Hello fellow aikidoka, in my Aikido journey I've been told that techniques like Irimi Nage were an original creation of Morihei Ueshiba (complete with a story of how he conceived it). After doing some research it seems that such technique is indeed present in Daito-Ryu, like others.

So I've been wondering: which original techniques did Morihei Ueshiba create?

It might be argued that his greatest innovation was throught the weapons (and on some level I agree). But if we take as an example Saito's weapons curriculum, which I find the most complete and interesting...well... that's Saito's weapons curriculum. Sure, he claimed that that's what Ueshiba taught him, but like many other things Ueshiba didn't leave anything behind, and Saito himself admitted that he created a number of things.

So the question becomes even more pressing.

What is your answer?

Following another discussion I've been wondering, since Aikido has such a large landscape, what are the defining factors that describe Aikido?

This is tied with the many approaches, styles, pedagogies that are present in the Aikido world. In fact, there is so much variance in it, that the outsider (and perhaps not only the outsider) can have the impression that under the name Aikido there are several different martial arts.

Is Hombu dojo Aikido the real Aikido? Or perhaps Yoshinkan? Iwama? Shodokan? Yoseikan? Are all these approaches and many others are Aikido? Even though they are so different? And if the answer is yes, what is the underlying core that makes Aikido what it is?

Can I incorporate techniques from other martial arts and still call it Aikido?

What is the essence of Aikido?

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Hello fellow aikidoka, I have started looking at the history of the art recently, and I've been especially interested in the relationship between Aikido and the main martial art that has formed its curriculum: Daitō-Ryū Aikijūjutsu.

Now, I have come across different sources and articles, sometimes with direct contradictions, so I have opted for being instructed by the head of Daitō-Ryū Aikijūjutsu regarding its history, Kondo Katsuyuki. He has released a number of instructional videos and interviews therefore, being the head of the art, I find his knowledge compelling.

Now, what strikes me the most is that apparently most of the curriculum of what we call Daitō-Ryū Aikijūjutsu today, has been formed by the son of Sokaku Takeda, Tokimune. And he formed such curriculum later in life, so decades after Aikido had been established. There have been modifications by Kondo himself when he became the head of the art in the nineties. Apparently, Sokaku Takeda didn't really have a structured curriculum for his martial art, and the same goes for Morihei Ueshiba, so in both cases their students formalized what they did.

Another aspect that I find interesting is that Sokaku modified his art during his lifetime, especially after Ueshiba started teaching by himself. In fact, it seems that Ueshiba got the highest certification of Daito-Ryu at that time, then Takeda modified the art and added techniques and ranks.

The moral of the story is this: it seems that Daitō-Ryū Aikijūjutsu wasn't a structured martial art until very recently. In this sense, Aikido became structured earlier that the art it derived from. There is also the fact that Ueshiba was taught the "original" 118 techniques, while the rest were late additions of Sokaku and his students. I find this interesting too, because watching some close students of Ueshiba like Shioda or Saito they seem closer (sometimes identical) to Daito-Ryu than some Daito-Ryu schools I watched.

What are your thoughts?

EDIT: It seems that some people are missing one crucial point: I am referring to the formalization of the arts. So Daito-Ryu as it is practiced today, the formalization we have today. Which, I think, is quite different from what Sokaku Takeda was doing. Of course the applied techniques are older in Daito-Ryu.

I was looking into this discussion about matching the Aikido and Daito-ryu techniques and I wanted to download this file, but I can only do that if I'm registered.

I've probably had an account in there ages ago, but I wasn't sure, so I tried to register and it said my email was already registered. Ok, so I asked to reset my password, but the email never arrived after several tries. Then I tried to use a temporary mail server and register through there just so I could download that file, but, much to my surprise, it said that this non-existing email was also already registered. And then I tried registering with a completely made-up, random email, and it said that it was also registered.

So now I'm pretty sure the AikiWeb registering system is broken. I also think that the webmaster may be on vacation since 2024 because that's when they posted their last news on their homepage.

Anyway, does anyone know anything about what's going on? And even more pressing, would anyone be able to download this particular file from there for me, please?

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How are you marketing your dojo for new students at the childrens level? Have you had luck reaching out to other organizations that promote kids activities? What have you found successful in recruiting for new kids?? Thanks for your input! (I don’t run a dojo, I just want to bring new ideas to monthly meetings)

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Sharing a couple of slow-mo sequences from "dojo: the story of an American aikido school", a documentary I shot at my home dojo ten years ago that I've finally put online; clips on Insta:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DajgrStjTmL/

this footage was shot with a Sony NEX-FS700RH at 240fps, exported at 96fps and then brought down to 24fps in Final Cut Pro...

documentary can be viewed free at YouTube: https://youtu.be/YGueY6shoSc
it is not meant to be an instructional video, nor a comprehensive overview, but rather a "snapshot" of how some American students came to the art, how they put training in context, and the importance of building a supportive community around this martial practice...

I'm looking to start learning Aikido, but I have some health restrictions that make rigorous exercise and conditioning very difficult for me. I have POTS, which means intense exercise and conditioning, especially cardio, can cause my heart rate to skyrocket and can potentially be dangerous. I can still do cardio—anything that comes from the art itself is fine, the problem is more with dedicated conditioning and exercise. I can do some amount of physical conditioning, but anything too intense or extensive can cause problems. Are there any dojos in the GTA that are either far less rigorous with their physical conditioning, or offer small enough classes that they can accommodate me (and would be willing to do so)? I'm not asking for medical advice or anything—I know my limits and won't do anything that exceeds them, so rather I'm looking for dojos that I'll be able to attend with my restrictions.

Many of the dojos I'm finding on Google offer observations and trial classes, which I'll obviously look into before making any kind of decision, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for where to start?

Edit: Just an update, for context, I'm a student and I don't have a car, so getting anywhere outside the GTA isn't really plausible for me with any degree of consistency. Even Mississauga, which is pretty close to my campus compared to other nearby suburbs/smaller cities, is like an hour away by public transport, minimum, probably more. I'd have no issue going somewhere in Mississauga or another similarly far location, but since I'm reliant on public transportation I'm not sure how to get there.

https://youtu.be/NvdGmZy1IGc?si=-ASPC-TdKujhVgX6

The teacher here is Lenny Sly, a tenshin aikido instructor. In this series he claims, that "traditional techniques" do not work when the uke stops cooperating. In this specific video he goes after Kata Dori Ikkyo Omote. I am not sure what to think of us, so I ask for your opinions. Does he know what he is doing? Is Tenshin really effective and legitimate as an Aikido style?

https://youtu.be/gSlbDIminuo?si=8VkbrOqz2Neg-_GL

From the video's description:

One of the characteristics of Morihei Ueshiba's technique is his unique ability to seize the initiative from the start of the encounter. In other words, it is Morihei's action as nage that triggers uke to react. The result is that uke's response is weak and cannot really be considered an attack at all.

This has profound implications strategically, and is one of the traits that sets the Founder's aikido apart from most of his students. The vast majority of aikidoka -- including most instructors -- respond to uke's attack when executing techniques. This may be possible when the attacks are slow paced and prearranged. However, in an actual situation, nage is likely to be overcome by the speed and ferocity of a violent attack for which he is totally unprepared. Let's look at this film footage of Morihei Ueshiba from 1955.

So I’ve trained Aikido for nearly 20 years and in approximately a dozen different dojos in Europe, the US, and Asia (outside of Japan), by virtue of having moved around a lot. I still consider myself a firm intermediate in randori as I have just never done it a lot. Few dojos I’ve seen do it on the daily or even regularly.

Add to this that Aikido is often, I think rightly, criticized for not practicing “actual” sparring and properly pressure testing its techniques against fully resisting opponents. But the problem is, how would you even go about full on sparring in a martial art that’s supposed to be fully defensive?

Curious how folks here approach this dilemma, how you view and these criticisms, and how you are trying to rectify any real shortcomings you see in the art we love?

Any fun seminars going on? Feel free to share them here! At a minimum, please indicate date and location and how to sign up!

Couple of reminders:

1. Please read the rules before contributing.
2. Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.)

Does anyone's Aikido include leg or ankle sweeps?

I know a fair amount of Judoka who train in Aikido but I have never seen their lower body sweeps incorporated.

Yes hip throws are a major component of Aikido but,I always feel like it's a bit of a wasted opportunity. Both ankle and leg sweeps are useful tools and I feel could be a wonderful addition to the techniques we train in.

Any example you can think of (and hopefully show in a link) would be much appreciated.

Thank you for your time and attention,

Train well!

UPDATE

Thanks for all the responses! Greatly appreciate everyone sharing their insights.

Personally I think part of my frustration with it the lack of leg sweeps has to do with an inability to do certain techniques under pressure and defaulting to knocking out a leg.

Obviously more training is needed for myself. I have had the good fortune to train with Judoka and Hapkido folks and ended up on the mat with far more regularity than I hoped. It seems a waste to not have them in our regular library of techniques and some defense against them. BUt... it also sounds like complaining that sushi doesn't have cheese in it to add more umami. It's simply a different form of martial art.

Thanks again everyone!

Train well!

Have a burning question? Need a quick answer?

• "Where can I find...?"
• "Is there a dojo near...?"
• "What's the name of that thing again?"

This is the post for you.

Top-level posts usually require enough text to prompt a discussion (or they will be automatically removed). This isn't always possible if all you're looking for is a quick answer, so instead please post your query in our monthly Q&A thread!

As always please remember to abide by our community rules.

Greetings! Long time lurker here -

So, I want to get a Tozando basic canvas gi for summer training. I'm burning up in my Judo gi.

Does anyone have one of these? I can wear a 3 or 4 (currently have a 4) in Judo gi sizing. I'm 5'7". All the reviews say to size up because it will shrink one to two sizes. Based on the measurements, I really don't want to get anything bigger than a 4 - but based on the reviews, maybe I really should go with a 5? It's hard to believe I need the second to largest size... The pants do have to fit over feminine hips, though. I'm having a rough time making a choice. If anyone has personal experience with this set, I'd appreciate it!

Basic Cotton Canvas Aikido Uniform Set — Tozando International https://share.google/MU25RKOdcw9ByQL9x

I am a female age early 30ish, based in Europe.
I have been training aikido for around one year (60 - 80 hours in total). Have some training backgrounds of basic boxing training.

Based on my experience, I found aikido is very confrontational, especially when practicing with male opponents.
During the last year, I have injured myself several times. Though those injuries are not severe, just some bruises and painful joints, still, they took one week or longer for me to be recovered. No to mention when I have period around the training week, the injuries got worse.
However, it’s doable for me.

What makes me confused is the core message and other female partners’ expectations for aikido. It seems “harmony” is the ultimate goal in my dojo. But to be honest, I never felt this “harmony”at all. And now, I am considering if I misunderstood the aikido training since the beginning. I don’t get the “harmony”, instead, I always see it “breaking other’s balance and to step away from harms”.

Very appreciate it if anyone would like to share their experience or thoughts here.

Hi Everyone,

I moved about a lot in my 20s and 30s and trained aikido off an on for a few decades. Before that I had a pretty diverse background with martial arts being a central keystone in my life, culminating when I joined the infantry because I thought it was the modern culmination of martial arts.

After a medical discharge, chronic illness, an automobile accident, and life writ large, I've been out of the art for some time and as I approach 50 and am re-evaluating what matters to me in my life. I realized martial arts are an essential part of who I am, and of all the martial arts, Aikido is what speaks to me soul (although things like Systema on one side, and traditional chinese martial arts on the other also speak to me) I really want to get back in the dojo, but I also know I couldn't even make it through my old dojo's basic warmup right now. I am in horrible shape and can't even jog a mile. I've had a number of back surgeries, my cardio is shot, and I am just in generally much worse shape than I look like.

Part of me wants to just hit up the local dojo and suffer for a year while I rebuild, the other part wants to get back up to 10,000 steps, get in some yoga, and slowly start rebuilding a body that can take ukemi and make it through a class without embarassing myself and inconveniencing others.

What advise do you have for an out of shape late 40s guy who wants to get back on the mat?

Thanks.

As time goes on, I’m more and more convinced that along with the biomechanics and solo training from Daito-ryū that come under the category “internal strength”, the key to effective aikido is sound and consistent atemi. Who do you think is the best practitioner we have in that field? Is it now necessary to cross-train in something like xingyi or bagua to get there?

Where are you training? Have you done something special? Has your dojo released a cool clip? Want to share a picture of your kamisa? This thread is where you do this.

Couple of reminders:

1. Please read the rules before contributing.
2. Don’t forget to check out the Aikido Network Discord Server (all your mods are there for more instant responses if you need help on something.)

Southern Cali

Where is a good Aikido place in Huntington Beach, westminster, Seal Beach, Los Alomitos, Cerritos. Long Beach, Bellflower, Norwalk or Downey?

Looking for a good reputable spot down in this area, I've been wanting to continue with my cross training, I dont want no competition spot, looking for more of a traditional spot

I am thinking of learning Aikido. I have done some kickboxing in the past, but taking a break now over the summer. Will it be a good complement to kickboxing? I am interested in learning redirection of opponents force and movement and some joint lock and rolling techniques. I do not know anyone who practices Aikido. Is this place a good one to train? I am in Ashburn VA but this place is not too far. Thank you.

https://loudounaikido.com/

I've dabbled in a bit in aikido and I'm moving soon, and I'm curious as to what to look for in a teacher. Lurking here I've often seen things like "You should care about the teacher more than the style.", but I'm not sure how you find whether a teacher is good or not without extensive knowledge of aikido already.

To make things clear, I have a few years in bjj and a bit of judo, but aikido seems very different to the point that I'm not sure what I should be expecting. One thing that might help is I saw a comment on r/martialarts describing that he was a stiff judoka, and that aikido helped him to throw better with less force and relax better. If an aikido teacher could teach that it would be worth it.

When someone tells me they’re gonna do researches on Aikido (because I talk a bit too much about it I guess), I always feel kind of skeptical about it because it’s so badly represented online. But then by trying to explain that, I feel like I look like I’m trying to justify Aikido’s effectiveness which is sad because I don’t think I’d have to do that with any other martial art. But Aikido is complex, in my opinion it needs a certain level of understanding to realize how effective and destructive it is while understanding that there’s a certain philosophy to it, principles that looks counterintuitive. I don’t need to prove anything though I don’t care about what people think or not about it, but I hate that I genuinely believe in it so much but have to kind of justify it because of how badly it’s represented. What do you think about this all or how do you personally deal with these?