• Basic Aikido Technique: Yonkyo

    Aikido, Aikido techniques 21.02.2012 No Comments

    The Yonkyo aikido technique, the 4th technique, is a basic pinning technique that practitioners and students of the martial art should learn and master. This is quite uncomfortable to perform because of the pain it will inflict though some may exhibit high pain tolerance still for others this technique is quite painful for them.

    The Yonkyo is seldom practiced in just one place in the aikido curriculum but can mostly be understood and easily mastered as a standing technique. In addition, this is also one of the most powerful techniques in the martial art but sadly speaking not all sensei (teachers) favored this because it doesn’t follow on the principle of aikido which is a harmonious and peaceful way of art.

    Nonetheless, the Yonkyo technique must still be learned by the practitioners and students to harness themselves from all types of aikido techniques.

    Generally, the Yonkyo aikido technique is used to block the attacker’s balance and distract him or her by the use of pain pressure.

    Execution:

    1.     Initially, the use of grip is relatively similar with a sword grip where both hands are twisted inward and the grip power comes from the little finger.

    2.   Try to snatch the opponent’s wrist similar when you grab a sword to perform the technique correctly.

    3.   Remember that when performing the yonkyo pressure use the base knuckle of your front index finger. Again, continue on your little finger grip in the opponent’s wrist to prevent from lessening the effect.

    4.   Next, the base knuckle of your index finger should press the opponent’s wrist mainly the inside flesh then turning it outwardly to the lower arm bone on the thumb side of the arm. Remember, the turning motion is the main cause of the pain and not the initial pressure done.

    5.    Moreover, when the opponent’s arm is held you need to apply pressure so both the upper and lower arm are roughly at a 90 degree angle thus, making the wrist more susceptible to the tactic.

    6.   Finally, make sure that when doing the Yonkyo technique  don’t rely on the pain you’ve inflicted to take down your opponent but instead use it to block his/her attention and balance. Once balance is broken, that’s the time you push and take down your opponent on the floor.

    To give you a bigger and clear picture on how to execute the Yonkyo aikido technique you can check the video above.

     

     

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  • Aikido Rolling Technique

    Aikido, Aikido techniques, Self Defense 18.02.2012 No Comments

    The martial art is founded on the idea of using life energy or the energy flowing within oneself to perform a blend of movements that will take down an opponent without injuring him. In short, it’s more on a defensive kind of art rather than an offensive one. In Aikido, there are various techniques which are taught to practitioners and students and one of these is the aikido rolling technique.

    Aikido practitioners should know initially on how to fall and roll appropriately and in fact, just by knowing the technique will serve as a starting point towards mastering hundreds to thousands of techniques written in the history of the martial art.

    How to Start Aikido Rolling Technique

    1. Commence in a sitting position just like an Indian sitting style. So, one of your feet should come up in the thigh while the other one come out and toes are pointed out. This position will prevent your feet being locked and stuck at times you need to defend yourself. Specifically, if someone hits or pushes you, the ability to move easily is possible with this kind of sitting.
    2. The first principle of the rolling technique is to stay in the sitting position to help you fall correctly while keeping you safe from any injury.
    3. Afterwards, you need to roll back while letting your feet come about.
    4. Extend your hands for support while keeping your cheek, neck and chin in place and lock.
    5. Try to create as many bends as possible back and forth. Keep this more softly and calm because this will help you perform the technique correctly.

    However, while doing the rolling movement can somehow put extra resistance with mild pain sensation at the back of the body.

    Overall, it is recommended to practice it in a therapeutic way rather than learning the aikido rolling technique solely to keep you from getting injuries while falling in the ground.

    To fully grasp on how to perform the technique correctly and precisely view the video above.

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  • Aikido: Various Weapons and Techniques

    Aikido, Aikido techniques, Self Defense 16.02.2012 No Comments

    Despite the fact that this martial art is founded on the main philosophy of Morihei Ueshiba (founder) which is the essence of unarmed combat, he still sees the need of being skillful in using various Aikido weapons and techniques as a form of self defense.

    Generally, majority of the techniques with or without using weapons are incorporated with movements that are more defensive rather than offensive. In fact, all students are being taught about stopping the attacker solely rather than injuring him. This is the main reason on why weapons are rarely utilized in the martial art. However, there are advanced Aikido practitioners who still opt for understanding and mastering the craft in using all types of Aikido weapons.

    However, the greatest weapon most practitioners used in defending themselves against an attacker is merely their mastery on the Aikido defensive techniques.

    To get in touch with several weapons used in the martial art along with various techniques used in handling them are described below.

    1. Tanto Or Short Sword

    The Tanto is one of the most favored weapons by the samurais since it’s extremely useful in close quarter combat particularly in daggering through an opponent’s armor and it’s considered as a secondary weapon which samurais carry most of the time.

    1. Jo Staff

    The Jo Staff is considered as a Japanese wooden staff made from hardwood. This can be utilized in kata or along with other Jo and somehow has historical linkage from the famous Katana. Moreover, Jo Staffs are mainly used by a lot of martial artists because these are designed with simplicity and sophistication. In fact, Ueshiba had tailored the Jo (so-called Aikijo) just to teach all the Aikido principles to his disciples.

    1. Bokken Sword

    Finally, the bokken sword mastery can lead most practitioners towards katana mastery as well. This is quite a pricey Japanese wooden sword which is use as an alternative from a real sword in most martial arts training curriculums such as Kenjutsu, Kendo, and our very own Aikido.

    Likewise, a bokken sword closely resembles a katana but sometimes can be like other swords such as tanto or wakizashi.

    These are a few of the most popular Aikido weapons to date but there are in fact, a lot more to know about all the weapons used in this martial art so better research more on this matter to fully equipped yourself with all the needed information you wish to know.

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  • Intermediate Aikido Technique: Munetsuki

    Aikido, Aikido techniques, Self Defense 14.02.2012 No Comments

    In Aikido martial arts, students are taught with various intermediate techniques for striking an opponent or attacker. These are used as a mere self defense only since the martial art is all about using unifying life energy to defend yourself while avoiding your attacker from getting injured. Munetsuki Kotegaishi is one of those intermediate striking techniques that should be learned by any student or practitioner.

    The technique is simply known as a straight body punch and anyone can do the punching but the most common error for most aikido practitioners is that they don’t know much on how to strike soundly. You can see that a lot of practitioners in this martial art only use Munetsuki as a simple punch in hitting the opponent which is in fact, not a very good strategy if you based it on a real fighting situation.

    During a real fight, when the attacker pushes you back and you need to hit your attacker simply by using the ordinary punch, your opponent might laugh at you instead. So in this case, when your attacker pushes you back you need to hit him in return with an extraordinary punch immediately. However, during an intermediate aikido striking, begin with the basic stance which is stepping and punching but not purely punching only but rather punching right through the person with force and afterwards perform various forms of punches such as upward punches, hook punches, upper cut punches so on and forth.

    Remember that Munetsuki in aikidois simply performed by striking or hitting the center part of the abdomen. In doing the technique, it is crucial that you know how and where to hit the attacker to cause the maximum blow. If you’re going to hit your opponent in the middle section, hit the pressure point found primarily below the nipple line on the rib cage. Likewise, another pressure point perfect for striking is found below the xiphoid process.

    Finally, students in the aikido martial arts are taught by the instructors with three good body sections or pressure points to perform effectively the Munetsuki striking technique particularly in times where you need to defend yourself against the attacker.

     

     

     

     

     

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  • Aikido Martial Arts in ITP Curriculum

    Aikido 08.02.2012 No Comments

    The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology or so-called ITP curriculum is founded by Dr. Robert Frager in early 1975. The curriculum mainly centers on the idea of developing a balance in the whole being of a person and this includes the idea between work & physical disciplines and work & intellectual discipline. Aikido in ITP curriculum is one of the most successful mainstay practices/disciplines of the program because the founder had her own background about this martial art.

    However, ITP curriculum also tried other body disciplines such as yoga and tai-chi as well.

    Why Aikido in ITP curriculum is considered as one of its core disciplines?

    According to Dr. Frager, there are a lot of reasons on why Aikido had stayed with their curriculum. For one, the founder of the martial art is so profound that even the discipline itself teaches about philosophical and spiritual commitment between oneself and with other people.

    However, Aikido martial arts mainly centers on helping you to become a better a person. It focuses on teaching you on how to control your inner energy to allow it to flow freely towards your entire body. This energy (the power of “Ki”) allows you to become more confident, righteous and energetic to face all mundane issues in your daily life.

    It’s like if you’re in a bigger picture of the world, the goal of Aikido is mainly to create a peaceful world where it’s free from any violence.

    Another reason is the discipline itself, the martial teaches about centering. Another aim of Aikido is to help us learn how to maintain our balance whenever we are faced with pressures and stresses in various aspects our lives.

    Hence, with Aikido in our curriculum all members will learn both the martial art and the transpersonal notions and disciplines where all aspects of yourself are being balanced.

    Balance in all Aspects of life:

    With Aikido in ITP curriculum, both the curriculum and the martial arts greatly help most individuals in balancing all aspects in their lives may it be physically, emotionally, spiritually, psychologically or mentally. When you are profoundly centered, profoundly balance in any area of your life, most likely you’ll become balance across the board.

    Summary:

    According to Dr. Frager, most of their students said that with Aikido in ITP curriculum they are able to maintain their core particularly in those times where there are difficult challenges in their lives either in personal or professional instances. Hence, practicing the martial art while in the ITP curriculum can surely make an individual to become a better person and you must also remember that all good things start within yourself.

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  • An Aikido Exercise: Funakogi Undo

    Aikido 07.02.2012 No Comments

    A Funakogi undo is a form of Aikido exercise that teaches both students and practitioners in maximizing their hip strength which they can use in putting down an attacker.

    Well, following a lot of learning from a number of Aikido exercises and a lot of turns, it is also your precedence to understand that using your hips in the martial art is also crucial. If you’re a dedicated practitioner or student, you should know that the Aikido curriculum is mostly based on hip movements where every move is redirected from your focal point and neither from your arms, shoulders nor your legs. However, keep in mind that everything of your movements should be from your center and in concurrence with both of your mind and body. Thus, to be able to bring everything from your center maintaining peace and harmony both mentally and physically will help you all the way to the exercises and trainings.

    Moreover, the exercise, Funakogi undo, is one of the awkward looking exercises that was ever done in the martial art though in a positive way. A lot of practitioners or students don’t really care about this type of exercise because this will surely put them in an uncomfortable situation. In fact, if you’re a student right now you will have some second thoughts on doing this in market place or will not going to do it on a dancing ground.

    How it Works?

    For this exercise, start with your right foot forward while your both hands are in your hips where your hips comes forward but not that far to the point of not seeing your toes.

    If you bend too much in which you can’t see your toe, you will get imbalance. So, don’t over-extend your hips and rather forward your hips in moderation. When you are in position, show your hand right in front of you by moving it horizontally while allowing your hips to go back then your hands come down straight afterwards.

    A few Errors on Execution:

    1. Some practitioners or students tend to forward too much particularly for the hips.
    2. When pulling back the hips, some Aikido practitioners or students allow their hands to remain on the same position in front and not keeping it down thereby, permitting an impression that you’re actually pulling and not digging. The right position of your hands should come out forward then dig down and up repetitively.
    1. Another error is allowing the exercise to look like you’re actually doing a Hula dance. Always remember that an Aikido curriculum is a serious one and not a hula dance routine.

    The need to know Funakogi undo is exceedingly important since most trainings are based on the hip movements and this will help you in putting down your attacker.

     

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  • Aikido along with other Philosophies and Disciplines

    Aikido 06.02.2012 No Comments

    Martial arts like Jiu-jitsu, Ken Jitsu, and Aikido are centuries-old practices which were actually considered as fighting arts for the purpose of life preservation. They finally surfaced in an era where there was great emergence of religious philosophies such as Shintoism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The individual’s trainings were founded in its logical notion of soul and self limiting against anger.

    In its broader concept, most disciplines including the Aikido don’t necessarily teach the students for cutting their opponents into pieces but instead teach about cutting right through their ego of frustration, annoyance and anger.

    Moreover, during this period it provided an opportunity for the martial art to underwent certain changes in its names from aikijutsu to jiu-jitsu; kenjetsu and finally to Aikido, Kendo and Judo which plainly means “the way off”.

    In the early 20th century, most of the fundamentals of the said martial art is rooted and created by the great sensei, Morei Oshiba.

    Why there are a lot of styles for Aikido martial arts today? Well, it’s actually plain simple because as the years passed by the great sensei’s styles have changed gradually and he had few students who later on ventured on other areas of the world and started to educate other people about various techniques where in fact, exhibit uniqueness for each student sensei.

    However, what remained as a standard foundation of the martial art is the usage of “Ki” or the universal energy wherein it guards the peace and unity around the universe and eventually brings development in every possible life here on earth. Hence, the sole principle for Aikido martial arts is to promote the energy and love within ourselves to allow us to connect with the universal power and in the end into the universal life.

    In addition, if you’re serious about pursuing the Aikido martial arts you need to unify your mind and body since basically the discipline is more on physical and mental conditioning. For first timers, students are taught about proper meditation since it allows them to use their sufficient inner energy to be able to carry out properly all techniques.

    Finally, Aikido isn’t about barely strengthening physical strength but it’s about strengthening both mind and body to generate a more powerful energy which is used positively rather than used in violence. Hence, this is the very foundation for most disciplines today which are rooted from centuries-old philosophies.

     

     

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  • The Kids and Aikido Martial Art

    Aikido, Self Defense 03.02.2012 No Comments

    Aikido is one of the famous Japanese martial arts that basically utilize joint lock manipulation technique in order to maneuver an enemy thereby, protecting you from any harm attacks.

    However, this martial art is not only for the grown-ups but also excellent for young children. Engaging the children in any martial art will help them learn many good things such as self-defense, self-discipline, camaraderie because they have the chance to meet other children, and self confidence as well. As parents, you are securing the future of your child to become a better person if you allow him to enjoy in an Aikido martial artcurriculum.

    Aikido is Fun!

    This martial art can able to motivate or encourage young children to pursue in learning and practicing Aikido because an expert instructor uses story-telling and Zen Buddhism techniques to catch the student’s attention and eventually turns spoiled brats into  well-discipline martial artists.

    Way of Teaching

    It’s not easy for the kids to stay still for a long period of time and since Aikido martial art follows the way of peace and harmony, instructors should first teach the meditation technique along with a “zaisa” sitting position.

    Instructors usually give easy to comprehend instructions while simultaneously allowing the students to both understand and make them yearn that they like what they do. Basically, most students want to pursue this martial art seriously because they have enjoyed the curriculum. Instructors usually exaggerate each lesson like telling a story about ninjas and samurais so they’ll feel that somehow they’re part on the early tradition where they have actually exist.

    Important Terms to Remember

    1. Saiza

    It is a kind of sitting position where you are allowed to meditate for a span of time. This permits a martial artist to sharpen his/her mind while keeping him/her focus in times of applying martial arts technique.

    1. Mokso

    Alternatively, this allows martial artists to close their eyes while emptying their minds from any thoughts so both of their mind and body are able to focus well.

    Instructors also permit the students to scream during their training. This is to allow them to express themselves in a much positive and organize way.

    For parents who want to help their children protect themselves against any instances where their lives are threatened, allowing them to learn any martial art like an Aikido martial art will aid them to achieve something better. Thus, it’s also one way of teaching them the way of life.

     

     

     

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  • Engaging Aikido Martial Art Even at the Age of Fifty

    Aikido, Self Defense 02.02.2012 No Comments

    Practicing and learning Aikido martial art even at the age of fifty isn’t a bad idea after all. One review talks about a fifty year old person who signed up for an Aikido curriculum where the expert master said that it’s pretty uncommon for someone like him at his age to be that kind of eager to learn the martial art philosophy while practicing it all together.

    On the positive viewpoint, beginning to learn a martial art like this for older people can help them in learning how to fall in a nice way. In the medical aspect, an aged person who experiences falling can sometimes threaten his wellbeing because it is a normal process for the bones to become fragile as we go older but an Aikido routine can help them in becoming less susceptible with having faster fragile bones.

    For those who aren’t yet familiar with the basic concept of Aikido, this can be explain in one sentence which is a martial art that focuses both on teaching self-defense while letting the practitioners follow the art of harmony.

    To elaborate, Aikido martial art does not concentrate on hurting your opponent or attacker but rather allowing you to use special techniques to bring him down into the ground to protect you from any attack. You are to use a center force with a calm mind and body so the energy flowing in your system (“Ki”) can be appropriately utilized.

    For those who are over fifty years old who seem to like in learning martial arts similar to this, it’s not too late for you guys provided that you still have good physical and mental condition. This way, you can become energetic and healthy while taking away your inactive lifestyle. Moreover, you’ll find peace not only in mind but in your heart also because this teaches you the concept of serenity.

    If you’re too inquisitive on the way of Aikido martial art, then you should start studying and practicing this discipline if you can for a healthier and livelier lifestyle.

     

     

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  • The Need For A Weapon In Aikido: How Is That Harmonious?

    Aikido 01.02.2012 No Comments

    The Aikido discipline is all about peace, harmony and love but what if something unexpected happen to you like it really involves huge violence and thus threatens your life? What is the necessary application towards that action, is there a need to use a weapon in Aikido just to protect yourself from your attacker? Let us find this out.

    Let’s say, if you have a sword or a weapon in Aikido, how is that harmonious? Well, if you will look in the context of this martial art it’s surely not in connivance with its principles which is unity and inner peace. However, if you’ll dig deeper the weapon used in the martial art isn’t about cutting or hurting your attacker but it’s about cutting more in a perspective of maintaining timing, learning timing, learning distance, and learning where is your focal point and to maintain that in all circumstances.

    Well, using weapon in Aikido can serve as a distraction because a normal being will surely split his focus and tends to get distracted whenever there is

    a weapon in his hand. If you get distracted, your mind will take away your existent focus and might end up unprotected from your attacker.

    Most Aikido practitioners including the students should undergo lots of practice along with a weapon like a sword in order to become one with the weapon. To explain it further, the real essence of a weapon in this martial art is to train an individual’s body moves as if he is still carrying a sword.  If you put down your sword and return on the mat to begin again your training with your partner, you have still the sword in you and not merely the physical presence of the sword but a sword within yourself and this point of change is so-called riay. You move as if the weapon is still in your hand but in fact, it isn’t. Thus, when you learn how to apply a sword technique simply by using your bare hands in a form of hand technique, you’re actually learning about the concept of riay.

    Likewise, when you become part of the sword, it will broaden you, enters in you and eventually focuses toward you. However, it isn’t easy to master the technique especially for beginners but doing meditation would simply help practitioners and students to master it eventually. Also, all should undergo a Suburi practice (practice swings used in martial arts and some areas of sports) wherein each practitioner/student endures cyclic individual cutting exercise.

    A weapon in Aikido relates in a deeper sense of becoming one with the sword not by its mere physical entity but rather preserving the sword within you hence; this is one way of maintaining your focal point.

     

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