Dress of Aikido

The Aikido dress varies according to whether one is a Dan or Kyu grade. All Kyu grades wear trousers, jacket and belt of the Kimono style. These clothes are suitable for the art because of the freedom of movement and the strength of material.

Dan grades wear Hakamas. This dress has been kept from the old days in Japan when the Samurai used to wear them. The dress has the other advantage that it teaches the student to move properly by keeping the feet closer to the mat.

When I began Aikido my teacher instructed me mostly from the kneeling positions. This lasted for two years. Because of this I got a good idea of the use of the hips in Aikido. Later on, after practising these postures which can be seen in Plates 51 and 52, try the actual knee walking. Start with one knee resting on the mat, keeping your feet underneath your buttocks. The other knee is bent. Keep your hands on top of your knees. Now lower the knee that is bent onto the mat and spin on your knee until you are in the opposite direction, bringing the other knee into the bent position. Continue this move - alternatively changing knees and turning from side to side. Keep your shoulders relaxed, the small of your back straight and your toes bent uppermost. Practise until you are able to move in all directions with a smooth rhythm. Then practise the technique with a partner - sometimes techniques should be practised with one of your kneeling and the other standing. Occasionally practise with both of you kneeling.

Suwari-Waza

(Sitting Techniques)

These sitting and kneeling techniques are more difficult for Europeans than for Eastern students. The Aikido manner of kneeling and sitting is the Orient's natural way of sitting. Unless one starts young it is hard to acquire this suppleness. But with persistent practice one should be able to learn these techniques. This is a very good exercise for the student's body especially for the hips.

Next try three people against you with all three attacking you at once. Do not try to make correct techniques but keep your body moving and turning in a circular motion, trying to keep your mind and body relaxed.

Another method practice is for two partners to hold you and for you to try to escape. This practice will show whether you are using strength or not. In the beginning always let your partner hold you but as you progress you should move just before they touch you. Lead their strength with yours. Do not let your Ki power clash with your partners or you will not feel the real sense of Aikido.

4. Different Ways of Practising

1. To practise with one partner. This is usually the way for beginners and uses the forms as laid down. Once you understand the basic form then try to add more movement to it.

2. The next stage is for three people to practise. This gives two students against one so as to provide a more continuous practice and teaches you to react more quickly to the attack.

Sometimes practise gently - other times practise hard. When I say hard I do not mean with strength but by non-stop practise with your partner making strong attacks on you continually. When attacking, make sure that your attack is true. Otherwise, you give your partner a false impression and this will not help him one bit as it will give him a false sense of the movement. If your partner cannot escape your attack then it is his responsibility. Do not get upset if your partner catches you off-guard. Just put it down to good experience.

But I know that it takes three years to become proficient at Aikido and if the mind is bad and the intentions evil the technique and the Aikido power will not come out. I believe that if one puts sincerity into the art then good will come out. So I feel that no person with evil intentions can ever find this natural movement. If they use Aikido for bad reasons then they will only destroy themselves.

I have known students who have started Aikido in order to use any knowledge they acquire out of Dojo to change their intentions. They become responsible citizens and one has the satisfaction that Aikido has changed their whole character and way of life. They are grateful for what Aikido has done for them.


Aikido is for everyone - not just for the few.

This is why to find the 'way' we must always continue to practise our technique and try to put our mistakes right. This is also why Aikido is so interesting as there is no end to it. One never stops learning and there is always something new to learn and improve.

I have been asked by people if I am not afraid of the wrong person learning the art and gaining knowledge which could in some circumstances be dangerous.

As you can imagine,

when one is practising and someone attacks you, one has little time to decide what technique to use but one moves the way that one's feeling takes you, either positive or negative. This attack is the same as a problem. If it is an easy one, one can go positively into it. On the other hand if it is a difficult one, one moves one way first to get out of the way and then considers it. But if you hesitate you are lost. It is no good saying afterwards that one should have done such and such a thing. Naturally we all make mistakes. This is a good thing, but one must try and learn from them.

The Spirit of Aikido

You will find that the more you practise Aikido, the more the self-defence aspect will become of secondary importance. By the physical practice of Aikido we are trying to find the truth by technique. If one's technique is not correct or true, then one's way of life is false and one can never be fully confident of oneself.

I think that material things can only bring happiness up to a point but it is the deeper inner happiness that we are seeking and Aikido is one way of finding this. You will find that through Aikido practice your mind will become more positive in deciding matters.

Do not forget that there is a lot of hard work before one reaches this standard. The usual time is three years based on two practices a week. I believe that ninety per cent of people who practise Aikido could arrive at the Black Belt stage if they had the strength of mind and determination to keep up their practice.

It is not so much the practice that is the difficult part but the getting down to the club. For instance, the pupil may return from work on a cold evening, have his dinner and afterwards sit by the fire.

It is one of the hardest things to get oneself out of the chair and to get down to the club for training. This is where the mind must be strong and control the body. This dedication is a part of the training and discipline which must go with Aikido.

Aikido Gradings

To assess the student's ability in Aikido, he or she has to take an examination before a Dan Grade (Black Belt). In this examination, the students with their partners go through the techniques that have been taught. These techniques have been laid down in the grading syllabus. This applies for all the Kyu grades up to 1st Kyu.

If a pupil is trying for a Black Belt then he can only be graded by a 4th Dan or above. This method has been laid down by the Aikikai, the world centre of Aikido. All Black Belts who have been graded by Aikikai teachers receive a diploma from Japan. It is a great honour to receive one of these as there are only fifteen British students who hold them.

The Art

was first introduced in any big way into Great Britain by my teacher Kenshiro Abbe (8th Dan) in 1955. I was one his first pupils. At that time Judo was very popular and so people were not interested in the 'new art'. The Aikido training was also found by beginners to be extremely severe and this put off many beginners.

After many years of study I was graded to 1st Dan. At the time I received my black belt for Aikido, there were only eight pupils practising in this country. These pupils are now the teachers of the art in this country. The art received stimulus by the visit to this country of Mr Tadashi Abbe (7th Dan). In 1963, Mr M. Nakazono (7th Dan) came to England and was asked to supervise Aikido in this country. At the same time I was appointed National Coach. It is therefore only comparatively recently that Aikido has spread in this country and it is now being taught in schools for the Education Authorities.

The movement of Aikido is natural and is without the physical strain demanded by other combat arts. Aikido provides tremendous range movement on the study of balance, posture and most important - relaxation. For this reason Aikido can be practised by members of either sex, young or old, while it is also a most effective form of self-defence. Aikido has a particular appeal to most people for the way that it builds a mind which you can adapt to everyday life.

Aikido

the flowing flexibility and the importance of a stable balance agree with the 'laws of nature'. The aim of Aikidoists is complete self-control. When we have self-control, we have a posture which is completely alert. By exercising our whole body we approach improved health.

In Aikido, the techniques related to each part of the body are necessarily related to the whole. There are no radical techniques which use strength suddenly or immediately cease using power. Here lies the secret of Aikido in keeping a healthy body. The exercise of the body in this way will lead to better health.