Aikido in practise and in combat

It only takes a split second whether someone comes out as a victor or a loser in combat. Such things also happen in competition which is why it is best for the student to be familiar with the various aikido moves at all times.For instance, in Ai hanmi Iriminage a person grabs the attacker by the neck and forces the opponent to the ground.

In Ai hanmi Kokyuho, this is similar to the first with the difference of extending the arm a little farther in order to achieve maximum effect. Not all the aikido moves being taught however, are just to block and the make the person fall to the ground. Find out about using aikido moves in combat in this article.

Atemi are feints or strikes that are used as attacks against the vital points o the body. This movement is meant to cause much damage; so it is rarely being used in aikido.

Another form of strikes that can be used in aikido is the kick. This is however not used as often. One of the most common attacks used is Called Shomenuchi in aikido language, it is characterized by a vertical knife strike to the head of the opponent. They are the most common weapons of Aikido.

However, there are also actual weapons used in the dojo.

You will be taught to use both armed and unarmed forms of combat and self defense. For unarmed attacks, you have at your disposal a variety of throws, strikes, joint-lock techniques, vital points and even those so-called mystery attacks wherein you attack the opponent without laying a hand on him or her.

However, in general most Aikido classes are conducted with exclusive training with the use of the jo or staff, tanto or knife and the bokken or sword. These three serve as the main weapons used in Aikido. Through weapons training, an Aikido practitioner will be able to measure the distance between attacks.

Hard style Aikido?

Within the world of Aikido a variety of styles exists.

Aikikai is a style led by O-sensei’s decendants and remains to be the largest Aikido organization. Meanwhile, Yoshinkan was founded by Gozo Shioda and is known for its rigid practice of being precise or accurate. The Shodokan Aikido use to train with sparring and rule based competitions.

However, outside observers sometimes view Yoshinkan Aikidokas or those that practices Aikido as having too automatic or too rigid movements because of their strict adherence to the techniques and in the correct execution of each movement.

This is why Yoshinkan is sometimes referred to as the “hard-style”. Another distinguishing factor in Yoshinkan is the positioning of the Aikidoka’s feet and hips.