|
It's easy to understand how some make negative assessments of aikido's practicality, given the art's rejection, for the most part, of competition. Without such a platform to gauge technical efficiency, it is generally not the art of choice for, say, professional UFC fighters, who tend to come from combat sports such as BJJ, Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling or even taekwondo. Aikido's basis lies not in trading strikes with an opponent; rather, it is about using the attacker's own force, multiplied by the power naturally generated in the movement of the defender, to subdue the attacker. The majority of aikido techniques also feature a lot of rapidly applied joint-breaks, locks and throws, which would potentially cause severe damage to players in a competition environment. It is definitely true, however, that aikido is a defensive art - but it is a mistake to conclude from this that aikido is also a ‘passive' form of defence (which, most would argue, does not exist in reality).
There are many styles of aikido including Tomiki, Yoshinkan, Iwama ryu, Aiki-kai and Ki Society, to name a few. Yoshinkan aikido, in particular, is considered to be one of the most physical forms of aikido due to the strict style of its training methods and its no-nonsense approach. Yoshinkan has a history of producing dynamic and explosive practitioners inspired by its founder, Gozo Shioda Sensei. He was a man of very small stature who spent a lifetime cultivating the Yoshinkan style, which by necessity relies little on muscular strength and instead on the power produced when the body is unified and its energy projected in a focused manner. As in most martial arts, the instructor (sensei) and the student's dedication and practice are very much the determining factor of a martial art's effectiveness.
Irimi-Tsuki: Entering with chin-throw
Irimi-tsuki means ‘entering attack’ and is one of the most effective Yoshinkan techniques for dealing with an incoming strike or attack. Executed correctly, it can be very powerful and rapidly puts the opponent on their back. Here it is applied against someone rushing in to strike.
The main difference between Yoshinkan's approach to aiki principles and practice, in a nutshell, is that the Yoshinkan method seems to be more ‘hardcore' and focuses on the core power generated through the hip movement, combined with correct posturing and stance. A typical Yoshinkan class will see its practitioners beginning with a set of kihon dosa (basic movements) drills after the initial warm-up, but while these are just basic movements, they too demand regimented application and focus to ensure the precision of posture, hip movement and footwork. These must come together for aikido technique to work. Don't mistake the word ‘basic' for ‘easy' - correctly practised, a hard session of kihon dosa can easily send a student on their sweaty way to sore thighs, tender buttocks and locked toes (and that's before the actual technical lessons begin).
Aikido is no different to all martial arts in that there certainly are no short-cuts or ‘magic techniques' to discover. Rather, aikido techniques, be they basic or advanced, can only be realised through dedicated practice, resulting in a competent grasp of engaging one's core/centre to produce power.
Irimi-Tsuki vs Group Attack
In this scenario, the application of irimi-tsuki has been modified for fending off multiple attackers. Traditionally, this technique finishes up with the attacker being slammed to the ground by the chin using the power from one’s centre and the attacker’s energy (as demonstrated in the first technique), which could severely damage the attacker since the fall won’t be cushioned by mats. This modified version takes into consideration the welfare of the attacker and the legal complications that go with applying potentially lethal force, even in self-defence. The intention is to redirect the attacker’s strike and use him as a shield while employing verbal defusion tactics, and assessing the risks and how to best deal with the situation.
It's also interesting to note that most styles of aikido, including Yoshinkan, do not teach kicks. Some reason that this is because aikido requires its practitioners to keep both feet grounded for practical reasons, while others state that kicking is against the art's principles. From a tactical standpoint, it is more likely because aikido's focus is on entering - inside kicking range - to end conflicts quickly, and also because the goal of most aikido techniques is to either deliver a fight-ending throw, slam, pin, lock, choke or submission. This leaves little opportunity for long-range strikes such as kicks, thus making them irrelevant to the system.
Before we move on to the practical demonstrations of aikido techniques, let's take an introductory look at some basic aikido principles.
Aikido Strategy
Entering and turning: Essentially, the basic technical strategies of aikido can be simplified to entering and turning, or a combination of the two. Typically, entering is designed to avoid the attack and generates energy to use in the defensive technique - quite different to most other martial arts' approach, which is to back away or to the side and avoid the opponent's attack. Poor entering generates very little energy, and requires the practitioner to strain to compensate. Efficient entering generates ample energy for the execution of the technique and in turn cuts down the need to compensate with muscular force/strength. Turning, on the other hand, redirects the attack. By moving in a circle, the attacker's energy is drawn forward and away from his/her centre, causing the attacker's own movement to send them off balance, creating an advantage for the defender to take control and counter-attack.
Kata guruma: Entering with overhead throw
In this scenario, the defender is approached by a single attacker, who launches a hook-punch to the face. The defender will once again respond with an entering attack, delivering a combination with a strike to the attacker’s groin and an overhead throw. Although the defence combination in this scenario is different from the irimi-tsuki technique, it is important to note that its foundations are the same: stance and posture, and use of core power and hip movement in executing the counter-attack.
Centreline power: As aikido techniques rely on the refinement of movement and elimination of muscular strain, understanding how to mobilise and use the centre of one's body power is crucial to technical efficiency. The limbs of the body are strongest when their movement is kept aligned to the (vertical) centreline of the body. By keeping arms and legs aligned in this way, the body is unified and its power focused, with limb movement driven by the movement of the body's core. The unified body is then directed towards the attacker on entering lines, or is moved through a circle to draw the attacker off balance. Whatever the technique, efficiency without strain is achieved only when the body's centre is aligned and activated.
Blending: All aikido techniques involve elements of blending. Blending is the connection made to an attacker's body and movement (actually, these are one and the same). The ability of one to blend (a yin action) will determine the quality of the technique. There is no point generating force using an entering movement if you can't deliver it to the attacker. Blending requires acute sensitivity. One must be able to feel the attacker's timing, power and centre through the connection points of the techniques (i.e. where attacker and defender are in contact with each other). Much of the classical techniques practised in aikido are also focused on the practitioner's body sensitivity or blending. It enables lightning-fast reactions to take place, as they bypass the thought process and are instead ‘felt', engaging touch reflexes and thus making the exponent highly adaptable.
Ushiro-nage: Entering to choke/lock
In this scenario, the defender is approached by a single attacker, who fires an overhand strike or hook-punch to his face. The defender responds with the irimi-tsuki (entering technique), modified to include a counter-strike to the biceps of the striking arm, which is then seized to finish with a submission pin and choke.
Is aikido applicable for self-defence? Yes. The emphasise it places on using one's core power rather than size and strength also makes it functional for females and older or younger people. Like most combat systems, though, it requires dedicated training on both a physical and mental level. And as with every other art, it is usually not the method that fails, but the teaching or the student's application to the study.
The technique sequences here demonstrate several basic aikido principles and popular Yoshinkan techniques in dealing with an incoming strike by a single attacker, as well as dealing with a group attack situation, in which both verbal defusion and restraining techniques are employed. The techniques are demonstrated by Peter Koussoulis Sensei of Melbourne Yoshinkan Aikido dojo in Brunswick. A full-time instructor with over 12 years of full-time training in the art, Koussoulis is a student of Takeno Sensei, who was a direct student of Gozo Shioda, the founder of Yoshinkan aikido.
|
Have your say (0)