A seminar first for me.

    I know I said my next column would be about how to write a martial arts journal, but I had an unusual experience this weekend that I wanted to share.  I post the "how to" next.

That's me teaching a way to get into shiho nage (sorry about the blur)

    I study a form of aikido called Chendokan aikido.  Chendokan is part of an overall martial system that includes Atemi ryu Jujutsu, Atemi Arnis Jutsu, and Sogetsu ryu Kenjutsu.  I've been involved with the revamping of our system.  It started about a year ago when we the instructors were asked by the founder of the system to start to make sure our aikido was still a martial art.  That it was not as soft as some other system had become.  So a couple of dedicated individuals, including myself, set about figuring out how to do this.  As a way to introduce this, we had our first seminar of what we're calling "Combat Effective Aikido" this weekend.  It was a small seminar, mainly inhouse, with only our own people from the aikido and the jujutsu side (anyone else is welcome to find out about us if they are in South Florida.)
    Here's the weird part. Because I've been helping rebrand the system, I was asked to help teach the seminar.  There were mainly three of us teaching.  It's not that I didn't know the material, or that I haven't taught before, but there were people who WAY out rank me on the jujutsu side.  I kept asking myself, "Why are they listening to me?.. They have been doing this longer than I have."  Now I've been doing Chendokan for over 11 years now, so its not like I'm a beginner, but still.  Halfway through the seminar, one of the jujutsu people, whom I respect a lot, came up to me and complimented me on how my aikido has improved.  It was an unexpected compliment.  It was overall a very good was just kind of a sureal experience, being asked to teach at a seminar. 

Anybody else had similar thoughts teaching their first seminar?  Let me know about it in the comments.