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AIKIDO

What is Aikido? What makes Aikido unique? Why practice Aikido? FAQ

What is Aikido?

Aikido is a martial art that was developed in the 1930s as a method of self-defense with the intention of limiting harm to one’s opponent and is practiced at dojos throughout the world.

Aikido comes with the expected structure and discipline of a martial art but provides a non-competitive environment that allows participants to practice from the age of 5 to over 90, with a strong focus on learning to fall safely and working with others. 

What makes Aikido unique?

There are no competitions within the Aikido practice, instead Aikido holds seminars as a way to expose students to as many teachers and practitioners as possible. 

Aikido is a practice that almost exclusively works in partners, with the intent of working with as many people as possible to develop our technique and its application. 

Despite being a disciplined practice and challenging study, we have a lot of fun on the mat. Aikido practices are interesting, engaging and there is always something new to learn.

Why practice Aikido?

Practicing Aikido can provide you with both physical and mental conditioning that transfer to common activities outside the dojo. Most noticeably are the skills, conditioning and reflexes to reduce the chances of falling or falling safely in other activities and random every-day accidents. 

Aikido provides a unique mixture of strength training, flexibility and cardiovascular activity in every class. This makes Aikido a great activity to become more active or as a complimentary activity for off-season activities and activities that require good weather. Aikido provides the opportunity for practitioners to maintain and develop their physical conditioning while reducing the chances of injury.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Aren’t all Martial Arts fighting sports?

Aikido is a newer martial art, developed in the 1930s, with the specific purpose of learning how to defend oneself without causing unnecessary harm to others, this includes training partners. This allows participants to learn and practice a martial discipline and training without the expectation of constant bruising and injury. At the Griffin Aikido Club, training is designed for students to learn how to keep themselves safe, not learn how to take a hit. 

This approach has resulted in the only sport that practices and studies falling safely. Learning to fall properly, and building muscle memory to develop automatic responses, has the added benefit in everyday life when we inevitably fall. This has the benefit of reducing the occurrence and intensity of injuries in other sports, such as mountain biking, skiing and horseback riding, and from simple accidents, such as tripping down stairs or slipping in the shower. 

But does Aikido promote violence, or teaches how to do harm?

No. Learning Aikido will not teach anyone how to fight professionally, as the practice’s focus is on defensive techniques, sometimes Aikido is referred to as a “defensive martial art”. A limited selection of attacks are used in training and are only taught to provide enough energy and intent for practice purposes. Doing so allows students to develop the automatic responses needed to help keep themselves safe when something is, for example, coming towards their face quickly, regardless if it is a person throwing a punch or if there is suddenly a tree branch you didn’t see coming.

Without competition, how do students progress without the motivation to be the best?

Without competition, the Aikido training environment is focused on self-paced learning, removing the pressure and expectations of “being the best” to “how best to train”. While the training is intensive and intended to push the physical and mental of the students, it can also be tailored, allowing for multiple ways for a person to find a place within the training community, including the respect and recognition that comes as they progress at their own pace. 

Instead of using competitions as a method to encourage development, Aikido regularly supports the students’ development through Seminars, where multiple dojos and teachers come together to train. This ensures students gain a broader range of experience and perspectives, while building and supporting the international Aikido community that bridges the gaps of culture and language.