Hello all. I am a 9 month lurker, and this is my first post. I am a freshman in college, and firmly in monk mode. I eat well, meditate, lift, and treat myself with respect. That being said, I felt like something was missing. I found what I was looking for Friday night. I attended my first Aikido training session.

I read a post on this subreddit a couple of weeks ago advising to learn a martial art, as in learn instead of dabble. Aikido is a defensive martial art, focusing on the flow of energy and momentum between you and your attacker. In order to tap into this flow, you must have a strong central point, or stable center of gravity. Friday night I did it, and was focusing on the movement and didn't think about it too much. It wasn't that hard, coming from weightlifting.

Tonight was my second training session. I realized my main mistake is letting go of my central when moving to a pin, making it harder on myself. I realized today that I must be vigilant at all times, aware of my central point, and control my opponent by directing his energy to my advantage.

While this was happening, I realized that as the central point is incredibly important in physical situations, frame is equally important in social situations. You must remain true to your frame, or you will be caught off balance, and fail the shit test. I knew frame was important, but tonight I realized how important it really is. I will meditate on this.

I highly recommend picking up a martial art, in which to learn instead of dabble. It improves posture, and can do more, like it already has for me.

Feedback would be great, as I am looking to improve my writing as well.