Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art with deep roots in samurai tradition. On first seeing the art many people are surprised at how dance-like it looks. There are several reasons for this, but the most important is that Aikido, like dance, involves blending with someone else's movement and energy. In Aikido the purpose of this blend is to use the attacker's force and intent as a means to subdue and control him or her. To accomplish this Aikido uses joint locks, hip throws, sweeps and projections. In the traditional art, punches and kicks as you might expect to see them in karate are not used defensively, though strikes to anatomical weak points (atemi) are sometimes employed as a means of disrupting an attack or distracting the attacker, and students do learn to defend against strikes.
Because Aikido is based on traditional samurai arts, it also contains weapon forms using the sword, wooden staff and knife. However, weapons practice is strictly subordinated to empty-handed practice: students learn to use weapons primarily as a means of increasing their understanding of body arts, since many empty-handed forms and movements are derived from sword and staff techniques.
HISTORY OF AIKIDO
Aikido was founded by Morihei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969), known to all aikidoists as "O-Sensei" (Great Teacher). As a young man, Ueshiba trained in many forms of martial arts, always striving to increase his ability and to become stronger. At the same time he was drawn to various ascetic and spiritual practices. At one point after easily defeating an army officer who challenged him with a wooden sword while he himself was unarmed, Ueshiba had an enlightenment experience in which he felt himself to be one with the universe. Out of this experience emerged a new art which Ueshiba named "Aikido," which means "the way of harmony with universal energy." Ueshiba felt that the very desire to attack breaks the harmony of the universe and is therefore a weakness. He believed that that the true aim of the martial arts should be protection, not destruction. "True budo (martial arts) is love," he said, and that meant that one should even try to protect one's attacker. This is a truly radical shift in martial arts philosophy. Because of this emphasis on protection, Aikido offers the possibility of 'polishing one's ego,' changing how one views and responds to conflict.
Before World War II, Aikido was practiced by only a few people. One needed an introduction even to be considered for admittance as a student. But with the lesson of war fresh in his mind, Ueshiba opened the practice of Aikido to the general public in the late 1940's, hoping that his art might help to contribute to greater social and personal harmony. Since then, Aikido has spread throughout the world. In the United States, there are now Aikido schools in every state and major city.
AIKIDO TRAINING AND PHILOSOPHY
Roughly speaking aikido training has three dimensions: physical, applied philosophical and spiritual. All training in Aikido begins on the physical level. Aikidoists learn a series of techniques adapted to respond to a variety of attacks and to multiple attackers. Embodied in those techniques are various principles which can be applied to everyday situations such as arguments or dealing with a difficult boss. At Aikido of Madison it is important to us to explore these principles, their applications and the larger philosophy in which they are grounded. The third dimension of training, the spiritual, aims at eliminating the spirit of conflict and experiencing our unity with all things and all beings. This of course takes a lifetime and is one of the reasons why aikido has so many long-time practitioners in their 50's, 60's and even 70's.
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