Just a note on Aikido. I need to pay a lot more attention to my balance and posture. When I try to execute a technique fast, I often feel off balance — exactly the opposite of what should be happening. I think I need to practice the moves a little bit slower, but try to keep my flow and balance. Kind of like good skateboarding — flow and balance. Smooth. But when I do hit an Aikido technique pretty good, man, it feels good. Amazing actually.

At this point, I think it is hard to keep good posture because I’m thinking about so many other aspects of the techniques. But as I get better with the basic movements — the footwork, direction, grips, etc. — I think I’ll be able to fine tune my posture, and move more powerfully from my center.