The Culture of Aikido and its Perceived Physical and Mental Benefits. A questionnaire

Abstract

Aikido is a young sport, whose history will soon reach 100 years. The Founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, got a lot of his inspiration for Aikido from his natural skill in martial arts, his good nature, Buddhism, and the concept of ki-energy. This created a unique martial art that revolves around the protection of all mankind. The goal is not to defeat the enemy, but rather dissolve conflict. Which is why this paper seeks to explore the origins of Aikido and its spiritual aspects, and see if the Founders ideal budo (martial art) culture can be found within the Culture of Aikido, and whether the current practitioners can feel the mental and physical benefits that Aikido claims to have. The answers were sought by having practitioners known to the author take a questionnaire with that goal in mind. The questionnaire was made under the guidelines of questionnaire making and was answered by 67 respondents from 12 different countries and 15 different clubs. The questionnaire revealed that no obvious pattern could be perceived within the Aikido demographic. However, the teachings of the Founder regarding having an open heart seemed to resonate with the respondents. Furthermore, respondents said that they felt happier, calmer, less stressed, more energetic, more confident, and that it helped them deal with conflict. They further stated that their focus, posture, and flexibility improved after practicing Aikido. There were also signs of it helping with temper management and sleep patterns of some of the participants. Overall, the culture of Aikido seemed to be of an open community that share a similar giving nature to the Founder, with many physical and mental benefits.