What is Aikido

This is a very short overview about what Aikido is.
For more in depths information start on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido

Summary

Aikido is a young martial art developed in Japan around 1930. Later it branched into several styles.
This article is mainly about the „Aikikai - Branch“ which follows the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba.

The Aikidoka

People practicing Aikido are called Aikidoka, similar as practitioners of Judo or Karate are called Judoka or Karateka.

Martial Art without Violence

Aikido is considered to be „non violent“. That means its techniques are practiced in a way that the attacker can be neutralized without harming him.
The training practice contains no competitions, no fights. There are no competitions between Aikidoka or clubs etc.
Attacks are handled by the defender with pinning/locking techniques or throws. Pinning and locking techniques are also called immobilizations.

Ways of Practicing

Aikido is practiced in a ritualized way.
Several different topics are covered:

• unarmed
• defense against traditional weapons, where the defender is unarmed; against dagger, sword and staff/spear
• practicing where both have a weapon, either the same weapon, both have a staff (or sword) or different weapons, one has a sword (usually the attacker) and one has a staff
• the defender can have a staff and the attacker no weapon, where the attacker is supposed to disarm the defender but the defender uses those attempts to throw or control the attacker (in very advanced cases the weapon can be a sword, most of the time not drawn yet)
  Weapons usually means the attacker is disarmed and pinned down, however there are forms (jap. kata) where the defender throws the attacker.

Without weapons we practice:

• both sitting
• defender sitting, attacker standing
• both standing

Aikido can be practiced with single attacker or multiple attackers.
Practicing with weapons in the long run focuses on differences of timing and distance. And of course: disarming.
Practicing with multiple attackers either makes it possible in crowded halls to have a better usage of the space or simply trains speed and tactical placement of the defender.

Principles

Like most weapon less martial arts, Aikido focuses on using the power/strength/momentum of the attacker against him. Core is distance and timing and getting the attacker off balance and apply a technique with a minimum amount of own power/force/strength.
While the defender will use punches in many basic techniques to move or distract the attacker, the goal is to get the attacker down to the ground with as few injuries as possible (which usually means none).

The Class

The class starts with quiet sitting, bowing to the picture of the founder (or a small shrine) like in Buddhist and Shinto culture. It usually is continued with a traditional warming up. Then the exercises start. The teacher shows a technique (attack plus defense technique).
When the teacher has finished, the trainees form pairs. Usually people form pairs with fixed roles: one is attacking, one is practicing the defense technique. The attacker is attacking 4 times in a row, alternating with the left and right side. After those 4 times, the roles are exchanged/switched. As there are no competitions, depending on skills and agreement the trainees can offer slight resistance in a safe manner.
A typical class is 90 minutes. Some clubs prefer 2 sessions of 1 hour, with a short break. Often the first hour is more focused on beginners and the second hour more on advanced students, so students can leave after the first hour. Other set ups are: first a weapons class, and then an unarmed class afterwards.
Training is done bare footed on rice straw mats or modern training mats as in Judo.

Receiving a Technique

As the defender „always wins“, the attacker has to practice to go safe to the ground. This is called Ukemi in Japanese. Depending on level and age (and style) this will be forward and backward rolls, hard break falls like in Judo - for younger practitioners - or safe postures with going to the ground gracefully, e.g. for older or more traditional Aikidoka.
Beginners basically only go slowly to the ground backward or do a half backward roll which will end with them laying on the ground.

Ranking

Like most martial arts, practitioners can acquire ranks by passing examinations. There are beginner ranks called Kyu, between 10 and 5 (depending on style / School) and advanced ranks called Dan. Beginner ranks are awarded coloured belts, while advanced ranks usually wear black belts. Kyu ranks are counted backwards, that means 10th Kyu is less than a 5th kyu and the 1st kuy is directly below the 1st Dan. Dan ranks are counted in normal oder from 1 to 8, or in special cases till 10. From 4th Dan on during ceremonies Aikidoka may wear special ritualized couloured belts (like red and white striped in various patterns). Typical colours are: yellow, orange, green, blue, brown (in that order from lowest rank to highest rank). For kids there are sometimes special colours, like a white belt with yellow, orange or green stripes. Ranks my have training time requirements (especially between ranks) and/or age requirements, e.g. 16 (or even 18) year old to acquire 1st Dan rank (first black belt). For an adult who practices daily and has no other martial arts background a Dan rank can be acquired after roughly 3.5 years. More typical is 5 to 6 years. With experience in Judo or other Ju Jutsu forms, that can be shortened considerably.
After 4th Dan, rankings are usually given honourable. That means you do not perform in an examination.

Techniques and Attacks

Aikidoka practice about 20 techniques, about 6 pinning/locking techniques and about 15 throwing techniques. Most techniques can be used against any of the roughly 20 attacks. In combination that is about 400 attack + response combinations. For most combinations there are several variations, that easy expands them to about 1600. On top of that come the same techniques practiced against weapons, which however is a much smaller set of combinations as not every unarmed technique makes sense against a a weapon.
The attacks are roughly divided up into grabbing from the front and behind, with or without choking, and striking and punching attacks. And partly combined attacks like grabbing the shoulder or collar and punching.
To acquire a first Dan rank you usually need to know all combinations of attacks and defenses plus defenses against daggers. For second Dan that expands to defense against a staff and third Dan it expands to defense against sword attacks. Of course this varied a bit from federation to federation.
Modern Aikido has no ground work (wrestling on the ground) anymore. Also depending on school and organization kicks are rare. The main reason that kicks got removed in recent decades is that it is extremely difficult for an attacker to „receive a technique“. Aikido is more sports than self defense, so risking injury during practicing is not considered worth it, so kicks are only practiced by advanced students.

Age

There is no real age limit, many Aikidoka practice till high age, I know several above age of 80. Beginning age depends a bit on school and fitness of the kid. Below 6 years it is most of the time not recommended, but the youngest I know are about 4 years old.
Especially weapons based practicing can be done without throwing and the sharpness that got lost with high age in speed can be compensated with higher focus and more precision.

Fitness

There is no particular fitness required. Like with every sports, especially martial arts, the fitness grows with practicing. But keep in mind: a practitioner will go to the ground about 4 to 8 times per minute as an attacker. And has to stand up again. For beginners that means in a 1 hour training you stand up 120 to 240 times. That is equivalent of doing 3 steps on a staircase 120 or 240 times. Muscle aches in the legs and butt are predetermined. Don’t get discouraged just because your first training(s) are particular hard.

Health and Injuries

There are two points: avoiding injuries and wear/attrition on one side and over all heath gains due to better fitness, agility, activity and posture on the other side. A good teacher will have good students and all will avoid to cause harm and teach how to stay healthy.
Injuries are extremely rare. Most injuries Aikidoka get is when they ride home on a bike from a pub or miss a step on the stairs at work :D

Training outside of your Club

Besides the standard training times in your local club, Aikidoka like to gather for seminars. Either on weekends or sometimes a week long or even several weeks in a row, high ranked teachers offer seminars with usually 2 trainings per day.
To participate in examinations it is often mandatory to visit a few seminars.

Organizations

Clubs are usually organized in federations. E.g. the school I’m talking about here is called Aikikai Hombu Dojo, with headquarter in Tokio, Japan. To organize examinations and develop an idea about comparable levels between Aikidoka, countries form their own federations. Those federations hold connections to their world headquarter depending on style. Such federations e.g. sponsor seminars that are required for examinations. Depending on federation there might be more or less than the 1st to 4th Dan examinations.

Clothing

Beginners usually can simply come with long legged and long sleeved sports wear. Or simple shirts and lose trousers. Long time practitioners will wear traditional Japanese clothing, which looks similar to Judo or Karate clothing. Depending on federation and style you later wear a traditional Japanese trouser, called a Hakama. That is the same trouser you wear in jap. archery (Kyudo) or sword fighting (Kendo). You likely have seen such trousers in Samurai movies.
As we practice bare footed on the mats, we should not walk bare footed around outside of the mats (to avoid carrying dirt onto the mats). So you should have some slippers to wear from the dressing room to the practicing mats and probably while showering after training.

Body Energy and Vital Points

(This is extremely simplified as it is far beyond the promised „very short overview about Aikido“)
Like most asian martial arts in the long run we learn about various kinds of „mystic energies“ during practicing. However there is nothing mystical about it, you simply learn to feel and use them. The most simplest form is breathing in rhythm with the techniques. The „Ki“ in Aikido is the same as Chi in Chinese martial arts and related to Prana in Indian martial arts and health systems. And also related to meridians in jap. and chin. health systems as Acupuncture and Shiatsu. Vital points are related to reflex zones, acupuncture points or Chackra. No, you can not throw an attacker with „the force“ … however you can feel with blind folded eyes at which part of your body he is pointing with his sword.