What is taught in Aikido? A definitive beginners guide to learning the Japanese art

Aikido is a Japanese traditional martial art created by Morihei Ueshiba. Perhaps one of the most important things to grasp about Aikido is its original philosophy which Ueshiba developed over his lifetime. In short, the main idea of Aikido was self defense. However, unlike most forms of martial arts, it had a big difference. Uniquely, Aikido was based around minimizing any damage done towards your opponent. In other words, the idea was to nullify an attacker, yet restrain them without causing injury at the same time. This shaped the way that Aikido is thought of and practiced for hundreds of years ever since.

In literal terms, the idea of Aikido stems from Ju Jitsu. This is an old philosophy which is a fighting system based on controlling your opponent through grappling. Primarily, it involves twisting and manipulating the joints of your opponent to control their movement. Similarly, the likes of Japanese Ju Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu also share similar elements of controlling opponents using these methods. In saying this, it’s important to state that Aikido doesn’t use striking.

This means there’s no punching or kicking involved in Aikido, nor is there elbows, headbutts or knees to the opponent. Instead, the idea is to hold the opponent and dictate their movements, often resulting in putting them onto the floor at your mercy. Sometimes, Aikido can also feature weapon training such as knives or poles. We shall look at this in further detail below.

Typical Aikido techniques – wrist and joint control

Generally, Aikido has a big emphasis on wrist control. It also focuses on controlling the arms and head of the opponent, but most of the control is done by holding the wrist of the opponent. For example, an Aikido practitioner may attempt a Sankyo wrist lock that twists the wrist to the side. Due to the pressure caused, this may create a reaction where the attacker falls to the ground or otherwise risks their wrist being broken.

Elsewhere, Aikido also focuses on lower body sweeps such as kicking the feet of the opponent to put them on the ground. However, the bulk of the attacks come from the upper body. Specifically, most of these moves involve the wrist as a control point to dominate the opponent. Unlike some other martial arts, Aikido mostly uses submissions to offer the opponent an ultimatum. That is, to go to the ground or have your wrist broken. Saying this, it does not offer choke submissions or lower body attacks.

Aikido also teaches takedowns and throws

Another key part of Aikido is the sweeps, trips and takedowns that are used. This is not surprising, as Aikido has roots in Judo which is all about throwing the opponent on the floor. Whilst this isn’t as much as an emphasis in Aikido, throws still feature and are taught regularly. Often these will combine with wrist and arm control. For example, if you can move the arm upwards and control the wrist, then it may leave an opening to get close to the opponent and create a foot trip. By doing this, you can effectively put them onto the floor and control them by maintaining a top position.

A lot of the takedowns in Aikido involve finishing the throws in a similar position to starting them. For instance, if you begin standing with an armlock, then you may finish with the opponent on the floor, whilst still maintaining the armlock. This means the takedown aspect of Aikido is based on improving your position whilst maintaining control at all times.

Aikido is very reactionary

Another key aspect that is taught in Aikido is that it’s a very reactionary martial art. The spiritual philosophy is about avoiding confrontation and maintaining peace. This can also be seen in the physical form of Aikido. An example of this is facing an attacker. You will be taught to have the correct footwork that is key in Aikido as it involves a lot of dodging and fast movements. This is why the Aikido outfit covers the feet, as it is done so the opponent cannot see your footwork or guess your next steps. If the attacker makes the first move, you should have a reaction as a defensive.

For example, if they lunge forwards with a punch, you can dodge the strike by quickly moving to the side and catching their arm. This can then set up a number of submission locks or throws by controlling the opponent. Basically, it’s important to learn how to read the body of the opponent and react to it. You should never be the aggressor in Aikido and avoid fighting, however if it is forced onto you, then let the aggressor make the first move so that you can counter it. In this sense, the philosophy of Aikido is based on counters rather than a more proactive fighting method.

Aikido can teach defenses against weapons

As mentioned earlier, some dojos will teach how to defend against weapons. For example, if someone comes towards you with a knife, you need to learn how to avoid getting stabbed. As seen above, a lot of these defenses will involve the correct footwork. Like a boxer, footwork is essential to avoid getting hit and is even more important when weapons are involved as they can prove fatal. Second to footwork, Aikido also focuses on disabling and disarming the attacker. As also mentioned, Aikido is big on wrist control so this is not surprising.

This means you will learn how to avoid strikes from an opponent and counter them by grabbing the wrist or even breaking it if necessary. In doing this, you should disarm the weapon and avoid serious harm as a result. Because of this, unlike some other forms of martial arts, Aikido can be considered a sensible approach, as it offers both defense to hand-to-hand combat, as well as weapons. Going further, some Aikido gyms will also teach firearm defenses. As guns are common in many parts of the world, being able to disable the attacker is a vital skill to learn and can literally save lives.

For those looking to train at home, many of the Aikido weapons can be purchased online. This practice sword for example, is a fantastic detail.

Final Thoughts

By now, hopefully you have an overview of what Aikido entails. It isn’t as aggressive as striking-based martial arts, nor is it brutal with eye-gauges that are taught with the likes of Krav Maga. Instead, it focuses on gauging the movements of your opponent and reacting to them. This often means grabbing the wrist or arm with upper body control, after using your feet to avoid or dodge possible strikes from the opponent.

In summary, if you are after self defense techniques that are effective yet won’t cripple or kill the enemy, then Aikido could be the perfect martial art for you to try out. Not only does it teach traditional martial arts and has a big emphasis on the spiritual development of its users, it also teaches practical self-defense methods that can also be applied to modern day, such as weapon disarming. Because of this, it’s worthy of consideration by all and is still popular in modern society as a result.