Q1. What kind of martial art is aikido?
A. Aikido is a martial art in which you control your opponent by entering his weak area, assimilating the power he is projecting into your own, andusing a circular motion.
Q2. Why is aikido called the "martial art of harmony"?
A. There are no movements in aikido that oppose certain laws of nature.If your opponent pulls you, you follow his movement with no resistance, andlead him to a position where he loses balance. You always try to harmonize with your opponent.For this reason aikido is called the "martial art of harmony".
Q3. Why is aikido often said to be good for the health?
A. The number of people of all ages who take up aikido for their healthcontinues to increase. Generally speaking, many athletic and sports activities are good for the health. In aikido we make full use of muscles and jointswhich we do not normally use in daily life. You stimulate your muscles and blood vessels by bending or stretching your body, and these activities are considered good for the health. Aikido also promotes a healthy mind, for by practicing aikido with others in a spirit of cooperation, and by being considerate of each other, and by committing yourself to it, you will find that your level of stress will drop.
Q4. Why is aikido good for the formation of character?
A. In aikido you aim to harmonize with your opponent, avoiding uselessclashing and undue force, and in this way aikido is in effect related to thespirit of cooperation. By practicing in a dojo, a place imbued with a spiritof solemnity, cleanliness, respect and courtesy, you will learn to accept people with generosity and warmth, and to accept things with simplicity.
Q5. What is the significance of KI in aikido?
A. We can consider KI to be the source of life, or even life itself. "You failed because your spirit was not in it." "He has spirit". These words refer to spirit or energy. When you enter your opponent's weak area and applya technique suited to the situation, you can create a power that is greaterthan your normal ability. Technically, in aikido, when this power of KI flows, we call it KOKYURYOKU, or breath power, and we practice with the aim ofdeveloping this power.
Q6. For what reason is it effective as self-defence?
A All aikido techniques are self-defence techniques, because they enable you to protect yourself by controling the opponent who attacks and triesto harm you.
Q7. Can anybody do aikido?
A In aikido there is no clashing, and no undue use of force. We logically blend our power with our opponent's power, and execute techniques by taking advantage of our opponent's power. Thus these techniques can be appliedto anybody, regardless of physical size or strength. For this reason, in recent times the number of practitioners of either sex and of all ages has beenincreasing.
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Q8. Is it possible for beginners to perform well in aikido?
A. Most beginners have no previous experience in martial arts. In aikido, we do not compete in order to win or to break records, as in athletics and other sports. So competition has no part in our practice. Instead, we repeatedly practice our techniques. In aikido, your rate of improvement dependson the amount of time you devote to your daily practice.
Q9. Can you join at any time?
A. Please contact your nearest Yoshinkan group. Anyone is welcome in our community.
Go to Yoshinkan and Master Kancho Shioda
(photographs by Hirofumi Ajiro)
