Knowing how to take care of yourself with aikido

Knowing how to take care of yourself with aikido

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Have you been mugged on the streets and had a knife pointed at
your chest?

Do you know what you would do, especially if your only weapons
to fight back are your arms and legs?

Even if we have not become one of the capital's crime
statistics, it is important to have a plan of action if the
situation does occur.

"The term self defense itself implies that we have the skills
to defend ourselves from whatever threats," Mark A. Hadiardja of
Aikido Shodukan Indonesia told The Jakarta Post recently.

"But it does not necessarily mean that we have to face those
thugs in physical contact in exploiting our skills and
techniques."

Hadiardja was speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on aiki-
budo restraint and removal held last month.

"Restraint and removal means that we neutralize the opponents
without causing any injuries, by using joint locks and throws
instead of kicks and punches," said the holder of a second-degree
dan black belt.

Aikido was developed and founded by Morihei Ueshiba,
honorifically known as O Sensei, from another Japanese
traditional martial art jujitsu, especially Daito-ryu jujitsu.

Modern judo also derives from jujitsu.

Before 1942, O Sensei called the martial art aiki-budo before
changing the name to aikido.

He incorporated techniques from spear and sword fighting arts,
taking the joint locks and throws from jujitsu and combines them
with the body movements of spear and sword fighting.

He also developed his own moves.

Participants at the seminar did not simply sit on benches to
listen to the speakers -- they also had firsthand experience on
how to apply aikido techniques under certain conditions.

According to Hadiardja, it is important to keep alert at all
times and to assess the situation even if we are confident in our
self-defense training.

Part of the defense training is to think ahead.

"It is stupid to show off your jewelry while passing through a
dangerous area," he said.

"Not going to or passing such areas is already a self-defense
action."

But what if the worst does happen?

"Well, we have to assess the condition quickly. What do they
want? Money? Your cell phone?" Hadiardja said.

"Most common thugs are eying our possesions so it would be
better if we just give them away instead of playing hero."

People must size up a quick escape route.

Suppose the door of a public minivan is in your left and the
thug is in your right.

"We should make a diversion by throwing the cell phone or the
wallet the thug is asking for to the right while quickly getting
out at our left.

"Such evasive action allows us ample time to get away from the
thug who is after our possesions."

Hadiardja said such an act should be considered one of
defense, not cowardice.

Aikido Shudokan Indonesia was established last November and
currently has 20 aikidoka (aikido practioners).

"I need to strengthen the base first before developing the
organization. It is better to have a few qualifed members than
more members but who are less qualified," said Hadiardja.

"We are of the Yoshinkan style while the majority here follow
the Aikikai style."

The styles come from the same tradition but developed along
different routes.

"The Yoshinkan style emphasizes effective and efficient
movements and techniques," he said.

"I can say that the Yoshinkan style was the aikido developed
by O Sensei in his 30s and 40s, while aikikai was developed by O
Sense during his 70s."

The many styles of aikido

As with other martial arts, there are several styles within
aikido which derived from its developmental stages or as
offshoots from the proponents who practiced it together with
founder Morihei Ueshiba, honorifically called O Sensei, and his
early students.

Aiki-Budo. This is the name given to the art O Sensei was
teaching early in its development. It is very close in style to
previously existing jujitsu forms, such as Daito-ryu Aiki-jutsu.
It is considered to be one of the harder forms of aikido.

Aikikai. This is the common name for the style headed by
Kisshomaru Ueshiba, O Sensei's son, as taught under the auspices
of the International Aikido Federation. Most regard this school
as the main line in aikido development. The aikido taught by
Ueshiba-sensei is generally large and flowing, with an emphasis
on a standard syllabus and little or no concern for weapons
training.

Shin'ei Taido. Founded by Noriaki Inoue, who was a nephew of
O Sensei and was orginially associated with the early Ueshiba
dojo. He has claimed that the art is different to aikido but
others consider it very similar to the aikido of the early period.

Tomiki-ryu Aikido. Founded by Kenji Tomiki, an early student
of O Sensei and judo founder Jigoro Kano. Tomiki believed that a
"rationalization" of aikido training, along the lines that Kano
followed for judo, would make it more easily taught, particularly
at Japanese universities. He also believed that introducing an
element of competition would serve to sharpen and focus the
practice since it was no longer tested in real combat. This latter
view was the cause of a split with O Sensei, who firmly believed
that there was no place for competition in aikido training.

Yoseikan. A composite style developed by Minori Mochizuki. It
includes elements of pre-war aiki-budo, judo, karate, old style
ju-jutsu and kenjutsu. Mochizuki was an early student of O Sensei,
sent by Jigoro Kano of the Kodokan in 1930 to study for a year as
an uchi deshi (live-in apprentice). He later trained in Mongolia.

Yoshinkan. This style was taught by Gozo Shioda. Shioda-sensei
studied with O Sensei from the mid-1930s. After World War II, he was
invited to begin teaching and formed the organization known as
the Yoshinkan. It is a harder style of aikido, generally
concerned with practical efficiency and physically robust
techniques. It is taught to many branches of the Japanese Police.
(Source: www.aikido.com.au)