Aikido Techniques

Most Aikido techniques came from the Daito Ryu style of Aiki Ju Jutsu, which was learned by Morihei Ueshiba in the early 1900s from Sokaku Takeda.

Ueshiba was a brilliant martial artist and soon mastered Daito Ryu, plus several sword and spear fighting systems. He created a hard system at first, but by the 1950s and 60s he had turned it into a non-violent defensive martial art.

The old-style Samurai killing moves had been turned into Aikido techniques, and Ueshiba's students learned it was possible to subdue attackers without hurting them seriously, provided you have enough skill yourself. This was a revolutionary concept, way ahead of its time.

Aikido techniques rely on body movement to get the defender out of the line of attack. You don't stand there and try to block, instead you step aside and "blend" with your attacker's power, controlling him and "breaking his balance".

Once you have broken your opponent or attacker's balance, you can throw or lead them to the ground and hold them there. There are a variety of Aikido techniques to lock Uke (the attacker) so he cannot get up again or, if necessary, to break bones.

Aikido Throws