Introducing Aikido, the art of harmonious movement

Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba. It translates roughly to "way of the harmonious spirit" or "way of harmony with the spirit of the universe." Of all the martial arts I know of, Aikido is the one that most strongly calls to me. Aikido was developed by Ueshiba as an attempt to incorporate not only his martial prowess and experience, but also his ideals.

At the heart of Aikido is the truth of harmony, to do harm to another is to harm oneself. However, to allow harm to fall upon you passively is as great a sin, and so Aikido responds by attempting to nullify the attacker without causing lasting or deeply physical damage to him/her. The art primarily uses throws and joint locks, allowing the Aikido-ka (or student of Aikido) to subdue the opponent and dominate their movements, all the while inflicting the least amount of damage to either parties as possible. Due to the fact that a great deal of the movements in Aikido are throws, one of the first things a new student learns is the are of Ukemi or break-falls, which teach the student how to roll quickly and undamaged from the ground back to their feet after being thrown.

Ultimately what fascinates me about the art is the compassion within it, especially the compassion extended to the attacker. Ueshiba was heavily influenced by neo-Shinto movements, and the compassion he learned from the idea of reaching a personal utopia during life is plainly evident in the art. The concept not to damage, but to flow with and alongside the attack until a critical point of redirection and annulment can be reached is the representation of the philosophy in the art. There is a profound beauty in a the philosophy of a violence that leaves those involved unharmed, but not unchanged, to me.

I leave you with a quick video demonstration, or preview, of the art:

What I hope to say

I've had a long going fascination with Martial Arts, ever since I was a child. It has always been my intention to more deeply immerse myself in it, though I haven't practiced since I was quite young. The spirit behind it has always motivated me, the driving idea that what you pursue - or what I would - is not the strength to harm, but the power to protect and the wisdom and confidence that carries with it. I'm hoping that over the course I will be able to come closer to this realization, and in that attempt I hope to bring the truth of it closer to you, as well.