Dustin Ingusan V: Aikido

A Student of the Game Aikido is a martial art that came from Japan. Aikido means the Way of Unifying with life energy and it may even be translated as the way of Harmonious spirit. Well a common misconception is that all martial arts are purely attack and offense-minded but not Aikido, it is performed by going in sync with the motion of the attacker and using the force of the attacker against him. Head-tohead combat here is not needed and only little physical strength is applied. It uses harmonious motions like entering and turning movements as its main offense and it uses throws and joint locks to immobile its attackers. The martial Art, Aikido was founded in December 14 1883, Aikido was founded by Morihei Ueshiba and some of the practitioners regard him as Osensei or the Great Teacher. The motive Morihei to pioneer such art was not only for martial arts training but also as an expression of his personal philosophy of universal peace, harmony, and reconciliation. Aikido is a martial art that also cares about its attackers and harm seekers. This is due to Morihei Ueshibas love of the Omoto-kyo religion. It is a neo-Shinto movement in Ayabe. One goal of this religion is to attain utopia during ones life. Utopia means having a community wherein everyones peaceful and loving inside a classless society without judgment and discrimination. Aikido demonstrates this idealism by loving and showing compassion to all even bad people. In Aikido, one may receive and attack and harmlessly redirect it. Not only is the receiver unharmed, but also is the attacker. Aikido slowly became a famous in Japan because of Ueshibas connections with political and military circles as a martial artist. Because of this, he was able to get solicitations towards funding the development of Aikido and also he was able to recruit talented students that will later be prominent figures in Aikido. Aikido became mainstream in 1951 wherein Minoru Mochizuki introduced it to the rest of the world. He was one of the prominent students of Ueshiba. He first introduced it in a class that learns and masters Judo, also a different kind of Japanese martial art. Then a lot more came behind him that made Aikido what it is right now. But maybe the most prominent figure of Aikido is Steven Seagal, a Hollywood superstar that showed Aikido in his movies. Because of this people got even more interested in Aikido. Aikido is not all physical training. It doesnt require big arms and forearms. It doesnt require the stereotype buff that we all are intimidated at. Aikido is also the conditioning of the mind or mental training. The power of the mind is greater than those of your limbs. Mental training emphasizes on the ability to relax the mind and body under the stress occurred during dangerous confrontations. As

said by Osensei, One must be willing to receive 99% of an opponents attack and stare death in the face in order to execute and deliver the Aikido techniques. Mental training is important for the Aikido practitioners because they dont only apply it during combat but also during their everyday endeavors. The Ki is the most important concept in Aikido. It is the mind and body combined into one component. It is the timing and the application of the whole bodys strength to a single point. Basically, Kis how you deliver your attack by being defensive and showing mercy as well. Kis a main building block that is needed to master Aikido. One thing that is also unique about Aikido is that it is one of the few martial arts that teach you how to fall or roll safely. This is pretty unusual for martial arts are considered to be in the offensive. Falling or rolling safely means you are open to being taken down. The way to learn Aikido properly and efficiently is with a partner. Studying Aikido alone is hard for one must learn defenses against attacks from your opponent/attacker. Though in Aikido strikes are clearly not that much emphasized, those that we call the honest attacks or the normally and unorthodox way of delivering an attack is much emphasized here in aikido. Many of the strikes in this martial art resemble cuts from a sword or other grasped objects. This clearly shows that Aikido is did not originate from close combat fighting, rather it is a defense against weapons. In Aikido clenched fists are not taught for the belief is that one will be immobile and will have a disadvantage with clenched fists. His attacks will be less than that of free hands. In conclusion, Aikido is a martial art that is centered on combining ones heart, mind, and body to defend itself from unearthly trials and tribulations. Also, Aikido shows mercy to those that intend to hurt us people.

Dustin Ingusan Aikido

My own take at Aikido During the month of September our class had our first take at Aikido. It was a very memorable day for me wherein I realized that all of these are new for me. At our 1st take of Aikido started and began to learn about posture, walking, standing, and the other little things, I thought of when will the fun start? I am a very proactive person wherein Id rather run than walk slowly. I get even more tired when Im in a stationary position and wait for instructions. Basically my first day and first few weeks of Aikido wasnt fun at all. Eventually, that outlook of mine changed at all. When Mr. Romeo started incorporating these so called little things into various Aikido techniques and attacks, I started getting my undivided attention towards the heart of the sport. I saw how effective a sturdy posture could be. I observed, how can a simple evasion of attack could spare your life from accidents or maybe even unwanted stand-offs from other people. Aikido made me ready for my own self-defense and not heavily rely on other but just ourselves will already suffice. These small things that I have considered small definitely it is the opposite, But one of the biggest thing Aikido has given me is it the value of Repect and Obedience. Having this two can really get you far and master Aikido. From standing to sitting down, Aikido is compounded with limitless rules and ethics. By abiding these, not only will you excel in the sport Aikido but it can also help you with your everyday endeavors that you will definitely encounter in Aikido Matches. Mastering Aikido definitely comes with precision and discipline; Discipline in the sense that there will be continuous mastering of the small things. One will be precise on being on point and doing everything the right way. One will be keen on perfection and will train hard to get that perfection.