Zenreikan Aikido

Well, as it happens, in the early stages of learning Aikido you don't tend to see a lot of harmony going on at all.

Before we get into all the harmonising stuff, we have to get to grips with some of the basic principles like movement, timing, distance and balance. At this stage techniques are taught with a step-by-step approach, and there's much stopping and starting as we work out the intricacies of the technique.

Initially of course, the attacks are pre-planned so the defender already knows what to expect and both know which technique they're going to practise. Knowing what we're working on gives us the opportunity to explore how to move with an attack rather than simply fight against it.

Then repetition becomes important. Both partners take turns in each role and as they become more proficient, we start to introduce further Aikido principles. It’s at that point when you might start to see the flowing and blending.

As the practice begins to flow, the defender blends with the attack and redirects it through movement and technique.

But the attacker has an equally important role. They recognise and move with the technique being applied to them — and, where necessary, fall or roll safely. This is part of what we call ukemi, the skill of receiving a technique.

One is blending with the attack. The other is blending with what happens next.

As that exchange becomes increasingly smooth, an attack comes in, the defender moves, a technique happens and the attacker rolls away.

Sometimes from the outside that can look choreographed and to a degree the sequence is often structured that way. Both know what they're practising and they've probably repeated those movements many times before. But that doesn't mean the practice is always predictable.

As experience develops, attacks can become faster and more committed. Intensity can increase and resistance can be introduced. Because of course, somebody outside the dojo isn't going to attack you and then conveniently cooperate with whatever you decide to do next.

And the attacker isn't necessarily simply cooperating with the technique. They’re using their own Aikido to respond to what is happening — maintaining their balance where they can, moving with the forces being applied and falling or rolling when they need to.

So, when experienced practitioners move together smoothly, what we're seeing isn't necessarily one person performing a technique while the other simply goes along with it. Both are bringing their own skills to the exchange. And that's where some of that harmony we mentioned starts to make a little more sense.

And none of that happens overnight. It starts with the same stopping, starting and sometimes awkward movements — and gradually the harmony develops through practice.

If you're curious about Aikido, you don't need to understand any of this before you start. Find a dojo, start at the beginning and see where your own Aikido journey takes you.

What does Aikido actually mean?

Like many Japanese martial arts, the name Aikido tells us something about what we're practising.

It's written using three Japanese characters:

Ai (合) — often translated as harmony, joining or coming together

Ki (気) — energy, spirit or intention

Do (道) — the way or path

Put them together and Aikido is commonly translated as “The Way of Harmony”, or sometimes “The Way of Harmonising Energy.”

But what does all that mean in practice?

Rather than always meeting force directly with more force, Aikido explores how we can join with movement, redirect it and affect the other person's balance.

Of course, learning to do that when somebody is coming at you with speed and intent is not as straightforward as talking about it!

Not relying entirely on meeting strength with greater strength is also one of the things that makes Aikido so versatile. Different ages, different builds, men and women alike all take to it because the answer isn't always simply to be bigger or stronger.

And perhaps that's where the Do — the Way — becomes important.

Aikido isn't something you simply learn and finish. It's a journey. There's always something to improve: movement, timing, balance, awareness — and occasionally patience when absolutely nothing seems to work the way it did five minutes earlier. 😄

So “The Way of Harmony” may be the short translation.

Understanding what it means in practice takes a bit longer.

southportaikido.co.uk

Why do we wear a hakama in Aikido?

The hakama is probably one of the first things people notice about Aikido.

It's the traditional Japanese pleated garment worn over the keikogi — and no, despite appearances, it's not a skirt!

Hakama were worn in Japan long before Aikido existed and became closely associated with the samurai and traditional Japanese martial arts.

So who gets to wear one in Aikido?

Well... this is where things get complicated. Ask several Aikido schools and you may get several different answers.

Some reserve the hakama for black belts. Others introduce it much earlier.

In our classes, students normally start wearing a hakama after their first grade. There's no mysterious initiation ceremony involved — it simply gives someone enough time to decide they're going to continue training before spending money on one.

Putting one on for the first time does feel like a small milestone though — even if you then have to work out which way round it goes, how to tie it without it falling down and preferably, how to practise Aikido without standing on it.

Once you've got all that sorted, the hakama simply becomes part of normal training wear — part of the tradition rather than something that sets the students apart.

Then at the end of the class, you just need to work out how to fold it...

https://southportaikido.co.uk

Why do people start martial arts?

Self-defence is probably one of the obvious answers.

But what else?

Confidence? Fitness? A new challenge? Meeting people? An interest in Japanese culture?

Or perhaps simply wanting to try something you've never done before.

There probably isn't a right answer.

https://southportaikido.co.uk

We’re back training tonight at 7.30pm, Beat Box Studio, Southport

Demo at Japanese Exhibition in Manchester

Some highlights from our demonstration in Manchester on Japan Day 2024