Aikido is an art of physical conflict resolution. It is primarily defensive and uses throws, locks, pinning techniques and weapons techniques to subdue, dissuade or control an attacker. The Aikido practitioner strives to end a fight without being injured or causing injury. The goal is not to win a fight or to beat an adversary, but to stop violence and to create harmony. Aikido avoids head-on confrontation and a struggle with an opponent, but rather seeks to unite with the energy of the opponent, guiding and dissipating the momentum of the attack. Hence the meaning of the word Aikido: the way (do) of energy (ki) in harmony (ai
History
Aikido was created in Japan, in the period shortly before the Second World War by the legendary Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969). Aikido was the synthesis of his martial training and also an expression of his personal philosophy of reconciliation and universal peace.
Sokaku Takeda
Even though Aikido is a young martial art, it has its technical roots in the old school Samurai fighting arts (Koryu) that were developed and refined for many centuries. Morihei Ueshiba studied many systems in his youth, such as Sumo, Judo, and various schools of Kenjutsu (swordmanship) and Jujutsu. His main martial teacher was Sokaku Takeda, who gave him full transmission in the art of Daito Ryu Aiki-jujutsu, which he studied from 1915 until 1937. The art of Daito Ryu is the primary technical influence on Aikido.
Morihei Ueshiba was also a very religious man with a great interest in the main religious doctrines of his time (Buddhism, Taoism and Shinto). His main religious influence was the Neo-Shintoist religion, Omoto-Kyo. He was very loyal to his teacher, the reverend Onisaburo Deguchi, and he was extremely disciplined in his religious practise which consisted out of daily prayer, meditation and purification practises (Misogi), such as cold water dousing. Morihei Ueshiba loved nature and got much of his physical power from training in the mountains, and from logging and farm work during his pioneering days in Hokkaido (1912).
Rev. Onisaburo Deguchi
In the period before and during the Second World War, Morihei Ueshiba distanced himself from his two teachers and started teaching his own martial art. He called it Aiki-budo initially, but during the war it became known as Aikido.
Through religious practise and through witnessing the horrors of war, Morihei Ueshiba developed a severe dislike of violence. He combined the vicious techniques of Daito Ryu with his personal non-violent religious philosophy to create Aikido. Daito Ryu has a gigantic syllabus of techniques. Morihei Ueshiba stopped teaching many of those that were too violent and vicious for his taste. He synthesized a number of techniques out of the Daito Ryu syllabus which most effectively conveyed the Daito Ryu movement principals and which lent themselves to non-violent application.
Morihei Ueshiba became famous in Japan for his high levels of skill and morality. He was unbeaten in countless attacks and challenges and there are no accounts of him using Aikido to injure anyone.
“Treat your attacker like a baby, prevent him from hurting himself.”
- Morihei Ueshiba
Aikido seminar in Argentina: Yasuno Sensei and Luis Colalillo in the centre
Styles
The Aikikai Foundation is the biggest aikido organization and is under leadership of Moriteru Ueshiba, grandson of Morihei Ueshiba. The other major styles of aikido were formed by some of Morihei Ueshiba’s most influential students:
There is a saying that there are as many styles of aikido as there are teachers. There are no two teachers who teach exactly the same aikido. In the Aikikai all the top teachers have a distinctive style, and all the other major aikido styles have taken on the “flavour” of their founding masters. Some are harder and more rigid, some are softer and flowing, some are very free and others stick religiously to a fixed syllabus. The common characteristic of good aikido is a firm understanding of the basics “kihon” and then the ability to improvise and adapt- to flow.
Hans Menck’s philosophy on style: I believe that division and strife between various styles of aikido is contrary to Morihei Ueshiba’s philosophy of peace and reconciliation. It is fine that aikido has a richness of styles and that they have taken separate identities, but at the core they are still aikido, and aikido is aikido. There are no enemies in aikido. Training with people from other styles is a good experience. It enriches one’s experience and it furthers a brotherhood in aikido as a whole. I don’t have enemies. If I train with someone they can expect their friends to be my friends, but they must not expect their enemies to be my enemies.
Yamaguchi Seigo Sensei
Lineage
Hans Menck has practised under various teachers from various styles, but his main teacher is Christian Tissier (7th Dan) who teaches in Paris. Sensei Tissier studied aikido for 8 years at the Aikikai Honbu Dojo in Tokyo. Sensei Tissier's main teacher was Seigo Yamaguchi (1924 – 1996), who in turn was one of Morihei Ueshiba’s most outstanding students.
Aikido Practise
Aikido practise begins and ends with courtesy and respect in the form of seated bowing. Aikidoka bow when they step on and when they leave the tatami (training mats), and also before engaging with new training partners. The beginning bow varies from school to school but generally there are two bows: Shomen bow (front bow), where the teacher and students pay respect to the founder Morihei Ueshiba, and a bow between teacher and students.
Free Ukemi Practise
Christian Tissier: Irimi Nage
The bowing is followed by warm up exercises that prepare the body for practise and also build strength and flexibility. The warm up usually includes the vital skill of ukemi (break falling and rolling). Aikido consist mainly out of throwing techniques and an aikidoka must learn how to fall and roll safely.
After the warm up kata practise commences. Aikido kata are formalised sets of attack and defence combinations. Kata are practised by pairs of aikidoka. One aikidoka will take the roll of Uke (the attacker who then ‘receives’ the technique) and the other plays the roll of Nage (the one who ‘does’ the technique). Generally a teacher will demonstrate a technique taking the roll of Nage and thereafter the students will practise the demonstrated technique.
There is no free sparring in aikido practise, but the test of skill is a growing level of difficulty, speed and intensity of attack. The skills of Uke and Nage have to progress together. At the basic level the attacks are simple, formalised grabs and strikes which give Nage the opportunity to understand the basic body mechanics. As the aikidoka’s level increases and the techniques become familiar, the level of intensity and realism of attack should increase too.
Most schools never progress beyond the simple formalised attack stage, but ideally an aikidoka should become proficient at handling any attack- armed, unarmed, and by single or multiple attackers.
Although there is no sparring in aikido, there is a possibility of “play” between Uke and Nage using kaeshi-wasa (reversal techniques). Kaeshi-wasa are techniques that Uke can use to escape Nage’s applied technique. There is then a change of rolls, Uke becomes Nage and Nage becomes Uke. At this level of play things become very interesting. It is important for both Uke and Nage to resist the temptation to “compete” and use brute force, in which case the encounter will become a struggle and will no longer be aikido, the harmony of opposing forces.
Aikido training includes the use of weapons
Aikido Weapons
The weapons used in aikido practise are the knife (tanto), short staff (jo) the sword (ken) and sometimes the spear (yari). During practise wooden weapons are preferred for safety reasons. A boken is used for the practise of aikido sword techniques (aiki-ken).
Bodo Roedel from Cologne (left) and Tissier Sensei
The jo (aiki-jo) techniques contain the principals of the sword, staff and the spear. The jo is a great weapon as it can be used as an ordinary walking stick and is not offensive or dangerous looking, and yet it is very effective against attacks from knives and swords.
Morihei Ueshiba
Nikyo pin
Video
Hans Menck training with Kawaiji Sensei (7th dan) in tokyo:
Aikido 
Aikido: 
