About Aikido

Aikido is a relatively new self-defense art founded in Japan by Morihei Ueshiba. Aikido is something quite different than a physical contest between two opponents, or a means of imposing one's will or causing injury to another person. Aikido means self-challenging for lifelong progress.

The most unusual aspect of Aikido is that, although primarily a self-defense art, its philosophy is based on the idea of being in harmony with an opponent, rather than in conflilct with him. The Aikido ideal is not trying to defeat your enemy, but rather to be in harmony with him, spiritually and physically.

Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969)

or O-Sensei (the Great Teacher), as he was called, submitted to many arduous years of training in "budo," or the Japanese martial arts. Although he became very strong and won many matches, he was troubled by the idea that winning at someone else's expense was not really winning. He came to realize that true self-defense means not winning over others, but winning over the discord within oneself.

Thus Aikido was born, as a way of diverting harm from oneself while not inflicting permanent injury on an aggressor. As Aikido developed, it became clear that it was not only an effective means of self-defense, but truly a way of understanding earthly life by studying the energy flow of the universe.

What does the word Aikido mean?

The word Aikido is made up of three Japanese characters:

ai - to meet, to come together, to harmonize
ki - spirit, mind or universal energy
do - the way or path.

Thus Aikido means "The way of harmonizing with the spirit of the universe". However, Aiki may also be interpreted as "accommodation to circumstances" which, although a somewhat non-standard interpretation, avoids metaphysical commitments while accurately describing both the physical and psychological aspects of aikido.

O Sensei's rules for training in Aikido

• Aikido decides life and death in a single stroke, so students must follow the instructor's teaching carefully and not compete to see who is the strongest.
• Aikido is the way that teaches how one can deal with several enemies at once. Students must train themselves to be alert not just to what is in front of them, but also on all sides and in back.
• Training should always be conducted in a pleasant and joyful atmosphere.
• The instructor teaches only one small aspect of the art. Its versatile applications must be discovered by each student through continual practice and training.
• In daily practice, begin by first moving your body, then progress to more intensive training. Never force anything unnaturally or unreasonably. If this rule is followed, then even elderly people will not hurt themselves, and will be able to train in a pleasant and joyful atmosphere.
• The purpose of Aikido is to train the mind and body and produce sincere, earnest people. Since all its techniques are to be transmitted from person to person, they should not be randomly revealed to others, as this might lead to their being used by hoodlums and other aggressors.