Using Aikido In Combat

Everyone has the power of life or death in one’s hands. It is the decision of the individual to slow down when pedestrians are crossing or whether to pull the trigger when going on a duck hunt. Unfortunately, there are certain elements in society who will cause harm in order to get money instead of working for it. The person can become a victim when walking to the car after doing some shopping or when coming home late from work.

The police may not always be there to assist so it is best to be prepared always. One way to be prepared is learning a martial art. The individual does not have to be as good as Bruce Lee to kick butt but simply learn what it takes to deliver a good punch.

One of the more popular and yet very peaceful is aikido. This is because in combat, the person doesn’t strike the opponent with the intent to injure or kill. The objective is merely to subdue the opponent with minimum force to be able to get to safety.

There are various Dojos all across the country that teach aikido. The person can sign up in one and then move up the ranks.

Beginners will first work use techniques based in the shape of a square. As the skills develop, the person will move up to triangle and then eventually circle. This will take months so the student must be committed throughout the entire process.

The objective of this is for the person to be able to the various techniques with the least amount of effort unlike before. This will give the person enough energy in combat should there be more than one opponent.

The things done in practice such as the holds, grips and falls can never be compared with what happens in the streets. This is because an inexperienced person may try something different so the individual should be prepared for anything.

It is a good thing though that various competitions are held regularly so that one’s combat skills can be tested. The student can sign up especially if the dojo usually participates in such tournaments.

While in practice or during competition, the person should lower the tempo to prevent injuring the partner. After all, the real battle is out there in the streets and should only be used as a last resort.

There may even come a time that the assailant could be someone also skilled in the martial arts. The only way to win will be to use the mind since this will allow the individual to react faster in the middle of a fight.

There are various secrets in aikido. This can be from the hand to eye coordination, the flexibility of the wrist, the breathing and the speed. All of these things will count for something as the person is in combat struggling in a life or death situation.

There is a line that goes, “no pain, no gain.” Unfortunately, this will happen in order to be good at aikido since the one who has the competitive edge will be the victor in any battle. The person can do well in any combat situation as long as one is guided by senior students and the Sensei and believes in his or herself.

Fundamentals Of Aikido

Aikido is martial arts that resulted from the combination of several disciplines. It was created by Ueshiba sometime in the 1940s. It was the result of Ueshiba’s search for a technique that provided him with contentment not only in the technical sense but also in the spiritual end.

Aikido comes from the three Japanese words, ai-ki-do, which means joining, spirit, and way respectively. In essence, aikido is a martial arts form that focuses on the joining of the spirit and the body and the mind to find the Way.

Aikido has many techniques and moves. Its basic structure comes from the throws and locks found in jujitsu and also from the movements that experts do when they are fighting with swords and spears.

Fundamental Techniques of aikido

Let’s look at the different fundamental movements of this martial arts:

Ikkyo
This is the first technique in aikido, where control is achieved by the use of the hand on the elbow and one near the wrist. This is the grip that is also that can apply pressure into the ulnar, which can be found in the medial portion of the arm.

Nikyo
This is the second of the techniques, which is characterized by an adductive wristlock that twists the arm and then applies pressure in the nerve that can be really painful.

Sankyo
This is the third technique that incorporates a pronating move. It directs an upward tension all through the arm, the elbow and the shoulder.

Yonkyo
The fourth installment in the fundamental movements of aikido, yonkyo uses a shoulder control movement similar to a ikkyo but this time there is no gripping of the forearm. Instead, the knuckles apply pressure on the radial nerve

Gokyo
The fifth technique is actually a variant of ikkyo. This time the hand gripping the wrist is inverted and twisted.

Aikido protective movesHere are some of the moves that you can use in order to disarm your opponent.

Kotogaeshi, this is what is called in the English as the wrist return. In this move, the practitioner will place a wristlock and throw that will stretch up to the extensor digitorum

Iriminage, called the entering-body throw, here the practitioner or the nage will move into the space where the uke or the opponent is. This classic move resembles the clothesline technique.

Kokyunage, this is the breath throw, a term that refers to the various types of “timing throws.”

Koshinage, this move is aikido’s version of the hip throw where in the person will drop his hips a little lower than the opponent or the uke. He will then flip the opponent with a resultant fulcrum.

Tenchinage, Called the heaven and earth throw because of the levels that the hands will reach. The uke or the practitioner will grab both wrists and then moves forwardm grabbing the hand low and the other high. This unbalances the uke, which will cause him or her to topple over.

Shihonage, this is the four-direction throw, wherein the hand is folded back past the shoulders and then afterwards locking the joints in the shoulder

Kaitennage, called the rotation throw, in kaitennage, the practitioner or the nage will move the arm backwards until the shoulder joints are locked. He will then use this position to add pressure.

Jujinage, this is the throw that is characterized by a throw that locks the arms together. This is called shape like a 10 throw because of its cross-shape, which looks like 10 in kanji.

Aikido Secrets Everyone Should Know

When an attacker is approaching, the person only has a split second to decide whether to dodge or block the move of the opponent. There is no point thinking about what this happened in the first place but the concern now is just to stop it.

In a fight, the person can make a counter attack in the hopes that the individual will be subdued. There is another way of course without resorting to force, which is the technique one can learn in aikido.

Aikido is a martial art in which the person blocks the moves of an opponent by using the hands. Anyone who wants to learn it will not be able to move as fast as Steven Segal in one of his action films but still be effective in combat.

This martial art cannot be learned by merely watching others do it in the movies or in television. There are some who even show the step by step process in a magazine but nothing still compares to learning it from a Sensei.

The person must first become a student in order to be called a master. This means learning the basic rules from entering the dojo until the class is over. The person will surely feel some pain after falling down a few times on the mat but this is not to torture the pupil.

This is all part of the training, which the student must also do properly in order to move into the more advanced classes.

One of the secrets is being able to know when to use it since timing is everything. There is a bit of hand to eye coordination just like in sports but here, the individual will merely redirect the same force back to that individual.

Another secret in using aikido has to do with the wrist. The person should be smooth enough to put one hand over the opponents to be able to make the technique work and counter the attack.

It takes a certain amount of energy to be able to perform certain moves. The individual will learn the various breathing exercises that will increase the heart rate and slow it down especially in the heat of the action.

The student should bear in mind that the breathing exercises also serves as a unifying force between the physical and the emotional aspect of the person.

The most important secret in mastering aikido is being consistent with the technique. The arms will surely feel heavy after some time or a certain amount of energy is drained after a few moves. By being able to do the same thing despite these difficulties, anyone can truly be called a true martial artist.

People who want to check on how well one is doing can sign up for Tomiki Aikido. This is a competition held by various clubs in which the student will compete among some of the best in the country.

Those who do well here can move up to the next skill level just like in karate where a student moves from one belt to another. If after many years, that student has learned all the secrets that go with aikido, this is the only time one can be called a master and even open a dojo.