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Date Posted: 13:16:47 07/20/05 Wed
Author: J.M.
Subject: Aikido

Aikido


Aikido is not the same as Tae Kwon Do and looks as different from it as two martial arts possibly can. Aikido can be described as a martial arts that focuses maily on throws, joint locks and pins. The throwee usually reacts to an attack, breaking his attacker's balance through body movement, leverage and exploitation of anatomically weak points. Once that is accomplished, completing the throw requires little force.

The defensive mind set of Aikido is a consequence of the attitude of its founder, the Japanese master Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969). After thoroughly studying various styles of jiu-jitsu (unarmed combat) and kenjutsu (sword fighting), he meditated on the final purpose of his efforts. He came to the conclusion that the purpose of a warrior should be to spread divine love among mankind. This somewhat paradoxical insight caused him to transform his fighting style into a metaphor for his religious belief: aggression is shunned; techniques should harmonize with the attacker, whose energy is redirected, rather than blocking it before initiating a counter-attack. Furthermore, the effect of the techniques can be adjusted such that the attacker is not harmed more than necessary in any given situation - even in self-defense, the victim has responsibility for the life and well-being of his attacker, according to Ueshiba's philosophy.

Tournaments did not fit into the founder's view of life either - there should not be unnecessary conflict. Training is held accordingly: after warm-up exercises, breakfall practice and the practice of basic movements and step sequences, pre-determined techniques are practiced pairwise. Attacker and defender switch roles frequently. In advanced training, one finds "jiyu waza" (literally: "free techniques"), where one defender improvises techniques against pre-determined attacks from one or more attackers. The type of randori that is typical for Judo, where both partners are active and offer some resistance to their partner's attacks, is not found in most schools. By the way, the philosophical backgorund is rarely talked about in most schools - it is found implicitly in the techniques, the training methods, and the attitude of the practitioners.

What can be said about Aikido as a sport and as a self-defense art? As always, it depends what you're looking for. Aikido offers beginners a way to practice a martial art in which they learn coordination, posture, and balance and improve their fitness and flexibility. Breakfalls, which can be handy in everyday life, are practiced thoroughly. However, it is not easy to apply the techniques effectively - several years of diligent practive are necessary before one can hope to use them in self-defense. Even then, several aspects that are necessary for fighting are ignored completely, e.g. groundfighting.

However, the greatest deficiency is a failure to face ugly truths. Some techniques are simply not worth a damn; but without randori and tournaments, it is rather hard to find out which. Furthermore, attacks are studied extensively that no sane person would ever use, whereas popular attacks such as the haymaker, the front kick or the side headlock are ignored completely. If you are looking for an art that offers robust self-defense in reasonable time, look elsewhere. However, if you enjoy doing nice-looking and nice-feeling movements that may, after long practice, have practical use, you should give aikido a chance.

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