Why it is worth practicing aikido
"Time is life" - said Inaba Minoru sensei in one of his interviews (Aikido Journal, 120/2001). Among other things, he pointed out that our life had an end, so it is worthwhile to manage our precious time wisely. It is worth doing what seems important to us, what make sense to us. Aikido is one of many paths or propositions that we can choose. Therefore, it is worth considering what its training gives - is it of any value, can it be useful to us, is it not a waste of time.
Aikido, as a martial art, is an encounter
Aikido, practiced as a martial art, is centred around an encounter. It is an encounter with yourself, with another human being and with the space we are in.
Encounter with yourself means getting to know yourself, your possibilities, limitations and developing yourself. Aikido training helps you develop physically. We train our body in terms of coordination, flexibility, balance control, and the ability to relax. Aikido does not require the use of physical force, but the use of attack momentum, because the effectiveness of techniques, of course, as you already know them, depends on the correct assessment of distance and timing - reaction at the right moment. Therefore, it can be a good tool for maintaining good physical shape, but also for working on motor problems (such as sensory integration disorders). Knowing how to regulate your breathing not only has health benefits, it is also useful for teaching you to cope with stress and in other physical activities. Therefore, it gives a chance to exercise to very different people, of different ages, in various physical conditions.
Working on the body and psyche
Working on your own body is directly related to working on your own psyche. The practitioner learns how he copes with pressure, how he reacts to physical contact, how much space he needs, how he reacts to an attack, to a sense of threat, in general how he reacts in various situations and can work on it.
Aikido training is a form of dialogue with others
Encounter with another person in aikido training takes place on many levels. Firstly, it is possible to get to know a lot of very different people, which allows not only to exchange experiences, create relationships, take initiatives to create other projects together, but it is also a good place to practice being in a group, especially since apart from training there is generally also "club life". which are an opportunity to learn how to support each other or resolve conflicts.
The specificity of training is also based on encounter with another person. We learn to accept the attack at the right time and place - the moment of the encounter, and to respond to it - performing the technique. It is possible when we have a prepared body (loose and flexible) and psyche (stress related to the attack does not paralyze us). We learn to read the intention of the other person and respond adequately. We learn to read all the information we get during the encounter - when the attack is received, i.e. where is other person and what the other person is up to, and what we can do about it.
Aikido - practical self-defence skills and a sense of security
Encounter with space is learning where we are, how far away other people or objects are, where we are still safe and where we are no longer safe, how to move most effectively, avoid obstacles, etc., even when one of the senses works worse (eg. sight, hearing, balance...). It gives you very practical skills in navigating space in everyday life.
In summary, aikido, practiced as a martial art, gives very specific and valuable life skills. By strengthening the body and psyche and giving specific tools, it helps to cope not only with a physical or mental attack, but in general in relationships with other people, as well as with the difficulties that life brings. Of course, aikido, as a martial art, can be a way of achieving our life goals, but what benefit we get from training depends on our attitude - what we want to get, how seriously we take it, and whether we choose the appropriate teacher.
