Avoidance is the very first in a long list of tactical maneuvers aimed at ‘not being there’ when an attack is taking place. And it really is very simple, even obvious, but I find it is the ’simple’ and ‘obvious’ stuff that usually gets overlooked and lands people in an affray that should never have occurred. These tactics are not to be read and stored, rather they are to be read and practiced over and over again until they are natural, everyday habits, like getting into the car and putting on your seat-belt, (something that once had to be forced is now a habit). In fact, if you tried driving without a seat belt it would feel awkward after wearing one for so long. Avoidance is being aware, understanding the enemy, understanding yourself and understanding your environment. If you are training in a martial art, then avoidances understanding that art and whether it will stand up to the threat of a real encounter. More than anything, avoidance is having enough control over yourself, your ego, your pride, peer pressure, morality etc. to stop these negative emotions from dragging you into a situation that could otherwise be avoided. Many people find themselves fighting because they are worried about what others might think if they run away. If you are very confident in yourself and you know your capabilities you will have no problem walking away, or simply not being there in the first place. Insecure people, those that are not sure of themselves or their art, will be fighting all day long because they lack the strength of character to go against popular opinion.

 

The key phrase for avoidance in contemporary self-protection is ‘Target Hardening’. By making yourself a hard target, you lessen your chances of being chosen as a potential victim. The house that sported an alarm box, dog pictures in the window; window locks etc. were very often by-passed by the average robber. Why would any burglar bother a dwelling with all that protection when there are rakes of houses around the corner with just asking to be robbed? Many burglars rob the same house three or more times, because the owners do nothing to stop them. Self-protection works in a similar vein. If you make yourself a hard target by following the rules of awareness, you too will by by-passed for an ‘easier target’. If you don’t, you will be chosen again and again.

 

The contemporary enemy likes to work via dialogue and deception. An understanding the enemy and his rituals is imperative, if you are ever going to avoid his onslaught. So many people these days say that they train for self-defense -yet they know nothing about the enemy that they are training to fight or the environment that they are planning to fight in, then they wonder why they get their heads kicked in when a situation goes ‘live’. Note: It is important here to stress one point, fighting in the street is rarely match fighting. Most affrays of the modern era are ‘three second fights’: attacks preceded by dialogue that is used as a leading technique to create a window of entry for a devastating physical attack, that usually takes the victim out of the game before he even knows that he is in it. If the three second fight goes more that the usual three, then in all likelihood this too will end up in a match fight that will end on the floor. If you can ground fight, great if you can’t you should expect at the very least an elongated fight, perhaps even a brutal loss. If the guy is not on his own and you are facing two or more opponents then you can expect to be hospitalized, even killed. An ambush fight is when the first you know of the fight is a physical attack. If the guy who attacks you is worth his salt as a street fighter then that first blow is likely to be the last in the fight and you should get used to hospital food because that’s what you will be getting. If you are switched on to the enemy and the environment yourself, then you will avoid nearly all of the potential attacks. Those that are unavoidable, you will be able to control, those beyond your control you will be able to defend against.

 

The four D’s are often used by attackers, especially muggers and rapists. ‘Dialogue’ is the priming tool, the leading technique used by many attackers. The attacker does not lead or open with a jab or a lead leg roundhouse, he leads with dialogue, and is often either aggressive or very deceptive. If you do not understand this then you will be suckered into the first attack. Dialogue and often appearance is used to ‘deceive’ the victim before attack. The rule of thumb with the unsolicited attacker is if his lips move he is lying. Most attacks are launched under the guise of deception, for the street fighter ‘that is the art’, you might moan that it is dishonorable, a Judas attack, unfair etc. but the bottom line will still be the same, he won and you lost. The fact that you might think it dishonorable demonstrates your lack of understanding of the modern enemy. There is no honor in war, and this is war in microcosm.

 

‘Distraction’ is a part of deception and usually comes through dialogue. The attacker may ask his victim a question and then initiate attack when the brain is engaged. The distraction, or brain engagement, also switches off any inbuilt spontaneous, physical response the victim may have. A man with twenty years of physical training in a fighting art under his belt can be stripped of his ability by this simple ploy. If the distraction is submissive; ‘I don’t want any trouble, can we talk about it?’ This will take your assailant from when a person is ready for ‘fight’ to a state of non-awareness. The submissiveness will intimate that the danger is over and he’ll go into a state of relief. Brain engagement, via disarming/distracting dialogue gives the victim a ‘blind second’. This is when the assailant strikes. The distraction technique is also used by the experienced attacker to take down any protective fences that may have been constructed by the victim. This final product of expert priming is your destruction. Few victims survive the first physical blow and most are ‘out of the game’, before they even realize that they are in it, because many street attackers are pro’s with one or two physical techniques that have been tried, tested and perfected on numerous, previous victims. Even trained martial artists get fooled by the four D’s, because they do not appear on their training curriculum. Therefore, they do not understand the enemy that they are facing and so also fail to grasp -and therefore translate ’street speak’, the mass deception often causing disorientation. The attacker uses the former and latter to prime a victim that is only trained in ‘physical response’. As I have already stated, deceptive dialogue is the professional attacker’s leading technique. Understanding this will allow you greater awareness, it will keep you ’switched on’. Being switched on to all of the forgoing is the better part of ‘Target Hardening’. If and when a situation does become ‘live’, it is again imperative that you understand yourself and what will happen to your body in its preparation for fight. You will usually experience a huge injection of adrenaline (and other stress hom1ones) into the system (adrenal dump). Adrenaline can add speed, strength and anesthesia to response but, unfortunately, because very few people have regular exposure to the adrenal syndrome their reasoning process often mistakes it for fear. Consequently many people ‘freeze’ under its influence. Therefore a profound understanding of fear needs to be sought. If you can’t control the person on the inside then it is safe to say that you cannot control the person on the out side (the attacker). If there is a threat, prepare to fight or run. Never stand and fight if there is a possibility of flight. You cannot go into an evaluation state on a situation that you have not noticed developing, equally you cannot prepare for fight or flight if you have not seen and evaluated the same. In this case the first you are likely to know of the situation is when it is too late.

 

Try and avoid frequenting areas that are rough, and if you have to, make sure that you are totally switched on at all times. I have no problem with my ego, I won’t be drawn into a road rage incident because some lemon stole the piece of road in front of me, or cut me up, or sped past me etc. There is no rush to the graveyard. Therefore, if the spanner in front wants my space, I’m quite happy to let him want to go there. I’ve been there before and believe me there are no winners. Incidents like this can change the course of your life if you let them. You kill someone, inadvertently in a road rage incident then you might as well stick your head between your legs and kiss your life goodbye and the little son or daughter that you have at home waiting for you, the beautiful wife that dotes on you, you can kiss them goodbye for 10-15 years as well. Think about it for a single second, not being able to be with your wife and kids for ten years, not being able to walk in the park; go for a pizza; drink a pint; cuddle up to your wife. Doesn’t the very thought frighten the shit out of you? It frightens me. If I get into a fight and have to hurt someone, I want the reason to be a better one than protecting a space by the bar, or a piece of tarmac on a country road. I want to be lying in my bed thinking to myself, ‘I had no other option open to me but to fight’. There is a heavy toll to pay for participating in a fight and, if you are morally in the wrong, the bill that drops through the door can be very exacting. Once again, we return to the fact that your system should be real, if it is, and you pressure test what you have, then the confidence it brings will be enough to enable you to walk away -it will make you strong enough to over ride peer pressure and ego. A pivotal part of understanding the enemy is realizing that he probably doesn’t understand himself very well. When he gives you the finger in the car, or stares at you aggressively across a busy bar it’s not personal, unless of course you make it so. You are a manifestation of whatever it is in his life that makes him angry: his dominant wife; his bullying boss; his car that keeps breaking down or his adolescent children. You become a displacement figure for the things in life that cause him stress. It is only because we take these incidents personally that we find ourselves being drawn into contentious situations. If you think about it, that’s probably why you find yourself getting angry with people (especially those closest to you), over little or nothing -you are also displacing your unutilized aggression. The combination of our confrontational society and increasing amounts of neurological stressors means that we are bound to development-up aggression. Stores of stress hormones sit waiting to be released by our behavior awaiting the right trigger to let them go off with a bang. That trigger might be a minor traffic incident; it may be some lemon staring at you across the bar, or something as simple as one of your children spilling juice on the carpet. Once triggered, the pent-up aggression explodes in an uncontrolled manner that can change the course of your life, for the worse, forever. Understanding the enemy means comprehending that, ‘it’s not personal’ and that, if a situation becomes physical there are no winners. Once you understand the psyche of the person or people that you are dealing with, you will probably understand them better than they understand themselves. In an instant you will be able to see and understand the run of their whole life and that it, like so many, is on a downward spiral to oblivion. Don’t you find that very sad? Doesn’t it make you feel a little compassion for these people? Not only do they not understand where they are going wrong, they will probably never understand and their whole life will unravel in the same unfortunate way. Don’t take it personally; let it go, let them off! I know what you will be saying, and I know what you mean. Just because it isn’t personal doesn’t mean that these people are not dangerous. Off course they are all potential killers, but usually only if you engage them and play the game that they want to play. The majority of the time these situations are benign until we counter their initial aggression, either because of our ego, some misdirected need to cleanse the world of bad people or the fact that we are reacting to the situation in a displaced manner ourselves. Imagine two guys, lets call them Joe and Pete, beating the crap out of each other over a minor a traffic incident. But they are not really fighting with each other. Pete is really battering his bullying boss and Joe is really battering his domineering wife. When they end up in court together neither will really be sure why they were fighting in the first place. If displacement is in your face and you can’t walk away, if you can’t avoid, escape, dissuade, posture, loophole etc., then you may be forced to exercise your right to self defense. Your karma will then be good and you will only be doing what you have to do. Whatever the reason, you know that justification was your ally and that’s enough. That is why I love Aikido, because It is an art of protecting your opponent, therefore you are protecting yourself.

In my opinion, Aikido is a defensive martial art. Its techniques are primarily for neutralizing various attacks like holds, grabs, punches, kicks and various combination of them. I like Aikido because of that. In Aikido, I learn how to subdue aggressive attackers with effective and efficient techniques. Aikido is not totally defensive though. There are some basic strikes like shomenuchi (strike from the top to the head), yokomenuchi (strike from the side to the head) and tsuki (thrust); and some basic kicks like mae-geri (straight kick), yoko-geri (side kick) and ushiro-geri (rear kick). There are also various atemi (strike to the openings to make the attacker off guard).

I read an interesting topic in my Aikido book titled “Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere” about the ethics of defense. It is very interesting to me. I’m always thinking, what if in the real world I have to face a situation where there is physical conflict and I’m forced to defend myself. What kind of defensive action can I make? The topic in the book above gives a little perspective on that.

There are three kind of situation. The first, in the middle of a conflict one person suddenly attack the other person. The other person defends himself by applying a technique; the attacker is subdued and injured. The second, in the middle of a conflict one person provokes the other person. The other person becomes provoked and attack the provoker. The provoker defends himself by applying a technique; the attacker is subdued and injured. The last situation, in the middle of a conflict one person suddenly attacks the other person. The other person defends himself by applying a technique; the attacker is subdued and not injured.

In the first situation, the defender reacts to protect himself and the end result is the attacker is injured. In my opinion, the defender can not be blamed although the attacker is injured in the end. In the mind of the defender, his safety is the first priority; that is basic human instinct to survive. In the perspective of martial arts, I think many martial art techniques fall into this category. Forceful and lethal techniques are used to disable attacker that can cause serious injury to the attacker. Striking and kicking are trained to the level of being able to break bricks. Throwing and locking techniques are done in a way that if the attacker doesn’t know how to perform ukemi (falling safely), he will be severely injured. Lethal points of human body are being targeted for striking or kicking. I think even if the techniques themselves are lethal, the one who has mastered them should be able to control them at appropriate level so that the attacker will not be severely injured.

In my opinion, in the second situation the defender is the attacker because he is the one who starts provoking. It is not right and not gentle to do that and to injure the provoked person. It is even more not right if the provoking person know that he could handle and he has the intention to injure the provoked man. I had a little conflict long ago with my neighbor over small misunderstanding. There was arguing and intense emotion; it was irritating. At that time I tried not to provoke the irritating and intimidating man; I knew if I did so there would be physical conflict. I did so not because I was afraid. I was confident I could handle the man physically with my level of training at that time. And so the conflict ended with some understanding. I think no martial art teaching teaches provoking.

According to the book, the third situation is the most ideal. It is the purpose of an Aikidoka to subdue an attacker without causing severe injury to the attacker. I agree to that. In fact, many Aikido techniques reflect that philosophy. For example, ikkyo (first control) based techniques. When performing ikkyo, nage (defender) pinned uke (attacker) to the ground, controlling the back of one of his arm by grasping the wrist with one hand and pressuring the elbow with the other hand. In ikkyo, nage can give uke a choice: to surrender and go away or to suffer the pin further more. Ikkyo can injure the elbow if further applied, thus it is called elbow break in other martial art if I’m not mistaken. Ikkyo in particular or osae waza (pinning techniques) in Aikido reflect the same philosophy.

In my opinion, it is rather difficult to be able to apply the principle in the third situation. We tend to act like in the first situation, especially in life threatening situation. I read it in one of my Aikido books that to be able to apply that principle, one has to be strong. To be that strong, I think it can be achieved through our daily practice. From my books again, I think it is “The Principles of Aikido”, when practicing we should treat every attack that uke delivers as a deadly attack. Uke has the responsibility to make his attack like one. Consider shomenuchi, we should not treat uke’s shomenuchi as it is. Shomenuchi itself, in training, is not a dangerous attack; we could let it through and can suffer the blow. We should instead treat it as if it were a blow to our head with a baseball bat maybe. If we practice that way, we develop our awareness and we learn to harness the instinct to over-react when attacked. That is what I’m still practicing to achieve.

Sensei Scott Berg

I am glad we are starting to get this in the open, simply because, in laymans’s terms whether we take a doctors prescription or and aspirin it is a medication. So too with Aikido’s deliverance of pain with technique or individual pressure point, we advance to that level of practice using the pressure points available in any given situation or technique by practice and knowledge. 

My point being, denying pain being delivered by nerves, whether called pressure points or pain submission, is a moot point. (Moot being a philosophical arguement. That, in working man’s terms, means nothing because them educated scholars are beating a dead horse while the world goes on around them, at least in working man’s terms.)

Before I practiced Aikido, I had a variety of pain submissions from various jujitsu lessons, but sometimes to get there there were many offensive and defensive dirty tricks to get past punching and kicking? Eventually, judo and jujitsu were that more effective than striking and kicking. When I began to get the hang of Aikido, I saw even more openings, beyond the actual physical manipulations, which became easier to get to with Aikido’s flowing harmony.

Now with Aikido training, I see it works well with many other styles training providing openings for other techniques, which I call my old friends from other schools of training.

So, not to rely on what works is foolish. But learning to make other things work within Aikido? You decide.

How long did it take to begin to understand Aikido, and will you or I ever Master IT?

Probably not, but practicing is a lot of fun!

When I learned these forms, there were no names for them. I was just told “and the next one goes like this (trans).” 

Rokkyo: Also known as udehijigatame, udehiji shime, hiji osae, etc. Often used for knife thrust or jo thrust chest height. Tenkai so that thrust goes under armpit, flow thrust forward>sideways>upwards>backwards while holding uke’s wrist with both hands. Pressure on uke’s elbow as you drop down on inside knee or back. Warning, uke is liable to injure elbow on this one. I don’t do this one often unless uke is yudansha because of injuries to at least four mudansha who went down on wrong knee. 

Nanakyo: Kawahara Sensei says, “like sankyo but not sankyo.” Instead of getting into the classical sankyo position, uke stays in front of nage. He used to do it to me by grabbing my thumb as I attacked with a munedori. However, I have also had it done to me by other Sensei from other attacks. I believe it was Endo Sensei who liked to do this from a jodan tsuki attack, going into tenkai and trapping and twisting the hand as it passed by into a sankyo-type grip. However, instead of stepping into tenkan, he would tenkai again and drop and twist uke’s wrist in the sankyo type grip while pressing down on the elbow for leverage with the other hand. As nage steps backwards, uke is pressed downward. Some Sensei have called this just another variant of sankyo others say “like sankyo but not sankyo.” 

Hachikyo: Again, Kawahara Sensei says, “like yonkyo but not yonkyo.” (I got reprimanded on this several times a while back because I insisted on continuing to do yonkyo when the practice was “not yonkyo.”) The practice was from the katatetori attack. The uke’s wrist is immediately turned over into a “yonkyo-type grip” without raising it and nage steps backward while pressing down on the elbow for a drag-down rather than press-down (more like gokkyo type of feel). 

Kyukyo: Also known as Katagatame or Udehijigatame (this terms seems to be used for a number of techniques). It is especially done against tsuki attacks. It is a required technique for sankyu in Canada. The gedan tsuki attack is sidestepped outside using a strong irimi movement while cutting down at the elbow with a strong shuto. The other hand does atemi to face or throat. The atemi hand continues its path to uke’s shoulder which it pulls down. The shuto hand wraps uke’s arm so that the shuto continues on to grab uke’s elbow from the inside. The nage’s two hands overlap at uke’s elbow which is pushed down as nage lowers down on to one knee while doing a tenkan, or stepping backwards. Finish with kansetsu waza. 

Jyukyo: Easy way to start is like yokomenuchi shihonage but, instead of taking uke’s arm upwards, the bent elbow is pressed downwards as nage steps forward in the 45 degree. Finish with shuto to back of neck. 

I may have the order of these all wrong and all I ever heard was “next one” in terms of name. When I asked the name I was just told they were the kyo. 

In the meanwhile I have been known to do a number of techniques which are not exactly kihonwaza and the Sensei would come over and correct it, so, it must have been another one I was fortunate enough to rediscover (I was told that I would sooner or later find out all the variants if I stayed in Aikido long enough but would never be shown all of them directly-basically, I was told to go away and find out myself and quite bothering them.). I am, however, finding out what makes each of the techniques a technique in itself a not something else. This is quite interesting. For instance, the one that Kawahara Sensei calls “like yonkyo but not yonkyo” is not yonkyo because it does not include the wide arm-sweeping motion of the ikkyo (uke’s elbow doesn’t come up and uke is pulled down and not pushed down). 

Please take all this with a grain of salt. It is simply my distillation of things I have been taught over a number of years from a great many different teachers. If there is any incorrectness in this, it is because I stupidly misunderstood or mixed up what several different senseis were teaching. In my own defense, I sometimes find it difficult because of the different terms used for the same thing by different sensei and the limits of when a technique is something else differ from sensei to sensei from my point of view. It is, though, possible that they are all the same, the difference in perception being dependent upon how many times I have been bounced off the tatami as uke before getting a chance to try out the technique.

I’m not to good at verbal descriptions but I tried. 

These differ some from Rocky’s rendition but then I suppose we learned them at different times from different teachers. These technique require the use of a bayoneted rifle or long spear, it is training against long weapons the jo up. It requires two moves to get inside Uke unlike the jo down to the hand which require one move. 

Gokyo: Uke using a bayoneted rifle. Uke has the right hand in the triggering position the left had around the barrel stock. He thrusts with the bayonet at the abdomen (easier withdrawal than the chest). You slide into his left side your right hand goes to the elbow as in Ikkyo and your left palm up grasps his fingers from the bottom securing them on the stock piece. If you were looking as you hands the right palm would be down and the left up. Now proceed as in Ikkyo with your normal footwork. 

Rokkyo: Uke using a spear from the right hand position. Left hand at the base of the staff and right hand extended position as if thrusting or reaping with a 9 foot spear. Slide in at the thrust. You will only get half way in. Your right had goes to the elbow like ikkyo but with the hand turned over the thumb on top. Your left hand goes to his left hand as in Ikkyo, but grasping the thumb and fingers securing them onto the shaft you will be holding his arm like a jo. If you looked at your hands the right palm would be up and the left down. Apply pressure to the elbow and thrust down as if his arm was a jo (be careful you can snap the elbow with to much presser. Pin in this position applying presser to the elbow (again be careful). 

Nanakyo: Spear or rifle thrust, you slide in the right hand grasping uke’s left from the top, your left had grasping uke’s left form the bottom. Both you hands are securing his left (or lead hand) on the weapon. Rotate his arm about a quarter turn so the elbow is up and into your armpit. You can apply pusher at this point. If you can not apply sufficient leverage to disarm him or brake the elbow, slide you left foot across your front, it will be in front of uke. Now drop down on your right knee and lean back across uke’s back applying presser to the elbow (be careful). 

Hachikyo: Uke in the right handed position thrusts with the bayoneted rifle or spear. You slide in but not so deep as the last time. You grasp the rifle stock or spear shaft in your left hand and push it up and toward his right shoulder. Grasping the lower part of the shaft (between his hands) you pull. This gives you leverage on the weapon and you can take uke down bring the blade of the weapon across the back of uke’s neck. 

Dennis Hooker Shindai Aikikai.

Tags: aikido, health, pressure points

Due to the dynamic nature of Aikido, most experts say that there are no definite “styles” or “techniques” in practicing the martial art. After the development of aikido by Morihei Ueshiba, called “O Sensei,” many students were inspired to train under his tutelage.

After their training, the Great Teacher encouraged his students to put up their own dojos so they can spread the tenets of his martial art. Aside from encouraging them to set up dojos and share the knowledge he taught, he also inspired them to develop their own styles and interpretations as long as these techniques adhere to the basic principle of aikido, “not fighting force with force.”

The aikido founder reiterates this principle over and over again because the techniques of aikido, when applied without care, can damage or kill instead of diverting or immobilizing the opponent.

With the emergence of various dojos all over the world, more and more techniques were born. Despite the differences in techniques in various dojos, there is a set of the common techniques in which almost all dojos use. Each of this technique is carefully taught to the student so he or she can discover its strengths and weaknesses.

Although most people say that there should be no superior or inferior technique, only the student or the individual practicing it can truly tell which technique works well for him or her. Here is a list of the most common aikido techniques practiced by almost all aikido practitioners in dojos today:

1. “Ikkyo”. Also known as the “first technique,” ikkyo refers to the control exercised using only one hand on the elbow and the other one on near the wrist that leverages “uke” to the ground. This technique uses a grip that can apply pressure into the ulnar nerve on the medial side of the person’s arm.

2. “Nikyo”. This is referred to as the “second technique.” Nikyo involves the use of an adductive wristlock that loops the arm while applying painful nerve pressure.

3. “Sankyo”. This is also called the “third technique.” Sankyo is known as a “pronating” technique that directs upward-spiraling pressure throughout the person’s arm, elbow, and shoulder.

4. “Yonkyo”. Is also popular as the “fourth technique.” Just like iikkyo, yonko is also a shoulder control but with requires the use of both hands in gripping the forearm. The practitioner’s knuckles�usually from the palm side�are applied to the opponent’s radial nerve against the forearm bone.

5. “Gokyo”. This refers to a variant of ikkyo where the hand that grips the wrist is inverted. Also known as the “fifth technique,” gokyo is common in tanto and other weapon take-aways.

6. “Shihonage”. Here, the practitioner’s hand is folded back past the shoulder and locks the shoulder joint. This aikido technique is also called the “four-direction throw.”

7. “Kotegaeshi”. This is popularly called the “wrist return.” This aikido technique is a characterized by a supinating wristlock-throw, which stretches the person’s extensor digitorum.

8. “Kokyunage”. In English, this is translated to “breath throw.” This term is coined for various types of flowing “timing throws” in duration of any aikido session.

9. “Iriminage”. For aikido practitioners, this is known as the “entering-body throw” or throws where “nage” moves through the space occupied by “uke.” This is considered as a classic form that resembles the “clothesline” technique.

10. “Tenchinage”. A.k.a. the “heaven-and-earth throw.” This technique involves the “uke” grabbing both wrists of the “nage.” Moving forward, the nage sweeps one hand low (”earth”) and the other high (”heaven”), so he or she can unbalance the uke.

Tags: aikido, dynamic, moves, styles, techniques

Traditionally, martial art systems were created as a documented practice of training for combat mode in the ancient eras. Naturally, its modern day applications are primarily for self-defense, exercise and physical fitness. One form of martial arts however stands out from the rest in the sense that it espouses a relaxed way of life over cunning and physical strength.

At the heart of it, the Aikido spirit is about cultivating relaxation and a serenity throughout everyday life to be able to harness this virtue in actual physical combat. Aikido is actually a modern Japanese martial art and the Aikido spirit continues to live on today years after it was developed by Morihei Eushiba between 1920 to 1960. Noteworthy about this particular martial art is that the Aikido spirit is cultivated within its students so that there is a spiritual and philosophical development that happens; which in turn becomes the basis of the combative art. Modern day students of Aikido testify that they bring the Aikido spirit with them throughout ordinary mundane activities, forming a bridge between principles of how to tackle everyday life and combat moves on the training mat.

This spiritual and philosophical basis of the Aikido spirit that cultivates relaxation and the peaceful control of aggression, is attributed to the founder’s background in Omoto-kyo religion. Omoto-kyo is a modern Japanese religion, which is said to be an offshoot of Shintoism.  Omoto-kyo followers believe in beautifying the world with art because they believe that art brings humans closer to the divine.

Aside from this however, the Omoto-kyo followers are pacifists who espouse peace over war. This is the parallel between Omoto-kyo and Aikido. That is why the Aikido spirit is often paradoxically referred to as the art of peace. One may wonder about the sanity behind the fact that a martial art which was in all intentions created for combat and winning over the enemy can indeed to be claim to the art of peace. For all intents and purposes however, the philosophical and spiritual foundation of Aikido is about maintaining a constant state of relaxation.

It is in this relaxed state that the Aikido practitioner is able to perform difficult throws and maneuvers as taught by the martial art. The relaxed state can be attributed to a deep unshakable peace free of aggression. The concept is that when we are tense and not relaxed, we needlessly waste energy on aggression and force. By going with the flow and not being afraid of what can or cannot happen to us, we cultivate a peace with a relaxed demeanor as its direct consequence.

The Aikido spirit aims to cultivate a mental discipline, develop character and self-confidence with the end goal of being able to maintain peace and relaxation. It believes that in peace can one realize true power: The power to spread peace further and the strength to be able to withstand the onslaught of everyday situations. The basics in passing on the Aikido spirit can be done through practical applications that clearly show that a relaxed demeanor is more effective than an aggressive one.

One such physical example is the exercise of trying to cause someone to lose their balance. To be able to topple off an opponent usually means that we should be physically stronger and in some cases larger so that superior physical strength through muscle contraction is the traditional measure of victory.

Tags: art, martial, relaxed, soft style, styles

When an attacker is approaching, the person only has a split second to decide whether to dodge or block the move of the opponent. There is no point thinking about what this happened in the first place but the concern now is just to stop it.

In a fight, the person can make a counter attack in the hopes that the individual will be subdued. There is another way of course without resorting to force, which is the technique one can learn in aikido.

Aikido is a martial art in which the person blocks the moves of an opponent by using the hands. Anyone who wants to learn it will not be able to move as fast as Steven Segal in one of his action films but still be effective in combat.

This martial art cannot be learned by merely watching others do it in the movies or in television. There are some who even show the step by step process in a magazine but nothing still compares to learning it from a Sensei.

The person must first become a student in order to be called a master. This means learning the basic rules from entering the dojo until the class is over. The person will surely feel some pain after falling down a few times on the mat but this is not to torture the pupil.

This is all part of the training, which the student must also do properly in order to move into the more advanced classes.

One of the secrets is being able to know when to use it since timing is everything. There is a bit of hand to eye coordination just like in sports but here, the individual will merely redirect the same force back to that individual.

Another secret in using aikido has to do with the wrist. The person should be smooth enough to put one hand over the opponents to be able to  make the technique work and counter the attack.

It takes a certain amount of energy to be able to perform certain moves. The individual will learn the various breathing exercises that will increase the heart rate and slow it down especially in the heat of the action.

The student should bear in mind that the breathing exercises also serves as a unifying force between the physical and the emotional aspect of the person.

The most important secret in mastering aikido is being consistent with the technique. The arms will surely feel heavy after some time or a certain amount of energy is drained after a few moves. By being able to do the same thing despite these difficulties, anyone can truly be called a true martial artist.

People who want to check on how well one is doing can sign up for Tomiki Aikido. This is a competition held by various clubs in which the student will compete among some of the best in the country.

Those who do well here can move up to the next skill level just like in karate where a student moves from one belt to another. If after many years, that student has learned all the secrets that go with aikido,  this is the only time one can be called a master and even open a dojo.

Tags: aikido, secret, techniques, tricks

Aikido is one of the oldest and most widely-used martial arts forms in the world. It is being taught for centuries as a form of self-defense and protection. It is also a way for people to learn centeredness and balance in their lives.

Aikido is a martial arts form that requires constant practice and dedicated study for it does not only teach you self-defense, it also teaches you discipline. A good aikido training school is needed to achieve this. This is the reason why it is important for you to find a school that will not only teach you the basics but will also nurture your budding talent.

Here are some tips in choosing a good aikido school.

Go for the recommended ones

Although all aikido training schools will be teaching the same set of tricks and techniques, there are schools that will give you better training. One way to look for good aikido schools is to ask around your neighborhood or among your friends and acquaintances. They are great sources because not only will they be able to provide you with names that are located in a place convenient to you, they will also be able to give you first hand information on the teaching method of the school.

In fact, they can even give you tips and advice on aikido training. Another way is to ask martial arts teachers. Even if they are not teaching aikido, they will know people who teach aikido and will be able to recommend good ones. There are also forums over the internet where you can post your questions. Members of the site or those that frequently read the forums will surely answer. Chances are they will know a good aikido school that is near your house. Forums like these are very effective because members are mostly aikido or martial arts buffs who know the business and will surely know what they are talking about.

Look for one that is near

In addition to the training, you will also need to find a school that is near your house or your place of work. Location is important in giving you the drive. Places that are far from your place will only result in frequent absenteeism, which is not good for your training. Another advantage that near locations provide is the fact that it gives you the chance to urge friends or family members to come with you and also be interested in the martial art form.

Teacher and mentor

Before enrolling in a program, make sure that you got to meet and talk to the teacher. Although it may seem unimportant, it is vital to also be attuned and in harmony with the teacher of aikido as he or she will not only be teaching you aikido basics but also your mentor in your life.

Scheduling

Getting a good schedule is another crucial point in getting a good aikido training. Look for schools that offer the schedule that you want. Remember that the time that you will be training is also important because it will determine your readiness for the lesson. If your schedule is not the right fit, you will only feel tired and uninspired during the training, something which is not good when learning aikido as it asks for your total commitment and passion to the task.

Tags: choose, chosing, finding, learning, research, schools, selecting, tips

Aikido means “The Way of Harmony with the Spirit” and is considered a non-violent form of martial art. However, don’t be fooled. Aikido when used correctly is very powerful often are able to block and neutralize strong attacks and counter them with an equal force.

Morihei Ueshiba, now known as O-sensei to the world of Aikido, founded the martial art. O-sensei is a master of Jujitsu or unarmed combat, Kinjitsu or sword combat, and sojitsu or spear combat and studied philosophical and religious teachings.

Because of the religious and philosophical foundations of Aikido, principles of the martial art include ways to harmonize with the ki or spirit within oneself and the bigger spirit of nature. Among the principles of Aikido include oneness, circular motion and ki.

Among the philosophical teachings of Aikido, one of the more basics and more important is learning to control oneself. Maintaining an inner balance is necessary to harmonize with others enabling to control an opponent’s attack or applying an effective technique. Self-control is the key to achieve and maintain harmony.

The Principle of Oneness is another basic principle in Aikido. An aikidoka must learn to become one with any situation. Becoming one means having an attitude of respect for all things and situations, friend or foe. By training to become one with every situation, harmonization will follow and it will become possible to execute Aikido techniques, movements and forms accurately and efficiently.

Harmony also means synthesis. And the spiritual circle which is a foundation of all Aikido techniques synthesizes everything. Aikido is a combination of circular movements. Its techniques and movements revolve around the concept of circular motions. When an opponent attacks, the aikidoka uses a circular motion of the lower abdomen to control the attack and execute Aikido techniques to counterattack.

It is said that defense is the greatest offense. In Aikido to defend properly an attack, one must learn to move away from the range of effectiveness of the opponent’s attack. However, as you try to defend by getting out of the opponent’s effective range, you must also try to maintain your own range of effectiveness in order to counterattack efficiently.

You won’t be able to give an effective counterattack if you stepped too far away from your opponent. Similarly, being too close would definitely lessen the effectiveness of your techniques. Everything will depend on the situation. As an Aikido practitioner, you must learn to determine how to avoid your opponent’s range while controlling your own in various situations.

Finally, the Principle of Ki involves believing that every thing in the universe is governed by a force or spirit. Ki is also the energy and our life force. Ki is the force that binds the mind and the body. It is the energy that harmonizes us to our surroundings. By learning to control our Ki, we will be able to unify our mind and our body maximizing efficient movements and execution of Aikido techniques.

Aikido focuses on the distance, motion, speed, and projection of an attacker. By using blending, spiraling, and extension techniques, the attack will be neutralized and by using one’s centeredness and hips, the same amount of force can be applied to the attacker.  In Aikido, the spiraling and circular movements reflect what the martial art is: a fluid and flowing movement of spirit and energy.

Tags: aikido, founding, principles

It only takes a split second whether someone comes out as a victor or a loser in combat. The person can try to remember it later on to see what errors were made in order to become a better fighter in the future.

Such things also happen in competition which is why it is best for the student to be familiar with the various aikido moves at all times.

For instance, in Ai hanmi Iriminage a person grabs the attacker by the neck and forces the opponent to the ground.

In Ai hanmi Kokyuho, this is similar to the first with the difference of extending the arm a little farther in order to achieve maximum effect.

Should the attacker have a knife, a good aikido move to use is called Katate Ryotemochi in which the individual uses both hands to block the weapon used by the attacker and disarming it before putting the person on the ground.

If the individual is able to get behind the attacker, perhaps doing Ushiro Ryokatatori will be a good idea. This will allow the student to grab both shoulders of the person. Should the individual be tough, perhaps applying Ushiro Kubishime, which will temporarily cut the air supply until the assailant is unconscious, is the best thing to do.

Not all the aikido moves being taught are just to block and the make the person fall to the ground. There are also striking moves such as Kata Menuchi in which the hand makes a slice to the middle of the forehead. Those who don�t want to inflict a concussion can try Mune Tsuki, which is a strike to the chest.

A good move for the leg is the Aiki Otoshi better known in English as a leg sweep. This will surely keep the person down especially when that attacker thinks that all the student can do is use the arms when defending.

Once the attacker has been subdued, it will be safer to keep the attacker locked in a Sankyo hold. This technique is used by police, which is very useful when the police are on the way to the location.

There are more than 10 different moves in Aikido. The person should be able to distinguish one from the other especially when the terms are all in Japanese. It will be the choice of the individual which one to use when one is engaged in combat.

The first step in learning this martial art will be to enroll in a dojo. The person can look at the directory to find the nearest one to the home and then choose to sign up if the rates are affordable.

The student will then be taught the rules, how to wear the uniform and then the proper moves in each stroke. The individual should not expect to get it right on the first day but eventually do better in the coming days.

The person should remember that Aikido unlike other martial arts can only be used for defensive purposes. Usually when the suspect has failed in the attack, this person will run so the individual should not give chase but rather get help.

It is only with practice sparring with a partner or even doing the same thing in competition that both the mind and the body can be conditioned to engage an attacker in combat.

Tags: aikido, combat, fighting, moves, practice, styles, techniques

In quantum physics, one of the foremost theories that promises to revolutionize how we see the world is the theory of strings. The main premise of this particular theory is that strings are the most basic structure that makes up everything we can and cannot see within the physical world. Strings of course is just a word to label this most profound substance that theoretical physicists say dictate everything we see, perceive and have in and around us in this physical world.

Although no direct correlation has ever been claimed between string theory and that of the principles of ch’i prevalent in the East, they share the same premise in the most basic sense that it is said that there is a basic energy substance that underlie everything. In understanding the nature of this substance we are able to harness its power and utilize it.

The concept of ch’i or qi in Chinese and ki in Japanese, is very much relative to the type of school that teaches it. Some say that ch’i is a force separate from matter as we know it. Some say that ch’i arises from matter. Still some say that matter arises from ch’i.

What all schools have in common however is the fact that they all more or less say that ch’i is a fundamental energy that can be harnessed to bring power to oneself wither physically, mentally or spiritually. With all the different premises that try to explain ch’i, it is clear that mere instructions in words will not be able to fully expound on what ch’i is. Perhaps because of this, it is better to pass on the knowledge of ch’i through actual and practical instruction.

One school that may be successful in being able to teach what the ch’i is and how to be able to use it for one’s own benefit is Aikido. At the heart of the spirituality and philosophy or Aikido is the ki, which is similar or perhaps, one and the same with what is otherwise known as the ch’i or qi.

Aikido’s ki is the heart of the principle of this particular martial art. While technically, martial arts are means for combat and war, Aikido is often known as the art of peace because it espouses a peaceful means towards aggression. Aikido ki, like in other concepts of ch’i teaches that there is a fundamental energy that can be harnessed. Aikido ki being energy means that its substance is something that flows.

The principle of peace and relaxation taught by Aikido presupposes the fact that the ki flows more smoothly and strongly when it is uninterrupted. A better illustration might be something like, if water is ki, then to harness its power, it must be allowed to flow to produce hydroelectric force.

This is why in Aikido, ki energy comes from being relaxed. It is said that in the relaxed state, the flow of ki is better aided. Aikido as a martial art is not about muscle strength or superior physical attributes. It is really about relaxation, flexibility and stamina. This allows a smaller person to be able to topple and throw a larger opponent during practice.

Tags: aikido, concepts, energy, ideas, ki, principles, spirituality, underlying