Aikido

Pictured is the Founder of Aikido Morihei Ueshiba or better known as O Sensei (The Great Teacher) to Aikidokas (Aikido Practitioners).
Morihei learnt a few ancient martial arts and took the best from each and combined them in Aikido. The main martial arts which had the most influence on Aikido is Daito-Ryu Aikijujutsu which is a samurai martial art. It was this Daito-Ryu Aikijujutsu martial art that enabled the samurais to be one of the best and most famous warriors. Morihei removed all the violent and fatal elements. Morihei emphasized harmony, peace and compassion therefore created Aikido to only throw and immobilize attackers not to harm them. Aikido teaches not only to protect the Aikidoka but even the attackers.

Aikido is made up of 3 letters:

Ai which means Harmony, Balance or Unify.
Ki which means Life Energy that is in everyone of us. Chinese people call it Qi.This life energy when used properly is even more powerful than physical strength.
Do which means Way. So Aikido is The Way of Unifying the Life Energy.

A girl holds a Bokken or Wooden Sword. Aikido also teaches swordplay. Some of the strikes used in Aikido are from sword strokes.

Aikido is a very gentle yet effective martial arts, even girls can learn and excel in it. Pictured is a girl wearing a Hakama (Split Skirt worn by black belts)

Above is a picture of a Samurai armour at a Japanese restaurant.

Above is a picture explaining about the Samurai.

Here is a story from Terry Dobson, a master of Aikido and conflict resolution.

THE TRAIN CLANKED and rattled through the suburbs of Tokyo on a drowsy spring afternoon. Our car was comparatively empty - a few housewives with their kids in tow, some old folks going shopping. I gazed absently at the drab houses and dusty hedgerows.
At one station the doors opened, and suddenly the afternoon quiet was shattered by a man bellowing violent, incomprehensible curses. The man staggered into our car. He wore laborer's clothing, and he was big, drunk, and dirty. Screaming, he swung at a woman holding a baby. The blow sent her spinning into the laps of an elderly couple. It was a miracle that she was unharmed.

Terrified, the couple jumped up and scrambled toward the other end of the car. The laborer aimed a kick at the retreating back of the old woman but missed as she scuttled to safety. This so enraged the drunk that he grabbed the metal pole in the center of the car and tried to wrench it out of its stanchion. I could see that on of his hands was cut and bleeding. The train lurched ahead, the passengers frozen with fear. I stood up.

I was young then, some 20 years ago, and in pretty good shape. I'd been putting in a solid eight hours of aikido training nearly every day for the past three years. I like to throw and grapple. I thought I was tough. Trouble was, my martial skill was untested in actual combat. As students of aikido, we were not allowed to fight.

"Aikido," my teacher had said again and again, "is the art of reconciliation. Whoever has the mind to fight has broken his connection with the universe. If you try to dominate people, you are already defeated. We study how to resolve conflict, not how to start it."

I listened to his words. I tried hard I even went so far as to cross the street to avoid the chimpira, the pinball punks who lounged around the train stations. My forbearance exalted me. I felt both tough and holy. In my heart, however, I wanted an absolutely legitimate opportunity whereby I might save the innocent by destroying the guilty.

This is it! I said to myself, getting to my feet. People are in danger and if I don't do something fast, they will probably get hurt. Seeing me stand up, the drunk recognized a chance to focus his rage. "Aha!" He roared. "A foreigner! You need a lesson in Japanese manners!" I held on lightly to the commuter strap overhead and gave him a slow look of disgust and dismissal. I planned to take this turkey apart, but he had to make the first move. I wanted him mad, so I pursed my lips and blew him an insolent kiss.

"All right! He hollered. "You're gonna get a lesson." He gathered himself for a rush at me. A split second before he could move, someone shouted "Hey!" It was earsplitting. I remember the strangely joyous, lilting quality of it - as though you and a friend had been searching diligently for something, and he suddenly stumbled upon it. "Hey!"

I wheeled to my left; the drunk spun to his right. We both stared down at a little old Japanese. He must have been well into his seventies, this tiny gentleman, sitting there immaculate in his kimono. He took no notice of me, but beamed delightedly at the laborer, as though he had a most important, most welcome secret to share.

"C'mere," the old man said in an easy vernacular, beckoning to the drunk. "C'mere and talk with me." He waved his hand lightly. The big man followed, as if on a string. He planted his feet belligerently in front of the old gentleman, and roared above the clacking wheels, "Why the hell should I talk to you?" The drunk now had his back to me. If his elbow moved so much as a millimeter, I'd drop him in his socks.

The old man continued to beam at the laborer.
"What'cha been drinkin'?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with interest.
"I been drinkin' sake," the laborer bellowed back, "and it's none of your business!" Flecks of spittle spattered the old man.
"Ok, that's wonderful," the old man said, "absolutely wonderful! You see, I love sake too. Every night, me and my wife (she's 76, you know), we warm up a little bottle of sake and take it out into the garden, and we sit on an old wooden bench. We watch the sun go down, and we look to see how our persimmon tree is doing. My great-grandfather planted that tree, and we worry about whether it will recover from those ice storms we had last winter. Our tree had done better than I expected, though especially when you consider the poor quality of the soil. It is gratifying to watch when we take our sake and go out to enjoy the evening - even when it rains!" He looked up at the laborer, eyes twinkling.

As he struggled to follow the old man's conversation, the drunk's face began to soften. His fists slowly unclenched. "Yeah," he said. "I love persimmons too%u2026" His voice trailed off.
"Yes," said the old man, smiling, "and I'm sure you have a wonderful wife."
"No," replied the laborer. "My wife died." Very gently, swaying with the motion of the train, the big man began to sob. "I don't got no wife, I don't got no home, I don't got no job. I am so ashamed of myself." Tears rolled down his cheeks; a spasm of despair rippled through his body.

Now it was my turn. Standing there in well-scrubbed youthful innocence, my make-this-world-safe-for-democracy righteousness, I suddenly felt dirtier than he was. Then the train arrived at my stop. As the doors opened, I heard the old man cluck sympathetically. "My, my," he said, "that is a difficult predicament, indeed. Sit down here and tell me about it."

I turned my head for one last look. The laborer was sprawled on the seat, his head in the old man's lap. The old man was softly stroking the filthy, matted hair.

As the train pulled away, I sat down on a bench. What I had wanted to do with muscle had been accomplished with kind words. I had just seen aikido tried in combat, and the essence of it was love. I would have to practice the art with an entirely different spirit. It would be a long time before I could speak about the resolution of conflict.

Terry Dobson
http://aikido4beginners.co.uk/

Someone asked me the other day why I practice Aikido. My answer nearly always now is "because I can't imagine my life without it". But it got me thinking and after a bit of surfing I found a very nice outline of many of the key benefits of our wonderful art, on the Fujinami Dojo Sydney website.

Everyone has their own personal motivation when they decide to take up a martial art, and I believe a good Sensei provides a framework whereby each student can follow their own true path on what can often be a journey that lasts a lifetime.

Managing Conflict and Stress / Relaxation
Participants experience a new paradigm around stress and conflict where they will be able to:

%u2022 improve the ability to deal with aggressive behaviour
%u2022 stay in control
%u2022 lead the opposition to achieve positive results
%u2022 respond rather than react
%u2022 analyse the situation and work out the best way to respond
%u2022 manage opposing views, criticism or authority
%u2022 manage differing expectations, demands or intimidations
%u2022 manage problems, conditions or politics
%u2022 learn the importance of staying 'present' (here and now)
%u2022 improve the ability to concentrate

StretchAikido works every major and minor muscle group in the body and restores balance and harmony often placed out of kilter from activities in our day-to-day lives. Anything from having one part of the body compensate for an injury in another part to being right-handed can affect the body's symmetry and harmony.

The program increases and maintains muscular symmetry by using body weight as natural resistance and callisthenics. This allows participants to attain maximum functionality and physical efficiency that overflows into the mental arena as a healthy body promotes a healthy mind to create a more balanced lifestyle.

CardioAikido uses dynamic movement and callisthenics to maximise cardio benefits. Participants experience increased oxygen intake, energy levels and feel rejuvenated after each session. The workout is guaranteed to work up a sweat and can be practiced to the participant's comfort level. Attendees vary their speed and intensities in a variety of ways utilising different energy systems. Since the type of training is continuous, the predominant energy system is aerobic. However with frequent bursts of speed the anaerobic system is also developed.

Self-defenceSelf-defence is an important part of Aikido and the ability to focus and be clear in any situation is the best defence. It is also an ideal way to focus on, and take advantage of, the good things that come our way. Our training is designed to foster a positive outlook that is appropriate in all situations.

The art makes use of the fact that an attacker focuses their attention and movement on the person they are attacking. This potentially puts the person being attacked in a leadership position - if they know how to take advantage of it. There is no retaliatory striking and none of the techniques are designed to cause any type of injury. Participants learn pre-arranged attack/defence moves and perform them with many repetitions to develop technical skill and agile, flowing movement. They are taught to safely receive Aikido techniques by properly falling and rolling away, instead of resisting.

How can I benefit from Aikido?Aikido participants experience many benefits from the art's holistic approach:

%u2022 better physical and mental health
%u2022 improved quality of life
%u2022 more energy
%u2022 improved leadership, management and career prospects
%u2022 coaching and support from an experienced instructor
%u2022 moving with fewer aches and pains
%u2022 better posture and balance
%u2022 improved self-esteem
%u2022 weight maintenance
%u2022 stronger muscles and bones
%u2022 relaxation and reduced stress
%u2022 improved physical fitness, stamina, balance, flexibility, coordination, strength and resilience
%u2022 heightened self-confidence, concentration and alertness
%u2022 increased self-awareness and self-knowledge
%u2022 increased interpersonal awareness through the cultivation of compassion for others

Long-term benefits of the practice often lead to:

%u2022 personal feelings of harmony and wellness
%u2022 a deeper sense of wholeness, unity, integration and interconnectiveness
%u2022 an expansion of consciousness through mindful action
%u2022 a sense of readiness for the unexpected at all times

How do companies benefit from Aikido?
Companies who have embraced the 'Aikido way' also benefit allowing them to:

%u2022 enhance and nurture leadership capabilities within their people
%u2022 promote communication and teamwork
%u2022 complement 'employer of choice' status
%u2022 improve management performance, competitiveness, productivity and profits
%u2022 improve innovative thinking and motivation
%u2022 develop and maintain a learning culture
%u2022 value and retain employees

Some of the companies who have benefited worldwide from doing business the Aikido way include; Alcan, Bank of Norway, Bel-Air Hotel Beverly Hills, Catapillar Corporation, Chase Manhattan Bank, Compaq Computers, Digital Equipment Corporation, Glaxo Inc, Institute of Personal Development South Africa, Kaiser Permanente, Proctor & Gamble, Purina, Steven Covey Associates, United States Air Force Academy.

ACKNOWLEDGE: Be aware of conflict and what your feelings are about that conflict. Appreciate the other's feelings and viewpoint without labelling or judging.

ACCEPT: Show the other side that you want to work out a solution. Take responsibility that you are also part of the conflict and all sides are in this together.

ADAPT: Be willing to change and be open to new ideas. Be able to consider a wide range of solutions without excessive judgment.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and I hope it makes you want to find out more about Aikido www.aikido4beginners.co.uk
Posted 26th May 2011 by dunken Francis