The Martial Art of Aikido

aikido

The martial art aikido was developed in the 1920’s by Morihei Ueshiba (1883 – 1969). Mastering jujitsu, sword, staff and spear techniques, O Sensei realized that traditional combat relied on the violent annihilation of opponents and sought instead a path of harmonious coexistence with the forces of nature.

Aikido is a form of unarmed combat that teaches the use of joint locks, throws and weapon disarming techniques as a means of resolving conflict peacefully. Practitioners of aikido are referred to as ‘aikidoka’ (aiki-dkai). Whether they study in a ‘traditional’ aikido dojo or one of its many international influenced variations, all students learn the principles of blending and redirecting attacking energy. Students also train to become calm and flexible in the disadvantageous, off-balance positions in which aikido techniques often begin (called ukemi).

Training in aikido develops physical and mental balance, which is central to its effectiveness as a fighting technique. The understanding that a small, even frail, person can upset the balance of a much larger, stronger individual with proper positioning and timing is an essential insight of Yoshinkan Aikido.

It is this premise that allows the martial art of aikido to draw embodied lessons on blurring self/other relations in situations characterised by violent conflict from budo, or spiritual training. Such lessons are important in the context of world politics, where diplomatic, economic and military policies often seek to enact change through the violent annihilation of competing interests or the establishment of cooperative arrangements that imply a peaceful resolution of conflict.