people enjoy class and have a good learning
environment they will come back for more. People everywhere want to beincluded and part of the dojo. When I teach I will do my best to make everyone
who comes feel that way.
I have made many friends and many people have made my life better
during my time as an uchideshi. I am grateful to all of them. Recep was afantastic uchideshi sempai helping me learn my duties as an uchideshi and being
calm, friendly and understanding. I was grateful to have such a good sempai tolook up to and help with all the many tasks we undertook. Hiroaki Shihan wasalways kind and happy. I enjoyed his classes and every time I worked out withhim on the mat he had a smile and was always trying
to help me understand the technique better in some
way or another. Kobayashi Shihan was always aninspiration. He always made me feel welcome andhelpful. He never approached things in a negative
way and has the ability to lead in a way that everyone
wants to follow him and help out however they can. I
have really enjoyed my time as an uchideshi at Aikido
Kobayashi Dojo. It is a life molding event that hashelped me to become a better Aikido student andteacher.