The Martial Art of Aikido
Aikido Techniques, Training and History
Aikido is a martial art that was developed by Morihei Ueshiba during the early 1900s. It comes originally from Japan, but it now practiced all over the world. Although a direct translation of the word "Aikido" doesn't really exist, it is most commonly translated as "The Way of the Harmonized Spirit." This really refers to two things. Firstly, to the manner in which this martial art's techniques are performed and secondly to the philosophy of Aikido practioners.
The art is immensly popular all over the world. In the years since its creation, it has given birth to a number of different styles, one of the most prevalent and popular of which is Yoshinkan Aikido, formed by Gozo Shioda. There are also quite a few famous people that study Aikido, including Steven Seagal and Sean Connery.
Morihei Ueshiba and Aikido
Morihei Ueshiba was a Japanese martial artist who lived from 1883 to 1969. Ueshiba formed Aikido by melding a number of the influences in his life into one system. Although Aikido techniques seem incredibly unique in comparison to other styles of martial arts today, it is an adaptation of an older art, named Daito-Ryu Jujitsu.
It was Daito-Ryu Jujitsu that Ueshiba studied primarily, and many of the techniques in Aikido are similar to those found in Daito-Ryu. It was when Ueshiba moved to Ayabe, Kyoto in 1919 that Aikido began to take form. At this time, Ueshiba studied under Onisaburo Deguchi and learned a great deal about a new school of the Shinto religion known as Omoto-Kyu. Ueshiba fused religious thought with martial practice and created a wholly new approach to self-defense.
It was in 1925 that Ueshiba moved to Tokyo, supported by retired Admiral, Isamu Takeshita. Here, Aikido finally grew in popularity and began to spread all over the world. Today, Ueshiba Aikido is governed by an organization known as Aikikai, which has its headquarters at the Honbu Dojo in Tokyo.
Aikido Techniques
Aikido Techniques are yielding in nature. This means that the practioner does not meet force with force when using Aikido. Instead, they will use the power of the attacker's aggression against them, redirecting the energy into a locking, throwing or pinning technique. As such, Aikido is mostly used for self-defense and self-improvement. It has little application inside a mixed-martial arts arena. However, the techniques themselves can be incredibly effective if used appropriately. The challenge is that they take a very long time to learn.
A small list of Aikido techniques would be kotegaeshi, shihonage, kokyunage, iriminage and tenchinage. In each case, the defender (or tori) will evade the attack and then manipulate the balance of the aggressor in a way that benefits them. Aikido techniques can be quite harmless or brutally lethal, depending on the type of attack and the type of defense.
Aikido Training and Philosophy
Largely due to the religious influence that Morihei Ueshiba infused into Aikido, training is a very traditional and respectful activity. Each class will begin with a ceremony that pays respect to the environment being trained in, the Sensei who is teaching and the founder. In addition, Aikido trainees will show a huge amount of respect to each other when in the Dojo. Finally, the Sensei of the class is given the most respect of all as students will often exaggerate his or her techniques to help show what is occuring.
The Aikido training way is that of softness. The philosophy is that because the techniques are so challenging to learn and revolve around blending or yielding with an attack, practioners must allow each other to attempt them, rather than fighting as a training method. This leads to an atmosphere of peace and introspection, which is one of the great draws of Aikido.
Sources
Morihei Ueshiba
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Aikido Technique
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