About Aikido
August 28, 2007 — umnaikidoThe word Aikido is composed of three Japanese characters: ai, meaning harmony; ki, meaning spirit or energy; and do, meaning way. Thus, one translation of Aikido is ‘the way of spiritual harmony.’
Like other martial arts, Aikido is studied for self-defense and self-improvement. What makes Aikido different from other martial arts is that an Aikidoka develops methods of self-defense that will not injure an attacker.
The movements of Aikido harmonize with attacks rather than meeting them head-on. Instead of using kicks and punches that could possible seriously injure someone, an Aikidoka learns to use various wristlocks and throws to control attackers. As a result, techniques can be practiced at full power without fear of injury. In Aikido there are no competitions; the Aikidoka betters his or her self by cooperating with rather than defeating others.
