Introduction:

    For those of you that have been to this site before, you'll notice many changes.  In terms of the website itself, I've decided to simplify it greatly.  I was having fun learning about all those great java things and whatnot, but I was watching it load on a friends computer, and realized that, other than being a huge time waster, they also take away from the actual content of the page.  So from now on there will be a minimum of graphics, and I will be trying to work on adding and revising the existing content.

    For those of you that have never seen this page, I welcome you to your first glimpse of this site, or perhaps even Aikido in general.  I hope you find the site informative and helpful, as I have attempted to discuss not only the technicalities of Aikido, but also the more, shall we say, thought-provoking aspects.

If anyone has questions or comments on the new site, or Aikido in general, please write.  I am always eager to hear comments, be they praises or criticisms.

About Myself:

    I started taking martial arts about six years ago, a style called Shaolin Kempo Karate.  I soon figured out that this wasn't for me.  About a year later, my Sensei told me that an Aikido class was going to be started, and that I should sign up.  I did, and on the first day of class, I stepped into the Dojo and knew that this was what I had been looking for.  That first class was the hardest one I'd ever taken, and I left it feeling reborn, refreshed, alive!  Many students dropped out because of the physical challenge, but to me, it made it that much better.  I have now taken Aikido for five years, and have achieved a rank of second kyu.  I teach our class one day a week, an experience that is very rewarding.
    I made this page with the help of my Sensei, who helped with the ideas, and structure of the pages. I would like to thank him for all that he's given me in the last five years, which is more than he knows.
    My intent in creating this page is to show the beauty of Aikido, the rewards of intense training, and the philosophies that started it all.

Aikido:

Aikido is not a combative system, but rather its goals are more personal, and the focus should be on growth and betterment. Aikido has no tournaments, instead all techniques are learned cooperatively. This is not to say that Aikido is not a system of self-defense. Many techniques are potentially devastating and so could never be performed with full force at a tournament or otherwise. By training cooperatively, techniques that are in actuality quite painful can be practiced without seriously harming your partner.

The word Aikido is divided into three parts.  Ai means to come together, to blend, to join, or harmony, the harmony that we should use with our partners in the Dojo, in our daily life, and most importantly, the harmony that we should cultivate within ourselves, because if your own being is not at peace with itself, then you cannot hope to be in harmony with everything surrounding you. Ai is the principle behind Aikido techniques; pull when pushed, push when pulled.  There are no blocks in Aikido, instead we use the redirection of our opponent's energy, so in effect, through their movement, they are helping you do the technique, you are acting as the center of that movement, and a guide.

Ki, or in Chinese Chi, is almost impossible to translate into any language, and many people will say something like "Ki is Ki, there is no word in our language that can describe it".  It is the energy that lives within all of us.  It is the combination of our movement, our center, and the uniting of our bodies with our mind and the rest of the universe.  Aikido techniques do not use strength to stop an attack, for there will always be someone stronger than you somewhere.  We use our opponent's force, his movement, and our Ki along with our balance and movement to do the technique.  I have decided to dedicate a page to the idea of Ki, so for further reading on it, click here.

Do translates as The Way.  It is the way of training, the way of life, the way of aiki.  In Aikido it means roughly "The way of harmony, with Ki."

I recently read something that O Sensei wrote, about how a sword is made perfect by thousands of folds  How when a blade starts out, it is iron, full of impurities that make it weak.  Through forging it becomes steel and is transformed into an object of perfection.  O Sensei said that we as humans are the same way.  That by training endlessly, we will work out all of the weaknesses and impurities, until our technique is perfect.  Aikido's goal is to improve the society we live in, starting at the individual level.  By making our technique perfect, we have forged our mind and body into something as close as humanly possible to perfection.

The first two words that make up Aikido are Aiki, a word that has been a constant theme of Asian philosophies.  O Sensei said that "aiki is love", and felt that the ideal way to deal with violence was with a smile.  "The supreme challenge of a warrior is to turn an enemy's fearful wrath into harmless laughter.  O Sensei said: "My interpretation of aiki is much broader than those of the past."  For a short list of O Sensei's definitions of Aiki, click here.

Please click on the link to see that part of the Page:  Click Here for a glossary of Aikido terminology

Why Aikido?

A History of the Founder

The Philosophies behind Aikido

O Sensei's Lecture: The Harmony of Love

A note on Budo

Principles of the Circle, Square, and Triangle

Techniques of Aikido

My Aikido Primer

Personal Experiences of myself and others

 The Sword of Invincibility and Another Tale

A sample of Quotes by O Sensei

 If you have any questions, comments, or anything else concerning Aikido or this site, please send me a message at: evan.wainberg@utoronto.ca.  I would appreciate hearing any comments on what you would like to see on this site, what you didn't like, etc.