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This page last updated:
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
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How to do.. aikido
SOMETIMES the worst bit about doing my weekly How To feature is the moment you walk through the door and watch a class.
Going to Stanground to take part in an aikido class was no exception. As I sat and watched the opening weapons class I could see bodies thumping to the ground with some really bone-jarring thuds.
All of a sudden my mind started wandering towards life insurance policies and how long it took broken bones to set.
But when I was greeted in the break between sessions by class members Adrian Bush and James Bylett, known as the right hander, and the sensei “teacher” Kevin Newell, I was assured they would go easy on me – as they would with any beginner in the class.
Aikido is a purely defensive Japanese martial art. It relies on redirecting an attacker’s force to either throw or immobilise them.
Because it relies on technique rather than physical strength, it is a great self-defence for men and women of any size and shape.
I joined the class on the mat as they performed the basic bowing ritual, warmed up and practised ukemi – the receiving technique.
This is basically learning how to roll safely without injuring yourself when you are receiving a move – essential to learn when you are practising.
As it was my first session I wasn’t expected to throw myself off my feet and roll my whole body. Instead, I did a bit of an ungainly roll from my knees with the help of the sensei.
My self-consciousness levels went off the meter as I practised in front of everyone in the class, but they were all extremely supportive, even applauding when I got it halfway right.
It was amazing to see what some of the long-time students were able to do – they were the sort of dives and rolls many Premiership strikers would be proud of.
From there, the sensei showed the class some different moves which we would practise in partnership. I was told the best way to learn a move was to be partnered with a higher grade student, so I was soon working with some of the best aikido practitioners in the city.
Adrian, who had greeted me on arrival, took me through ikkyo, the first technique, which allows you to deflect a blow to the head and send your opponent to the floor.
With a few simple moves and twists I was soon able to force Adrian to the floor, and he was able to do the same to me by using the weight of my attack and the movement of my body against me. As the sensei demonstrated, I could be pinned to the ground with one finger once I was placed in the right position.
The same sort of thing was true of the other moves I practised with James, Andy Morgan and Francis Rowland and the sensei.
I was shown how you could send an opponent to the ground simply by shifting your weight, how a twist of the wrist and elbow could put someone completely at your mercy, even how squeezing the right parts of the neck could knock you out cold!
It was all about getting your opponent off balance, and using their weight and force and some basic physics to allow you to make your moves.
The hour-and-a-half session seemed to fly by, and before long we were warming down and relaxing our muscles at the end of the session.
The group was small but extremely friendly, and I could see how through the different classes and workshops on offer, as well as a partnership with a Cambridge aikido group, that you could easily become immersed in learning the craft.
Kevin pointed out that aikido is one of the few martial arts that is still an art rather than a sport – because as it is almost completely defensive there is no way you could compete with anyone.