Aikido Lessons For Beginners

[Maricel Fergason]

WhenI started aikido in the 1980s, it was highly respected as one of the leading martial arts, in Asia as well as in the West. In 1994, for a number of reasons, I stopped practising aikido, and I put thoughts about it on a high shelf away from my consciousness.

When I started aikido again at the age of 60, I felt it. I ached for 3 months, then I felt tired for another 3 months, and finally, after 9 months or so, I started to feel comfortable with the practice. Not only that, I lost 10kg of excess weight, and started to feel trim and lean again.

Aikido is a wonderful form of exercise. It builds leg strength and it builds core strength. It gives a moderate to high cardiovascular workout at whatever level you choose to exercise. One hour of practice works off 400-600 calories or more.

Yet his teachings were not adequately upheld and developed for the modern mind. As a result, aikido lost its reputation as a martial art. The approach and understanding needs to change if aikido is to re-establish itself as a worthy and popular martial art that can build the characters of our emerging population.

The martial arts begin with gratitude and end with gratitude. If there is error at the important starting point, the martial arts can become dangerous to others and merely brutal fighting arts. The aikido student strives truly to understand Nature, to be grateful for her wonderful gifts to us, to make her heart our heart, and to become one with her.

Aikido was developed by Ueshiba from a combination of lethal practices and arts, including Daito-Ryu Jujutsu and swordsmanship. He developed it into a flowing form that was equally effective, but also able to be safely practised by all.

The essence of aikido is not learning a thousand techniques to disable, maim or kill an attacker. It is about learning to stay calm in any threatening situation. This is probably the most critical aspect of self-defence.

Although Ueshiba and his talented student, Koichi Tohei, taught this in the mid-20th century, it was only in the 1990s or so that scientific research proved that calmness enables access to the pre-frontal cortex of the brain, where our most resourceful and advanced mental processes work. Now the police, military, and emergency services are taught techniques to manage stress so that they can deal with situations appropriately and effectively.

In aikido, we are taught to face and deal with mild forms of threat, such as grasping the wrist, to increasingly intense forms of threat. The practices are safe and controlled. This gives the practitioner the opportunity to build their confidence, to stay calm, and to relax.

Before you reach that advanced stage, aikido teaches you many ways to move out of holds, grasps, strikes and stabs. Many people, young and old, have told about how they defused or escaped from a situation, naturally and without effort.

Aikido does not rely on weapons or brute force to succeed: instead we put ourselves in tune with the universe, maintain peace in our own realms, nurture life, and prevent death and destruction. The true meaning of the term samurai is one who serves and adheres to the power of love.

Hi Piers, how wonderful to hear from you! I hope you and Quentin are well. Thank you for your kind words. I really hope to catch up some time this year, maybe at Summer Seminar. Very best wishes, Gerald.

Very nice piece..well said. And i really do not care about those attention seekers... Aikido i a beautiful martial art form....i also practise aunkai... Finding and strenghten you center and thereby your ki energy. If you manage to find it, you can do everything.

Thank you, I took up aikido at 50yrs old and was lucky enough to be one of three students of a 7th can instructor who followed these principals. He retired and I've had to change schools where there is no talk of these things. I am fortunate that my old sensei teaches me tai chi now so not all is lost.

It was nice to be reminded of these goals and the journey I wish to make. Made orange belt this week, onwards we go.

This is one of the better descriptions of aikido practice as I have experienced it for 25 years. It is not about speed, strength or power, but about understanding, compassion, empathy and integrity. Correct position and movement will lead to a negation of the attacker's power and leave them with nothing to attack; proper movement will lead them without them feeling it, and the ending is decided by a fork in the path -- how the attacker reacts and where the practitioner wants to take it, and with what degree of power and purpose.

Even O`Sensei found his first students at the university, not on high-schools. For teenager Aikido is not easy to understand: a martial art with the purpose not to win can`t be martial. Also for adults the practical use of Aikido is difficult to see just because of it`s complexity compared to boxing or karate.

So those keyboard warriors could simply be ignored if not the number of active aikidokas is decreasing. We have to face it: in several dojos the average age is around 45+.

I agree with every word you wrote, but if I would read them to a beginner, will he or she will find some sense in the first weeks, months...even years? Unfortunatly we have to find other ways to explain the usefullness of Aikido, until beginners come to a deeper understanding.

Because of this (I`m not a sensei, btw) I began to tell about my job. I work every day with mentally ill and potentially highly agressive people but was never injured nor damaged patients myself. For example once a man, completly out of his mind in that moment, ran against me with his fists already up. I just stood still and smiled to him and he turned. How would a boxer react? That`s Aikido. You learn this in no other martial art.

You have brought up some important points, Carsten. How to convey aikido to young people so they are attracted to it? I see dojos closing because less young people are joining. You are right, I am struggling to explain my vision of aikido in a way that beginners can understand, and even have problems explaining to some experienced aikido practitioners. Maybe we will find a way. Thank you for sharing your amazing experience.

Thank you for your comment Andres. You have raised some very good points. What I did when I was a teenager, was to try different martial arts. So I did Karate in school, and Tae Kwon Do when I left school. I was about 24 when I discovered Aikido and I was hooked. What I like about aikido is it gives you options in how you manage someone attacking you. In real life, most of the time, we don't want or need to harm someone who is aggressive. For young people, I feel that aikido builds confidence to deal with all situations, not only violence, but also performing in daily life. Find a school with a teacher whom you are comfortable with, and give it a try!

Brilliantly written. We in Sri Lanka also finding it difficult to make Aikido popular. We had a sensei from Japan with us for ten years and after he left , it's an uphill task to take it further. We get Shihan down once a year from Hombu dojo to do seminars. Thank you for this write up. We can share among our members.

Very good article on the true meaning and "spirit" of Aikido. I had the opportunity to learn from 9th degree Master John Barr, and his version of Kamido Aikido. It is very much the calm spirit using the attacker's own force, strength, and momentum against them. Thank you for this remembrance of the times of my youth.

This was a lovely read. I am 32 years old man. Born and raised in London. Having grown up studied judo, Tae Kwon Do, Eskrima and kick boxing. Akido has always fascinated me with huge respect. I will be honest and tell you the reason I found this blog was due to searching the exactly words at the beginning of this boog. But all I see these days is people talk bad of it. I refuse to accept this ideology that it has no use. Its very humbling to read your blog and all these comments. I feel maybe if more people took the time to just sit and listen and participate in just 1 akido class they would think differently. Most guys my age and younger only have an interest in the big names in ufc and boxing. Hopefully this can change as akido looks such a beautiful art. I would one day love to learn akido.

Thanks again. Jordan, London. England.

Hey Jordan, thank you for your comment, I really appreciate the thought you have put into it. You are right, some things are not so easy to understand, especially regarding their use in life. However, I feel that Aikido will attract people more and more, as they look for an art that helps them discover how their body and mind work together. I started Aikido in London in the 1980s, and my teacher was born and bred Londoner, so perhaps the stars will align and you will find a school that suits you!

Aikido is not a combative art like the ones you mention. You could say it is a defensive art. The aim of aikido is to train to become totally calm in the face of anything. Being calm means not needing to contest with anything. The founder, Morihei Ueshiba, said, "A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing." Aikido is the art of non-resistance. Ueshiba said, "Because it is non-resistant, it is victorious from the beginning. Those with evil intentions or contentious thoughts are instantly vanquished." These words are not easy to understand, and take a long time of study. If the words mean something to you, then I recommend you study aikido. Gaining black belt is the first stage - learning the movements. After black belt, you learn to master yourself.

Hi Gerald,

I started aikido in 1983 with Sensei O'Dwyer in London. I remember you and also how I was struck back then by your dedication to the art. So, as you might imagine, after all these years, it was lovely to come across this website and be able to read your words of wisdom.

Thank you, Mr. Lopez. I read your article through a happy accident. I was researching based on a character in an urban fantasy book I am reading. She practices aikido. According to your information here, the author has written about the subject with integrity and the transformative ideas you have mentioned. Her sensei is a wise and insightful man who teaches her to be one with her surroundings and calm in any situation. As a result, I am now interested in the discipline and hope to find somewhere near to study. Thank you for the great information.

Holly

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