In an effort to help all of us learn the many Japanese terms in Aikido, I'll be posting periodic terminology translations.
For this posting, we'll look at some of the various attacks that begin with kata. Please note that "tori" and "dori" are sometimes used interchangeably. For these postings, "dori" will be used.
Kata- In this context, it means "shoulder." It also refers to a form, or pre-decided movements; i.e. bokken/jo kata.
Katate- One hand technique
Katadori- Kata (shoulder) dori (grab); lapel/shoulder grab
Katatedori- Katate (one hand technique) dori (grab); one hand grab (same side)
Katatekosadori- Katate (one hand technique) kosa (cross over) dori (grab); cross-hand grab
Katate ryotedori- Katate (one hand technique) ryote (both) dori (grab); two-hand grab
Aikido Club at UVU is a great way for students to experience the art of Aikido. Aikido is derived from the samurai arts through a branch of aiki-jujitsu. Though it is a martial art, it was created as a way to foster peaceful conflict resolution. Aikido teaches how to use various forms of passive resistance and joint locks to provide an attacker with opportunities to reconsider his actions. Come learn with us.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Awesome Christian Tissier Video Clip
Here's a SWEET video of Christian Tissier that I found while checking out YouTube. It's from a martial arts festival in Bercy (the eastern part of Paris, France), but I'm not sure of the year. Enjoy!
Monday, September 22, 2008
President's Message: How is Aikido Different From Other Martial Arts?
A lot of people wonder what makes Aikido so different from other martial arts. What many people that are new to the martial arts world do not realize is that the spectrum of arts is HUGE! There are arts that emphasize ground fighting, such as jiu jitsu. There are arts that appear to be more of a dance, like capoeira. Arts that emphasize a certain part of the body, like Tae Kwon Do's emphasis on kicking. Arts that have an emphasis on a certain weapon, like kendo. So, where does Aikido fit in this wide spectrum?
Aikido is, in my opinion, a bit of a collection of many arts. We find joint locks that remind us of jiu jitsu, throws that remind us judo, and use of the sword as in kendo. However, what truly sets Aikido apart, in my view, is it's emphasis on peace. This emphasis is reflected in the techniques themselves. As an aikidoka, you can't truly execute an effective technique unless someone is attacking you. The techniques were not meant for attack! I had an experience with an uke that wasn't really committed to attacking me. She would flinch at any movement I made and would pull away. I would still try to apply the technique, but it simply WOULD NOT work. This was very enlightening to me, as I realized that there is no technique without a genuine attack. This reflects the emphasis that Aikido places on peace.
Truly, peace is the goal of Aikido. We do not have the goal of putting an "opponent out of commission" (usually meaning "in the hospital") as quickly as possible by whatever means necessary. This is not so in Aikido, and this is contrary to the nature of the art. Injury is to be avoided wherever possible; to ourselves, first and foremost, and then to our attacker. No other martial art, to me, comes close to this view of harmony. Please don't misunderstand me by assuming that I'm saying Aikido is better than other arts. I have been a believer that each art has something good to offer. What I am saying, however, is that Aikido teaches peace as its core, and that is what sets it apart from most other arts.
Aikido is, in my opinion, a bit of a collection of many arts. We find joint locks that remind us of jiu jitsu, throws that remind us judo, and use of the sword as in kendo. However, what truly sets Aikido apart, in my view, is it's emphasis on peace. This emphasis is reflected in the techniques themselves. As an aikidoka, you can't truly execute an effective technique unless someone is attacking you. The techniques were not meant for attack! I had an experience with an uke that wasn't really committed to attacking me. She would flinch at any movement I made and would pull away. I would still try to apply the technique, but it simply WOULD NOT work. This was very enlightening to me, as I realized that there is no technique without a genuine attack. This reflects the emphasis that Aikido places on peace.
Truly, peace is the goal of Aikido. We do not have the goal of putting an "opponent out of commission" (usually meaning "in the hospital") as quickly as possible by whatever means necessary. This is not so in Aikido, and this is contrary to the nature of the art. Injury is to be avoided wherever possible; to ourselves, first and foremost, and then to our attacker. No other martial art, to me, comes close to this view of harmony. Please don't misunderstand me by assuming that I'm saying Aikido is better than other arts. I have been a believer that each art has something good to offer. What I am saying, however, is that Aikido teaches peace as its core, and that is what sets it apart from most other arts.
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