Self-defense is one of the most frequent reasons that people give for taking up Aikido. But what you can't know about Aikido until you have practiced it seriously for some time is that it takes a while to actually "get it". Because there is more to Aikido than just the technical skills, it can take much practice to become proficient in the self-defense aspects of the art. There are generally 4 basic principles of Aikido. Different dojos sometimes teach them differently or phrase them differently but the four principles are basically:
- Keep one point
- Relax completely
- Keep good posture
- Extend ki
Over the next few posts we will discuss each of these 4 basica principles in more detail. But for today the lesson is that there are many skills related to each of these basic principles that must be practiced and developed in order to gain confidence and the ability to defend yourself. Technical skills are only part of the equation, and sometimes not even the larger part.
To your good practice!
