Aikido

Just for a change, this post is not going to be about politics. I guess all of us know the importance of physical exercise, to keep ourselves fit and healthy. Especially when you are getting on in age (yes, you may say you're still young at heart, but you just can't stop biology. Physically and physiologically, you are aging!). Being someone who is a freaking lazy bum when it comes to exerting myself physically, but for the sake of my poor old body, I decided enough is enough, and enrolled myself at the neighbourhood Aikido dojo.

Aikido (Japanese) can be roughly translated as "The Way of Unified Energy/Qi". "Ai" is unity, unified, harmony. "Ki" ("Qi" in Chinese, "Prana" in Sanskrit) is breath, or the universal energy believed to flow in and through all matter, and "Do" is loosely translated as "The Way". When one mention the word Aikido, you usually get 3 types of responses:

- Steven Seagal!
- what is that?
- ah, that martial art about using the opponent's strength against him

The first response is only partially correct. Yes, Steven Seagal is an Aikido exponent (7th Dan, if I am not mistaken), but the moves you see in his movies are not Aikido. There might be some element of Aikido in his movements, but you're sorely mistaken if Aikido is what you see in those movies.

The 2nd response seems to be more common. Compared to other martial arts like Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Wushu, etc., Aikido still seems to be a relatively unpopular art. Maybe it has to do with the philosophy that forms the basis of the art in which kids below the age of 13-14 might find it difficult to comprehend, and thus affect their interest and progress in class. One hardly see any Aikido classes in secondary schools in Malaysia, let alone primary schools. I will attempt to answer this question later on.

The 3rd response is a common misconception among people who have heard about Aikido, but do not really understand what the art is all about. Perhaps such an erroneous impression was gained from watching video clips and demonstrations of attackers seemingly being thrown around effortlessly by the Aikido-ka (meaning an Aikido practitioner). There is a reason behind the supposedly effortless throwing, but it is not about using the attacker's strength.

Before I attempt to explain what Aikido is, the following booklet provides one of the better explanation of the art. Most likely you may find that a much better explanation than my attempt, but I need to at least write something here as well lah...if not the whole post may look like it's hanging half-way.

In a nutshell, Aikido is about balance-unbalance. It is reflective of the philosophy of Yin-Yang where for everything in this universe there is an opposite. When we talk about a person being in balanced (I am refering to the physical, not mental, though it does help in keeping one mentally balanced as well!) it is refering to the center of gravity of that person. In Japanese, this point is refered to as "hara", in Mandarin it's "dan dian". It's a point some 2 inches below your navel. This position of this point is what keeps a person in balance or out of balance, and thus the foundation of Aikido movements are based on ensuring your "hara" is always in a position of balance, and you move the "hara" of your partner or opponent to an out-of-balance position. I hope you're still following what I am trying to explain...

Moving on, so how does one "move" his/her partner's or opponent's "hara" out of a balanced position? That is the other aspect of Aikido...it has no attacking movement. One can maybe say Aikido movements are about defence, but once a move is started, it's a bit errorneous to say there is completely no attack as well. Anyway, a movement in Aikido is always started from the "uke" (partner or opponent). Depending on the direction and type of the "attack", the "nage" (meaning the one who is going to defend or apply Aikido techniques) will move in a manner which "blends" himself into the uke's space. It's a bit difficult to describe this (the booklet does it better) but it can be roughly described as getting out of the attacking line (i.e. out of harm's way), but ensuring the uke is now within the nage's reach (or sphere of influence).

After this initial "blending" move comes the "direction" of the attacking line, or force. Since the uke is now within the nage's reach, and technically the nage is in a position of balance, the nage will attempt to direct the original line of attack, or force, to a direction which will cause the uke's "hara" to be in an out-of-balance position. The redirection of such line or force is crucial (remember the principle of balance-unbalance?) as it will determine if the nage will be successful in neutralizing the uke. In Aikido, discipline and control is everything, and thus the redirection must be done in a controlled manner. It is not so much for the movement to look pretty, as the fact that a controlled movement will ensure the nage will stay in balance. There is no point in doing anything in a roughshod manner if it means you stand a higher chance of getting yourself off-balance and allowing your attacker to regain his balance.

Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba

The "blending" and "redirection" are usually the moves which give Aikido a somewhat graceful look. If you would care to look closer, most Aikido moves are large, circular and flowing. Large, confident, and flowing moves denote the state of the nage (confident and breathing/releasing Qi in a proper manner). And such moves are definitely more effective and efficient than small, non-flowing, and linear (at least in Aikido).

Finally, the "closure" of any Aikido techniques or movement is the neutralization. This is usually where the uke is pinned down with a lock, or thrown/drop (in Aikido there is a difference between a throw-nage, and a drop-otoshi). The neutralization is usually where Aikido differs from most martial arts. The lock or throw/drop is usually done with an "intent" to also protect the uke. For example, the nage would lock the uke's arm and control the degree of hyperextension, just enough for the uke to feel pain and immobilized. However, the very same lock could be executed to really do damage to the person, such as breaking of joints. Aikido has its roots in Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jujitsu, and the various locks which were inherited are meant to destroy joints and limbs. In essence, the degree of damage in Aikido is dependent on the "intent". If your "intent" is to be protective, then it will be protective. If your "intent" is to inflict maximum damage, then it will most likely inflict maximum damage. But the whole point of Aikido is also about "peace" and "harmony", so you almost never hear of advice telling one to finish off the other (in real life situations, maybe it is smarter to inflict maximum damage).

Aikido is not only about the "nage". The "uke" plays a very important role as well in practice, and the way the "uke" takes the "punishment" is also reflective of Aikido principles. The "uke" employs the principle of "non-resistance" to protect himself (for e.g. move with the flow, fall in a controlled manner, roll in the right way). These non-resistance movements usually contributes to the perception that Aikido moves are graceful, and people are being thrown about easily. Not only that, the non-resistance movement also helps one in developing a better feel of what his/her partner or opponent is doing, and that helps when he/she is the "nage". A "nage" has to also feel where and how the "uke" is attacking so that he could blend and lead/redirect in a more effective and efficient manner. In effect, both the "nage" and "uke" is in a win-win situation in Aikido practice.

Where does the "Ki" come into play? Well, all the movement and techniques are done with the coordination of breathing. It is not easy to do, but once you start to realize your moves are coordinated with your breathing you tend to be smoother, more flowing, get tired less easily, as well as the effect of the technique is greater.

One more important thing about Aikido is this: one never stops learning and improving. You will find that in an Aikido dojo people will keep practising techniques over and over again, regardless of one's level. The truth is you will always be able to improve on a technique. You will always find that a little change in the angle, or a little tweak to the way you hold a limb will improve the efficacy of the technique. If you are a believer in life long education and improvement, Aikido will suit you just fine. But if you're a person who can't seem to appreciate why the art seem to teach the same thing over and over again, then most likely you will drop out of it very soon.

And that in a nutshell is what Aikido is all about. Like any other martial arts, Aikido has a few streams, or schools. I go to a dojo which belongs to the Aikikai school, currently headed by the grandson (Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba) of the founder of Aikido, O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba. There are many dojos in Malaysia associated with the Aikikai Foundation, with mine belonging to Shihan Jun Yamada. Do a Google search on the various Aikido dojos in Malaysia, and do drop by one most convenient to you if you choose to find out more. I hope this short introduction to Aikido will help pique interest among Malaysians in this Budo (martial art, or way), and perhaps grow its stature and visibility in this country.