Our PRactice

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Ki-Aikido is great for learning self-defense, arrest control, and for security, and I have worked with countless individuals who can attest to that fact. I myself have even been in situations in my behavioral health career where the physical side of Ki-Aikido aided me greatly. There are also some professional fighters who train in Ki-Aikido to improve their fight performance, like the Japanese Kickboxer Tetsuya Yamoto. 

However, is Ki-Aikido the best martial art for learning how to cage fight, street fight, or compete in the UFC? No. Ki-Aikido can take a long time to perfect techniques, moves can be far more complex than other martial arts, and Ki-Aikido was not developed specifically for those kinds of situations.

Ki-Aikido's value lies far beyond just it's combat efficacy. It teaches us to apply its principles into daily life situations that are far more common (stress, relationship conflicts, worries about the future, disappointment in the past, etc).

When it comes to learning martial arts, I believe that there are two important factors in martial arts proficiency: 1) the martial artist (their dedication and preference), and 2) who they learn from. It's like asking the question, "Which is better: Japanese food, Chinese food, Italian food, American food, Mexican food, or Mediterranean food?" It mostly comes down to personal preference, but the chef can make all the difference. If you took the best chef in the world for each type, all the dishes would be equally amazing, yet unique in their own way. I think martial arts are very similar to this idea.

If learning how to fight is your sole purpose for martial arts training, I believe Ki-Aikido is certainly a great supplement, because understanding the impact of our mind on our actions, and Ki Principles especially, will radically improve any martial art's effectiveness. But Ki-Aikido alone will not scratch the itch you want it to if you are seeking pure combat training.

There is a long history on this that begins with the separation of the Ki Society (the International Ki-Aikido Organization) and the Aikikai Aikido Organization in 1974. 

This separation arose from a difference in beliefs about how Aikido should be taught. Koichi Tohei Sensei was the founder of Ki-Aikido and the number one student of Morihei Ueshiba (the founder of Aikido). After Ueshiba Sensei's passing, Tohei Sensei became the leader of the Aikikai Organization. He believed that Aikido techniques do not work without the understanding of Ki Principles (a foundation that helps us understand "mind moves body", and that our mind is the foundation of all action). He also believed that the training could be used for more than just martial arts techniques, such as daily life applications. And Tohei Sensei proved this point as he traveled the world, introducing Aikido to people outside of Japan, and by putting his principles and beliefs to the test against the largest people he could find! (Side note: Aikido exists outside of Japan solely because of Tohei Sensei)

This is the primary difference that separates Ki-Aikido from Aikido: the Ki-Aikido practice is built upon a pedagogy of publicly verified Ki-Principles that were tested internationally among martial artists and other professionals. 

On the other hand, Ueshiba Sensei was a man with no more than a 3rd grade education, who was also incredibly religious, believed he was the reincarnation of one of his religious entities, felt there were things only he could do, and spoke in language no one understood. This lead to misunderstandings, and some students learning a style of Aikido that was not effective. Tohei Sensei addressed this empirically by 1) doing what Ueshiba Sensei did, not what he said, and 2) putting everything he knew and believed to the test around the world.

However, Kisshomaru Ueshiba wanted to follow the pedagogy of his father more than Tohei Sensei, which created conflict within the Aikido organization. As a result, Tohei Sensei left the Aikikai to start his own organization and let Kisshomaru Ueshiba Sensei lead his family's organization. To this day, there is no connection between the two organizations, and anyone holding a rank in Aikikai Aikido who joins the Ki Society will have to start from the beginning rank (and vice versa).

"Ki" is often subject to direct translations that can cause a great deal of misunderstanding. This is because, in the English language, we do not have a single word that can fully encompass what "Ki" means. Nor do we use it in the same way that Japanese do.

氣 / 気 / Ki is used in a variety of everyday words and phrases within the Japanese language: 

天気 (weather), 気持ち (feeling), 電気 (electricity), 気遣い (concern), etc.

気に入る - to like
気にする - to  mind, to care about
気になる - to bother, to weigh on one's mind

氣を出す - to extend Ki, a Ki-Aikido expression that relates to the following...

やる気を出す - to be motivated, to become more motivated
本気を出す - to be serious, to bring out one's best
勇気を出す - to be courageous, to become more brave

In our training of Ki, it is used to represent bringing out one's inner most potential, and understanding the impact one's mind has on their body. When you are "extending Ki" as we often say, it means you are bringing out your best, and accessing the potential naturally available to all of us as human beings.

Ki is not easily understood solely from an intellectual lens though, so I highly recommend coming to the dojo and getting the experience for yourself!

Yes, the concept of "Ki" is frequently used in our training. However, to make it abundantly clear, Ki-Aikido does not, nor does it ever, teach students that they can throw someone with Ki, or their mind, in a way that mimics (for example) the force in Star Wars. I say this because I've seen video demonstrations where people explain Ki in this way. These ideas are ones that my teachers and the International Ki Society do not agree with, promote, or teach.

Ki-Aikido explains and teaches Ki in a publicly verifiable way that is more similar to the strength one can experience through calmness and relaxation. Ki-Aikido's Ki Principles were established by Koichi Tohei Sensei, the founder of Ki-Aikido. Tohei Sensei is the reason Aikido was brought to the western world, and Tohei Sensei constantly put his Ki Principles of "mind moves body" and his martial arts techniques to the test around the world wherever he taught, and found success.

The principles of Ki ARE NOT a superpower. It is learning and experiencing the impact that your mind has on your actions. 

If you would like to better understand this, we have some physical experiences, which we call "Ki Tests", that may help someone more fully understand how we define Ki. By all means, please come to the dojo to have this experience for yourself!

Of course, but only if one can also understand and apply Ki Principles into the technique. Myself, my teachers, and others have been in situations where they had to use Ki-Aikido techniques for self-defense, arrest control, and/or for security and found success. 

However, and more importantly, the principles and teachings we practice can be effective in a wider range of areas throughout our daily life, not just in self-defense situations. The concepts can be applied into leadership, stress management, relationships, athletics, and more. Tohei Sensei was adamant about what he called "Ki in Daily Life": applying the principles of our training off the mats.

A question I often ask my students is how often they get mugged or attacked each week? Everyone says, "never". Certainly some individuals, such as police officers, may be more likely to encounter those situations, but I have yet to meet someone who is attacked EVERY day. Then I ask how often they deal with stress, conflict, regrets about the past, worries about the future, etc? Everyone says, "everyday".

That is one thing I want people to see when beginning Ki-Aikido training. Of course, I want to help people learn self-defense, because that is the reason I started martial arts and I know that is why many others will start too. But I also hope people will see this training from a broader perspective. I want my students to develop the tools to deal with the things that are attacking them everyday, not just preparing for a situation that may never even occur.

I teach classes online for the Eastern Ki Federation, and I believe that kind of training can be a great supplement to in-person training at a dojo. But ultimately no, it is impossible to learn Ki-Aikido entirely by oneself.

Personally, I believe it is impossible to learn any martial art by oneself. There are so many things we do not see in our own movements, or things that we do not know are wrong, that having an outsider's perspective can be greatly beneficial to success.

When you join Charlotte Ki-Aikido, I will give you access to these online classes I have taught at no additionally charge! But those alone will not be enough to help students develop on their own. It is crucial to go to the dojo and work with an experienced instructor who can more deeply refine your knowledge and abilities.