For the 11th year, the Aikido Federation of Greece is co-organizing with the Municipality of Nafplio the "Aikido Spring 2023 Festival".
The program includes Aikido practice at the Municipal Indoor Gym of Nafplio and Aiki Ken & Aiki Jo practice at Karathona beach.
Aikido is a martial art originating from Japan. It was created by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) in the 1920s. Aikido is a defensive technique that allows the defender to protect themselves without injuring the opponent. It is based more on exploiting the sense of balance and technique of the defender than on muscular strength, and in addition to being a physical exercise, it is also a spiritual exercise. That is why it is called the art of non-resistance. It combines strikes, holds, and exercises with weapons.
Aikido is based on avoiding the attack by moving the body, breaking the balance of the opponent, and controlling them, often with immobilizations and/or pins. The basic technical characteristics of aikido are circular movements and the blending of the defender's movement with that of the attacker, as the basic "assumption" is that attacks are dealt with before they reach a very short distance. Due to the many falls -reminiscent of the falls of Judo- training is done on mats (tatami), and a visual characteristic of the art is the use of the traditional wide pants "hakama".
Did you know that?
A fundamental characteristic of Aikido is the ideology of Ueshiba, which prohibits competitions and promotes harmony and mutual understanding among people.
Today, Aikido is divided into three major styles, one of which (Aikikai) is led by Ueshiba's descendants (currently by his grandson) according to the traditional Japanese system (source: Wikipedia).
Aikido is now practiced in around 140 countries.
