A popular Aikido axiom is that the weak can control the strong through the use of the technique. But Aikido is more than simple phisical skill: aiming to the purpose of being in harmony with the opponent's power and speed, both our body and our mind must be "flexible". The aikidoka must be aware of his opponent and share his feelings; the initial aim is therefore not to damage, but to cultivate a feeling of "harmony" with the opponent.
Circular Movements (En Undo ) are the secret of gaining advantage from your enemy's power. Almost none of the Aikido movements follow a straight line: the feet, the body and the arms describe an arc and furthermore they are tridimensional - that's to say they follow the shape of a sphere or, sometimes, of a spiral. The Circular Movements allow the aikidoka to add his weight and his power to his opponent's ones without fearing any harsh collision.

Other essential principles are:

• Speed, to follow the opponent movement and avoid his attack.
• Concentration of the Energy (Shuchu-Ryoku) in a specific moment and direction.
• Timing, to synchronize our movements with the opponent ones. It's the sum of Speed and Concentration of Energy. It can be described as the skill in understanding when the wave starts to recede after having crashed against the rocks: the skill in choosing the best time to use the opponent power against himself.

Aikido techniques are classified in the following way: Tachi Waza (standing techniques), Suwari Waza (seating techniques), Hanmi Handachi Waza (mixed techniques - one standing and one seating -).
These groups are further divided into Nage Waza (throwing techniques) and Osae Waza (blocking techniques). As Aikido can count over one thousand techniques, it's impossible to give them all a name. Only the basic ones have a specific name: Ikkajo (first type), Nikajo (second type), and so on. This cataloguing makes very difficult for a beginner to understand the essence of a technique by simply hearing its name.

 

 

Yoshinkan Aikido