Aikido is a martial art originating in Japan.
The word Aikido may be actively translated as “The Way of Harmony with the Flow”.
Aikido is based on high level traditional martial forms emphasizing sword, stick and empty handed arts. There is no competition in Aikido, but rather an emphasis on understanding and integrating the principles of the Art through the collaborative practice of its techniques.
In modern times, Aikido is practiced for many purposes, including both the acquisition of martial techniques themselves and the consequent development of awareness of self and surroundings. Thus Aikido is practiced simultaneously as a martial art technical system and a martial art “Way” (Tao in Chinese, or Do in Japanese).
Learning Objectives
By the end of the class students will have knowledge, experience and/or ability in one or more of the following areas:
- Classroom and martial art safety
- Basic falling and rolling
- Stretching and breathing techniques
- Paired coordination exercises
- Simple Jo (50-54″ stick) and Bokken (wooden sword) exercises
- Paired Aikido techniques to vary by semester
The official ACC Syllabus may be found here.
Recommended Readings
Ki in Daily Life, Koichi Tohei
Tao Te Ching, Lao Tsu – Free download from Feedbooks!