What is Aikido?
Aikido (合氣道) is a martial art founded in 20th century Japan by a man named Morihei Ueshiba, commonly referred to as O'Sensei (“great teacher”). It is often described as "that one where you use your opponent's force/energy against them," but we find this description lacking.
The same could be said of many martial arts, and it suggests a physical, competitive framework. Some Aikido practitioners, or aikidoka, claim it is a way to learn effective self-defense, which can be problematic. If you want to develop combat effectiveness, other arts may be better choices. Our working definition of Aikido at East Bay Martial Arts is,
a martially based physical practice by which we cultivate our ability to maintain our integrity and compassion in the midst of conflict.
César's personal study asks the question: "How can we meet each other, and ourselves, in such a way that conflict becomes generative and harm is minimized?" As such, it is primarily a collaborative training environment. At the beginning of each class, and every time we switch training partners, we bow and say, onegaishimasu* ("please") which means, in this context, "please train with me.”
In practice, Aikido training consists of techniques involving joint manipulations, throws, and pins, taught within a curriculum of choreographed partner movements, referred to as kihon or kata. Once a basic level of technical proficiency is achieved, space is made for students to explore and apply these techniques in a free and spontaneous partnered practice called jiyu waza. While the efficacy of technique may be judged in many ways, one of our priorities is to care for the well-being of our training partner.