Sara Abou Bakr discovers the secrets behind the traditional martial art of aikido, with photographs by Hatem El-Toudy The movements of the body on the training mat, echoed by the complex movements of feet and hands, and of course the ability to throw a man double your weight around �ê" purely via theories of physics �ê" make the traditional martial art of aikido an attractive sport to many people. It is also a potentially useful one, as those who master aikido can throw a man double their weight to the ground. Unlike other martial arts, aikido, which means "way in harmony of the spirit", is not a competitive sport. Instead, it is a cooperative one, drawing on the traditional African proverb that "it takes a village to raise a child." When on the mat, practitioners of aikido share their skills, while respecting those who are more experienced, making an aikido training session into a collective experience. Some practitioners argue that the lack of competitions and prizes in aikido have made the sport a pure form of martial art that has its own particular philosophy. "When learning other martial arts, I always felt as if I was being pushed into a system based on competitions, with coaches urging me to use more and more violence just to hit my opponent," said Hisham Youssef, a 4-Dan aikido instructor and driving force behind the sport in Egypt. "However, through aikido I learned that you can use your opponent's power against him. The more physical power he throws against you, the more you can direct that power back at him if you have the right technique." Guiding power is the core of aikido training, in line with the optimum coordination of mind and body that is part of the harnessing of "chi", or energy. The spiritual side of the martial art cannot be ignored. Morihei Ueshiba, born in Japan in 1883 and the founder of aikido, became a student of various martial arts, as well as fencing and fighting, after he was forced to witness his father roughed up by local thugs. Dissatisfied with his proficiency in the arts of self-defence, Ueshiba started a spiritual and martial journey that led to the modern form of aikido in 1942. "Ueshiba didn't invent aikido in one go," explains Josette Nickels-Grolier, a 5-Dan aikido instructor. "As a young man, he liked to fight and started practising what he called aiki-jutsu, which was derived from jujitsu and other techniques. Later, he developed this into aiki-budo, which was more military in emphasis and was taught to army and police cadets. This then developed into takemusu-aiki, translating as 'centring attention on energy,' and then into aikido." Josette is one of the best-known aikido instructors in Europe, and she has her own dojo, or training centre, south of Paris. The seminars she conducts in Egypt each year are packed with students that range from beginners to aikido instructors with over 20 years of experience. Few people know that she started practising aikido as a bet. "When I was a student, I worked part-time at the French Judo Federation, mainly on international events. I didn't like the competitive aspect of judo, and in fact thought that I disliked martial arts altogether." But during a dinner arranged by the Federation, those who did not practise any martial arts were asked to bet on which they would like to try. Josette picked aikido, "and since then I have never left the mat. It was made for me." Martial arts can be beneficial for many women, Josette says. "What makes aikido different is that those practising it do not have to compete with a partner. Instead, women can complete the practice in their own time and build up their strength and personality." Schedules fixed by martial arts competitions rarely fit women. "With aikido, they can organise their time, choose the place and define the way they want to practice the sport." Hisham adds that "in aikido, we learn to use the body's natural abilities and power to perform. A brutal way of fighting is not the perfect way to win, for the more violence you put into a fight, the faster energy is consumed." Since aikido is less violent than other martial arts, it tends to attract more women, and it has lower injury rates. "I remember that in Japan, I saw housewives in their 40s practising aikido, and when I asked them why, they said that aikido was 'an art', whereas the other martial arts were sports as a result of the emphasis on competition." Hisham also appreciates the artistic side of the sport. He stumbled on aikido during a training session led by a Japanese master in Egypt. "Suma-Sensei was giving aikido training at the same place I was doing karate. I noticed how he also practised aikido with his wife, how powerful the techniques were, and how swift and effective they were with minimum effort." He asked about aikido, "and after training with Suma-Sensei I knew that this was what I was looking for in a martial art." Hooked on aikido, Hisham worked hard and flew to Japan, where he stayed for several years in order to learn the sport "at its source." Despite their hectic schedules as full-time professionals and parents, both Josette and Hisham are dedicated teachers. For Hisham, his teachers in Japan greatly affected him. "The inspiring teachers there made me realise that being a teacher of aikido is not just a profession. It's also a form of responsibility, guiding others to find peace and harmony through aikido training." For Josette, aikido has opened up a world of travel and knowledge of other cultures that has greatly benefited her and her family. "My sons grew up meeting lots of interesting people, discovering other countries and finding out about other ways of living through aikido. They are now open-minded and love travelling, other cultures and sport. They both practise aikido and other sports such as ice hockey." The open-mindedness fostered by aikido helps to build rounded personalities and tolerance, she believes. There is no place for oversized egos in aikido practice. Those practising it have to have open minds and the patience to try over and over again. A tiny woman can lead mostly male practitioners, and a young man of 18 may teach another of 40. This lack of hierarchy reminds people of different ways of living and of being receptive to others. Some people call aikido the "art of breaking bones," without bothering to investigate the philosophy that has made this martial art unique. However, Morihei Ueshiba commented that "aikido is not a way to fight with or to defeat enemies. Instead, it is a way to reconcile the world and make all human beings one family." What he didn't mention is that aikido can become addictive and something of a way of life.
