Be careful in choosing a teacher. According to an old maxim, it's better to spend three years looking for the right teacher than to train for three years with the wrong teacher. But how can a student tell the right Aikido teacher from the wrong one? Judge the teachers on the basis of their students. Students tend to reflect their teachers' personalities. Brutal teachers tend to attract and keep brutal students, dedicated teachers tend to attract and keep dedicated students, and so on. Aikido is a deep and rewarding art of self-transformation, not just a system of wrist locks and control holds. Don't cheat yourself. Find a deep teacher who embodies your aspirations, one who "walks his or her talk," one whose opinions you respect. Expect the teacher to challenge your views, to push you beyond what you perceive as your limits, to care for you, to talk to you, to advise you, and to be honest with you. Aikido is unusual in that it has a technical side and a philosophical side which students must integrate. Some teachers pass on technique without any knowledge of the art's philosophical principles. Others talk philosophically the whole class without demonstrating or discussing Aikido's physical aspect. The best teachers are those who achieve a balance.