I initially wrote this short article in preparation for my shodan exam, answering the question: “What is aikido?” Below are some of my thoughts around shodan.
What is aikido? You could say aikido is an art that was created by Morihei Ueshiba in the early 1900s and was later used by actor Steven Seagal in his countless movies. But this isn’t a complete definition of aikido; it is a good general definition of the art but not what aikido means to the individual student – what my definition of aikido is.
Aikido, to me, is the mindset that I’m looking out for peace between adversaries, rather than supporting trouble and discord. Aikido is about self-control; not only self-control of the martial side of aikido, but also personal self-control. It’s me being aware of myself and everything I am and carry, i.e. emotions, my past, goals, dreams, desires, etc. Aikido is the art of self-control of my mind and body. Sun Tzu once said “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
Ueshiba said that “True Victory is Self Victory.” Aikido to me finding that inner peace and calm even while there is high tension in a situation.
To learn more about aikido and its history in America, click here.
Martial Arts of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 