10/06/2026
In sports like boxing and other combat sports, athletes clash force against force with the ultimate goal of defeating their opponent. Even traditional Japanese martial arts like Judo, Karate, and Kendo share a similar competitive nature to some extent.
However, Aikido is not a combat sport. It is rooted in a philosophy of blending "Ki" (spiritual or life energy) rather than clashing physical bodies. The reason it is so often misunderstood is that on the surface, it looks like a martial art. In reality, practitioners are learning how to harmonize their own energy with another person's.
For instance, the person you see on the screen is not some incredibly powerful fighter; he is simply an ordinary student. But unlike boxing, where you can train alone with a punching bag, Aikido cannot be practiced by yourself. While your partner can be anyone, the core focus is whether you can cultivate and connect your "Ki" with another person, starting from a point as small as the touch of a hand. Therefore, what you are seeing here is the partner voluntarily taking a fall (known as ukemi) as part of this cooperative practice.
Unfortunately, even many Japanese people today do not truly understand this. As a fellow Japanese, I would like to apologize for the misguided comments left by some of my compatriots.
To reiterate, Aikido is not about fighting. It is a profoundly Eastern discipline focused on how deeply you can connect with someone through invisible energy. Physically speaking, it is closer to a form of solo exercise done in tandem with another person, rather than a combat sport. It is completely different from the concept of trading punches to overpower an opponent through brute force.
I do not know if this concept will fully resonate with a Western perspective, but this is the true essence of Aikido.
