The Subtle Martial Art of Aikido-Defense Without Violence
Aikido is a subtle art. It is not loud or flashy. There are no board-breaking punches, no high round kicks to the face, and no joint-busting armbars where submission or destruction are the only options.
Aikido is a martial art. But it’s not about fighting. Proper aikido will never appear in a ring. O’Sensei told us that. It’s not about walking into a bar and challenging and then kicking butt. It’s not about finding justifiable anger and then taking down someone who totally deserves it.
Aikido is a demanding art. It’s not something you can buy in a store: look at me, I have an outfit, so now I’m a martial artist. Not a weekend warrior sports tackle – someone – in – the – mud – elbows – in – the – face – while – you’re – going – up – for – a – layup. It’s not me – I observed – Chuck – Norris – now – I – know – what – to do.
The message of aikido is simple, but not popular. Aikido says that it is possible to defend against violence without inflicting violence in return. Aikido says that by harmonizing with violence, it can be redirected and diffused. Aikido says that by remaining calm and centered like a rock in a stream, the violence will flow, but the rock will remain unperturbed.
Aikido asks that we fundamentally change ourselves, not just apply an appearance. He asks us to accept our own clumsiness, our rigidity, our lack of coordination, to feel silly and laugh at it. He asks us to believe that we can learn a fluid and graceful way of moving under the stress of being attacked. It asks us to practice, practice, practice, to invest our time. It not only asks that we learn to defend ourselves, but that we recognize and redirect our own violent tendencies.
O’Sensei, the founder of aikido, believed that if enough people learned the art of aikido, there would no longer be a need for war. How can you go to war if you have taught yourself not to attack? Why would there be a war if everyone has accepted and learned to dance with their own fears?
Aikido is a subtle art, the liquid amber of a red-winged blackbird singing its way through the din of highway traffic. But it is there, in perfect harmony, in tune with the silently flowing matrix of peace that pervades the universe.