Aikido for women. What are women looking for in aikido practice?
What attracts women to aikido? This is a very interesting question, especially considering that about 25 percent of those attending aikido training sessions are women. So, what can women expect from aikido?
Aikido requires little physical strength. Aikido training applies the principles of relaxation, correct movement direction (movement geometry), internal and external calmness, and harmonizing one’s rhythm and movement with the rhythm and movement of one’s partner. This helps to perform techniques accurately and promotes the growth of mastery. Under these conditions, women can feel comfortable and achieve high results.
Aikido is, after all, a martial art. Therefore, you learn to fall in such a way as to avoid injury, react to movement, avoid resistance, and, once you have reached a high level, anticipate danger in advance so that you can avoid or minimize it. When faced with an unexpected situation of aggression, a woman will certainly care least about the laurels of victory. It will be important for her to free herself, dodge the blow, perform a painful hold, and simply react correctly to aggression and attack. Aikido training is undoubtedly useful for these purposes.
Health and aesthetic beauty. Refining movements and techniques, learning how to fall safely and roll, and moving while feeling the center of the body are excellent ways to train physical characteristics. Excess weight disappears, the body becomes slimmer and more toned. Correct posture, head and shoulder position are formed, and the abdominal muscles are strengthened. Gait and movements become more graceful and refined, and their directionality and purposefulness become more pronounced.
One of the main principles of aikido is finding and nurturing inner peace and relaxation. Women tend to have inner anxiety and are usually more emotionally sensitive and expressive than men. Emotional imbalance, if it takes hold of a person, prevents them from objectively and accurately assessing the situation and, accordingly, making a decision. By practicing aikido, one eventually develops the skills to maintain a balance between mind and emotions, to remain calm and relaxed, and at the same time feel full of energy. All of this leads to the discovery and application of new ways of interacting with other people and the world. Women are naturally endowed with some important qualities of aikido: inner intuition, sensitivity, softness, and flow. They do not need to search within themselves and develop these qualities by overcoming stereotypes typical of men. Inner peace and a balance of mind and emotions harmoniously complement the gifts that nature has given women. All of this also promotes their technical mastery.
Aikido is the only martial art that does not involve competitions or combat tournaments. The attacker (uke) and the defender (nage) are not opponents, but partners. When performing techniques, partners are responsible for each other and help each other. This creates a sincere, respectful, and positive atmosphere in the hall. The idea of partnership, knowing that you will be helped, and the certainty of safety are important to many women. Finally, aikido does not involve sudden or blocking movements, so the risk of getting bruises or suffering more serious injuries is minimal. Of course, as in any physical activity, injuries do occur, but the safety of both partners is always emphasized when performing techniques.
What should you not expect from aikido?
Don’t expect that by practicing aikido, you will become a warrior conqueror after a year (or even ten years). In general, the dynamics of aikido have their own peculiarities. Aikido techniques will be very useful in conflict situations, which women often find themselves in when attacked. On the other hand, women are more likely to apply aikido techniques in critical situations than men, because many inadequately disposed individuals and female abusers often consider them to be helpless beings, and therefore allow themselves to simply wave their arms, grab their clothes, and otherwise ignore the vulnerability of their position. With even a little determination and courage, it is possible to successfully free oneself from the attacker’s grip, deliver an unexpected blow, or perform painful control. It is likely that in real life you will not even need to use aikido as a physical martial art. It has been observed that aggressors tend to attack potential victims. After several years of training in aikido, your posture, stance, and dynamics will simply radiate the message that you are definitely not a victim.
There is no need to worry that aikido classes will ruin your figure. Just by practicing aikido, you will never become like Hulk or The Rock. Of course, professional long-term practice of aikido will change your posture and body composition. Improving basic techniques and exercises will strengthen your legs and arms. Your limbs will probably not become bigger or thicker, but you will enjoy their more expressive form. Most women (and men) who regularly attend aikido training notice that they lose weight and feel better overall. In summary, it is worth remembering that at the amateur level, no physical exercise will ruin a woman’s figure, whereas a sedentary lifestyle, abundant and fatty food, carbonated sweet drinks, and sweets will definitely do so.
Don’t expect to keep your nails long. Long nails can injure your partner or break unpleasantly, so they should be neatly trimmed. Also, you definitely won’t need jewelry around your neck, ears, hands, feet, or anywhere else on your body in the gym. It makes no sense to go to training wearing heavy makeup, with an elaborate hairstyle, or with your hair loose (untied). In short, if you decide to attend aikido classes, remember that in this activity, a woman is most adorned by correctly performed techniques, as they reveal precision, grace, completeness, and harmony in her movements.
Women’s groups
Women’s groups are a special and, perhaps, ambiguous phenomenon in aikido practice. It is important to understand that it is impossible to learn effective self-defense by training only with women. If your main goal is to be able to defend yourself, then it is better to choose a mixed group. Joint training sessions for men and women have their own significance. When working with more fragile and delicate partners, men try not to use brute physical force and focus on improving their form, which is very important when practicing aikido. In turn, women, paired with physically stronger men, readily absorb the technical principles of aikido, moving towards mastery. However, women’s aikido groups have a right to exist because they have a number of advantages. Choose a women’s group if:
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- You find it difficult to let another person, especially someone of the opposite sex, into your personal physical space. Close physical contact is inevitable in aikido classes, and if this is unacceptable to you, it may be a good idea to start with a women’s group, where you will feel safer.
- You are looking for physical activity, but traditional fitness classes or exercises at the gym seem too boring and routine for you.
- You strive for clarity and inner certainty. And also the ability to tolerate uncertainty.
- You are interested in new ways of self-discovery and self-improvement.
- You want your posture and movements to become more graceful, elegant, and refined, while also radiating self-confidence.
- You want to practice aikido, and you can only do so during the day.
Prepared by: Natalija Serova, 1st dan in Aikido