Sports
Focusing on the Essentials of Aikido by Darren Williger
[Dec 18, 2007]
Aikido is an old martial art, not as old as many others but old nevertheless. It was created by Morihei Ueshiba and it is the result of a distillation of different martial arts. Most people see it as a type of exercise or dance because of its fluid form. Other people have their own definitions for the martial art as well.
Sometimes Aikido is confused with Daito Ryu Aikijutsu but the essentials of both martial arts are actually different. According to Ueshiba his eyes were opened by Sokaku Takeda who himself was a grandmaster of the Daito Ryu and opened his eyes to the Budo.
What is this far eastern martial art all about?
This particular discipline may have many different forms but it is essentially a Budo or martial art. It is an art that has been refined and combined with a philosophy that advocates the use of the power of the spirit. The basic essence of aikido is a perfect blending of bodily and mental functions. The philosophy of this sport is derived from the belief that deception and trickery are not the needed things required to defeat our opponents. Brute force is also not one of these requirements. Rather a focus on concentration using the spirit is enough to strengthen.