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A martial art
A lesson
The styles
A martial art
Ai-ki-do: Ai means harmony, love, union. Ki means energy, breath, and Do is the way. Aikido is therefore "the way to unite energies". This is not very clear to begin with. What exactly is Aikido?
A martial art is a budo, a way which should lead you to peace. A martial art is not only composed of physical training and techniques to defend oneself. A martial art demands a greater involvement of its practitionners. The aikidoka should try and perfect himself body and soul.
For instance, he is supposed to practice with all members of the dojo (the place where you practice) without avoiding anyone because of their gender, size, age, grade or personal affinities. Contrary to many martial arts, there are no competitions in most of the styles of Aikido. Founder O Sensei thought Aikido should not become an aggressive sprot where the only important thing would be victory over your opponent and where teachers would therefore concentrate on the way to get better results.
Besides, Aikido is a martial art of self-defense in which one practices with a partner and not an opponent: this very distinction helps understand that there is no competition. The point is to practice with someone and not fight against them.
A lesson
A lesson begins with bows to O Sensei and the teacher (see here) and warming-up exercices. The instructor will demonstrate and explain a particular technique which the practitionners will reproduce in groups of two. The attacker is called uke and the one who is using the technique to defend himself is tori (also called shite or nage). They take turns to be uke and tori while the sensei (the teacher) corrects the moves. Several techniques are usually studied each lesson, though they will have to be praciced for years before being properly mastered.
Techniques can be done standing, i.e. tachi waza:
Kneeling, i.e. suwari waza:
Or the attaker is standing and tori is kneeling, i.e. hammi hantachi waza:
There are many bare-handed techniques whether to defend yourself from someone having a hold on you, from someone attacking you from behind or from someone hitting you. These attacks are the basic ones and can vary.
three weapons can also be used: from top to bottom, you can see a jo which is a wooden walking stick about 1m30 high (4ft5), a bokken which represents a katana (japanese sword) but which has also been used a true weapon in fights, and a tanto which is a dagger.
True weapons of metal like this katana can be used for demonstrations and by high graded aikidokas.
An aikidoka has to learn how to use them and how to defend oneself against them. Many bare-handed Aikido techniques come from sword or spear techniques. Weapon practice helps to see the origins of a technique and to better understand it.
The styles
Aikido as many other martial arts is not the same everywhere and changes with time. The founder himself went through different stages in his practice and his successors have followed different paths. They insist on different things and ther own histories of martial practice influenced their teachings.
Here are the main styles of Aikido.
Aikikai
This is the most common style throughout the world. O Sensei's son Kisshomaru Ueshiba developped his father's art to try and make it more popular. The name 'Aikikai' comes from the Tokyo dojo where Aikido is taught.
L'Aikibudo
'Aikibudo' was the first name of Aikido and the style the founder practiced before the Second World War. The Japanese police adopted it in 1940. It is considered as physically harder than Aikikai Aikido.
Tomiki Ryu Aikido or Shodokan Aikido
Kenji Tomiki was the founder of this style. He wished to codify Aikido and introduce it into schools as Kano Sensei had done for Judo. Contrary to other Aikido styles there are competitions in Shodokan Aikido so that techniques can be tried in a fight. O Sensei himself has always refused any form of competition for he professed true victory was over oneself and that ther should be no aggressive behaviour on the mat.
There are also kata to be found in this style, that is stylized fights that one learns and repeats like a pianist practising scales.
L'Aikido Iwama Ryu
This school claims to be closest to that of O Sensei since Saito Sensei was his pupil for a long time. There are many different techniques in this style which also emphasizes weapon practice.
In 1942 O Sensei established a dojo in Iwama where he developped Aikido. Saito Sensei has taken over him and is teaching there today.
Yoseikan
This style has been influenced by many other martial arts such as Judo, Karate and Jujutsu. The techniques include kata, feet and legs moves, sacrifices (tori is also falling to the ground for more efficiency) and techniques when both practitionners are on the ground.
Shin-shin Toitsu Aikido
This school id also called The Ki Society in the U.S. where it is established. It leaves aside the martial appplications fo Aikido to concentrate on the Ki (energy, breath, life force) and its importance for one's health. The Ki Society aims at helping practitionners to develop their Ki and uses techniques to reach that goal.
The name of this style means 'union of the body and of the spirit'.
Yoshinkan
This style is reputed to be very hard on the body. It emphasizes the need for effective techniques. It is also the current style of the Japanese police.
the name of this style means 'place to cultivate the spirit'.
Real Aikido
Founded by Ljubomir Vracarevic and inspired by Aikido, Jujitsu and other fighting styles. It strives for more efficiency and flexibility, and for a realist approach of self-defense.
A lesson
The styles
A martial art
Ai-ki-do: Ai means harmony, love, union. Ki means energy, breath, and Do is the way. Aikido is therefore "the way to unite energies". This is not very clear to begin with. What exactly is Aikido?
A martial art is a budo, a way which should lead you to peace. A martial art is not only composed of physical training and techniques to defend oneself. A martial art demands a greater involvement of its practitionners. The aikidoka should try and perfect himself body and soul.
For instance, he is supposed to practice with all members of the dojo (the place where you practice) without avoiding anyone because of their gender, size, age, grade or personal affinities. Contrary to many martial arts, there are no competitions in most of the styles of Aikido. Founder O Sensei thought Aikido should not become an aggressive sprot where the only important thing would be victory over your opponent and where teachers would therefore concentrate on the way to get better results.
Besides, Aikido is a martial art of self-defense in which one practices with a partner and not an opponent: this very distinction helps understand that there is no competition. The point is to practice with someone and not fight against them.
A lesson
A lesson begins with bows to O Sensei and the teacher (see here) and warming-up exercices. The instructor will demonstrate and explain a particular technique which the practitionners will reproduce in groups of two. The attacker is called uke and the one who is using the technique to defend himself is tori (also called shite or nage). They take turns to be uke and tori while the sensei (the teacher) corrects the moves. Several techniques are usually studied each lesson, though they will have to be praciced for years before being properly mastered.
Techniques can be done standing, i.e. tachi waza:
Kneeling, i.e. suwari waza:
Or the attaker is standing and tori is kneeling, i.e. hammi hantachi waza:
There are many bare-handed techniques whether to defend yourself from someone having a hold on you, from someone attacking you from behind or from someone hitting you. These attacks are the basic ones and can vary.
three weapons can also be used: from top to bottom, you can see a jo which is a wooden walking stick about 1m30 high (4ft5), a bokken which represents a katana (japanese sword) but which has also been used a true weapon in fights, and a tanto which is a dagger.
True weapons of metal like this katana can be used for demonstrations and by high graded aikidokas.
An aikidoka has to learn how to use them and how to defend oneself against them. Many bare-handed Aikido techniques come from sword or spear techniques. Weapon practice helps to see the origins of a technique and to better understand it.
The styles
Aikido as many other martial arts is not the same everywhere and changes with time. The founder himself went through different stages in his practice and his successors have followed different paths. They insist on different things and ther own histories of martial practice influenced their teachings.
Here are the main styles of Aikido.
Aikikai
This is the most common style throughout the world. O Sensei's son Kisshomaru Ueshiba developped his father's art to try and make it more popular. The name 'Aikikai' comes from the Tokyo dojo where Aikido is taught.
L'Aikibudo
'Aikibudo' was the first name of Aikido and the style the founder practiced before the Second World War. The Japanese police adopted it in 1940. It is considered as physically harder than Aikikai Aikido.
Tomiki Ryu Aikido or Shodokan Aikido
Kenji Tomiki was the founder of this style. He wished to codify Aikido and introduce it into schools as Kano Sensei had done for Judo. Contrary to other Aikido styles there are competitions in Shodokan Aikido so that techniques can be tried in a fight. O Sensei himself has always refused any form of competition for he professed true victory was over oneself and that ther should be no aggressive behaviour on the mat.
There are also kata to be found in this style, that is stylized fights that one learns and repeats like a pianist practising scales.
L'Aikido Iwama Ryu
This school claims to be closest to that of O Sensei since Saito Sensei was his pupil for a long time. There are many different techniques in this style which also emphasizes weapon practice.
In 1942 O Sensei established a dojo in Iwama where he developped Aikido. Saito Sensei has taken over him and is teaching there today.
Yoseikan
This style has been influenced by many other martial arts such as Judo, Karate and Jujutsu. The techniques include kata, feet and legs moves, sacrifices (tori is also falling to the ground for more efficiency) and techniques when both practitionners are on the ground.
Shin-shin Toitsu Aikido
This school id also called The Ki Society in the U.S. where it is established. It leaves aside the martial appplications fo Aikido to concentrate on the Ki (energy, breath, life force) and its importance for one's health. The Ki Society aims at helping practitionners to develop their Ki and uses techniques to reach that goal.
The name of this style means 'union of the body and of the spirit'.
Yoshinkan
This style is reputed to be very hard on the body. It emphasizes the need for effective techniques. It is also the current style of the Japanese police.
the name of this style means 'place to cultivate the spirit'.
Real Aikido
Founded by Ljubomir Vracarevic and inspired by Aikido, Jujitsu and other fighting styles. It strives for more efficiency and flexibility, and for a realist approach of self-defense.