What can you tell me about Aikido?
 

The wife and I are looking into taking up a martial arts class together. There is an Akido, or at least what I think is version of it right down the street called Aikikai. Would you think a class like this would be good for a few beginners?

Aikido would be good for those who are beginning martial arts and aren't necessarilly interested in fighting or actual self-defense. If you're looking for light excerxise and maybe learning a few applicable techniques then Aikido works.

If you want a more strenuous workout with more self-defense applications check out Muay Thai, Judo, Boxing, or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Keep in mind that with these arts, the training is a double edged sword. The training is what gives you the great workout and prepares you for confrontations, but you're more likely to get injured due to the physical nature of these arts as opposed to an easy art like Aikido.

isn't aikido the sword one?

Nope, you're thinking of Kendo. Aikido is more of a 'soft' martial art. The idea (at it's most basic level) is to use your attacker's momentum to throw him around with minimal effort of your own.

bingo....im want to do a martial art as well.....but im really inflexible and even if i try to stretch for months it doesnt help all that much....aikido would be my pick

Aikido (the Way of Harmony) evolved from the original Samurai arts of Japan. Originally it was Aikijutsu which involved joint locks, throws, breaks, throws and some limited sword work. It was and is an elegant and at times brutal art. Aikido's founder Morihei Ueshiba was trained in this and other martial ways as well. Eventually Morihei Sensei became troubled with the concept of violence and the damage it caused. He then set out to create an art in which you could control your attacker so that they could not harm you and you could inflict minimum if any harm to them. Modern Aikido on the physical level involves throws and joint locks to overcome an opponents aggression. The art places a lot of emphasis on motion and the dynamics of movement. Aikido goes much deeper than that though. There is also emphasis based on spirituality and embracing a philosophy of peace. That's my take on the art, I practice Aikijutsu which is its precursor but know a bit about Aikido and have attended a few classes. As for being good for beginners, absolutely. Gotta start somewhere. Oh, BTW Steven Seagal's art is Aikido.

Steven Seagal is always breaking people's necks!

Yeah, thats right about Segal. Alot of the moves he uses in his films are Aikijutsu-ish.

A Wiki on Aikido:
http://www.aikiwiki.org/Main_Page
you can learn up on the subject here.

Actually, Aikido is a very good martial art if you want to learn self-defense. It's a good art for women and children because size and weight don't matter and you learn a lot of discipline. I highly reccomend it. I did it when I was younger for about five years. It still is part of a habit for me and I'm sure I would use it if I ever needed to. I have to be honest though, Aikido requires a lot of discipline to learn and understand, so if you're just lookin to get into shape, it's probably not one for you.

Every 3 months at my dojo we have a night where we do something different. Last thursday we did Aikido. I didnt know much about it beyond it gets a bit of respect in the martial arts world. I found it from what I saw that it was very similar to ninjitsu. I was once told that Jujitsu, Akijitsu and Ninjitsu were once the one art but for political reasons they got split up. Ive found that jujitsu and ninjitsu were based on similar principles but utilised different philosophies. I would asume that aikido is tyhe same. One thing you do have to take into account when learning a martial art is the practicality issue. In all forms of grappling you have to work alot more before it will work in a real fight. Once there it is awsome. My sensei said that he was training it for 10 years before his instructor said his technique was good enough to be considered terrible. I know in Ninjitsu that you have to be training for over 50 years before you can be considered for grand master. Saying that I really liked it for the one night I did it and I found some moves would compliment my thai boxing very nicely. If you start let us know what you think of it. :)

The nature of your involvement in the martial arts definitely depends on your mindset. Many schools involve some form of physical fitness activity. Others may not, but that does not mean the techniques cannot be used to make you fit. Taking ukemi from aikido techniques can be very strenuous, and as such, make you more fit. Think of it as the equivalent of around a hundred sit ups every class, if you get thrown that much. Because, like in life, if you get knocked down, you get right back up.
You will get out of it what you put into it.



Sorry to threadjack.

That's a very interesting rule. Where did you learn of it? Who would be considered a grand master today by that rule?

I have a number of years of Kung Fu, a little over two training Mui Thai, and another two learning Aikido. There is no martial art better for "actual self-defense". Further, since it is more spiritual and you can't effectivly train by mindlessly hitting a bag or running through katas, it is not a beginner's martial art.

Certainly it is not the most strenous. But holding stances and fingertip 'elbows-in' pushups will not prepare you actually defend yourself.

You must have different experences. Aikido is not easy. I think Muay Thai is much easier- a little more aggressive, but not nearly the challenge.

Soke (Grandmaster) Hatsumi
The efforts made by Hatsumi Sensei have recently been recognised again in Japan with the awarding of the Grand Cultural Prize for promotion of unique aspects of Japanese culture outside of Japan, the certificate and medal bear the royal seal of the Emperor of Japan.

Sensei is also the recipient of 3 Honorary Doctorates from various universities and has been awarded the title Todo Hanshi (Master teacher of the way of the sword) on February 11th 1995 by Nakazawa Toshi, President of Zen Nippon Todo Renmei Japan Sword Federation.

I was told by my ninjitsu sensei that his house is full of hidden weapons and booby traps because you dont get to that position without making some really deadly enemies.

If you want to gain balance and to know how your body works then by all means take Aikido. When I used to train we started for the first 6 months with Kendo, then worked for 1/2 year on various forms of Kung Fu and ground work. Then Ju-Jitsu and JKD and when you really knew your stuff you learned Aikido.

I was watching some high school boys give various demonstration speeches on their various forms of martial arts. They all sucked for various reasons. This one girl got up and showed how she learned to roll in Aikido (she's been doing this for 8 years) It was the most graceful shit i've ever seen. She knows where her body is and how to make it work.

I've actually used Aikido once in a club when a guy rushed me and he ended up in a wall and used Aiki-jujitsu once with a punch that I side swiped and turned back into the attacker. It's def. street usable once you get it down. It won't help you as quickly as taking a Karate or boxing class- so take that into account.

Aikido is actually not a soft art nor a beginner's art.

After having taken the style for nearly a year an a half I'm still at a quite basic level. It's perfect for self-defense because it's based solely on self-defense. The philosophy here is to immobilize your attacker and cause them severe pain.

Aikido is, in fact, a sword style. Nearly all moves that we do in Aikido (hands or weapons) evolve into some kind of sword technique.