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First of all, let yourself relax and have a good time. It is normal to be nervous. Everyone you see in the dojo has gone through exactly the same thing. For everyone - even the sensei / there was a day when they first stepped onto the mat as a beginner.

The paramount rule when training in Aikido is to have respect and courtesy for the other people in the dojo. Respect and courtesy are given not only to the instructors and seniors but also to all other students and visitors to the dojo.

An atmosphere of co-operation - not competition - is called for. We co-operate in the sense that we are all here to help one another learn. This does not mean you must submit to another person's will, as some tend to think. It means we learn to operate together. This is necessary because the techniques in Aikido are dangerous. Severe injury can occur to yourself, your partner, or others on the mat if you aren't mindful and careful.

A true Aikidoka (student of Aikido ) wishes to do no harm to anyone and prefers a peaceful resolution to any conflict. Therefore, skills developed in sensing trouble and avoiding it are preferred over the option of using the martial abilities one has developed. Sensitivity to situations, and trust in instinct and intuition, become the Aikdoka's best tools. These qualities are honed on the mat every time you begin working with your partner. In other words, when you are training, practice not only the technique that is demonstrated but also the art of sensing your partner's state of mind and being.

In practising Aikido, the aim is not to defeat, overpower or dominate your partner but to achieve total co-ordination of mind, body and Ki.

Working with a partner, the techniques of Aikido allow you to explore and overcome any tendency to be either excessively dominating or too yielding. Aikido is a concrete manifestation of the principle of yin and yang, or complimentary opposites. It teaches you to be both 'rock' and 'water' - the rock around which the water must flow, and the water which seeks the way of least resistance.

Beginners often find the wide range of techniques and subtle body movement quite baffling. However, the basic principle of a centred, circular movement that absorbs, merges with, and leads the energy of your partner soon becomes apparent. As your body becomes more centered and supple, you develop self-confidence and a calm mind. This increases your capacity for clear, powerful and creative involvement with the world in which you live.

The attack is the vehicle by which both uke (the attacker) and nage ( the person performing the technique) become conscious of the energy within and around them. Both must learn how to let this energy circulate freely. Uke's task is not to try to hurt nage but to provide the initiating action that makes it possible for both partners to learn.

Uke must give an honest, sincere and direct attack. The attack extends from uke's one point to the one point of nage. It should be realistic, but carried out at a speed suited to nage's particular degree of skill.

Stubborn resistance makes practice dangerous and unpleasant; submitting too easily makes it futile. At first, uke must learn to continue the movement of the attack until a fall is inevitable. Eventually the fall becomes simply the result of the attack, rather than a conscious completion of the movement.

If the attacks follow each other in a smooth, even flow, without becoming violent or jerky, you and your partner can practice the same technique indefinitely. Because it never happens the same way twice, there is always another refinement to discover. When you train in this frame of mind, uke needs as much concentration and skill as nage, and can learn just as much, if not more. Thus attacks and techniques progress together.

Nages must study the right placement of their movement and incorporate the principles and philosophy of Aikido.

Of the total energy generated, nage's portion should be at the most 30%, uke's the other 70%.

During class, the form for practice is usually set up by the Sensei. Hence, both uke and nage know in advance what the form will be. The challenge is to give an honest attack not altered by the knowledge of what nage will probably do.

An honest punch to the chest is just that: a punch to the chest. It should strike the chest if nage stands still, and miss if nage gets off the line of attack. It's neither helpful to your partner nor good practice to shy away and miss when nage does not get off the line. Nor is it good training to redirect your strike in the direction nage is going in order to make it more difficult. Strike as if you don't know what technique nage is going to do, and simply give a solid, straight, balanced punch. This must be done at a level appropriate to both your own and your partner's ability.

A beginner deserves the same integrity in an attack as an advanced student. The only difference is the speed and power with which it is done. A beginner should be hit if they stay on line, just more slowly than a black belt. Conversely, your attack should be at the speed and power of your ability to fall. If you can safely fall at no more than 7 km/h, don't attack at 70 km/h.
An important Aikido training method involves offering resistance to your partner. Beginners should never do this. This type of training is appropriate only among senior students. It is a practice of stressing the technique to discover weak, ineffective areas and requires nage to practice with the whole body and spirit. It takes great sensitivity, not strength, to do this so that it enhances the practice. Too much, and it's a battle of will: too little, and it isn't stimulating. This practice must be also be done in the purest of spirit, as a gift. All too easily, it becomes an ego game. This is quite destructive and should be avoided. Done in the correct manner, at the right time, in the purest of spirit, this intensified style of practice is very valuable.

With continued practice in Aikido, as your mind and body begin to work as one unit, you come to experience yourself as a whole person and to find a natural way of being in the world that is expressive, positive and without or uncertainty. Conflicts are often created by the need to win, to demonstrate superior power and ability to exert brute force. Without the need to win, or the fear of losing, you begin to engage creatively with what is - physically, mentally and spiritually.

In summary, a good uke is responsive, responsible, and free of fear and trusting. A good nage is accurate, skilful and sensitive.

Counting is an essential part in Aikido training