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AIKIDO
HOW DOES IT WORKS? | |
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By the very nature of the principles and the way of practicing,
aikido is opposed to all forms of competition wich prevails in many aspects of
everyday life.
In aikido we are not confronted
with an adversary: "tori" accepts and redirect the attack of the partner
called "aité". The objective is to adapt to the force and speed
of the attack without opposing it, without the use of muscular force, and to follow
the natural direction of the force in order to unbalance the partner and bring
him in a controled state. Since there is no
courses for beginners, the most experimented will, when receiving the attack,
help the neophyte in its movements, and while attacking, control it's own movements
to preserve the physical integrity of the partner. Aikido
founder, Maître Moriheï Ueshiba (1883-1969), used to say: "The
objective of aikido is not to control others, but to master yourself". |
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Aikido techniques |
 | Discovering
aikido starts by learning the basic martial techniques, but theses are to be taken
as pedagocical tools to catch the principles underneath.
Normally, there
is no means to calculate how many techniques aikido possesses, because each martial
situation generate a particular response. But to help simplify, we can count about
20 "major techniques" wich can decline in about 300 different forms,
depending on the nature of the attack (punch, kick, grabbing, etc) and where it
is placed (head, belly, elbow, wrist, etc) | | | |
Aikido
can be practiced with one or many adversaries, wheter armed or not with wooden
weapons: bokken (wooden saber), jo (wooden stick) or tanto (wooden knife), each
partner will either be standing, on standing and one kneeled, or both on knees.
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| Aïkido
: principes de base. |
| | In every
technique we find the same basic principes, theses are immutables: if
one of theses is missing then the techniques loses it's sense and it's efficacity..
By working a technique, it is all the discipline that one practice.
Working
with the weapons is an excellent way to show the basic principles of aikido.. |
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Principles
- All aikido techniques go
in a centripedal spiral movement : after having kept a security distance, then
deviated the attack, the partner who does the technique is in the center of this
spiral and amplifies it in order to control the other or make him fall.
- All
deplacements have to be reduced to the strict minimum in order to guarantee the
speed of execution.
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| However,
to guarantee the effects stated above it will be necessary to create, whatever
the technique, a certain number of "basics": -
Distance et placement (space-time management), this notion is common to all martial
arts.
(MA-AI)
- Right natural attitude, balance, physical and mental maintenance
(SHISEI / KAMAE)
- To use the energy of the other, go in the same direction,
be at the end of the force. (KI NO NAGARE and KI MISUBI)
- Take the center
of the other and of the movement, move at least. The other must move more than
you. (IRIMI / URA : concepts to be brought closer to "yin-yang")
- Use the push of the hips while putting all the segments of the body in the same
direction . (IKKYO UNDO)
- "Respiration", only a flexible, full,
free and continuous breathing can allow a good coordination of the movements and
a good energy circulation . (KOKYU)
- Displacement, to move its body freely.
(TAI SABAKI)
- To tie, untie: to release itself from any grip. (TE ODOKI)
- To be able to carry a precise striking directed on a vital point of the organization
during all the realization of the technique. (ATEMI) 
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