 "Photo: Photo courtesy of David Fuhs")
For students looking to learn a martial art, "Aikido" is a class that can teach self-defense and bring internal discipline through its spiritual philosophy of nonaggression. Aikido, which means "the way of harmonious spirit," was developed by martial arts master Morihei Ueshiba in the 1920s.
What is Aikido?
Aikido is a Japanese martial art that grew out of other martial arts, such as Jujitsu and various sword techniques. It is a nonresistant martial art and by that we mean you move with the incoming momentum and redirect it.
What makes Aikido different from other martial arts?
It's like the vegetarian martial art. There are no kicks and no attacks. It is purely defensive. There is an old joke that if two Aikido masters faced each other nothing would happen. In the class we teach attacks, but that's just so that people can get practice doing the techniques. I got involved with Aikido because it doesn't have the punches and kicks and bruises other martial arts have. It just seemed so smooth and evolved compared to the other things I've seen.
Does a person's size matter when they face an opponent? No, in fact that's one of the advantages. The founder of Aikido was barely 5 feet tall and did Aikido successfully well into his 80s.
Is Aikido difficult to learn?
The professor who taught me Aikido, Don Holtgrieve, used to say "Aikido is really simple, but it's not easy." The techniques are relatively few in number, but to use it effectively is another matter. You can learn the basics in one night, but it can take 20 years to master it.
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