The true meaning of Aikido — Iwama Ryu style

THESE days, a martial artist is likely to walk away from a confrontational situation with any form of physical provocation that could lead to unnecessary violence.

They do this to avoid getting into trouble, and if any form of physical threat does occur, they prefer to distract their adversaries by getting out of the situation without having to resort to any form of violent contact.

Kuching Aiki Shuren Dojo instructor Andriesse Ridu, a highly experienced practitioner of the Japanese martial arts of Aikido, believes in such a philosophy, noting that the past and present worlds of martial arts are vastly different.

“Before when the world was unsettled, only the strong would rule. Those were harsh times – only stronger men and women could survive while the weak would be vanquished. But there were those who could resist the oppressors in their own ways. Some fought to protect the misguided from becoming evil. Many resorted to martial arts to defend themselves,” he told thesundaypost.

Ridu who holds a first dan black belt, said in this modern era, it is wrong and unlawful to hurt someone physically. He also quashed the misperception that learning the art of self-defence predisposed a person to violence.

“Violence doesn’t benefit anyone – even worst, if a martial artist breaks the code of ethics and discipline by hurting someone or breaking the law.”

He said most of the long-practising martial artists regarded self-defence as a way of life, a philosophy, an art and a form of history and they practised it to strengthen their minds and stay healthy.

“This is what we emphasise to our students from all walks of life and age. Anyone who learns any form of martial arts will share the same thinking. After practising martial arts for many years, we don’t want to use the self-defence techniques as a violent means to a physical end.”

Iwama Ryu style

The 45-year-old who is a secondary school teacher, said in his dojo (a school for training in various arts of self-defence), he taught the Iwama Ryu style of Aikido where the self-defence techniques allow a person to use his or her hands and weapons as extension of the arms to ward off physical threats and dangers.

Ridu added that Aikido is a modern form of martial arts, developed in the early 1940’s by a Japanese named Morihei Ueshiba who put together the philosophy, studies and religious beliefs associated with the martial arts.

He said Aikido is meant as a way to unify energy and harmonise the spirit, and practitioners could use the martial arts to defend themselves without inflicting injuries as far as possible.

According to him, Aikido techniques include the use of “entering,” the turning of leg and body movements and the various types of throws and joint locks to pin an opponent down to submission or disarm the opponent.

“Of course, we use the basic punching technique – the ‘Atemi.’ This is a basic form of strike to ward off an opponent or to execute at the end of each move when the opponent is pinned down.

“You can imagine if you learn the techniques of combat for years and years and when your body and mind is attuned to it, you can be just like a robot. Over the years, all the moves you have learnt – grabbing, hands locking and throwing – become so easy that when you spar with your fellow disciples, these moves are second nature.

“There are lots of fast movements and in a blink of an eye, your sparring partner may be locked or sprawled on the floor,” he said.

Andriesse pointed out that practitioners must be able to control their own thoughts and be very disciplined, and once they have mastered the martial arts, they should not misuse or abuse it.

“It sounds dangerous but if we follow the teachings passed down by the teachers or ‘sensei,’ then the martial arts will teach us to be disciplined in handling ourselves and the way we live our lives.

“There are many disciplines in Aikido and like in any form of martial arts, it teaches a person to have self-control and not hurt others. There is no harm instilling this philosophy in anyone. Ultimately, everything leads back to Karma.

“I think that’s why people with strong spiritual beliefs are attracted to martial arts like Aikido. Most of my students are from different backgrounds and professions. They are mature and understand the philosophy of Aikido.”

Ridu said some people stopped learning the martial arts because they thought it was boring and repetitive but as he pointed out, the more regular the practice, the more the techniques would be mastered.

“One good technique is enough to stop an opponent — or even an attacker, especially when you in physical danger, otherwise you must try to get out of the situation without hurting yourself or anyone. This is the concept and philosophy of Aikido from the very beginning.”

The techniques

According to Ridu, during practice, everybody will learn the basic moves – grabbing, rolling and throwing – but before starting proper lessons, students will be taught to strengthen their bodies, especially muscles and joints, and there is equipment for this.

He said once students got their routines right, they would be more at ease learning the techniques and harmonising their moves.

“During sparring, they should not resist their opponents but synchronise with each other’s moves not only to avoid getting hurt but also learn to follow each other’s rhythm. Of course, if you use the right techniques, you won’t get hurt even when your opponent throws you to the ground.

“The techniques in Aikido teach students to be relaxed and follow their sparring partners’ movements. Otherwise, injuries can happen and this is what we are trying to avoid.”

Ridu said at times, the techniques looked fierce as weapons were involved but if the martial artist could read hand movements in trying to grab or disarm a weapon during close and open hands combat, then he or she would be able to tackle their opponents the right way and bring them down to submission.

“To do this, we need to create the right steps and moves. It’s very technical and for that reason, I still prefer it to be an art of self-defence rather than a combat sport.”

Technically, Aikido uses weapons like sticks, swords and knives – all wood. A practitioner can use these weapons to attack and the disarm and retention techniques to take the weapons away from an attacker.

Ridu said regular training at the dojo was key to becoming skilled in the  martial arts, stressing that patience was needed as it could weeks, months and years.

“It’s very important to get the techniques right. You cannot master a move in one day – it takes time. You practise and practise until every move becomes habitual and you definitely don’t want to make it complicated to make it easy.

“Right now, I have six students who are training seriously to master the martial arts and learn its philosophy. These dedicated few and I have been following our sensei, Sullivan Cotter, a third ban black belter, who trained in Germany, then in Denmark at the Copenhagen Aiki Shuren Dojo, which is affiliated to our dojo.”

Ridu said he and Sullivan started learning martial arts while still in primary school, adding that they took up Aikido in their 20’s and have been practising it ever since.

“It’s been a long road but our job at the dojo is not done. We will continue to stay healthy and maintain the martial arts philosophy we inherited. We will carry on practising and teaching our students the right way, inculcating in them the disciplines of Aikido.”

Ridu said there are many techniques in Aikido and it is possible for the martial arts to become a competitive sport, especially in mixed martial arts tournaments like the Ultimate Fighting Championships.

“I would like to see it done because this form of combative martial arts has all the traits of a competitive sport and you can make a living out of it. Still a long way to go probably, but nothing is impossible and if you don’t try, you don’t know,” he added.