Judo for the whole world

Konnichi wa, my friends
(hello everyone)

We’re hosting a demonstration of the art of Ki Aikido
which also doubles as your very first training session!

Monday, March 15th, 2004, at 7:30 PM
University of Southern California, located near the Grand Canyon
in the judo hall

You can find more details on our website
Aikido Association of America

Ja matta
(see you there)

on the tatami!

SAYONARA

👋

Yoga is fantastic if you're looking to feed your soul. Honestly, it’s much the same with Aikido; you’ve got all those breathing exercises, meditation sessions, and Ki drills woven right into the fabric of it. At its core, the whole practice of Ki Aikido is built entirely upon spirituality and the concept of Ki.

Nathan Walker16 said:What I’m saying about Aikido isn't some "exotic" mystery or mysticism—it’s a path of spirit and energy that flows through everything around us. Aikido pulls heavily from Zen Buddhism, which is essentially its spiritual backbone.

Sports are just sports; unless you're talking about how a healthy body supports a healthy mind, there's no real emphasis on spirituality there.

I've been mulling over starting a thread on Aikido for a while now—it's fascinated me since my college days, though I never quite had the time to commit to serious, uninterrupted training. So, let's just use Nathan Walker16's comments as the kickoff.
Nathan Walker16, if you actually know your stuff regarding Aikido—especially the hands-on side—feel free to take the lead. 🙂
PS
Try to keep it a little more organized, if you don't mind.

I don't know a whole lot about Aikido, but what I really struggle with is figuring out how to even begin—let alone what—to write about it.

Honestly, it would probably be best if you guys just threw some questions my way; if there’s anything you're curious about, ask it, and I'll do my best to dig up an answer for you.

The core of Aikido was actually developed by a man named Morihei Ueshiba, who spent his earlier years training in various martial arts that were primarily focused on killing, all while being guided by certain spiritual teachers. He was deeply impacted by the horrors of World War II and the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; after seeing that kind of destruction, people were pretty much fed up with the whole "who is the strongest" mentality. People call Aikido the art of peace, love, and harmony, but that gets misunderstood all the time—folks tend to think that because it's supposedly about peace and love, you can't actually defend yourself with it. Originally, the art was called Aikibudo, but back then, everyone was so sensitive about the "budo" part that he had to drop the "bu" from the name. See, budo refers to the martial way, which implies that defending yourself against an attacker is still a massive part of the practice.

AIKIDO = Aligning with Ki (or, to put it bluntly, tapping into your raw energy)
When it comes to the spiritual side of things, I think we need to be talking about Ki Aikido rather than what most people call "standard" Aikido these days.

I'm with the guy above—Ki Aikido is mostly 👍
But you really need a solid mentor to navigate it.

Look, I train "standard" traditional Aikido, which—let's be honest—is a hell of a lot "harder" than Ki Aikido.
In my opinion, trying to separate or categorize different styles is just pointless. No skill is inherently bad, and every single one offers a chance to grow—the only thing that can be "bad" is the person practicing it.
It all comes down to approach. You see people training for years who become technically perfect, yet they haven't even scratched the surface of what they're actually doing.
Aikido is a journey, and just like any other path, it’s full of ups and downs and hurdles. It demands constant effort and forces you to face one singular opponent. Because even though the people standing across from you change constantly, the only person an Aikidoka truly has to confront and measure themselves against is themselves. 🙂
And honestly? That’s the most beautiful thing Aikido has ever given me.

Look, I wasn't bashing Aikido. I just meant that the spiritual aspect is way more prominent in Ki Aikido—that’s pretty much the core distinction.

Robin Rodriguez5 said:AIKIDO = Aligning with Ki (or, to put it bluntly, tapping into your raw energy)
When it comes to the spiritual side of things, I think we need to be talking about Ki Aikido rather than what most people call "standard" Aikido these days.

Ki Aikido is merely another cultish approach to a good idea, implying you must belong to a specific group to achieve any level of spirituality (whatever that means to anyone). Ueshiba simply called the system Aikido. It is obvious that by adding "Ki" before Aikido, someone was trying to appear incredibly important and unique, even though "ki" is already inherent in the original term (ai-KI-do); doubling it is both redundant and thoughtless.

Incidentally, Tohei's style is called Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido. However, specifically emphasizing that you are unifying mind and body (shin shin toitsu) is absurd, especially when used to differentiate styles. Every martial art involves the unification of mind and body. Chopping onions for lunch requires the unification of mind and body. Sweeping the floor is an act performed with Kim, because as long as you are alive, you cannot escape it.

jademarlin26,
you guys seem way too obsessed with the word "sectarian"—you practically slap that label on every single person or group in almost every post.
Now it's Ki Aikido's turn. Is this just your way of stirring the pot?!
(It's tempting to ask, "So, which sect do you belong to?" 😁, but we actually have a specific thread for all that sectarian nonsense!)

Technically, Ki is already baked into Aikido (though Ai-Ki-Kai exists), but from what I've seen—and Paul Campbell3 confirms this—it’s entirely possible to train Aikido for years without ever actually "scratching beneath the surface."
A lot of it ends up being nothing more than simple levers, wrist twists, and basic mechanics.

I first ran into Aikido back in New York City, over twenty-five years ago. There were about ten black belts there who had been training for 10–15 years—mostly under L. Vracar (who was apparently the big shot in the US and did a lot to push the sports side of Aikido in the States)—but they actually gave up those black belts when they met a Ki Aikido instructor and started a new club. So, my very first real encounter was actually with Ki Aikido. After a few months, they started demonstrating what they used to practice, and the difference was night and day.
Regardless, with 8 to 10 instructors for maybe 15 or 20 students, I definitely learned more in those few months than I would have training somewhere else for years.
From the very first sessions, they insisted on proper (stable) sitting, walking, and applying the four principles: maintaining center, dynamic relaxation, dropping weight, and the flow of Ki.
We'd start Aikido training with a brief breathing meditation. Then the instructor would move from person to person, checking our posture—pushing us back, to the side, or pulling us. If you tried to counter them—whether consciously or not—you'd go down like a sack of potatoes. It wasn't until you actually found your center and anchored yourself in it that it became hard to knock you off balance.
Around that same time, I was starting Hatha Yoga, so I was already working on relaxation.
However, in that yoga relaxation, there was no energy flow; my arms felt like limp rags. Through Aikido, I finally saw the distinction between passive and dynamic relaxation.
Almost every training session, you could feel that Ki flow (something I haven't really experienced in other schools or with different teachers, or at least very little), and it was fascinating to see how a technique would "work" or "fail" depending on whether you were forcing it or actually following the energy flows. Even after class, I’d feel this tingling sensation through my body and a pleasant sense of relaxation, kind of like the feeling after a hot shower.

The original Aikido taught by Ueshiba is naturally modified by the character—both physical and mental—of his students, and their students' students.
There's no reason to label any of these variations as "wrong" or "sectarian."
The beauty of Aikido lies in its openness to life, the freedom of movement, improvisation, acting in the moment, creativity, and exploration... there is plenty of room for discussion here, rather than wasting time on dogmatic wars and criticizing schools just because they aren't the ones we know.
You can find a little history and an overview of various Aikido styles (sadly in English)
right here. As Paul Campbell3 already pointed out—and because this topic falls under spirituality regardless of who we train with (which is a great part of Aikido, the partnership and the sense of community that connects people worldwide)—at the end of the day, it's all about us.
PS
I have to admit, while I'm mopping the floor, I don't quite achieve that same union of mind and body or that Ki flow I get from Aikido or meditation.
I guess that only comes at higher levels (though, honestly, when I'm peeling potatoes, I get pretty close to a meditative state 🙂).

casualtiger2 said:jademarlin26
You seem quite fond of that "cult" label; you tend to slap it onto almost every individual or group mentioned in these posts.
Now it is Ki Aikido's turn. Are you doing this just to stir up the discussion?

Are you bothered by cults or medical diagnoses? What exactly is your problem?
I don't hold any particular grudge against the term "sect," and I actually enjoy using it. As for my affiliations, you should have realized by now that I think for myself—and people who think for themselves don't belong to sects.

casualtiger2 said:Technically, Ki Aikido is already established—not to mention the existence of AI-KI-kai Aikido—but from my observations, and as Paul Campbell3 confirms, it is entirely possible to practice Aikido for years without ever truly scratching the surface.

The Aikikai serves as the governing body. What is taught at the Hamburg dojo isn't referred to as Aikikai Aikido, but simply as Aikikai.

When people talk about surface scraping, you have to ask yourself who actually needs that kind of superficiality. Spiritualists, I assume? Those who would rather lecture than break a sweat during training? Most people lack even a basic grasp of physics or psychomotor skills, yet they love to fantasize about extending Ki. They couldn't execute a simple tenkan, let alone attempt throws without physical contact. For a horse and rider to become one, it requires years of riding, raw talent, deep understanding, and genuine respect. What Ueshiba achieved was something only he could accomplish.

casualtiger2 said:jademarlin26,
you guys seem way too obsessed with the word "sectarian"—you practically slap that label on every single person or group in almost every post.
Now it's Ki Aikido's turn. Is this just your way of stirring the pot?!
(It's tempting to ask, "So, which sect do you belong to?" 😁, but we actually have a specific thread for all that sectarian nonsense!)

Technically, Ki is already baked into Aikido (though Ai-Ki-Kai exists), but from what I've seen—and Paul Campbell3 confirms this—it’s entirely possible to train Aikido for years without ever actually "scratching beneath the surface."
A lot of it ends up being nothing more than simple levers, wrist twists, and basic mechanics.

I first ran into Aikido back in New York City, over twenty-five years ago. There were about ten black belts there who had been training for 10–15 years—mostly under L. Vracar (who was apparently the big shot in the US and did a lot to push the sports side of Aikido in the States)—but they actually gave up those black belts when they met a Ki Aikido instructor and started a new club. So, my very first real encounter was actually with Ki Aikido. After a few months, they started demonstrating what they used to practice, and the difference was night and day.
Regardless, with 8 to 10 instructors for maybe 15 or 20 students, I definitely learned more in those few months than I would have training somewhere else for years.
From the very first sessions, they insisted on proper (stable) sitting, walking, and applying the four principles: maintaining center, dynamic relaxation, dropping weight, and the flow of Ki.
We'd start Aikido training with a brief breathing meditation. Then the instructor would move from person to person, checking our posture—pushing us back, to the side, or pulling us. If you tried to counter them—whether consciously or not—you'd go down like a sack of potatoes. It wasn't until you actually found your center and anchored yourself in it that it became hard to knock you off balance.
Around that same time, I was starting Hatha Yoga, so I was already working on relaxation.
However, in that yoga relaxation, there was no energy flow; my arms felt like limp rags. Through Aikido, I finally saw the distinction between passive and dynamic relaxation.
Almost every training session, you could feel that Ki flow (something I haven't really experienced in other schools or with different teachers, or at least very little), and it was fascinating to see how a technique would "work" or "fail" depending on whether you were forcing it or actually following the energy flows. Even after class, I’d feel this tingling sensation through my body and a pleasant sense of relaxation, kind of like the feeling after a hot shower.

The original Aikido taught by Ueshiba is naturally modified by the character—both physical and mental—of his students, and their students' students.
There's no reason to label any of these variations as "wrong" or "sectarian."
The beauty of Aikido lies in its openness to life, the freedom of movement, improvisation, acting in the moment, creativity, and exploration... there is plenty of room for discussion here, rather than wasting time on dogmatic wars and criticizing schools just because they aren't the ones we know.
You can find a little history and an overview of various Aikido styles (sadly in English)
right here. As Paul Campbell3 already pointed out—and because this topic falls under spirituality regardless of who we train with (which is a great part of Aikido, the partnership and the sense of community that connects people worldwide)—at the end of the day, it's all about us.
PS
I have to admit, while I'm mopping the floor, I don't quite achieve that same union of mind and body or that Ki flow I get from Aikido or meditation.
I guess that only comes at higher levels (though, honestly, when I'm peeling potatoes, I get pretty close to a meditative state 🙂).

Either you fail to feel it in one, or you fail to feel it in the other; either way, you're just going through the motions.

jademarlin26 said:Ki Aikido is merely another cultish approach to a good idea, implying you must belong to a specific group to achieve any level of spirituality (whatever that means to anyone). Ueshiba simply called the system Aikido. It is obvious that by adding "Ki" before Aikido, someone was trying to appear incredibly important and unique, even though "ki" is already inherent in the original term (ai-KI-do); doubling it is both redundant and thoughtless.

Incidentally, Tohei's style is called Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido. However, specifically emphasizing that you are unifying mind and body (shin shin toitsu) is absurd, especially when used to differentiate styles. Every martial art involves the unification of mind and body. Chopping onions for lunch requires the unification of mind and body. Sweeping the floor is an act performed with Kim, because as long as you are alive, you cannot escape it.

That's pretty much my take on it too—why highlight the KI component of something that already fundamentally includes it? 🙂

There's only one founder of Aikido, O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, and as far as I know, the man was a master of Shinkage Ryu Ju Jutsu and originally a top-tier warrior and expert in several martial arts. 👍

At one point, he couldn't reconcile two things: the damage martial arts can inflict on another human being versus his own deep desire to establish peace and harmony among all people. Originally, his path was that of a warrior, and he thought his internal longing for peace and harmony stood in direct opposition to that life.

There's this story: once during an argument, he got into a confrontation with an Englishman who pulled a sword and tried to stab him.
He successfully evaded him until the guy finally gave up, completely exhausted.

That's when O'Sensei realized (he had an epiphany 😬) that maybe what seemed irreconcilable at first—aggression and the attacking styles found in many Japanese arts vs. universal love—was actually perfectly compatible. 🙂

And that's how Aikido was born—the practice of mind and body and, as jademarlin26 puts it, the path toward unification, ultimately uniting the individual with the entire universe.

I started training Aikido over thirty years ago. Somewhere between 1972 and 1974, if I remember correctly. I think I was testing for belts back then—green or brown, I can't be sure anymore. In our small town, a Canadian instructor showed up and opened an Aikido and Kendo course, so we all signed up. Later, Krešo came back from the USA, and my whole generation ended up pivoting to basketball instead, which became my main sport for the next twenty years.
What drew me to Aikido was the elegance of the movements, though Kendo was definitely more exciting. I remember we were all obsessed with those blind swordmasters you see in Japanese movies who could master a blade perfectly.
Nowadays, a journalist friend of mine runs an Aikido club in San Diego.
I still think about getting back into it, even if the fact that I'm just too big and heavy now (110 kg) holds me back. But honestly, in Aikido, age and weight don't even matter.

Every single martial art is essentially just the unification of mind and body. Honestly, even slicing vegetables for dinner falls under that umbrella. Even sweeping a floor can be an act involving Ki, because when you're alive, there's really no escaping that connection.

I mean, have you ever actually heard someone bring up the whole "unification of mind and body" concept during a standard Karate class, or maybe while training in Kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, or Judo? It’s rarely discussed in those circles.

And look, sweeping a floor *can* be done with a massive amount of Ki, sure, but it can also be done with almost none at all; people with barely any Ki to speak of can still sweep a floor just fine.

Morihei Ueshiba once said, "Get to know your breath, and you will know yourself."
Breath is the fundamental bridge between our physical form and our spirit; by focusing on your breathing—not just through formal exercise—you eventually achieve that true union of body and mind.

jademarlin26 said:Ki Aikido is merely another cultish approach to a good idea, implying you must belong to a specific group to achieve any level of spirituality (whatever that means to anyone). Ueshiba simply called the system Aikido. It is obvious that by adding "Ki" before Aikido, someone was trying to appear incredibly important and unique, even though "ki" is already inherent in the original term (ai-KI-do); doubling it is both redundant and thoughtless.

Incidentally, Tohei's style is called Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido. However, specifically emphasizing that you are unifying mind and body (shin shin toitsu) is absurd, especially when used to differentiate styles. Every martial art involves the unification of mind and body. Chopping onions for lunch requires the unification of mind and body. Sweeping the floor is an act performed with Kim, because as long as you are alive, you cannot escape it.

Good grief.🙄
Tohei was the premier Ueshiba-esque student and, as far as I know, the only one Ueshiba personally awarded a 10th Dan. After Ueshiba passed away, the leadership of Judo shifted toward his son for traditional reasons (even though he held a lower rank than Tohei). Since Tohei refused to take instruction from someone ranked below him, he "created" his own style, which leaned much harder into the spiritual side and dialed back the combat aspect. Look, after Ueshiba died, Tohei was the most senior living master of Judo on the planet. If anyone was meant to carry the torch, it was him. Calling him a cult leader is tragicomic—who exactly did he split from? Someone who was significantly less skilled than he was?

History is full of examples where a skill, faith, or body of knowledge is passed down to a son, regardless of whether his rank justifies it. We see similar dynamics in many major religions.

So, you think Tohei couldn't stomach being taught by someone lower in rank than him? 😕

Look, even if that were true, neither Tohei nor anyone else actually grasped the core essence of what Uyeshiba was teaching. If they had, they wouldn't have messed it up so badly (don't get defensive, Paul Campbell3, I'm just repeating what's been said).🙂

First off, to start practicing aikido, you don't need to understand a single thing about his cosmology or the deep philosophy behind it.

But, if you want to live aikido and truly grasp it the way Uyeshiba intended, then sure—that's necessary. But again, it’s not strictly required, haha! 🙂

Tradition, technique, and methodology are one thing, but the spirit and the very essence of existence? That's something else entirely.

Aikido is just one way to express and achieve that, but it isn't the only way. 🙂

The universal spirit of love and its manifestations (like moving meditation—which is what aikido, or any martial art at its purest, really is... honestly, even chopping onions could be 😁 ) doesn't depend on a specific school, a teacher, a certain day, or tradition. That's just my take on it.

The universal spirit of aikido is singular. It isn't "owned" by any organization, any single instructor, or any specific school.

Techniques, the passing down of tradition, teaching styles—those are different matters altogether, and we can argue about those, but personally, I'd rather talk about fighters than this stuff here. 😉

Dragonfly, when Ueshiba passed away without clearly outlining the succession plan—who would represent the art, who would evolve it, or who would lead the charge—it left a massive power vacuum. It’s a classic scenario; you see this kind of messy transition in royal bloodlines all the time, so it shouldn't be any surprise in a martial art. Following strict tradition, the mantle fell to his son. The problem? He wasn't the top student, nor was he the most skilled, nor was he the right-hand man. That role belonged to Tohei for years. Honestly, if we're talking about who actually preserved the legacy, it's debatable whether the son kept the flame alive at all. At that stage, his grasp of the art was shallow compared to Tohei, who was miles ahead in terms of raw knowledge, experience, and pure mastery.

Robin Rodriguez5 said:Dragonfly, when Ueshiba passed away without clearly outlining the succession plan—who would represent the art, who would evolve it, or who would lead the charge—it left a massive power vacuum. It’s a classic scenario; you see this kind of messy transition in royal bloodlines all the time, so it shouldn't be any surprise in a martial art. Following strict tradition, the mantle fell to his son. The problem? He wasn't the top student, nor was he the most skilled, nor was he the right-hand man. That role belonged to Tohei for years. Honestly, if we're talking about who actually preserved the legacy, it's debatable whether the son kept the flame alive at all. At that stage, his grasp of the art was shallow compared to Tohei, who was miles ahead in terms of raw knowledge, experience, and pure mastery.

So what? 🙂

Does any of that actually matter in the grand scheme of things? 😳

Fine, I’ll play along. Based on what you just said, I guess I’d define myself as being part of the traditional Aikikai school because that’s the club I train with.

And you? You’d probably claim you belong to Katsuya Tohei's Ki Aikido clan.

And now what? What's the next big question? 🙂

Paul Campbell3 said:That's pretty much my take on it too—why highlight the KI component of something that already fundamentally includes it? 🙂

There's only one founder of Aikido, O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, and as far as I know, the man was a master of Shinkage Ryu Ju Jutsu and originally a top-tier warrior and expert in several martial arts. 👍

At one point, he couldn't reconcile two things: the damage martial arts can inflict on another human being versus his own deep desire to establish peace and harmony among all people. Originally, his path was that of a warrior, and he thought his internal longing for peace and harmony stood in direct opposition to that life.

There's this story: once during an argument, he got into a confrontation with an Englishman who pulled a sword and tried to stab him.
He successfully evaded him until the guy finally gave up, completely exhausted.

That's when O'Sensei realized (he had an epiphany 😬) that maybe what seemed irreconcilable at first—aggression and the attacking styles found in many Japanese arts vs. universal love—was actually perfectly compatible. 🙂

And that's how Aikido was born—the practice of mind and body and, as jademarlin26 puts it, the path toward unification, ultimately uniting the individual with the entire universe.

It’s not about hyping up the energy—it’s more like knowing how to actually weaponize it, if you want to get technical. Softer. The way.

Paul Campbell3 said:That's pretty much my take on it too—why highlight the KI component of something that already fundamentally includes it? 🙂

There's only one founder of Aikido, O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, and as far as I know, the man was a master of Shinkage Ryu Ju Jutsu and originally a top-tier warrior and expert in several martial arts. 👍

At one point, he couldn't reconcile two things: the damage martial arts can inflict on another human being versus his own deep desire to establish peace and harmony among all people. Originally, his path was that of a warrior, and he thought his internal longing for peace and harmony stood in direct opposition to that life.

There's this story: once during an argument, he got into a confrontation with an Englishman who pulled a sword and tried to stab him.
He successfully evaded him until the guy finally gave up, completely exhausted.

That's when O'Sensei realized (he had an epiphany 😬) that maybe what seemed irreconcilable at first—aggression and the attacking styles found in many Japanese arts vs. universal love—was actually perfectly compatible. 🙂

And that's how Aikido was born—the practice of mind and body and, as jademarlin26 puts it, the path toward unification, ultimately uniting the individual with the entire universe.

Being a warrior is really more about self-improvement—it doesn’t even have to be violent, actually. A fighter's path? That’s mostly just violence. There's a massive difference.

Paul Campbell3 said:That's pretty much my take on it too—why highlight the KI component of something that already fundamentally includes it? 🙂

There's only one founder of Aikido, O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, and as far as I know, the man was a master of Shinkage Ryu Ju Jutsu and originally a top-tier warrior and expert in several martial arts. 👍

At one point, he couldn't reconcile two things: the damage martial arts can inflict on another human being versus his own deep desire to establish peace and harmony among all people. Originally, his path was that of a warrior, and he thought his internal longing for peace and harmony stood in direct opposition to that life.

There's this story: once during an argument, he got into a confrontation with an Englishman who pulled a sword and tried to stab him.
He successfully evaded him until the guy finally gave up, completely exhausted.

That's when O'Sensei realized (he had an epiphany 😬) that maybe what seemed irreconcilable at first—aggression and the attacking styles found in many Japanese arts vs. universal love—was actually perfectly compatible. 🙂

And that's how Aikido was born—the practice of mind and body and, as jademarlin26 puts it, the path toward unification, ultimately uniting the individual with the entire universe.

Yeah, I'm with you on that. 👍
I’d throw in "defensive" too. But honestly? What aikido actually teaches you goes way beyond that—it’s really about moving past the whole concept of attack versus defense entirely. You can't reach that level without mastering both first, though—you gotta grind through the techniques to get there. 🙂

Paul Campbell3 said:So what? 🙂

Does any of that actually matter in the grand scheme of things? 😳

Fine, I’ll play along. Based on what you just said, I guess I’d define myself as being part of the traditional Aikikai school because that’s the club I train with.

And you? You’d probably claim you belong to Katsuya Tohei's Ki Aikido clan.

And now what? What's the next big question? 🙂

Man, clans. Give me a break. 😁
There aren't any clans—I'm on everyone's side here. Just saying. 🙏