The University of Tasmania Aikido Club

The Club is affiliated with the Aikido Kenkyukai International (AKI) which has about 20 dojos in Australia. Through our affiliation we are directly linked to Aikikai Honbu Dojo (Aikido World Headquarters) in Tokyo and our gradings are internationally recognised.

AKI is an affiliation of Aikido clubs inspired by the teachings of Sensei Yoshinobu Takeda, 8th dan AIKIKAI of Kamakura Japan. The main AKI instructor for Australia is Yassuyuki Suzuki Sensei , Tokyo, 7th dan. Suzuki Sensei was student of Takeda and Yamaguchi sensei.
Takeda sensei was also a long-term student of Yamaguchi sensei who was a Honbu shihan and student of O-sensei.

What does it all mean?

Aikido, as Ueshiba conceived it in his later years, is not primarily a system of combat, but rather a means of self-improvement and the development of an aiki mind and body. Aikido has no tournaments, competitions, contests or sparring. Instead, aikido techniques are learned cooperatively at a pace commensurate with the abilities of each trainee. According to the founder, the goal of Aikido is not the defeat of others, but the defeat of the negative characteristics which inhabit one’s own mind and inhibit its functioning.

At the same time, the potential of Aikido as a means of self-defence should not be ignored. One reason for the prohibition of competition in Aikido is that many techniques would have to be excluded because of their potential to cause serious injury. By training cooperatively, even potentially dangerous techniques can be practiced without substantial risk.

It must be emphasized that there are no shortcuts to proficiency in Aikido (or in anything else, for that matter). Consequently, proficiency in Aikido is simply a matter of sustained and dedicated training. No one becomes an expert in just a few months or years.