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Aikido is a modern martial art that is founded by spirituality and philosophy influenced by the Omoto-kyo religion associated with the Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba. The etymology of the word Aikido stems from three Japanese characters. “Ai” literally means joining, with “ki” meaning something like spirit, and “do” meaning way. Loosely translated then, the meaning of Aikido is the way of joining the spirit.

The Aikido way is to align body and mind with the spirit or ki and it said that the only way to be able to do this is through cultivating a relaxed state. It is in this relaxed state that nothing is forced or contrived so the mind and body naturally join the spirit or energy and everything becomes one. It is this oneness and cultivation of relaxation that this martial art paradoxically gets referred to as the art of peace.Its founder Ueshiba was a pacifist and it is said that he taught Aikido as a peaceful means to end aggression.

Although spiritual and philosophical development is important in Aikido training, it has to be put to practical means and examples in actual practice of Aikido techniques and methods.Aikido training usually consists of two parties. The first is called uke or the receiving body and the other is known as nage (although this term varies depending on the Aikido style being taught) who gives the technique being taught.

This concept of uke and nage can be likened to the Chinese yin and yang because in Aikido, uke and nage are not separate entities. They are two parts of one where the Aikido training can be learned with give and take from both parties.For instance, one of the first techniques taught in Aikido training is how to throw and fall safely. It is the task of nage to prevent injury to uke so he can learn to land safely when thrown.

Furthermore, in Aikido training, the receiver or uke usually initiates an attack against the nage whose aim is to neutralize the assault with an Aikido move or technique.This way, both the uke and nage learn from each other and the Aikido training is not successfully executed without oneness between the two. It is in the give and take of these two entities in Aikido training that the principles of ki and other fundamentals of Aikido techniques are learned.

Such fundamentals are the principles of adapting, flexibility, calmness and blending. In the case of uke and nage, Aikido training teaches uke to be more flexible and relaxed so that nage will not be able to catch them unaware and throw them off balance. On the other hand, nage learns to blend and adapt to be able to control and assuage the assaulting energy from uke.Aikido training however is not exclusive to practice and parries between just two parties. In fact, Aikido training involves instruction for multiple attackers.

This is called randori and is a vital and required lesson to be learned in higher levels of Aikido training. The Aikido training for multiple attacks is done “freestyle” where a person can further expand their knowledge by practicing and performing Aikido techniques beyond the structured environment of the uke and nage. These are only two methods of Aikido training. There are many other training methods and techniques that follow the core value of Aikido.

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Traditionally, martial art systems were created as a documented practice of training for combat mode in the ancient eras. Naturally, its modern day applications are primarily for self-defense, exercise and physical fitness. One form of martial arts however stands out from the rest in the sense that it espouses a relaxed way of life over cunning and physical strength.

At the heart of it, the Aikido spirit is about cultivating relaxation and a serenity throughout everyday life to be able to harness this virtue in actual physical combat. Aikido is actually a modern Japanese martial art and the Aikido spirit continues to live on today years after it was developed by Morihei Eushiba between 1920 to 1960. Noteworthy about this particular martial art is that the Aikido spirit is cultivated within its students so that there is a spiritual and philosophical development that happens; which in turn becomes the basis of the combative art. Modern day students of Aikido testify that they bring the Aikido spirit with them throughout ordinary mundane activities, forming a bridge between principles of how to tackle everyday life and combat moves on the training mat.

This spiritual and philosophical basis of the Aikido spirit that cultivates relaxation and the peaceful control of aggression, is attributed to the founder’s background in Omoto-kyo religion. Omoto-kyo is a modern Japanese religion, which is said to be an offshoot of Shintoism. Omoto-kyo followers believe in beautifying the world with art because they believe that art brings humans closer to the divine.

Aside from this however, the Omoto-kyo followers are pacifists who espouse peace over war. This is the parallel between Omoto-kyo and Aikido. That is why the Aikido spirit is often paradoxically referred to as the art of peace. One may wonder about the sanity behind the fact that a martial art which was in all intentions created for combat and winning over the enemy can indeed to be claim to the art of peace. For all intents and purposes however, the philosophical and spiritual foundation of Aikido is about maintaining a constant state of relaxation.

It is in this relaxed state that the Aikido practitioner is able to perform difficult throws and maneuvers as taught by the martial art. The relaxed state can be attributed to a deep unshakable peace free of aggression. The concept is that when we are tense and not relaxed, we needlessly waste energy on aggression and force. By going with the flow and not being afraid of what can or cannot happen to us, we cultivate a peace with a relaxed demeanor as its direct consequence.

The Aikido spirit aims to cultivate a mental discipline, develop character and self-confidence with the end goal of being able to maintain peace and relaxation. It believes that in peace can one realize true power: The power to spread peace further and the strength to be able to withstand the onslaught of everyday situations. The basics in passing on the Aikido spirit can be done through practical applications that clearly show that a relaxed demeanor is more effective than an aggressive one.

One such physical example is the exercise of trying to cause someone to lose their balance. To be able to topple off an opponent usually means that we should be physically stronger and in some cases larger so that superior physical strength through muscle contraction is the traditional measure of victory.

When we consider the best martial arts forms we are speaking of those martial arts kata that result in a the most benefit to the student. To be honest, I usually recommend learning as many kata as possible, then working on the ones that the student prefers, although there can be oddities in this approach. I also hold that one should learn whole arts, first taekwondo, then karate, then kung fu, and so on.

The kebons are good, basic kata, and are common to karate styles and taekwondo styles. Though there are three to five of these beginning patterns, I don’t usually count them as forms because they are actually the ABCs of the martial arts.

The next batch of kata to study would be the Taeguks as taught in Tae kwon do. These are basic patterns, more advanced than the kebons, but not as advanced as the Japanese Heians (Pinans). Though they take a few moves from the Heian forms, they serve them up as straight hand to hand techniques, no secret throws or weapons disarms, and no real generation of intrinsic energy.

After the taeguk patterns one should learn the Pinan forms from the Shotokan system, the Kyokushinkai system, and other Japanese martial styles. The Pinan kata are actually designed more for weapons defenses, though not many people know this. The idea here is that one learns the Taeguks for hand to hand combat, then moves into the Pinans for a basic understanding of weapons defenses, and the beginnings of chi eneergy generation.

After the Pinans I recommend the three forms found in the Pan Gai Noon, which is the base forms from Uechi ryu Karate, and which are actually three extremely hard core gung fu forms. These three patterns are sanchin, seisan, and sanseirui, though sanseirui is often thought of as more of a show form. These three unique kata are specifically designed to build the internal energy known as chi.

The Sanchin form teaches a student to fasten the body/motor to the ground. There are not a lot of moves in it, but the moves are excellent for teaching one to use hard energy in self defense moves.

Sanchin may be the power form, but seisan is the technique kata. This form takes the power of sanchin and transfigures it into (probably) 13 specific self defense moves. These are all based on one specific move called wa uke, which is a circle block with a flesh tearing grab on the end.

So, taekwondo to karate to kung fu; Kebons to Taeguk to Pinans to Sanchin and seisan. This arrangement of martial arts forms provides the student with the absolute best and most complete sequence of classical training there is. Other forms can and should be studied, but this is the heart of the art right here.

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Some people might not want you to know this, but it is quick and easy to learn good karate or kenpo, or whatever art you wish to learn, from Martial Arts DVDs. You can learn hard core self defense, fighting taekwondo, classical gung fu fighting techniques. You can learn virtually any art there is, and there are judo dvds, taekwondo DVDs, you can even look into martial arts DVD rental!

Before you buy that Kung Fu training DVD, however, and start doing the Tito Ortiz all over the place, there are three things that you absolutely must do. It really is crucial, and your success or failure will depend upon these three things. Indeed, without doing these three things you might just as well put aside your martial arts DVD training.

The first thing you have to do, and this is incredibly basic, is you need a place to study. Even if you don’t have a personal Shotokan training hall, or a taekwondo dojang, or a Kung Fu kwoon, you must conduct yourself as if you do. You have to select a location in which to train and really make it look like a fighting dojo.

You need to clear out the mess, not just pile it in the corners, because you are going to want to hang shiny kung fu weapons on the walls. You are going to have to check the stability of the rafters, because you are going to want to hang a kicking bag and not knock down the ceiling! You are going to want about 15 by 15 of good condition floor, because you want to be able to execute Choy Lay Fut patterns or concentrate on your shotokan karate kata DVD without running into objects or stepping on anything.

The second thing you will need is a time. I know this sounds silly, but businesses survive, people learn things in school, everything in the world runs by being in the correct place at the correct time. So you are going to need to set aside a couple of hours every couple of days, or whenever you plan to train, and you are going to never miss an appointment!

Your wife wants you to take her dancing…no! The kids are going to have to clean their rooms by themselves. And turn that blasted telephone off!

Now, you have the time and the location, and one would assume you have the best martial arts video training tape you could get (my favorite is Matrix Karate…it was inexpensive, but the information on it was worth ten DVDs), and you must not forget…you need a partner! You need a person who is willing to enjoy the sweat and bruises, put in the effort, make the time slot, and wants to have a ball! In a way, your martial arts training partner is the most critical item of all, because without a fellow student to practice your kung fu techniques on it just won’t really work!

Now, you know the steps you have to take, and I want to say one thing: past the cost of cleaning your garage and a few Parker Kenpo videos, this is virtually free martial arts training. You go at your own pace, no one to push you past your comfortable learning speed, nobody to slow you down. And that’s my take on how to learn from Martial Arts DVDs.

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I know, kickboxing karate doesn’t really exist, but it does make a fine translation of arts. When you shift from karate to kickboxing, or shift from kickboxing back to karate, you can win every single contest you are in by knowing the three things I am going to tell you in this article. We are dealing only with the fists, mind you, so you have to control the distance to make sure that you stay at a distance that is comfortable for you to punch at.

If you are going to try to use this data with kicks we would have to set up an art called karate tae kwon do…grin. Or, if you were going to use it with fancy hand traps we might call it shaolin kickboxing. Call it what you will, the techniques will work, but you might have to make some changes.

Before we get into the techniques I should tell you how to set them up. You want to stand with the hands extended, elbows about 135 degrees, palms facing outward, so that the hands are in front of the shoulders. This, incidentally, is an ‘I don’t want to fight’ sign, which is a good thing because it is better to avoid a fight.

The basic concept here is that two objects can’t be in the same place in space. Go on, shove one table through another table. You’ll just end up with fire wood.

First Technique, he is going to have to go around your fist and arms, and you can defend with a hard block and punch. This isn’t a counter strike, this is done simultaneous with a slight body shift/sidestep maneuver. You will have taken the initiative of the fight and can follow up with an attack on the inside line.

Second technique, he is going to try shifting to the front and leading with a jab, and you can just let him pass and punch on his body. With either of these two techniques your opponent is trying to go around you, and this will set him up by shutting his weapons down, or opening his targets up. Either way, you win.

Third technique, and this is the one we want, is when he tries to go between your hands. He can be blocked easily, and, the potential for trapping him, simply by closing your hands, is large. You trap his elbow and his wrist and work an arm bar, and when he tries to back out, or otherwise wiggle, you elbow roll him, and you can work elbow spikes and secondary punches, all while keeping him trapped and unable to fight back.

This kumite technique can further be improved by shifting the body or changing the distance between the fists, thus encouraging your attacker to do exactly what you want. In other words, you will know what he is going to do, and nobody is easier to beat than a fighter who is predictable. So, there you go, that is how you actually apply matrixing concepts to the initial entry into a fight, and when you win that battle just tell everybody you were doing kickboxing karate…heh.

You can get more combat strategies that work, and find out about Matrix Martial Arts at Monster Martial Arts. Pick up a free ebook about Matrixing while you’re there. 3

Yes, you can knock an elephant on his keister with Martial Arts kicks. Doesn’t matter if they are Karate kicks, Savate kicks, or whatever, with the proper knowledge and some diehard practice, elephants will tip toe around you! And, if you can knock over a pachyderm or two with a leg, that thug isn’t going to any kind of problem.

Now, to leap right into it, it’s okay to practice the high and fancy kicks, they will give you flexibility, and that increase your power. However, when it comes to defense on the street, you want to stay with the basic kicks that are too low and fast to grab. You want concentrate on with the front snap kick, the side thrust, the wheel (a snap on the side), and a spinning (hopping/popping) side to the rear.

Inspect your kick, make sure that the bones are aligned. Stand on the part of the foot that you are kicking with to make sure it can support weight. You can stand on the ball of the foot, so the front snap kick is going to work, but you can’t stand on a side of the foot comfortably, so it is not going to work.

When you kick, make sure you lift the knee high and tilt the hips into the kick slightly. Lifting the knee high enables you to drive the leg in on the target, if you don’t have a high knee the foot may arc and scrape against the target. Tilting the hips, which is done especially with shotokan karate kicks, puts more body weight into the kick.

Practice kicking over a chair, and make sure that you aren’t twisting any body parts, which wil de-stablize the leg. Also, keep the tan tien centered over the foot you are balancing on, this will help you keep your balance intact. Also, especially when doing Taekwondo kicks, don’t straighten the leg you are standing on, rather bend it and lower yourself slightly, as this will connect you better to the ground.

Now, you can use karate shoes to do your kicks, but don’t neglect bare foot kicking. If you’re in the woods, and your feet need protection, or perhaps you want to be prepared for a situation where you can’t take off your shoes, then use shoes. But the feeling of barefoot kicking gives you mental feedback as to the exact perfect way to position your leg and foot.

Now, most important of all, practice. Most people think that they can go to class, do ten or twenty kicks per foot, and they will be kick masters. You need to do hundreds of kicks, for each kick, for each foot, and for hundreds of days, if you want to be good.

The leg is a superior weapon. It can keep people away from you, set up secondary tricks, and, if you have Bruce Lee kicks, end a fight before it even gets started. I promise, you pay attention to the points I have made, and your good martial arts kicks will be making elephant burgers out of those pesky pachyderms!

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LEARNING FAST is important for every BJJ student. If you’ve been taking classes for any length of time, you’ll quickly find a deep need to get better faster. You know some moves – a submission, a sweep – and it’s frustrating when you aren’t able to use them on your classmates. You can train for hours and hours, but you’re not progressing quickly.

Here is the solution, and don’t worry, it is not about mastering a new awesome submission or unbeatable guard that the other jiu jitsu students won’t already know about. In order to progress, you are going to have to train with intention.

As you’ve undoubtedly heard before, if you do not make a plan you will not succeed. You have to develop a plan, PUT YOUR PLAN IN WRITING, and do something each day towards make your plan happen. You should not deviate from your plan until your reach your goal. Remember: PUT YOUR PLAN IN WRITING! You must believe me about this!

For many jiu jitsu students, the plan is to “get good at guard” or “get good at submissions”. While this is a good start, you have to drill down and be much more specific. A more concrete goal would be something like “keep side control for at least 15 seconds on every opponent”. Another would be “Bump sweep each partner”. You will be able to measure your success and take actions toward meeting the goals. By setting small goals, you’ll quickly be able to reach your larger goals.

It’s time to mentally enter the BJJ arena. Develop a plan, a plan just for you, and work to meet your goals. Start every class reminding yourself of your personal goal and make it happen. You are not going to be better instantaneously, and patience will still be required, however you will get there! After you attain a few of your smaller goals, you will recognize your success and you will ask yourself why you didn’t start doing this sooner.

Draculino is a fourth degree jiu jitsu black belt, multiple time champion, and trainer of MMA, BJJ, and grappling champs. To learn more visit his jiu jitsu videos training site or stop in the free jiu jitsu forum.