[Aiox]

>>aikido, and may give it a try -- once I can figure out how to fit it into my schedule and budget!

Time is relative. If you want to do a thing, then do it.

I had a friend at work, always asked about coming to class (Aikido). I always extended an invitation.

But he always had something going on and couldnt make it this week, or next week.

Time goes by, two years actually. He stops by the dojo one evening and we talk briefly. He mentions he always meant to get to class, but just never had the time.

I said - "Imagine if you had been training all this time, just once a week or a couple times a month..."

He had no reply.

Make the time. If it's a money issue, talk with the head instructor. I always make allowances for folks that want to train but are short on cash, we work something out.

And dont be fooled by the "Aikido is a soft, passive martial art" nonsense. The roots of Aikido go way back to Daito Ryu, a very formidable discipline with samurai lineage.

In a good Aikido class, you'll deal with every type of self defense situation you can imagine, and work out with all types of folks- big, small, strong, fast, in all manner of configuration.

A good class will leave you energized and exhausted at the same time.