theO’Sensei’s Lectures On the Philosophy Of Aikido.

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Aikido is the realization of Love.
If you think that “martial art” means to have opponents and enemies and to be strong and defeat them, you are mistaken. The true spirit of the martial arts is to be one with the universe and have no enemies. The essence of the martial arts is the spirit of loving protection of all beings in the universe.
Never defeated means never fighting. This is not mere theory. You practice it. Then you will accept the great power of Oneness with Nature.
As the words for “harmony” and “love” can be pronounced ai, I decided to name my unique budo (martial art) Aikido, although the word aiki is an old one. The word which was used by the warriors in the past is fundamentally different from that of mine.
Aiki is not a technique to fight or defeat an enemy. It is the way to reconcile the world and make human beings one family.
The secret of Aikido is to harmonize ourselves with the movement of the universe and bring ourselves into accord with the universe itself.
Aikido is non-resistance. As it is non-resistant, it is always victorious. Those who have a warped mind, a mind of discord, have been defeated from the beginning.
There is no conflict in love. A mind of conflict, thinking of the existence of an enemy, is not consistent with the spirit of the universe. Those who do not agree with this cannot be in harmony with the universe.
Don’t look in the opponent’s eyes, or your mind will be drawn into his eyes. Don’t look at his sword, or you will be slain with his sword. Don’t look at him, or your spirit will be distracted. True budo is the cultivation of attraction with which to draw the whole opponent to you.
A mind to serve for the peace of all human beings in the world is needed in Aikido, and not the mind of one who wishes to be strong or who practices only to defeat an opponent.
When anybody asks if my Aikibudo principles are taken from religion, I say, “No.” My true budo principles enlighten religions and lead them to completion.
I am calm however and whenever I am attacked. I have no attachment to life or death. I leave everything as it is to the spirit of the universe. Be apart from attachment to life and death and have a mind which leaves everything to that spirit, not only when you are being attacked but also in your daily lives.
The source of Bu is divine love. It is the spirit of love and protection for all things. The training of Budo is the forging in our minds and bodies the power of divine love, which produces, protects, and nurtures all things in the Universe. The techniques of budo are signposts pointing the way which leads to this .
Aikido is love. You make this great love of the universe your heart, and then you must make your own mission the protection and love of all things. To accomplish this mission must be the true budo.
Even though our Path is completely different from warrior arts of the past, it is not necessary to abandon the old ways totally. Absorb venerable traditions in Aikido by clothing them with fresh garments, and build on the classic styles to create better forms.
Our techniques employ four qualities that reflect the nature of our world. Depending on the circumstance, you should be: hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water, or as empty as space.
The body should be triangular, the mind circular. The triangular represents the generation of energy and is the most stable physical posture, The circle symbolizes serenity and perfection, the source of unlimited techniques. The square stands for solidity, the basis for applied control.
A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind. The key to good technique is to keep your hands, feet, and hips straight and centered. If you are centered, you can move freely. The physical center is your belly; if your mind is set there as well, you are assured of victory in any endeavor.
Do not stare into the eyes of your opponent: he may mesmerize you. Do not fix your gaze on his sword: he may intimidate you. Do not focus on your opponent at all: he may absorb your energy. The essence of technique is to bring your opponent completely into your sphere. Then you can stand just where you like, in a safe and unassaiable position.
When an opponent comes forward, move in and greet him; if he wants to pull back, send him on his way.

The Fundamental Principle of the Circle

Aikido technique is structured on circular movement, for harmony is brought about and all conflict resolved through the spirit of the circle. The response of the body, mind and spirit to the principle of the circle is vital to the creation of technique. A circle encloses space, and it is from the perfect freedom of this emptiness that ki is born. From the center of this birthplace, the creative processes of life are joined with the infinite, immeasurable universe by the spirit. The spirit is the Creator, the eternal parent giving birth to all things.
The Budo of Aikido springs from the mastery of the spirit of the circle. The essence if this Budo is to embrace the complementary action of cause and effect and to draw into yourself all things as if they were held within the palm of your hand. You have a spirit, therefore you must realize that each person has a spirit. When the life processes are connected with the spirit and the fundamental principle of the circle is given birth in Aiki, all things are led to completion through the circle. All things are freely created by the circle.

Basic techniques [edit]

Wikipedia Main article

Aikido techniques

Diagram of ikkyō, or “first technique”. Yonkyō has a similar mechanism of action, although the upper hand grips the forearm rather than the elbow. The following are a sample of the basic or widely practiced throws and pins. Many of these techniques derive from Daitō-ryūAiki-jūjutsu, but some others were invented by MoriheiUeshiba. The precise terminology for some may vary between organisations and styles; the following are the terms used by the Aikikai. Note that despite the names of the first five techniques listed, they are not universally taught in numeric order [31]

• First technique (一教 (教), ikkyō), a control technique using one hand on the elbow and one hand near the wrist which leveragesuke to the ground.[32] This grip applies pressure into the ulnar nerve at the wrist
• Second technique (二教, nikyō) is a Pronating wristlock that torques the arm and applies painful nerve pressure. (There is an Adductive wristlock or Z-lock in the ura version.)
• Third technique (三教, sankyō) is a rotational wristlocthat directs upward-spiraling tension throughout the arm, elbow and shoulder.
• Fourth technique (四教, yonkyō)is a shoulder control technique similar to ikkyō, but with both hands gripping the forearm. The knuckles (from the palm side) are applied to the recipient’s radial nerveagainst theperiosteum of the forearm bone.[33]
• Fifth technique (五教, gokyō)is a technique that is visually similar to ikkyō, but with an inverted grip of the wrist, medial rotationof the arm and shoulder, and downward pressure on the elbow. Common in knife and other weapon take-aways.
• Four-direction throw’ (四方投げ, shihōnage) is a throw during which ukes hand’ is folded back past the shoulder, locking the shoulder joint.
• Forearm return (小手返し, kotegaeshi) is a supinating wristlock-throw that stretches the extensor digitorum.
• Breath throw (呼吸投げ, kokyūnage) is a loosely used umbrella term for various types of mechanically unrelated techniques; kokyūnage generally do not use joint locks like other techniques.[34]
• Entering throw (入身投げ, iriminage), throws in which tori moves through the space occupied by uke. The classic form superficially resembles a “clothesline” technique.
• Heaven-and-earth throw (天地投げ, tenchinage), a throw in which, beginning with ryōte-dori, moving forward, tori sweeps one hand low (“earth”) and the other high (“heaven”), which unbalances uke so that he or she easily topples over.
• Hip throw (腰投げ, koshinage), aikido’s version of the hip throwtori drops their hips lower than those of uke, then flips uke over the resultantfulcrum.
• Figure-ten throw (十字投げ, jūjinage) or figure-ten entanglement (十字絡み, jūjigarami), a throw that locks the arms against each other (the kanji for “10” is a cross-shape: 十).[35]
• Rotary throw‘ (回転投げ, kaitennage) is a throw in which tori sweeps ukes arm back until it locks the shoulder joint, then uses forward pressure to throw them.[36]

Implementations[edit]

Diagram showing two versions of the ikkyō technique: one moving forward (the omote version) and one moving backward (the ura version). See text for more details. Aikido makes use of body movement (taisabaki) to blend the movement of tori with the movement of uke. For example, an “entering” (irimi) technique consists of movements inward towards uke, while a “turning” (転換, tenkan) technique uses a pivoting motion.[37] Additionally, an “inside” (内, uchi) technique takes place in front of uke, whereas an “outside” (外, soto) technique takes place to their side; a “front” (表, omote) technique is applied with motion to the front of uke, and a “rear” (裏, ura) version is applied with motion towards the rear of uke, usually by incorporating a turning or pivoting motion. Finally, most techniques can be performed while in a seated posture (seiza). Techniques where both uke and tori are standing are called tachi-waza, techniques where both start off in seiza are called suwari-waza, and techniques performed with uke standing and tori sitting are called hanmihandachi (半身半立).[38]
From these few basic techniques, there are numerous of possible implementations. For example, ikkyō can be applied to an opponent moving forward with a strike (perhaps with an ura type of movement to redirect the incoming force), or to an opponent who has already struck and is now moving back to reestablish distance (perhaps an omote-waza version). Specific aikido kata are typically referred to with the formula “attack-technique(-modifier)”; katate-doriikkyō, for example, refers to any ikkyō technique executed when uke is holding one wrist. This could be further specified as katate-doriikkyōomote (referring to any forward-moving ikkyō technique from that grab).
Atemi (当て身) are strikes (or feints) employed during an aikido technique. Some view atemi as attacks against “vital points” meant to cause damage in and of themselves. For instance, GōzōShioda described using atemi in a brawl to quickly down a gang’s leader.[26] Others consider atemi, especially to the face, to be methods of distraction meant to enable other techniques; a strike, even if it is blocked, can startle the target and break their concentration. Additionally, the target may also become unbalanced while attempting to avoid a strike (by jerking the head back, for example) which may allow for an easier throw.[38] Many sayings about atemi are attributed to MoriheiUeshiba, who considered them an essential element of technique.[39]

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