Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art founded in the early 20th Century by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969). After mastering classical styles of Judo, Kendo and Jujitsu, he created Aikido - a defensive martial art based on spiritual teachings. Although there are now many varying styles of aikido taught throughout the world, the basic principles remain the same. The force of any attack is controlled and diffused without injury to either instigator or defender. This is achieved by using avoidance and balance breaking followed, if necessary, by techniques including a range of locks and throws.

Sport
In Shodokan Aikido we promote the idea of development through competition. There are two main types of competition: embu and shiai. Embu is where two people perform a set sequence of moves together and their technique and timing are judged against another pair doing the same thing. Shiai is more physically demanding and requires two players to ‘fight it out’ within a set of rules, rather like a Judo bout (see the freestyle section for more details on training methods).

It was our founder Professor Tomiki’s belief that the sports arena could be a replacement for the battlefield in terms of keeping the Martial skills alive and effective, and that without practice against someone trying to resist the techniques, the core aikido skills would be lost. A significant part of each lesson is devoted to practicing both the embu and the shiai, especially on the lead up to a big competition. If we set out to win fairly, while maintaining respect for our opponent, we can hope to achieve the ideals of sportsmanship and progress our aikido to the best of our ability. Participation in the competitions is encouraged, but not compulsory.

Fitness
There is no doubt that regular attendance at a Shodokan Aikido class will increase your fitness. Whether talking about cardiovascular fitness, strength or suppleness, all will improve. You may find that your energy levels get a boost, some have even reported that back and joint aches have disappeared! If your current level of fitness is quite low, or you haven’t done any exercise for a while, don’t worry. As a beginner you won’t be expected to keep up the whole time, and if you need to take a breather, that’s no problem.

Self Defence
To many, being able to ‘look after themselves’ is what brings them to start Martial Arts. Most of us would like to have more confidence when walking home at night, and to feel that if any trouble started we would be better equipped to deal with it. The techniques we use in aikido depend on sensing an attack, then using speed and timing to disarm it before it becomes effective. Done well, these techniques can be a devastating form of self defence, but they may take some time to master.

Personal Development
The reason people stay with aikido is seldom the same one that brought them to start. At the beginning it might be to get fit or to learn self defence, or you might have just watched ‘Enter The Dragon’ and fancy doing some of the throws and locks you’ve just seen. When you begin training, it soon becomes obvious that to really learn the Art is going to take commitment.

As you get to know and become friends with the people you’re training with, you’ll see that you’ve become part of a community, not just local or even national but an international community all striving to make headway along an exciting and endlessly challenging road. There will be highs and lows, but if you keep at it you will get there! There are no shortcuts, to earn your black belt you are looking at a good five years of hard training, maybe two, three or four times a week. Aikido can give you so much if you let it, but you’ll need to put some heart and soul into it. With time, and if you train hard enough, you might even get a little of that Bruce Lee magic!