Aikido (a work in progress)
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Aikido is not a way to fight with or defeat enemies; it is a way to
reconcile the world and make all human beings one family.
Introduction
Aikido1
is a japanese martial art dating back to the early 20th century.
It is based on not conflicting with an attacker, instead blending with
their attack and then using their own energy to neutralize them.
Probably the most famous aikidoka2 is Steven Seagal,
although he generally does not use much aikido in his movies. It is
not uncommon after a new Seagal movie is released for aikido dojos3 to be inundated with inquiries from 13 year old males
asking, "Can you make me into Steven Seagal?"
A brief history of aikido
Aikido was founded by O-sensei4 Morihei Ueshiba
(1883-1969) in the 1920s. O-sensei studied many forms of armed and empty
hand combat and was considered one of the greatest martial artists of his
time. He became a disciple of the Omoto-kyo religion and studied under
it's leader, Deguchi Onisaburo. Omoto-kyo taught disarmament and
peaceful resolution of conficts. O-sensei blended Omoto-kyo's principles
and his training as a martial artist into a new art that, while efective
in a martial situation, was primarily concerned with being nice to an
attacker. O-sensei's new art became quite popular throughout Japan and
has since spread around the world. O-sensi died on April 26, 1969 at the
age of 86.
Basics of aikido
On a purly practical level aikido is based on movement. The key comes
from knowing when and how to move. For example: a good throw comes from
the hips, not the arms, and while your opponent is still moving forward
to strike. On a spiritual level aikido is about learning about yourself.
Who you are, what your body is telling you, what your oponent is
thinking, etc... The trick behind aikido is learning to integrate the
two.
Many of the movements in aikido are based on sword work, so in many dojos
sword fighting is taught as a supplement to the empty hand work. Also
jo5 and tanto6
techniques are also taught.
Pros and cons of aikido
Advantages of Aikido | Disadvantages of Aikido |
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How to tell if you've just been trashed by an aikidoka
Your opponent is wearing a t-shirt covered with japanese characters.
At the start of the fight he/she sinks into a low, narrow stance.
No matter how hard you try to hit him/her, he/she is never
accually standing where you thought they were.After a you missed a strike, he/she slides in beside you, brushes
their hand against your elbow and introduces you to the wonders
of flight. Or they turn your arm in such a way that two different
joints are bent in directions they are not ment to bend in.When the fight is over and you have been hummiliated, your wrist
broken and you discover that the human body can't fly your
opponent bows and thanks you in japanese.
of studing the way4great teacher5wooden staff6dagger7Right over left
is reserved for the guest of honour at a funeral.