The Martial Art Of Aikido

The subject of oriental Martial Arts is one of the most memorable gifts of Asia to the world. Who will not keep in mind that Bruce Lee was first and foremost a martial arts athlete before becoming a film star?

Martial arts pictures are a huge hit with the ever-increasing popularity of Asian cinema like 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and 'The House of the Flying Daggers'.

The Chinese are the first nation that come to mind if you think of such things, but the Japanese are just as sporty with a rich heritage of body contact sports in their past. Modern Japan still gives honour to the martial arts by holding tournaments and advertising their martial arts abroad.

Aikido is one of these. It is interesting to note the fact that the word comes from three Japanese characters from which is derived the one word. Ai is 'joining', Ki means 'spirit' and Do is 'manner'.

From this we can see why Aikido lies beyond merely the physical skills of it students, especially since its first proponent, Ueshiba, focused on the spiritual and philosophical improvement of his students.

In Aikido, one is not educated in violence rather, one is trained to be in harmony with the opponent so that you are able to defeat him more readily. This might seem strange but it really works.

When fighting an opponent, the goal of the Aikido practitioner is to become one with the adversary so as to be able to fight him where he is weakest and in so doing, deflect or immobilize him, but never to kill him.

This is where Aikido becomes an art form. Art is something beautiful to look at and something constructive and Aikido is all that. At least one of the contestants concerned in the combat is searching for concord and concord may only be achieved if there is grace in the actions.

The moves may be calculated, but there is an air of elegance in performing these actions. Not a feminine grace, but a grace that emanates peace. The 'art of peace' is what they call it in Aikido.

It is one of the most positive influences of Aikido on its students and to everyone else who chooses to learn about this Japanese martial art.

Some of the techniques in Aikido include the following:

Ikkyo is the first technique. Using this technique, you direct an adversary by using one hand to hold his elbow and one to hold near the wrist. This action is supposed to allow you to pin your opponent down to the ground.

Nikyo, the second process, is when you accomplish a wrist lock which empowers you to twist the arm of your opponent which will in turn cause nerve pressure.

Sankyo, the third technique, is a technique that creates upward-spiraling tension throughout the arm, elbow and shoulder. There are many other moves but the first three are enough to give you a basic idea.

When studying Aikido, it is crucial to remember that, together with building physical strength, you will need to improve your mind to become able to overpower your antagonist. Just| like in any other art form, it takes a lot of training and discipline to reach the peak of the art of Aikido.

The vital thing to keep in mind is that anyone who wants to enter into the art should have the resolve to give honour to the art by performing it in the best way possible.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a variety of topics, but is now involved with Mixed Martial Arts for Kids. If you would like to know more, go to our website at Mixed Martial Arts Quotes