Aikido
A martial art without enemies
Born in twentieth-century Japan, aikido relies on evasion, non-resistance and unbalancing. You do not block the attack: you receive it, go with it, and guide it.
The name
Three characters, one way
- 合 Ai Harmony, joining
- Joining the other’s movement instead of opposing it. The founder liked to hear in it 愛, “love”, which is pronounced the same way.
- 気 Ki Spirit, energy
- The vital breath — what flows when the body is relaxed and centred, and the mind open.
- 道 Dō The way
- A discipline practised over a lifetime, whose lessons reach well beyond the mat.
Principles
Receive the force, don’t collide with it
Aikido rests on natural laws: evade rather than collide, offer no resistance, break the other’s balance while keeping your own. It takes more suppleness than strength and, over the years, builds energy, reflexes and stamina. Educating body and mind matters as much as technique.
There is no competition: an aikido technique only exists in response to an attack. You do not block it — you receive the force, go with it and redirect it. For Morihei Ueshiba, the ultimate aim was reconciliation with the attacker.
Two things lie at the heart of practice: unbalancing the attacker, and tai-sabaki, the pivoting of the body that takes you off the line of attack. You learn to defend yourself empty-handed, but also with — and against — the traditional wooden weapons.
Five key ideas
Words from the mat
You will hear them in every class. Each names both a movement and an attitude.
- 入身 Irimi
Entering
Moving into the attack, close in, where it loses its power — rather than backing away from it.
- 転換 Tenkan
Turning
Pivoting to go along with the other’s force instead of meeting it head-on.
- 間合い Ma-ai
The right distance
The interval between two partners, in space and in time. Too close and you are overwhelmed; too far and you lose contact.
- 残心 Zanshin
The remaining mind
Staying alert and present, even once the technique is over.
- 呼吸 Kokyū
Breath
Breathing — and, by extension, the harmony of body, breath and intention, from which comes power without stiffness.
The spirit of practice
What the founder asked of students
In the guidelines he wrote for his students around 1935, Morihei Ueshiba stressed a few points that still hold today. In essence:
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Follow the teaching
Listen to the teacher and carefully apply what is shown.
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Do not compete
We do not train to find out who is strongest, but to progress together.
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Perceive from all sides
Stay aware not only of what comes from the front, but also from the sides and from behind.
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Train joyfully
Practice should always take place in a pleasant, joyful atmosphere.
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Keep training
The teacher shows only a small part of the art; its depth is discovered by each student through continuous practice.
小手返し Kote-gaeshi Wrist turn-out
Natural movement
Effective, without injuring
Aikido techniques follow the body’s anatomy rather than fighting it. In kote-gaeshi, for instance, the wrist is turned in the direction of its natural flexion, whereas some jūjutsu twists force the joint the wrong way.
The technique remains effective — the attacker’s body follows the movement and falls — without needless injury. That is also what makes it possible to practise for a long time, and at any age.
The vitality of aikido is not measured by the number of people who practise it, but by the sincerity with which each of them seeks it.