How Aikido Classes Differ from Other Martial Arts

How Aikido Classes Differ from Other Martial Arts

No two martial arts are exactly alike – that much is true. After all, karate isn’t the same as judo or kendo. All martial arts teach their practitioners how to deal with an attacker, but they each have different responses to an impending fight. So given that, how does aikido differ from other martial arts, if they’re all distinct? 

There are a few things that set aikido apart, actually. Here’s a quick overview.

It’s All in the Name

The biggest distinction is in the name of the martial art itself. Many of the old-style martial arts systems typically end in “-jutsu”, which translates to method or technique. This in turn refers to combat strategies and techniques that students learn over the course of their training. Aikido, however, ends in “-do”, which means “way” or “path” and hints at the practice’s focus in training being the student’s character and temperament.

This distinction is important because you can master many different techniques to end conflict quickly without developing your character or gaining a better temperament. However, when you master yourself, your way of thinking, and your emotions – as aikido teaches – then it doesn’t matter if you mastered only one technique or ten because you’ll be able to find a way to end the conflict. 

Aikido Teaches Non-Violence

With most other martial arts, being stronger, more agile, or having better endurance is often the deciding factor in a fight, and there’s a clear winner and loser whenever practitioners spar. In aikido, however, there may be sparring sessions, but they don’t look violent at all, and there are no winners or losers. 

This is because aikido practitioners learn to keep calm even when a fight is imminent. Their aim is to stop the fight before it can even start, and they can’t do that if they panic, or get angry or scared. They also learn to pick the course of action that will lead to both parties being protected from injury, so even if there is contact, it’s minimal and non-violent. 

Size Doesn’t Matter

As mentioned above, physical improvement is important in many martial arts. And while those who study aikido also become stronger and are in better shape, that’s seen as one of the benefit of the practice, not one of the goals. In fact, size and physical strength are no indication of the practitioner’s ability. 

Since students learn to take their opponent’s force and redirect it, even a smaller practitioner who’s smaller than their opponent can come out on top, figuratively speaking. So it doesn’t matter if they’re not physically stronger; as long as they learned the techniques well and can execute them, they’ll be able to counter an attacker.

So as you can see, even among martial arts practices, aikido is quite distinct. In fact, it’s one of the few martial arts that has few physical limitations. If you want to find aikido classes in Sydney to give this martial art a try, you can visit this page for more information.

Clare Louise

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