Martial Arts Aikido
Martial Arts Aikido
Morihei Ueshiba is the man behind the creation of Aikido. He created this system as a way to blend his religious beliefs, philosophy and his marital arts studies. It is a system that has found a home in many towns and in the hearts of many people throughout the world.
The main idea is that the student will blend with the motion of the person attacking and reflecting that persons into and redirecting it instead of simply trying to bluntly stop the force behind the attack. This is a great technique for those who do not want to or cannot put a lot of physical energy into defending themselves. There is simply no reason to over exert yourself if you do not have to.
Just as in almost all of the various Japanese martial arts, there are both mental and physical aspects within the training in Aikido. General fitness along with specific defense techniques are focused on. In addition, there is a great deal of concentration on how to safely roll and fall so that no one is injured during the practice of throws. There are many grabs, throws, strikes, and pins that are taught.
When the aikido student has learned all of the basic techniques, they will be able to participate in freestyle fights with multiple opponents. This is to simulate how someone might have to defend themselves in real life since many times there is more than one attacker.
Students who train in aikido will also learn how to remove a short staff, sword and knife from an attacker and how to properly use such weapons on that person. Of course, in class, the weapons are generally made of wood or dull metal so no one in class is in any real danger.
There is also a lot of mental training that takes place in the aikido class. It is the system’s belief that you have to have your mind and body perfectly relaxed, even when you are under attack, as that is the best way to make sure that you will be able to get out of the dangerous situation unharmed.
Special uniforms are worn during class and there are colored belts to signify ranking within the system. It is the black belt that is reserved for instructors and possibly those who have achieved great levels within the aikido system.
If you find that you are interested in a style of martial arts that will not only train your body but also your mind as well, then aikido may be the system for you. Check out some local aikido schools around your town and see about watching a class or getting a free lesson. This will give you more of a feel of whether or not this particular system is for you.
When I was younger I used to do Aikido. I found it fascinating when I started however after a couple of months I got bored. I’m guessing the reason was due to my age however I never could understand the training of the mind elements that are in Aikido and thought it would be all physical so if you don’t want the mental aspect of a Martial Art from my experience Aikido isn’t the art for you to follow.
Hey man,
That was a very incredible article… Although I do not do any Martial Arts.. I am very fond of this blog. I love fighting and so this blog was very inspirational and I can next time think about using Aikido techniques when I am in a fight with somebody.
Hi ! thanks for your articles about Akido , but with me , I only love kungfu China
Great article! Besides a couple of sites and other articles, it is not easy to find decent articles about Aikido. In my opinion, Aikido is very underrated and more people should experience it to be amazed by the physical power they could achieve from it. When I used to be younger, I had incredible fun while battling with the swords, it was just awesome.
I really recommend to everyone to give Aikido a try!
Hey.
This is a very very inspirational article. I really love it because I do Aikido since 99 and its really true that this MA is the most gentle and sophisticated. No “powerplay” or meaningless aggression, just fine, ethereal moves. Everybody needs to try it.
As a footnote, there are no coloured belts other than white and black in Aikido. The only thing that marks rank other than the black belt (dan) and the white belt (kyu), is at half way to black belt you get the Hakama, a pair of black wide clothed trousers, looking alomost like a foot long wide skirt.
In Aikido training everyone are equals and everyone helps each other out without regard of rank. Those who are experienced naturally helps those who are new. Of course there are sessions when only Hakama and above are required or even black belt and above. Point is everyone are supposed to be friendly and non competitive.
The thought behind this is, if there are rank colored belts there will always be some small measure of rivalry and competition within the training group. This is not the Aikido way, Aikido is about being friendly to your fellow man and to avoid head to head situations.
Quite a bit of a footnote…
Best regards from Per