 
Aikido is a rewarding and invigorating activity for anyone, regardless of gender, age, or experience.
Aikido has its origins in the centuries old Japanese martial arts (some Aikido history). It is a Budo (Martial discipline), not a sport. There are no competitions, trophies, or medals. It is a path for self-realization through a blend of physical training and spiritual discipline. The point in Aikido is not only to exercise and learn techniques, but to find peace and mastery within oneself. It is this intangible aspect that makes Aikido unique. In practice, the motions of Aikido technique are flowing and graceful, reflecting the ebbs and flows, the curves, waves, and spirals found in nature. The inner strength and beauty of the art comes from unity of mind, body and spirit, - a state that enables the Aikidoist to blend with the power of an opponent’s attack and return it to its source. In practicing techniques of Aikido, we bring the mind, body, and spirit into a calm, relaxed balance by coordinating our thoughts, the actions of our body, and our breath, and move from an experience of duality to an experience of commonality. Aikido practice will develop your awareness of what is taking place in the moment, while entering into an experience where you "stop stopping" yourself, (mushin - literally "no mind"), and your thoughts and reactions transcend the limitations of your habituated "everyday" pace and rhythm. In a self-defense sense, it's uniqueness as a martial art lies in its awareness of a sense of harmony, - therefore, training is designed to defend not only the self, but to bring the attacker under control without the necessity of inflicting injury. This is virtually impossible in other martial arts. In a broader sense, as a way of life, Aikido can help us better appreciate, empathize with, and respect the diverse people, energies, and opinions that we come in contact with on a daily basis. There are rewards to be found in the study of Aikido for everyone, namely:
While our bandwidth on this site is not suitable for videos, take a look at some of the video clips offered on this page at AikiWeb. Aikido is taught by Craig Johnson, who's studied Isshin-Ryu & Kenpo Karate, Wing-Chung Kung Fu, and both Nihon-Goshin and Hombu style Aikido, the latter since 1992. Member of the United States Aikido Federation. History and Lineage of Aikido : 
Master Morihei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969), the founder of Aikido, was an extraordinary martial artist. He practiced and mastered many of the traditional fighting arts of Japan, most notably - Aikijujutsu, and the use of the sword, spear and staff.
Although he gained a reputation of being virtually unbeatable, he was at the same time profoundly troubled with the conflict that arose between his martial skills and his spiritual training. He felt strongly that winning at someone else’s expense was not really winning. In his search to resolve this conflict, he began a period of intense study, practicing movements, exploring them deeply, and sitting long hours in meditation. The result was the birth of Aikido, (primarily during the late 1920s through the 1930s), an entirely new martial art based not on destruction, but on harmonious resolution of conflict in all its varied forms. Aikido is a synthesis of Ueshiba's martial studies with his philosophical and religious beliefs. His goal was to create and disseminate a martial art through which a practitioner could achieve the ability to defend himself without injuring his attacker. As such, Aikido emphasizes blending with an attack, rather than meeting force with force, and consists primarily of body throws and joint-locking techniques. The primary technical influence from which Aikido derives is Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu, which Ueshiba studied directly with Takeda Sokaku, the revivor of that art. Along with empty-handed throwing and joint-locking techniques, Ueshiba incorporated training movements with weapons, such as those for the spear (yari), short staff (jo), and perhaps also the bayonet (juken). Additionally, Ueshiba is known to have studied Tenjin Shin'yo-ryu with Tozawa Tokusaburo in Tokyo in 1901, Gotoha Yagyu Shingan-ryu under Nakai Masakatsu in Sakai from 1903 to 1908, and judo with Kiyoichi Takagi in Tanabe in 1911. Most notably, however, Aikido derives much of its technical theory from the art of swordsmanship (kenjutsu). It has been said that Aikido practitioners move as empty-handed swordsmen. Ueshiba moved to Hokkaido in 1912, and he began studying under Takeda Sokaku in 1915. His official association with Daito-ryu continued until 1937. However, during the latter part of that period, Ueshiba had already begun to distance himself from Takeda and the Daito-ryu. At that time, Ueshiba was referring to his martial art as "Aiki Budo". It is unclear when exactly Ueshiba began using the name "Aikido", but it officially became the name of the art in 1942, when the Dai Nippon Butokukai (Great Japanese Martial Virtue Society) was engaged in a government sponsored reorganization and centralization of Japanese martial arts. After Ueshiba left Hokkaido in 1919, he met and was profoundly influenced by Onisaburo Deguchi, the spiritual leader of the omoto-kyo religion (a neo-Shinto movement) in Ayabe. Significantly, one of the primary features of omoto-kyo is its emphasis on the attainment of utopia during one's life. This is the primary influence upon Ueshiba's martial philosophy of love and compassion, especially for those who seek to harm others. Aikido demonstrates this philosophy in its emphasis upon mastering martial arts so that one may receive an attack and harmlessly redirect it. In an ideal resolution, not only is the receiver unharmed, but so is the attacker. In addition to the effect on his spiritual growth, the connection with Deguchi was to have a major effect in introducing Ueshiba to various elite political and military circles as a martial artist. As a result of this exposure he was able to attract not only financial backing but also gifted students in their own right. Several of these students went on to found their own styles of Aikido. Aikido was first brought to the West in 1951 by Minoru Mochizuki with a visit to France where he introduced Aikido techniques to judo students. He was followed by Tadashi Abe in 1952 who came as the official Aikikai Honbu representative, remaining in France for seven years. Kenji Tomiki toured with a delegation of various martial arts through fifteen continental states of the United States in 1953. Subsequently in that year, Koichi Tohei was sent by Aikikai Honbu to Hawaii, for a full year, where he set up several dojo. This was backed up by several further visits and is thus considered the formal introduction of Aikido to the United States. The United Kingdom followed in 1955; Germany and Australia in 1965. Today there are many Aikido dojo available to train at throughout the world. |