International

AIKIDO
HOW DOES IT WORKS?

 

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".

 

 
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.
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..
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.
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)