NOTICE
Photo by Alex Bonham-Carter
Pam Jones watches Jana Rittenhouse flip in the air while practicing Ki-Aikido, at the Kansas Ki Society in Lawrence, KI-Aikido is a form of martial arts that is grounded in body and mind instead of brute force.
to the attacker.This philosophy has made it popular with police forces around the world.
Andrew Tsubaki, professor emeritus of Asian studies, is a fifth-degree black belt and teaches a style of Aikido called Ki-Aikido.This style of Aikido emphasizes not only technique, but also the development of one's "ki" or mental energy, which allows a defender to better "connect" with an attacker in order to redirect the attack into a throw or a pin. This emphasis is made clear by the fact that there are two ranking systems: one for technique and one for ki development.
Tsubaki warns that first-time visitors may be puzzled, because kicking and punching is what they expect to see in martial arts. But when they see Aikido for the first time, they see an attack being diverted and thrown away, or redirected to the ground and pinned. It looks easy, but Tsubaki says this can be misleading.
"Sometimes, for untrained eyes, it's so simple," Tsubaki says. "It looks like nage, the one receiving the attack, does hardly anything, and that uke, the attacker, throws himself. But the observer is failing to catch what is causing the attacker to fail."
laido is a Japanese art involving the swift drawing, cutting, and re-sheathing of a sword. Initially, it was a practice of samurai to train in this way so they could respond immediately to surprise attacks. Unlike martial arts that pit two opponents against each other, modern laido has become more of a meditative art with martial origins, designed to be introspective and to help develop calmness of mind.
Grand Master Ki-June Park is head instructor at the Lawrence Tae Kwon Do School, where he teaches Tae Kwon Do, Hap Ki Do, Kumdo, Sun Do and self-defense clinics for women.
Han Ki Do
Most people familiar with martial arts have seen spectacular high-kicking, board-breaking demonstrations of Tae Kwon Do. But fewer are familiar with Hap Ki Do, a Korean art that focuses on falling and rolling, throwing and joint-locking, Kumdo, the Korean name for Japanese Kendo,
Martial Arts in Lawrence
More information about all KU martial arts clubs can be found on KU Recreation Services' Web site, www.recreationku.edu.
Kraw Maga:
Premier Martial Arts
3201 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence
785-749-4400
www.pmalwrence.com
Kuk Sool Won:
Lawrence Athletics Club
3201 Mesa Way, Lawrence
785-865-5169
www.lawrences.net
Aikido and laido:
Kansas Ki Society
711 W. 23rd St. #14, Lawrence
785-843-8419
www.kanskaiakido.org
Tae Kwon Do:
Lawrence Tae Kwon Do School
1846 Vermont St., Lawrence
785- 841-5661
Those looking for other uncommon martial arts not mentioned above might consider making the short drive to Olathe and the Wu Tong Academy, which teaches Wing Chun, Tai Chi Chuan, Escrima (Filipino stick fighting), Muay Thai Kickboxing, Six Elbows Gung Fu, Pentjak Silat (an Indonesian fighting style), Shaolin Animal Gung Fu, Hawaiian Kempo, Praying Mantis boxing, mixed martial arts and free women's self-defense classes. More information can be found at www.wutongma.com.
which is a full contact sword-fighting art practiced in armor, or Sun Do, a yoga-like meditative discipline for ki development that, according to Park, is the root and ultimate goal of martial arts.
"We as martial artists have to respect each different martial art," Park says. "Each martial art has their own culture and heritage and tradition and method. We have to keep a respectful manner."
That said, Park says there are two types of schools to avoid: those who teach "hodge-podge" mixed martial arts without a sense of tradition, and anyone advertising quick-fix self-defense courses. True self-defense skills, he says, can only come after months and years of training.
The best option for you
Not surprisingly, all of the instructors say the best way to decide on a martial art is to go watch a class or take an introduction class to see how the the instructors teach.
Booth of Premier Martial Arts suggests looking for a balance between price and the quality of instruction when choosing a class. He also says look at higher-ranked students and instructors at a school to see what you might look like someday, and what you're getting for your money.
Ultimately, finding the right martial art for you—both in technique and philosophy—could bring greater empowerment, discipline and health benefits to your life. There's one out there for you, and it might be closer than you thought possible.
August 28,2008
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