AIKIDO
AIKIDO
Aikido avoids conflict and teaches harmony in motion. Put simply Aikido uses an opponent’s force against themselves. Once you have sufficient skill, defending yourself against a would be attacker will be effortless. The power of Aikido lies in it’s technique and not the size of the practitioner. This makes it ideal for ladies and younger people.
What is Aikido?
Aikido (the way of harmonizing the energy of the universe) is, first and foremost, a martial art. At its most basic level Aikido is a system of throwing, joint-locking, striking and pinning techniques, coupled with training in the use of the sword, staff and knife techniques.
Aikido was founded by Morihei Ueshiba in the twentieth century and has grown to be one of the most popular of martial arts.
As a form of Budo (martial way) Aikido offers more than just a fighting art. It is a path of personal discovery and character improvement. The most fundamental concept of Aikido is that of “harmonising” with an attacker. In practical terms, an exponent of Aikido will use the force of an attack against their aggressor to apply a lock, throw or pin. Aikido also uses the concept of “focused power”, where the power of the hips, legs knees, etc are focused into one point. Finally, what is known as “breath power”, a combination of sensitivity, breathing and rhythm combine to give the practitioner the ability to read and direct an opponents movement.
For Shudokan Aikido, the combination of correct posture, centre line, breathing, the explosive power of focused energy and timing might be understood as the “Ki” in Aikido.
The Class
- At the beginning of a class when the command ‘Shomen’ is heard quickly line up in rank order with higher grades to the right.
- On the command ‘Shomen Ni Rei’ bow to the front. On the command ‘Sensei Ni Rei’ bow to the instructor.
- On the command ‘Misogi’ close the eyes and practice slow, deep breathing. Use this time to settle the mind before training.
- Feel free to approach senior students before and after class if you want help or guidance.
- Most classes will begin with basic movements or ‘Kihon Dosa’. Pay special attention when doing these exercises as they form the foundation of your Aikido practice.
- Please remember these two important points: when your partner taps you stop the technique immediately; when you hear the command ‘Yamae’ stop what you are doing immediately.
- Never get frustrated or angry at yourself or your partner if you can not get a technique to work. If the techniques were easy then you would not need to keep turning up to training to learn them. Remember, if you leave the dojo having just learnt one thing then you will have improved.
- If you take one thing from each lesson, even the smallest point, then after twenty lessons you will have learnt twenty things. The more you train the better you will get!
Aikido avoids conflict and teaches harmony in motion. Put simply Aikido uses an opponent’s force against themselves. Once you have sufficient skill, defending yourself against a would be attacker will be effortless. The power of Aikido lies in it’s technique and not the size of the practitioner. This makes it ideal for ladies and younger people.
What is Aikido?
Aikido (the way of harmonizing the energy of the universe) is, first and foremost, a martial art. At its most basic level Aikido is a system of throwing, joint-locking, striking and pinning techniques, coupled with training in the use of the sword, staff and knife techniques.
Aikido was founded by Morihei Ueshiba in the twentieth century and has grown to be one of the most popular of martial arts.
As a form of Budo (martial way) Aikido offers more than just a fighting art. It is a path of personal discovery and character improvement. The most fundamental concept of Aikido is that of “harmonising” with an attacker. In practical terms, an exponent of Aikido will use the force of an attack against their aggressor to apply a lock, throw or pin. Aikido also uses the concept of “focused power”, where the power of the hips, legs knees, etc are focused into one point. Finally, what is known as “breath power”, a combination of sensitivity, breathing and rhythm combine to give the practitioner the ability to read and direct an opponents movement.
For Shudokan Aikido, the combination of correct posture, centre line, breathing, the explosive power of focused energy and timing might be understood as the “Ki” in Aikido.
The Class
- At the beginning of a class when the command ‘Shomen’ is heard quickly line up in rank order with higher grades to the right.
- On the command ‘Shomen Ni Rei’ bow to the front. On the command ‘Sensei Ni Rei’ bow to the instructor.
- On the command ‘Misogi’ close the eyes and practice slow, deep breathing. Use this time to settle the mind before training.
- Feel free to approach senior students before and after class if you want help or guidance.
- Most classes will begin with basic movements or ‘Kihon Dosa’. Pay special attention when doing these exercises as they form the foundation of your Aikido practice.
- Please remember these two important points: when your partner taps you stop the technique immediately; when you hear the command ‘Yamae’ stop what you are doing immediately.
- Never get frustrated or angry at yourself or your partner if you can not get a technique to work. If the techniques were easy then you would not need to keep turning up to training to learn them. Remember, if you leave the dojo having just learnt one thing then you will have improved.
- If you take one thing from each lesson, even the smallest point, then after twenty lessons you will have learnt twenty things. The more you train the better you will get!