Aikido is the martial art that focuses primarily on redirection and control of ones opponent (uke. Pronounced OO-kay). This consists of a set of throws and holds which are intended to subdue and control an uke without permanently harming them. On a spiritual level, Aikido is focused on bringing harmony of the body into harmony of others. Roughly translated Aikido means "The Way of Harmony of the Spirit" which holds true today, though different schools place different emphasis on the spiritual aspect.
Aikido was first created approximatly 80 years ago by Morihei Ueshiba, and took a great many techniques from Jujitsu, Judo and Kenjutsu and modified them. Ueshiba focused on forming a martial art that placed a great emphasis on moral and spiritual values as well as a system of techniques that would integrate with the philosophy of Aikido.
What about the physics?
On a practical level, Aikido is not a martial art of strength and power. It does not focus on throwing punches and kicks to directly oppose an uke's attack. Instead, the focus on redirection means that the physical aspect of Aikido is primarily a dancelike type of motion that is very smooth and flowing. This allows the Aikidoist to harmonize with an uke. This harmonizing allows the Aikidoist to redirect an ukes energy and manipulate the forces that are acting on that person. From a physics standpoint, this means manipulating the location of an uke's center of mass to destabilize and ultimatly bring the uke to the ground. Make sure to swing by the Nifty Section to see some really in-depth and interesting history of Aikido.
Basic Physics
Big vs. Small
Aikido is as much about basic physics as it is about the spiritual aspect. Aikido seeks to make the weak eq...
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.... A good source since Aikido and Judo are closely related.
"The Physics Of Forces In Aikido:
Making The Weak Equal To The Strong"
http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=284
Chock full of highly informative bits of information. Originally ran in Scientific American, reprinted on this website.
"The Aikido FAQ"
http://www.aikidofaq.com/
Best. Site. Ever. Everything and anything you ever want to know about Aikido.
"Tenchi Nage"
http://www.aikido.waw.pl/pol/techniki/tenchi_nage_technika.htm
Gathered collection of images and illustrative information.
"Physics in Hand-to-Hand Combat"
http://www.physicspost.com/articles.php?articleId=80
An article similar in content to the Scientific American reprint above. Very useful for basic understanding of relationship between physics and martial arts.
martial arts masters of the 20th century. He assembled his own system of karate, Shuri-ryu,
Phelan, J. (2011). What Is Life? A Guide To Biology with Physiology. New York: Peter Marshall.
As the cessation of the century approached, Rhee had accomplished more than he had ever hoped, garnering awards and apperceptions virtually too numerous to count. He had been denominated one of President George Bush’s Daily Points of Light. His ebony belt students included not only Members of Congress, but eminent figures like Tony Robbins, Jack Valenti, and Jack Anderson. He had appeared on the cover of Parade magazine with Cheryl Tiegs. And he had been designated by Ebony Belt magazine as one of the top two living martial artists of the 20th Century.
Zen in the Art of Archery, by Eugen Herrigel describes the ritualistic arts of discipline and focus that the Zen religion focuses around. In this book, Herrigel describes many aspects of how archery is, in fact, not a sport, but an art form, and is very spiritual to those in the east. The process he describes shows how he overcame his initial inhibitions and began to look toward new ways of seeing and understanding. In the beginning of the book, Herrigel tells us that he is writing about a ritual and religious practice, “whose aim consists in hitting a spiritual goal, so that fundamentally the marksman aims at himself and may even succeed in hitting himself.” (Herrigel p. 4).
After attempting to make contact with the opponent, the fighter immediately follows up with the recovery phase: flexion at the knee, lateral flexion of the spine opposite the aforementioned direction, during a slight rotation of the torso, extension of the hip, and dorsiflexion of the foot. This brings the fighter back into the fighting stance with the opposite leg in the front and is now ready to perform the next strike or counterstrike.
Have you ever wondered, “What is the difference between MMA and boxing?” Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights originated as hand-to-hand combat performed as a sport called Pankration from the greek words Pan and Kratas, meaning “all powers” (Shamrock). Often a practitioner of one of the skill groups in martial arts challenged a practitioner of a different skill for ultimate bragging rights (Shamrock). In 393C.E. Roman emperor Theodosius the first banned the Olympic games,spelling the end of Pankration as a popular sport (Shamrock). This style of fighting later resurfaced in the twentieth century in Brazil via a combat sport known as vale tudo”,anything goes” (“Encyclopedia Britannica”). MMA
It is the most appropriate yoga for those who are more intellectually or philosophically inclined. This yoga can be broken into three distinct steps. The first step is to learn, this means seeking out teachers and gurus who can pass their knowledge unto you. The second step is to think; this step requires you to separate your true Self from the self you are currently occupying. The final step is to change, that is, to change your self-identification to your true Self. This step can often include referring to yourself in the third person to further drive a wedge between Self and self.
Today, most modern styles of Tai Chi Chuan trace their development to at least one of the four traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu, or Sun.3 The most common style of Tai Chi currently practiced in the states is Tai Chi Chuan.4 This type of Tai Chi comes from the definitions: Tai Chi- meaning infinity, the absolute. It contains dynamic and static movement: it is the mother of Yin and Yang, of everything male and female. It is the root of motion, which is division, and of stillness, which is union.5 Chuan- or fist, is the symbol of unity between body and mind.4 Tai Chi Chuan must neither be overdone nor underdone: it must be exact. Comprehension comes from growing an understanding, plus effort and this leads one gradually to full enlightenment.4
To a person not conversant with this art, Jujitsu may be considered as a foul or derogatory term in Japanese. However, Jujitsu us one of the most effective and deadly forms of martial arts taught today. Unique among other forms of combat, Jujitsu holds the position of a “parent art”, of from which other forms of martial arts such as Aikido, Judo and several Karate styles were extracted. Jujitsu is a combination of all levels of combat. It incorporates chokes, striking, grappling, nerve and pressure point attacks, joint locks, redirection of momentum and throws.
Gymnasts use physics everyday. As a gymnast I never realized how much physics went into every motion, every back handspring, every mistake on the bars. If gymnasts were physicists (or at least knew more about physics) they would be better equipped to handle the difficult aspects of gymnastics. As a gymnast I learned the motions that were necessary to complete the tricks that I was working on, and as a coach I taught others the same. I never truly understood why a particular angle gave me a better back handspring or why the angle that I hit a springboard at really mattered when completing a vault. We are going to explore some of the different apparatuses in gymnastics and a few of the physics laws that are involved in them. We will not even barely scratch the surface of the different ways that physics can explain gymnastics.
The fighting styles of tae kwon do and karate differ greatly. As karate expanded throughout eastern Asia, there have been many adaptations in its fighting style, but it has never strayed from its focus. Karate is a martial art that uses 50 percent hands and 50 percent feet. If you are a karate stylist, you want to be relatively close to your attacker for quick hand attacks. Tae kwon do self-defense relies heavily on swift foot attacks with an emphasis on flying and spinning kicks. Higher-ranking students practice extraordinary acrobatic kicks. These martial arts differ greatly in their approach to fighting.
The Web. The Web. 28 Oct. 2013. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100501013529.htm> Cohen, Patricia. A. A.
MMA or Mixed martial arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling skills, both standing and on the mat, from a selection of other combat sports. Numerous mixed style contests were held throughout Europe, the Pacific Rim, and Japan during the early 1900s. The combat sport of vale tudo that came from Brazil from the 1920s was brought to the U.S by the Gracie family in 1993 with the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship .
This week’s analysis is associated with the yoga class provided online to help with stress reduction. The first term that I came across was psychophysiology and how this principle is based on the mind and body being one and how our thinking affects all physiology. This principle was the perfect definition of yoga because yoga focuses on how the mind and body connects with each other. It gives you a sense of relaxation throughout your mind and body together. Furthermore, the yoga that was in the video was a yoga style called hatha. Which practices asana (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises). According to the book, this practices helps bring peace to the mind and body and prepare our body to do deeper exercises. The art of breathing was mentioned during the exercise and in the book. Breathing is very important when trying to unite the mind, body, and spirit. So, having slow, deep breathes was a main focused during the exercise. Another term that was used in the video was the art of stretching, which allows us to become aware of our flexibility of our muscle while moving. Lastly, the art of balance is significant because it allows us to move into the next form of position on both sides of our body. Some of the workouts pose that was mention in the textbook that I did was two knees to the chest, cobra, and head of cow. Overall, hatha
Martial arts are both a way of exercising and a sport.There are many different types of martial arts that whom one can practice them. They all may seem familiar, but they are actually very different. Generally, martial arts are looked as a cool sport, very dangerous, and a lot of body combat. Taekwondo has been on of the main ones.This sport can be seen as just kicking and punching, but in reality, there is a lot that the sport has to offer. This sport is good for enhanced agility, power, balance, flexibility, and endurance. It is a sport for both boys and girls it doesn’t lean to one or the other. Taekwondo may seem like a horrible sport since it's a form of martial arts, but it teaches you more than just fighting.