About Aikido...
History…
Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed in the by Morihei Ueshiba (also known as O-sensei) as a reflection of his martial studies, philosophy and spiritual beliefs.
O-sensei developed Aikido in the 1920’s and 1930’s as a synthesis of his lifetime of martial arts training, as well as an expression of his personal philosophy of harmony and reconciliation.
Aikido is the modern evolution of several Japanese Koryū(old-style martial arts) that date back to the days of the samurai in feudal Japan. This traditional origin is seen today in the dojo etiquette and courtesy practiced, as well as certain stances and weapons used.
O-sensei originally referred to his martial art as Aiki Būdo (loosely translated as “the warrior’s path of the harmonious spirit”), but was officially adopted as "Aikido" in 1942 when the Greater Japan Martial Virtue Society reorganized and centralized many of the Japanese martial arts.
Today, Aikido is found all over the world and has diverged into many different federations and styles. Similarly, aspects of Aikido can be found in some ryū (schools) of Karatē, as well as the Korean art of Hapkido.
While each modern Aikido dojo has its own interpretations and emphasis of the art, they all share techniques and philosophies learned from O-sensei, as well as a common virtue of concern for the well-being of the attacker.
The Philosophy...
The word Aikido (made up of the kanji 合気道) best translates to mean "the Way of a harmonious spirit." This reflects O-sensei’s goal of creating a martial art whose techniques allow a practitioner to defend him/herself while also protecting the attacker from serious harm.
One of O-sensei’s core beliefs in developing Aikido was that all human beings utilize and share a common energy source called ki. To attack another is to break from the universal ki, so the Aikido practitioner acts only to return order, never to harm or attack.
As a purely defensive art, the most fundamental and straightforward principles of Aikido encourage a “relaxed” response to conflict by recognizing there is no need to be stronger or more aggressive than an opponent to have control over the outcome.
The Aikido practitioner’s strength comes from his/her ability to maintain control and not only find a way to control the opponent, but will also be able to control the situation before drastic action is necessary. There is no winning or losing, since there is no need for contest.
The purpose of Aikido is to train mind and body, and to produce sincere, earnest people. Since all techniques are to be transmitted person-to-person, do not randomly reveal them to others, for this might lead to their being used inappropriately.
The Style...
Aikido is a “modern” martial art that diverges from other traditional Japanese martial arts because of its active emphasis on preventing injury from coming to the attacker.
Daito-Ryū (Japanese fighting sword arts) is the primary technical influence on Aikido. Many of the circular movements and stances in Aikido are derived from techniques originally developed for use with bladed weapons.
The signature locking and throwing techniques of Aikido are derived from Jūjutsu (the yielding way), a samurai fighting art that uses grappling, pins, takedowns and pressure-point strikes to disable an opponent. When developing Aikido, O-sensei removed many of the striking, kicking and choking elements in favor of joint locks and pins that do not result in serious injury to the attacker.
Aikido is performed by blending with the motion of the attacker and redirecting the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on. This requires very little physical energy, as the aikido practitioner "leads" the attacker's momentum using smooth entering and turning movements. These techniques are then completed with various throws or joint locks.
Unlike Jūjutsu, Karatē, Jūdo and many other Japanese martial arts styles, there is no canonical punching, kicking or blocking system in Aikido. Because of this, there is less of an emphasis in strength training and more placed on speed, timing, proper technique and being “relaxed” in any situation.