Is aikido effective for self-defence?

Aikido offers very effective self-defence skills. For this reason, Yoshinkan Aikido is the art taught to the Tokyo Riot Police and other elite Defence Forces around the world. As with any martial arts system, students must train consistently to be able to use their skills with confidence, effectiveness, and safety. The techniques of aikido are designed so that students can protect themselves and, to some extent, protect their attackers by neutralizing aggressive force instead of falling victim to destructive blow-for-blow fights. The greater goal of aikido is to cultivate a spirit of mindfulness, self-discipline and respect for the world around you.

Can women and girls do aikido?

Women and girls can do aikido perfectly well. Some martial arts emphasize heavy physical power in a way that makes women and girls feel alienated. Aikido does not make that mistake. Our techniques rely on leverage, angles, and timing. This means that anyone who puts in the training can become highly proficient, regardless of gender or body type.

Does aikido hurt?

Aikido is a martial art, so sometimes techniques cause mild pain or discomfort. Aikido is non-competitive, however, so your fellow students--especially senior students--are only there to help you to learn. The more you practice, the more you understand your discomfort as a way of learning about the body and how techniques work. This kind of training also leads to greater self-awareness overall, creating a stronger, more resilient mind as well as a stronger, more resilient body. Because we all share the same goal of improving ourselves, we take great care to teach proper ways of falling safely and emphasize clear communication between partners so that no one suffers excessive pain or injury. If a technique hurts too much, students are taught to quickly tap the mat or their leg and their partner immediately eases up. This kind of communication cultivates a feeling of responsibility and care for others.

What can I expect in a typical class?

We begin every class by lining up quietly in order of seniority and bowing to show our respect to the teacher and to the training hall, or dojo. Next, we spread out for stretching and warm-up. Then we practice the basic body movements that make aikido effective. The ability to perform aikido's basic movements is as necessary for senior students as it is for beginners.

The teacher will then demonstrate and explain a technique for the class. Beginning students are paired up with the most senior students to make sure that they are learning carefully and safely. Like with any new activity, it can feel overwhelming at first because there is so much new information. Aikido students make for generous teachers, however, and everyone remembers starting their aikido study in the same place and experiencing the same feelings. Everyone understands that growth takes time and patience.

An hour after beginning, junior students are excused from the mats while senior students stay on to train in more complex techniques and at more intense levels. The best way to get a sense of aikido is to come watch a class! It is hard to describe the intensity and joy of training in words, but it is easy to see in practice. When you come to visit, please take off your shoes just before entering the dojo room.

Why is everyone shouting "Oos!"?

The word "Osu!" is a phrase that is often used in traditional Japanese martial arts. While the origins of the term are debatable, it is used as a sign of respect, patience, and gratitude. For this reason, even though we use it as a friendly greeting between students, its most important purpose is to show appreciation when an instructor or senior students corrects or helps us.

Are there tournaments in aikido?

Yoshinkan Aikido does not have tournaments. The fundamental aim of aikido is to improve one's self while learning how to resolve conflict safely, with physical and mental self-control. Given these goals, competition against others is not a necessary part of training. Instead of fighting opponents in class, we work as partners, always taking turns to practice techniques equally and without a desire to beat the other person. It is expected that each student will be competing with himself or herself to reach new levels of self-discipline and technical mastery. In this way, aikido training is always intensive training.   

Are there coloured belts in aikido?

There are coloured belts in aikido that correspond to a student's rank. This helps the teacher quickly recognize which students should be partnered up and helps him understand what degree of proficiency a student has attained. Students take on a new belt colour when they pass their grading tests. This helps students feel their progress and motivates them to keep training and keep growing to achieve new levels of confidence and ability. There is never pressure from the instructors to take a test: when students feel ready to test, they should talk to the instructors to see if they have achieved enough growth. Preparing for a test is an opportunity to intensify physical training and to re-focus the mind, so it is not undertaken lightly.

Is there sparring in aikido?

Instead of sparring against opponents, aikido students work as partners to learn and practice techniques. This system promotes mutual respect and equal opportunities for learning. The student doing the technique is called sh'te (sh-TAY) while the person being subdued is called uke (OU-kay). Typically, the senior student will be sh'te first and will perform the technique on both his/ her right and left side, and then partners will switch roles so that the junior student is sh'te for his/her right and left side. In aikido, we do not consider the role of uke to be a weaker role. Taking uke is an opportunity to understand how a technique feels, to develop physical flexibility, and to learn to sense another person's intentions.

Are there weapons in aikido?

As students develop to higher ranks, they begin to work with weapons to learn distance, timing, and practical self-defence against an armed attacker. We work with the tanto (knife), bokken (wooden sword), and jo (short staff).

Aikido in the news

The art of aikido and Kimeda Sensei's teaching (at his former dojo in Toronto) were featured in a National Post article.