Aikido Weaponry is All About Techniques

Aikido is a kind of martial arts which is often considered as modern Japanese budo. This martial art's emphasis is on the spiritual and philosophical development of one's self. The word "Aikido" basically means "The Way of Harmony with the Spirit." It is the study of the natural laws and how they harmonize with the mind and body. Aikido is encompassing. You will be taught to use both armed and unarmed forms of combat and self defense. For unarmed attacks, you have at your disposal a variety of throws, strikes, joint-lock techniques, vital points and even those so-called mystery attacks wherein you attack the opponent without laying a hand on him or her. Meanwhile, armed attacks involve the use of every kind of weapon imaginable. From swords to knives, from sticks to spears, practically everything can be utilized in Aikido as a weapon. However, in general most Aikido classes are conducted with exclusive training with the use of the jo or staff, tanto or knife and the bokken or sword. These three serve as the main weapons used in Aikido. Even though Aikido appears to be using more unarmed forms and techniques of martial arts, there are a couple of reasons why weapons are studied in Aikido classes and training sessions. Aikido has a strong weapon martial arts foundation and any training with weapons will only reinforce the basic techniques of the martial art. Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba, known to his students and Aikido practitioners as ?-sensei which means Great Teacher, was particularly skilled with the staff. He was able to integrate weapon techniques with basic Aikido movements. But among the multitude of weapons out there the sword has the most influence on the development stages of Aikido techniques. Through weapons training, an Aikido practitioner will be able to measure the distance between attacks. Also called ma-ai, the proper distancing is very important in timing an attack and defending one. And speaking of defense, weapons training is also necessary since advanced Aikido techniques involve defending against people bearing all sorts of weapons. In order to practice each advanced move safely, Aikido practitioners needed to be familiar with each weapons' capabilities. Therefore, with Aikido weapons training, one will be able to develop his skills, intuitiveness and reflexes in both attacking and defending movements. Among the weapons used in Aikido weapons training include the katana, the single edged, slightly curved sword famous in the world as the sword of the samurai. In Aikido weapons training, you will also be taught to handle, hold, fight and defend using the tanto which in actuality is a knife or a short blade. The tanto was also extremely popular amongst the men and women who lived by the samurai code during their time. Another bladed weapon used in Aikido weapons training is the ninja-to. The ninja-to are swords used by those mysterious ninjas. Samurais back then also have wakizashi swords at their disposal. Wakizashi are usually two feet long and are paired with the katana. The j? meanwhile is a four-foot long wooden staff used by not only Aikido but by other martial artists as well. When Aikido techniques are fused with jo, the principle is called aiki-j? which involves an integration of Aikido techniques in Aikido which uses the j? to illustrate Aikido's principles with a weapon.

The Relaxed Martial Art

Traditionally, martial art systems were created as a documented practice of training for combat mode in the ancient eras. Naturally, its modern day applications are primarily for self-defense, exercise and physical fitness. One form of martial arts however stands out from the rest in the sense that it espouses a relaxed way of life over cunning and physical strength. At the heart of it, the Aikido spirit is about cultivating relaxation and a serenity throughout everyday life to be able to harness this virtue in actual physical combat. Aikido is actually a modern Japanese martial art and the Aikido spirit continues to live on today years after it was developed by Morihei Eushiba between 1920 to 1960. Noteworthy about this particular martial art is that the Aikido spirit is cultivated within its students so that there is a spiritual and philosophical development that happens; which in turn becomes the basis of the combative art. Modern day students of Aikido testify that they bring the Aikido spirit with them throughout ordinary mundane activities, forming a bridge between principles of how to tackle everyday life and combat moves on the training mat. This spiritual and philosophical basis of the Aikido spirit that cultivates relaxation and the peaceful control of aggression, is attributed to the founder's background in Omoto-kyo religion. Omoto-kyo is a modern Japanese religion, which is said to be an offshoot of Shintoism. Omoto-kyo followers believe in beautifying the world with art because they believe that art brings humans closer to the divine. Aside from this however, the Omoto-kyo followers are pacifists who espouse peace over war. This is the parallel between Omoto-kyo and Aikido. That is why the Aikido spirit is often paradoxically referred to as the art of peace. One may wonder about the sanity behind the fact that a martial art which was in all intentions created for combat and winning over the enemy can indeed to be claim to the art of peace. For all intents and purposes however, the philosophical and spiritual foundation of Aikido is about maintaining a constant state of relaxation. It is in this relaxed state that the Aikido practitioner is able to perform difficult throws and maneuvers as taught by the martial art. The relaxed state can be attributed to a deep unshakable peace free of aggression. The concept is that when we are tense and not relaxed, we needlessly waste energy on aggression and force. By going with the flow and not being afraid of what can or cannot happen to us, we cultivate a peace with a relaxed demeanor as its direct consequence. The Aikido spirit aims to cultivate a mental discipline, develop character and self-confidence with the end goal of being able to maintain peace and relaxation. It believes that in peace can one realize true power: The power to spread peace further and the strength to be able to withstand the onslaught of everyday situations. The basics in passing on the Aikido spirit can be done through practical applications that clearly show that a relaxed demeanor is more effective than an aggressive one. One such physical example is the exercise of trying to cause someone to lose their balance. To be able to topple off an opponent usually means that we should be physically stronger and in some cases larger so that superior physical strength through muscle contraction is the traditional measure of victory.

Aikido Secrets Everyone Should Know

When an attacker is approaching, the person only has a split second to decide whether to dodge or block the move of the opponent. There is no point thinking about what this happened in the first place but the concern now is just to stop it. In a fight, the person can make a counter attack in the hopes that the individual will be subdued. There is another way of course without resorting to force, which is the technique one can learn in aikido. Aikido is a martial art in which the person blocks the moves of an opponent by using the hands. Anyone who wants to learn it will not be able to move as fast as Steven Segal in one of his action films but still be effective in combat. This martial art cannot be learned by merely watching others do it in the movies or in television. There are some who even show the step by step process in a magazine but nothing still compares to learning it from a Sensei. The person must first become a student in order to be called a master. This means learning the basic rules from entering the dojo until the class is over. The person will surely feel some pain after falling down a few times on the mat but this is not to torture the pupil. This is all part of the training, which the student must also do properly in order to move into the more advanced classes. One of the secrets is being able to know when to use it since timing is everything. There is a bit of hand to eye coordination just like in sports but here, the individual will merely redirect the same force back to that individual. Another secret in using aikido has to do with the wrist. The person should be smooth enough to put one hand over the opponents to be able to make the technique work and counter the attack. It takes a certain amount of energy to be able to perform certain moves. The individual will learn the various breathing exercises that will increase the heart rate and slow it down especially in the heat of the action. The student should bear in mind that the breathing exercises also serves as a unifying force between the physical and the emotional aspect of the person. The most important secret in mastering aikido is being consistent with the technique. The arms will surely feel heavy after some time or a certain amount of energy is drained after a few moves. By being able to do the same thing despite these difficulties, anyone can truly be called a true martial artist. People who want to check on how well one is doing can sign up for Tomiki Aikido. This is a competition held by various clubs in which the student will compete among some of the best in the country. Those who do well here can move up to the next skill level just like in karate where a student moves from one belt to another. If after many years, that student has learned all the secrets that go with aikido, this is the only time one can be called a master and even open a dojo.