Aikido is a traditional Japanese martial art
Aikido martial art
Aikido is a traditional Japanese martial art created by Morihei Ueshiba (O-Sensei) in the early 20th century, as a synthesis and breakthrough out of the traditional jitsus of empty hand, sword and stick technique. O’Sensei’s Aikido preserves the spirit of traditional budo in its most creative, positive spirit.
Composed of three Japanese characters: Ai, meaning harmony; Ki, spirit or energy; and Do, the path or the way. Aikido: “The Way of Unifying Energy”.
The Aikidoka trains to apply various wrist locks, arm pins or unbalancing throws to neutralize and control and subdue attackers without needing to inflict serious injury. Such practice is done in tandem with learning the art of falling, or “ukemi”, which trains the body and mind to receive techniques in a safe manner.
Since Aikido is not a sport there are no competitive tournaments. Everyone enthusiastically helps in each individual’s growth.
As a traditional Japanese budo, Aikido maintains the qualities of martial spirit, effective technique and intense training.
Aikido’s cultivates a spirit of protection. It aligns the body, releasing power from deeper and deeper sources, opening and connecting the channels of internal and external energy…Aikido is alive for each practitioner.
As you evolve in practice and technique, nothing is fixed. If one day someone says in Aikido “I understood! he can stop the practice and move on. I think if one day I had understood ikkyo, I would have stopped Aikido a long time ago. I am still in search and everyone has their way to go in a group with the advice of a teacher, old people, new people (who are future old people) and the wheel turns in an eternal renewal over generations of practitioners.
As you evolve in practice and technique, nothing is fixed. If one day someone says in Aikido “I understood! he can stop the practice and move on. I think if one day I had understood ikkyo, I would have stopped Aikido a long time ago. I am still in search and everyone has their way to go in a group with the advice of a teacher, old people, new people (who are future old people) and the wheel turns in an eternal renewal over generations of practitioners.
Aïkido is an evolution: O’Senseï, Kisshomaru and Moriteru Ueshiba, Tamura, Sugano, Yamada, Chiba, Kobayashi, Miyamoto, Osawa, Yokota, Christian Tissier and many others, all are links in this immense chain which conveys life in Aikido. Modestly, without taking myself seriously, I hope to be able to participate in the process. That is what is beautiful, kihon remains the basis for research and practice.
I want Aikido to remain martial. I notice from time to time, here and there, some “drifts” which manifest themselves by a practice resembling simple choreographies and where the uke falls for no reason.
The background of Budo must always remain present in the practice of Aikido. Whether we practice with or without weapons, Budo must remain present
These are things that are a bit lost. I’m not saying that you have to practice all the time with this idea of “me against you”, on the contrary we build together, but Budo must remain present, if not physically, Otherwise Aikido will be diluted and become soulless gymnastics.
But I obviously understand very well the need for an ABC-construction… for beginners, because we work in phase. The pedagogue must be able to say that A comes before B which comes before C but that ABC is ONE movement. The physical and mental construction will take place there.