Several years ago, I was chatting with a 12-year-old student before class. She asked me if aikido was effective, which prompted me to ask her what she meant by “effective.” She clarified by asking: if someone tried to hit her or physically control her, would aikido work?
I believe to find the answer to this question, we need to understand what outcomes we want to achieve. Do we want to:
ward off attacks,
harm the attacker until they are unable to threaten us,
immobilize the attacker,
escape, or
remove the attacker’s aggression?
Aikido techniques are drawn from combat-oriented jujitsu and weapons training (sword, short staff, short spear, and knife). Applied with a martial intent, aikido techniques can be used to ward off and counter attacks, immobilize or control others, or physically harm others, just like jujitsu.
While there is a martial aspect to aikido, it is intended to be something different. Aikido is a deeply principled practice that provides a bridge from a fighting mindset to one of peace and unity. Yes, you learn self-defense, but you learn to shape your actions to diffuse aggression and minimize harm to others. This is accomplished through persistent training that emphasizes redirecting aggression toward non-agression and using the energy of an attacker to redirect the threat.
So what does that mean for our young student?
I believe the answer to her questions is: yes, aikido is effective and it works, but that depends on what she believes to be an effective outcome.
In my experience, which spans combat, competitive, and wellness arts, three factors drive effectiveness: instruction, intent, and investment.
Instruction.
Instruction shapes your mindset, skills, and abilities. A teacher, just like a student, has knowledge, skills, and abilities. That person can offer a personal understanding of martial systems, student development, and application of techniques.
A teacher that is aligned with your goals is important to get to what “works” for you. As I mentioned earlier, aikido is meant to be different from Jujitsu. So if you want to fight, aikido is probably not right for you. If you’re looking for self-defense and personal development, aikido has a lot to offer. Aikido leverages an opponent's energy to redirect the attack, unbalance the attacker, and neutralize the threat.
Instruction also comes from your community. The people you train with regularly shape your understanding and ability. The knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of others in your school will contribute to how you practice and what you achieve. For example, training with people who don’t train seriously can limit your ability to use the martial art under pressure. Conversely, training hard all the time may lead to insensitivity to the subtler aspects of the art.
Participation in seminars, outside of your school, exposes you to different practices and perspectives. Training with new people provides expands your experiences with unfamiliar body types, attitudes, and training intensity. Aikido, like other martial systems, is about understanding yourself AND understanding others to reach your objectives.
Aikido instruction shapes your abilities, attitude, and connection. One can also learn sensitivity, restraint, and respect that reigns in harmful aggression. Aikido training helps one to practice cooperation, which requires one to consciously let go of domineering and aggressive impulses while maintaining a martially sound position and protection. Aikido training also opens the door to cultural and philosophical learning.
Intent.
Intent is what you are motivated to do. Intent is shaped by our circumstances, emotions, and training. Circumstances may include the setting, people involved, and risks. Your emotions and of others involved can influence your intent. For example, if you are very angry, you may intend to hurt rather than immobilize an adversary. Finally, training instills the tactics and intensity of your responses, which can lead to unintended results.
Sound instruction and diligent training will help one to develop the composure to act deliberately under pressure. When armed with martial skills, a person has to decide carefully what responses are appropriate for the situation faced. Often, there is little or no time to think, so what you practice is usually what manifests in the moment.
Most aikido techniques are drawn from jujitsu, which included combat techniques to evade, immobilize, and harm others. Aikido uses modified jujitsu techniques that emphasize redirecting attacks, unbalancing, and immobilization over striking and other forms of physical harm. This type of practice cultivates a peaceful disposition and makes available ways to deal with threats. One learns it is possible to protect oneself without having to harm others.
If your intent is to protect yourself while minimizing harm to others, aikido can be very effective; however, it’s important to note that aikido can hurt people. Those who are swept up in an aikido technique may become injured because they don’t know how to move to a safe position in time or how to fall safely. Applied aggressively, aikido’s jujitsu roots become evident and can cause great harm to others. This is where diligent training comes in - what I call investment.
Investment.
Like all things we strive to master, the more you put into developing your abilities, the more your abilities will manifest. With well-rounded instruction and experiences, one can develop reliable abilities, control, and an understanding of the art. Serious training that includes some degree of pressure testing abilities will cultivate confidence in your abilities and shine a light on areas for improvement.
With proper personal investment, instruction, and intent, a student will have the answer they seek: yes, aikido works.
What about aikido’s critics?
I have found that different martial arts emphasize different skills. Sports martial arts may tailor instruction to limit harm to participants, whereas a combat martial art has no limits. A wellness martial art may not emphasize strikes or high-intensity endurance. I believe aikido resides somewhere between combat and wellness training. I no longer see one art as better than another. Each has strengths that can complement and improve another in some way.
Many critics react to aikido videos. Aikido videos are generally geared to demonstrate aikido principles and their practice. Videos generally portray modified classical jujitsu techniques that highlight connection, unbalancing, and harmonization of circular movement between defender and attacker. These are skills aikido practioners work to develop.
Through the lens of a fighter who is unexperienced in aikido training, the demonstrations appear staged, impractical, and ineffective. What viewers don't see is that with sufficient practice, aikido students increase training intensity to a degree that may satisfy the expectations of combat-oriented observers. That's not the point of Aikido, though. Aikido's purpose is to cultivate connection over conflict through principled practice.
Ultimately, what do people get from aikido? Aikido develops a strong and resilient body, confidence, awareness, sensitivity, and a harmonious spirit. It arms you with self-defense techniques derived from battlefield martial systems. Most important, aikido teaches you to connect with others and provides a welcoming global community in which to grow and develop friendships.
The real question is: what does effective mean to you?
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