Some thoughts on self defence
A lot of people who come to our aikido dojo to find out about it are interested in its effectiveness as a form of self-defence. Two common questions asked are 'how effective is aikido against XXX martial art' or 'have you ever had to use it?'. These are good questions to ask as a way of determining martial effectiveness probably - but not necessarily a good measure of self-defence skills? Is it good self defence to get into a lot of fights?, and so the answer to these questions can often disappoint because most people studying aikido don't ever get into physical confrontation. Self-defence is not about being tough and learning techniques(these take a long time to master and false confidence is dangerous) - it's about avoiding physical confrontation where possible and defending yourself as a last resort.
See our Griffith Aikido Self defence programme here Griffith Aikido - Self Defence course
Aikido is often called 'the art of peace' and central to aikido is the idea of harmony with your opponent in a particle way both mentally and physically. In aikido you are unlikely to force meet with force instead an aikido student blends with an attack to negate of redirect its power. Today though, far removed from the battlefields of feudal Japan where this art has its origins, this force comes in many forms including verbal assault, intimidation and finally physical confrontation. Many believe that the principles that underlie aikido can be used not only in physical confrontation but in the stages leads up to it, to avoid it altogether.
The five basic principles often taught in Aikido are:-
- Extend ki
- Know your opponents ki
- Respect your opponents ki
- Harmonise with your opponents ki
- Lead with confidence
These principles are used in every technique in aikido to throw or pin an attacker. However many believe that the best way to win a fight is not to fight at all. Here are some suggestions for applying the above aikido principles to actively avoid trouble before it really gets going.
Awareness - Extend ki
Many people are simply unaware of trouble until they are in the middle of it. Awareness plays a bit part here, as does some simple forward planning. Have you parked your car in a back alley to avoid paying for parking only to risk a late night walk in a scary area? If your at university consider getting the security bus to the car park at night - it only takes a bit longer. Is it time to leave the pub after watching a football game because the crowd is getting a bit rowdy? Someone's talking to you aggressively and you so engrossed that you miss his friend standing behind you?
Trust your gut feeling - Know your opponents mind
Does that guy walking towards you look suspicious? Getting dirty looks from a group nearby on the dance floor? Trust your 'gut' feeling, trouble's brewing - maybe its time to cross the street, leave the club or just turn tail and run.(Forget you pride and ego..its just not worth it)
Respect - Respect your opponent's ki
Had some beer spilt on you - maybe it really was an accident? Someone calling you names and insulting your friends - maybe they are right/maybe not .. Whatever its not worth having a punch-up over is it? After all its only your ego at risk. Is someone sizing you up at a party, giving you the eye and looking for trouble, a disarming wave and a smile can work wonders here.
Be confident - Lead with confidence
Some research was done where a number of people were videotaped whilst walking, the tape was shown to convicted muggers. The muggers were asked to rate these people on 'mugabiliy'. Almost all muggers identified the same people as being good targets. What was the key feature here was it age or sex.. no it was the way someone walked. So hold you head up, stand tall and walk confidently (regardless of if you actually have a destination)
It takes a long time to master the art of aikido but you can you some of the principles of Aikido immediately to improve your life and stay out of trouble. If your interested in learning Aikido you will be doing physical training of martial techniques such as throws and joint locks based on the above principles. These help change the way we behave in potentially difficult situations by allowing us not to react to confrontation as Aikido techniques use the opponent's power to subdue them without injury. Through constant practice these principles become more intuitive and are adopted into the subconscious. This develops a calmer mind and a non-aggressive mindset in practitioners.
The Griffith Aikido Institute practices aikido at Nathan, Southbank and Logan. Traditional aikido, self defence and weapons form much of our practice. Why not try a one month beginners course.
Daniel James(c)2003
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