Aikido School

Aikido School

To better understand Aikido, let us first study its origins and its meaning.  Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba, also known as ‘O Sensie’ or ‘Great Teacher’.  It is very different from any other form of martial arts since it doesn’t focus on kicking and punching an opponent.  Rather, it is the art of using an opponent’s energy to gain control on them and eventually throwing them to the ground or away from you.  It places great emphasis on motion and the dynamics of movement.

Aikido schools or the philosophy of aikido is applicable to one who seeks self-defense techniques, enlightenment, physical health and peace of mind.  It places great emphasis on the development of harmony and peace.  Hence, competition in Aikido is very limited and not widely known.  Aikido is translated into English as “The Way of Harmony of Spirit”.  This is the most basic tenet of the art although the idea of martial discipline striving for peace and harmony may seem paradoxical.

Aikido schools can be understood as two things.  First, it can literally be a school, a facility where Aikido students train and learn the art.  Second, Aikido ‘school’ may also be referred to as the style being adapted by a certain teacher.  To better understand Aikido school, we will divide them according to their styles, namely:  The “Old” Schools; the “Modern” Schools – ‘traditional’ schools, ‘Ki’ schools and the ‘sporting’ styles.

The “Old” Schools pertain to the forms of Aikido being taught.  These are what we may call as the original form of Aikido.  These forms are:

• Aiki-Budo – one of the harder forms of Aikido as taught by the founder himself.
• Yoseikan – the form incorporated with aspects of Karate, Judo and other arts.
• Yoshinkan – a harder style of Aikido concerned with robust techniques.  This style is being learned by some police forces around the world.

The “Modern” Schools consist of the variants being taught today.  Most of these styles are being taught students of O Sensei claiming that they are teaching the art O Sensei taught them.  These styles are incorporated with the interpretations of O Sensei’s senior students.

The “Traditional” Schools:

o Aikikai and Iwama-ryu – styles of Aikido that places emphasis on weapons training

The “Ki” Schools:

o Shin-shin Toitsu Aikido – one of the softest styles of Aikido characterized by soft movements

The “Sporting” Styles

o Tomiki-ryu – places emphasis on Kata (prearranged forms) making it adaptable to competitions

Today, many schools teaching Aikido can be found everywhere in the world including in the United States.  To gain a better grasp of how Aikido can be used in real life situations, you may want to watch the movies of the actor Steven Seagal.  In his movies, he has showcased not only how Aikido can be used in actual hand to hand combat situations but also how dominating and effective it can be.