The sphere of Martial Arts is one of the most important gifts of Asia to the world. Who will not remember Bruce Lee and the fact that he was first and foremost a martial arts competitor before being a film star? Martial arts films are a huge hit with the escalating popularity of Asian movies like ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and more recently ‘The House of the Flying Daggers’.
The Chinese are the first people that come to mind when it you think of such things, but the Japanese are equally as athletic with a rich tradition of body contact sports in their past. Modern Japan still gives honor to the martial arts by holding tournaments and promoting their sports around the world,
Aikido is one of these. 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 means ‘joining’, Ki means ’spirit’ and Do means ‘way’. From this we can understand why Aikido lies beyond merely the physical skills of it students, particularly since its first proponent, Ueshiba, focused on the spiritual and philosophical development of his students.
In Aikido, one is not taught violence as a substitute, one is taught to be in harmony with the adversary so that you are able to defeat him more easily. This might seem odd but it really works. In attacking an opponent, the aim 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 beautiful to look at and something constructive and Aikido is all that. At least one of the contestants involved in the fighting is searching for harmony and harmony can only be achieved if there is grace in the actions. The moves may be premeditated, but there is an air of finesse 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 affirmative influences of Aikido on its students and to everyone else who decides to find out about this Japanese martial art.
Some of the techniques in Aikido embrace the following.
Ikkyo is the first technique. Using this technique, you control 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 turn 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 basic insight.
In studying Aikido, it is vital to remember that, together with building physical strength, you will need to improve your mind to be able to overpower your opponent. Just like in any art form, it takes a lot of training and discipline to reach the summit of the art of Aikido. The important thing to remember is, that anyone who wants to get into the art, must have the resolve to give honor to the art by performing it in the best way possible.
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