Aikido teaches self defence

Martial arts enthusiast and practitioners from Polokwane and surrounding areas participated in the Provincial Aikido seminar held at Pietersburg English Medium Primary School on Sunday.
Enthusiasts were instructed in Aikido moves such as throws and joint locks derived from Jujitsu and techniques derived from Kenjutsu.
The chief instructor during the session, Sensei Elroy Goliath said they taught participants how to blend an attack and redirect its energy back to the attacker.
“We also practice techniques against a variety of attacks such as kicks, punches, strikes, single-hand or two-hand grabs from the front or rear, chokes, multiple person attacks, and attacks with weapons. In all of these we strive to resolve the conflict in a non-lethal, non-disruptive, yet effective manner.”
He stressed that it was important to impart some of the Aikido skills to everyone because Aikido is a very effective martial art for self defence.
“We taught them how to defend themselves against a variety of attacks. The best thing about Aikido is that the training is good. It improves posture and breathing. It can also help improving physical things like balance, timing and reaction. One of the purposes of repeated training is to move these things from conscious processing to automatic reflex. Aikido also helps us develop one’s spirit, sense of well-being, awareness and compassion. The multi-faceted approach to Aikido training makes us stronger and more complete human beings, better able to diffuse or defend against negative situations,” Goliath said.

Story and photos: Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert@mailbox.co.za