How is Aikido training conducted?
Aikido training begins the moment you enter the dojo. Students should strive to observe proper etiquette at all times. One must bow when entering and leaving the dojo, as well as when stepping onto and off the tatami. About 3–5 minutes before the official start of the class, students should sit and line up in the seiza position (kneeling). If someone cannot sit in seiza, they may sit cross-legged after first obtaining permission from the instructor.
The only way to improve in aikido is through regular and consistent training. Attendance is not mandatory, but one should keep in mind that to improve, one must practice at least twice a week. Furthermore, since aikido helps cultivate self-discipline, the first step toward achieving it is regular attendance at the dojo.
Each person’s training is their own responsibility. No one is going to take another person by the hand and guide them to progress in aikido. Specifically, neither the teacher nor the senior students are responsible for whether someone manages to learn something. Part of aikido training is effective observation. Before asking for help, one should first try to understand the technique by watching others.
Aikido involves more than just techniques. This art teaches observation, a transformation of mental and physical thought and behavior. Specifically, one should pay attention to how they react in certain situations. Thus, part of aikido training is the cultivation of self-awareness.
Another very important aspect of Aikido training is its nature. Training is a collaborative activity, not a competitive one. Techniques are taught with a “partner” rather than an opponent. One must always ensure that the speed and force used during practice are appropriate for the partner’s abilities. He or she lends their body so that the other person can practice on them. It is only natural, then, that one should take care of what is lent to them.
Training can often be frustrating. Dealing with this frustration is also part of the training. Trainees must observe themselves to identify the source of their frustration and dissatisfaction regarding their progress. Sometimes this dissatisfaction stems from a tendency to compare oneself with other trainees, which is a form of competition. It is admirable to admire the talents of others, but not to the extent that comparison leads to envy or excessive self-criticism.
If at any point during training someone becomes tired and cannot continue, or an injury prevents them from performing certain movements or techniques, they are permitted to step away from the practice temporarily until they are able to continue. If they need to step off the mat, they must ask the instructor for permission.
How do ranks and promotions work in aikido, and why are there no uncolored belts?
According to the International Aikido Federation (IAF) and the United States Aikido Federation (USAF), there are six ranks below the black belt. These ranks are called kyu.
Eligibility for exams depends primarily, though not exclusively, on the total number of training hours, Other relevant factors may include the respect a student shows toward others, attendance frequency, and, in some schools, contributions to the maintenance of the dojo or the promotion of aikido.
Examination requirements vary depending on the school and style of aikido. They also change over time.
According to convention, white belts are worn by all mudansha aikidoka (those at the kyu level or below the black belt) and black belts by yudansha (those at the dan level). While some dojos adhere strictly to this policy, others have adopted systems with different colored belts for mudansha, with each color representing one or two kyu levels. There are, of course, supporters of both systems.
What is a hakama, and who wears it?
Aikidoka usually wear a type of loose-fitting pants resembling a skirt, known as a hakama, which was traditionally worn by samurai. The classic gi worn in aikido, as well as in other martial arts such as karate or judo, was originally used as undergarments and is now a tradition for most aikido schools.
For more details, see Attire in Aikido.
What if I can't throw my partner?
This is a very common question in aikido. There are many answers. First, one should consult the teacher. Most likely, something is being done incorrectly.
Second, the techniques of aikido, as taught in the dojo, are idealizations. No technique in aikido works in every situation. Aikido techniques must adapt to the specific circumstances of each attack. However, because it is often difficult to cover all possible variations of a technique to suit specific situations, a general approach to the attack is adopted, and one learns to react to it. At more advanced levels of training, one can explore how generalized strategies can be applied to more specific situations.
Furthermore, aikido techniques often take quite some time to execute correctly. One can ask one’s partner for less resistance until one learns to execute the technique better.
Finally, many techniques cannot be executed effectively without the concomitant use of atemi (a strike delivered to the attacker to facilitate the subsequent application of the technique). For safety reasons, atemi is often omitted during practice. Simply ask your partner to cooperate.
How often should we exercise?
As often or as infrequently as you like. However, we recommend two classes a week.
How can I practice on my own?
Naturally, the best way to learn aikido is with a partner. However, there are various ways to practice aikido on your own. To begin with, you could practice kata on your own using a jo or a bokken.
You can also perform the movements of the techniques with an imaginary partner. Even mentally rehearsing aikido techniques can serve as an effective form of training on your own.
Why should we train with weapons?
Some schools offer classes focused exclusively on training with the jo (staff), tanto (wooden dagger), and bokken (wooden sword), the three basic weapons used in aikido. However, since the primary purpose of aikido is not the use of weapons, students are advised to attend at least two classes per week without weapons.
There are several reasons for the inclusion of weapons in aikido training. First, many aikido movements originate from classical weapon-based martial arts. For example, all striking techniques in aikido originate from sword strikes. For this reason, hand strikes in aikido techniques appear slow and ineffective, lacking power, especially to someone trained in arts such as karate and boxing.
First, weapons training helps the trainee find the correct ma’ai (the distance between two opponents). Constant movement in and out of a weapon’s range enhances the instinctive perception of distance and time, two concepts that are very important for unarmed training.
Another important reason for weapons training is the existence of many advanced techniques for defending against weapons in aikido. To ensure that such techniques are performed safely, it is important for students to know how to attack properly with a weapon and how to defend themselves against such an attack.
Often, key concepts behind the movements and techniques in aikido are demonstrated more effectively through the use of weapons.
Furthermore, training in weapon kata facilitates an understanding of the general principles of aikido kinetics.
Furthermore, training with weapons adds an extra dose of dynamism to aikido training, especially in training for defense against armed attacks.
Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba during a demonstration in Japan.
Weapons training offers the aikidoka the opportunity to develop a kind of responsiveness and sensitivity to the movements and actions of those around them. An aikidoka more easily sheds a competitive mindset when training with weapons and can better focus on their cognitive development.
Finally, training with weapons is an excellent way to learn the principles behind the lines of attack and defense. All aikido techniques begin with the defender moving away from the line of attack and creating a new one—which is usually never in a straight line—in order to execute an aikido technique.
When can a beginner start weapons training?
Ένας εκπαιδευόμενος μπορεί να ξεκινήσει και από την πρώτη μέρα. Ωστόσο ένας εκπαιδευόμενος θα πρέπει να ξεκινήσει όταν επιτρέψει ο δάσκαλος του. Για κάποιους δασκάλους η κατάλληλη στιγμή είναι και η πρώτη μερα. Για άλλους μπορεί να είναι και αργότερα.
OSensei during meditation.
Mind training in aikido
The founder (Morihei Ueshiba) intended aikido to be more than just a self-defense system. He aimed to blend his martial arts with a set of moral and social ideals. Ueshiba hoped that through training in aikido, people would perfect themselves both mentally and physically. It is not immediately clear, however, how practicing aikido would lead to spiritual transformation. Furthermore, many other arts have been said to serve as a means for the enlightenment or psychosomatic transformation of their practitioners. One might therefore rightly ask whether and how aikido differs from other arts in terms of its transformative power.
At this point, it should be made clear that any transformative capacity of aikido, if it exists, should not stem solely from the execution of physical techniques. If aikido is indeed a means for self-improvement and psychosomatic transformation, as envisioned by the Founder, the aikido practitioner must adopt specific attitudes toward aikido training and must strive diligently to cultivate specific cognitive dispositions.
Generally, these arts, which claim to offer a transformative path for their followers, are largely based on religious and philosophical traditions such as Buddhism and Taoism. The influence of Shintoism on Japanese arts is generally comparatively smaller. In Japan, Zen Buddhism has exerted the greatest influence on transformative arts. Although Ueshiba was influenced more by the new Omotokyo religion and very little by Taoism and Buddhism, it is possible to incorporate elements of the philosophy and practice of Taoism and Buddhism into aikido. Moreover, Omotokyo is based purely on new, harmonious beliefs and mystical principles. This makes it highly unlikely that this structure would be adopted as a necessary prerequisite for a psychophysical transformation through aikido.
So far, regarding the incorporation of Buddhist and Taoist customs and philosophies into aikido, the mind-body transformations will not differ greatly from those achieved through karate, judo, or the tea ceremony. All these arts share the common goal of instilling in their followers cognitive balance, spontaneous reaction, and receptivity to things as they are (shinnyo). The primary means of instilling these dispositions in their students should focus on the repetition of basic aikido movements and stances, as well as on maintaining diligence in practice.
The fact that training in aikido is always collaborative offers yet another opportunity for personal transformation through aikido. Collaborative practice facilitates the letting go of a competitive mindset, which in turn enhances the perception of other personal dilemmas.
Collaborative training also fosters a mindset of concern for one’s partner’s safety. This behavior of showing concern for others’ well-being can extend to situations beyond aikido practice. In other words, the collaborative network for practicing aikido should directly translate into a network of ethical behavior that exists and is applied in everyone’s daily life.