Giving up jiu jitsu. Getting a chi-ball, hopefully a chi-whammy one day...

I've done randori in both judo and aikido. Our sensei has a judo background so he has done both. He's gotten all of his rankings through Yoshimitsu Yamada Shihan and is associated with the USAF. From the time I've spent with them, he doesn't buy into the mystical mumbo-jumbo. For him, it's all about technique and physics. He likes to have fun in class and whenever someone is having a hard time with a certain technique or why have a question about it, he shows us the history behind it. Usually it involves katana and the tanto. He has no delusions about it. He does it because he enjoys it and its fun. He's located in Virginia Beach, VA even though the name is Aikido of Norfolk. Here's the website: http://aikidonorfolk.com/

Thanks
Wow thats crazy to hear. yoshimitsu yamada is aikikai, (IAK) They typically do not use a competitive form of randori like in judo and most other japanese martials arts, I was almost 100% sure you would say that they are tomiki aikido/shodokan aikido of tomiki linage. The IAK guys kinda hate on tomki because they dont believe that competitive randori is in keeping with the teachings of O sensi (they are correct). Unfortunately this makes IAK weak sauce. You may have one of the most legit IAk instructors in the world but I doubt IAK would be happy about him allowing free from randori.

From wiki
on kenji tomki

Quote:

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Shodokan places more emphasis on free-form randori sparring than most other styles of aikido

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on shodkan aikido

Quote:

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It was there that he formulated and expanded his theories concerning both kata based training methods and a particular form of free-style fighting which would put him at odds with much, but not all, of the aikido world.

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There's not a young guys taking aikido, so it's not very often. More often than not, I'm the youngest guy there. And I've never heard him say that aikido is the bestest martial arts in the world. I enjoy going there because there are no egos or anything. Just a bunch of old guys trying to keep from having heart attacks.

i'd go there too if I could.