Aikido,
harmony with self-defense
By Ramón Torres
On-line Forty-Niner
Harmony
in motion and having fun too, is the slogan
used by the Seidokan Aikido Club at Cal
State Long Beach
Seidokan aikido, which balances the study
of defensive arts with the study of universal
principles, is a way of life through harmony
with nature.
Through physical practice of aikido technique,
students learn to appreciate and understand
the art’s mental and spiritual aspects.
Aikido, an art of self defense, thus becomes
a way of understanding the principles of
nature.
Club member and CSULB student Teresa Troutman
said she has been a member since last fall
and enjoys learning the art of self defense.
“What attracted me to aikido is the non
aggressive martial art aspect of it,” she
said. “I like it because we do it for a
defense purpose and it is harmless.”
Aikido is a non-competitive, non-aggressive
form of Japanese self-defense. The technique
is designed to harmonize with an attacker’s
force, rather than conflict or block. In
doing so, the defender does not have to
be stronger, or quicker than the attacker.
The defender actually seeks to combine or
blend his energy with his attacker, forcing
to break the aggressor’s balance, causing
him to gently fall to the ground.
“I like the aspect of non-aggressive self
defense,” Ramón Sanchez, president
of the club said. “The purpose of this is
to control rather than to destroy.”
Aikidoists not only strive to practice the
principles of nature during training to
harmonize with the attacker’s energy and
lead him to the ground, but also applied
them in daily life. This means aikidoists
should have an open mind to find a way to
resolve serious problems without conflict,
as well as to handle life’s little situations.
Beginners class instructor Ron Asher said
he has been in the club for more than five
years. Starting as a student then, he was
looking for a place where to learn self
defense.
“Actually, I was looking for some type of
self defense that really wasn’t about hurting
people that just was that, self defense,”
Asher said. “And I heard about aikido.”
Larry Wadahara, chief instructor at CSULB
Seidokan Aikido Club, said the club is open
to everyone — students, staff, faculty and
the community in general. He said the first
semester of membership is free and participants
can join any time. Classes run year-round
and people are welcome to observe classes
before signing up.
CSULB students can earn up to one unit for
participation in the club. To earn credit
for the class students must participate
in at least two hours of class per week,
according to the Web site.
CSULB Seidokan Aikido Club was started by
a group of students that later became an
official club in early 1991. The number
of members per semester varies from 30 to
40 participants.
The club holds practice in the lower campus
gymnasium next door to the Gold Mine.
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