kalozojo

Yeah, there are weapons. As a matter of fact alot of the throws are based on sword strikes. You shouldn't wait, if you like the more physical stuff there are some (respected) aikido instructors who can be pretty brutal- but of course in a harmonious way! My instructor (he hated the term sensei) was such a man, but it was always loads of fun to train with him. He had a jiujitsu and wing chun (sp?) back ground and would not hesitate to use atemi (distraction blows). He worked us hard. Some schools are very "soft"- they are still respected and true to the founder- and some can be quite "hard" style and still be equally true to the teachings of O Sensei- it really is a matter of yours and your fellow aikidoka's preference. But it is really easy to get permanent and serious damage to your body if you go harder than you are prepared. One of my happiest aikido memories is being upside down and being face to face with my instructor as he threw me...keep in mind, he was standing, I was completely upside down and we were face to face...it was almost slow motion...and when I hit the ground I was sure I would never get up again...but I jumped up immediately. Everyone thought it was funny because I was grinning ear to ear the whole time. Its a hard feeling to describe, but it is not uncommon to see everyone smiling in an aikido dojo as they are being thrown across the room...fun stuff...

As for websites...there's lots...aikido.com isn't too bad. I really hate to dog on other art forms, but...I would be cautious of sites that advocate competition yet still claim to be aikido. Many people have created their own "aikido schools" that include offensive strikes and competition. This is strictly against the founder's wishes. I have to admit there is always a great temptation to "show off" the art, especially to some arrogant jerk who wants to challenge your technique- but then again, that is why I like to train- to keep my own ego in check. In aikido, the only victory that matters is the one over yourself...called agatsu...I still work on that, I always lose that battle...

The best books on aikido have few illustrations or pics, if any. I recommend "The Spitrit of Aikido" by Kisshomaru Ueshiba (son of the founder) and "Aikido and the New warrior" by Richard Heckler. Saotome Sensei has some good books with illstrations as does Yamada Sensei. The founder was a martial arts fanatic...legend has it that he mastered juijitsu in 3 months. Aikido is based largely on juijitsu movements, except he took out the offensive strikes and made it strictly defensive...there are no offensive moves and competition is strictly forbidden- that is why many underestimate the art. I always laugh when I hear stories of "some0ne's friend beating an 'Aikido master'" ---first of all there is only one master, and that was the founder and second of all, no real aikidoist would compete!

Just moved to Wyoming...it is surprisinly vegan/vegetarian friendly. The move has allowed me to get back into my work outs and martial arts (aikido) training...I hope to recieve/share valuable information on this site...

I'm really surprised that there is not more discussion about aikido on this site. It's philosophy is pretty complimentary to the vegan life style...as a matter of fact it was vegans that first introduced me to the art- long before I was vegan. I'm not doggin' any other art, I just find it strange...any body here a practioner?