The realm of Martial Arts is one of the most important contributions of Asia to the world. Who will not remember Bruce Lee and the reality that he was first and principally a martial arts competitor before becoming a film star? Martial arts films are a huge hit with the escalating popularity of Asian cinema like 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and more recently 'The House of the Flying Daggers'.
The Chinese are the first nation that come to mind when it you think of such things, but the Japanese are equally as athletic with a rich heritage of body contact sports in their past. Modern Japan still honours the martial arts by holding tournaments and promoting their sports abroad,
One of these is Aikido. It is interesting to note the fact that the word comes from three Japanese characters from which one derives the meaning of the one word. Ai signifies 'joining', Ki signifies 'spirit' and Do signifies 'way'. From this we can understand why Aikido lies beyond merely the physical skills of it students, particularly since its first advocate, Ueshiba, focused on the spiritual and philosophical development of his students.
In Aikido, one is not taught violence as a substitute, one is trained to be in harmony with the opponent so that you are able to defeat him more easily. This might seem strange but it really works. In attacking an opponent, the goal of the Aikido practitioner is to be one with the adversary so as to be able to attack him where he is weakest and in so doing, divert or immobilize him, but never to kill him.
This is where Aikido becomes an art form. Art is something delightful to look at and something positive and Aikido is all that. At least one of the people involved in the fighting is striving for harmony and harmony can only be achieved if there is grace in the actions. The moves may be calculated, but there is an air of elegance in carrying out these movements. Not a feminine grace, but a grace that emanates peace. The 'art of peace' is what they call it in Aikido and 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 opponent by using one hand to hold his elbow and one to hold near the wrist. This grip is supposed to allow you to pin your opponent down to the ground.
Nikyo, the second technique, is when you perform a wrist lock that enables 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 techniques but the first three are enough to give you a fundamental idea.
In studying Aikido, it is important to keep in mind that, along with building physical strength, you will need to improve your mind to be able to defeat your adversary. Just like in any art form, it takes a lot of practice and discipline to perfect the art of Aikido. The key thing to remember is, that anyone who wants to get into the art, should have the willpower to give honor to the art by performing it in the best way possible.
Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is currently involved with work on
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