Aikido is a traditional martial art with as many as 10,000 self-defense techniques in its repertoire. The rules of aikido were formulated at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and the most important of them says that it cannot be a form of sports competition. Nevertheless, aikido has its adepts all over the world. Learn about the history and techniques used in aikido and the philosophy behind this martial art.

Aikidois practiced on a massive scale in Japan, and adepts of this martial art also enroll in numerous trainings in Europe, North and South America. Aikido is about avoiding attack and defending against it, not attacking. Fighting is based on using the opponent's strength against himself - the more complicated the defense technique, the less effort it takes to repel the offensive. There is a principle in aikido: as many types of attacks, as many ways of defense.

Aikido is also a moral code that requires taking responsibility for the he alth and mental he alth of people who train and fight together.

History of aikido

One of the promoters of aikido is the famous actor Steven Seagal, who obtained the 7th dan degree in this martial art.

The history of aikido dates back to the turn of the 20th century, and the Japanese Morihei Ueshiba is considered its creator. He was sickly as a child, so his father encouraged him to train. Ueshiba practiced ju-jitsu according to the Tenshin Shin'yo-Ryu tradition and Shinkage-Ryu fencing, the elements of which he later used in aikido.

Ueshiba raised many students, among them Hirokazu Kobayashi, who continued his work by organizing aikido shows not only in Japan, but also in Italy, France, Switzerland and Belgium. Aikido came to Poland in 1975.

It is worth remembering that aikido is not only techniques, but also philosophy. The name of this martial art consists of three elements:

  • ai- harmony, gentleness, love;
  • ki- vital energy;
  • to- road.

The main goal of aikido is self-improvement, not focusing on combat - that's why this discipline is not related to sports competition. A very important place in the philosophy of aikido is the "spinning ball" theory. According to her, the world is filled with energykisimilar to a flowing stream, notfocused on a point by delivering a punch or countering it with a block.

Aikido techniques

In aikido, as many as 10,000 variants of various techniques of defense against attackers are used. According to Ueshiba, the attacker has a problem, but this does not mean that the attacker is supposed to resemble him and attack him as well. The main goal is self-defense, even against a stronger opponent or against a few opponents. That is why aikido is a martial art for everyone: women, men and children, with no upper age limit. There are special Aikido classes for women who practice them in the art of self-defense.

Mastering "fight without a fight" requires a lot of practice. Aikido trainings teach you to get off the line of attack and to use throws, strokes and levers on specific parts of the body. During exercises, adepts of this martial art also learn to use a knife, stick and sword.

It is worth remembering that aikido differs from other martial arts in that in its case the development of actions depends on the opponent's movement - if he does not attack, there will be no combat.

The basic techniques used in aikido are:

  • Nikyo- an immobilizing technique that involves bending the wrist and tilting it towards the attacker's head at an angle close to a right angle between the forearm and the arm and wrist.
  • Ikkyo- a leverage technique that can be performed as holding or throwing. It is based on pressing the arm of the attacker back, just above the elbow, in a specific soft spot that the defender may first recognize in himself. The pressure is exerted by the weight of the whole body.
  • Gokyo- is used to defend against attacks with a knife or a club. It is similar to the ikkyo technique, but there is a difference in grasping the opponent's hand - we grab him so that we can control the weapon in his hand.
  • Sankyo- indicates an unnatural twist of the wrist with a lever. The hand becomes twisted not only in the wrist joint, but also in the elbow joint and in the tendons of the forearm. The lever is the starting position for the completion of a technique with a throw.
  • Hiji kime- technique of bending the elbow in the opposite direction to the natural for this joint. The attacker's hand should be straight and his hand should be held firmly by the person fending off the attack. The defender acts on the opponent with his full body weight.
  • Yonkyo- a technique considered to be one of the most painful. The attacked person presses heavily on the nerve centers on the attacker's forearm, using primarily the little finger and the root of the index finger. Just the right emphasiseffectively incapacitates the opponent.
  • Irimi nage- involves first making a move that will allow you to avoid a collision with your opponent, and then directing the attacker around your body and pressing his head against your shoulder. When the attacker is in motion around our axis, it is brought down smoothly.
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Aikido glossary

  • dojo- training room
  • uke- attacker
  • tori- under attack
  • sensei- teacher
  • arigato- thank you
  • dan- master's degree
  • kyu- student grade
  • rei- bow
  • sempai- a person who conducts classes, but does not have a master's title
  • hajime- exercise start signal

Aikido steps and lanes

The awarding of belts and grades in Aikido varies from school to school. However, there is a division into kyu - student ranks and dan - master ranks. The International Aikido Federation recognizes that there are 6 kyu grades, each of which is usually associated with a white belt color, and a black belt is obtained upon reaching the first championship degree. Special belts with colorful epaulets for children have been introduced - the grades for the youngest can be from a few to even a dozen.

As in other martial arts, you need to pass an exam to get the next level of proficiency.

Aikido outfit

People who train aikido practice in a specially designed outfit -keikogi(another name:aikidogi ). These are white clothes, very similar to the ones in judocas and karatecs.

Particular attention is paid to the wide - black or navy blue - pants worn by some participants. They wear them for a reason - they are supposed to mask the movements of the legs so as to make it difficult for the opponent to predict his next actions. The pants even have a separate name -hakama . Traditionally, they can be worn by people who have achieved the dan master degrees. However, the Polish Aikido Federation allows them to be worn from the 2nd kyu level.

Aikido for kids

Aikido develops the overall physical fitness of the youngest. It teaches commitment and consistency in achieving goals, discipline and concentration. Aikido also corrects posture defects, as the techniques and exercises involve both sides of the body. Classes for children run differently than those for adults - aikido training for the latter requires silence and a lot of discipline, and exercises for the youngest take place ina much more relaxed atmosphere. Children learn to move on the mat and fall on it safely, no dangerous throws or levers are used.

Worth knowing

The Aikikai Foundation is an organization founded, as its charter says, "to preserve and promote the ideals of true Aikido." She delegates her instructors to many countries around the world to promote this martial art. The head of the Aikikai Foundation is Moriteru Ueshiba, grandson of the founder of aikido - Morihei Ueshiba.

Effects of aikido training

Aikido trainings are not focused on competition, there are no sports competitions related to this martial art, and yet such exercises give tangible results. First of all, they improve our motor coordination - after all, aikido is about effective and quick movements that will allow you to avoid an attack and overpower the opponent. The trainings also strengthen the condition and teach you to properly control your breathing.

The influence of aikido on the psyche cannot be overestimated. People who train them feel more confident and safer - they know that they will be able to defend themselves in the event of an attack not only on the mat. This martial art is not based on competing with each other, so its adepts train mainly to improve their skills, and not to win further awards.

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