Aikido
Aikido is the martial art that the characters learn in Eight Times Up. It is a traditional Japanese art designed for self-defense. It uses evasion and circular movements instead of brute force. Instead of punching and kicking, aikido teaches students to overcome attackers by using their own force against them. These techniques involve joint locks, pins, and throws.

In Eight Times Up, Riley learns aikido as a way of managing his anxiety. Aikido is not a "cure" for anxiety or other mental health issues. However, it can help students to be more mindful of their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Aikido is non-competitive--there are no winners or losers--so students learn to care for their partner's well-being as much as their own. 

A Typical Aikido Class
Every class begins with students kneeling together in a line. Together, they bow to their teacher and to the front of the room. It is important to show respect and gratitude for the opportunity to learn.

The class then does a series of stretches and basic movements to warm up. Doing this helps the body become relaxed and ready.

The teacher begins by demonstrating a technique for the class. Beginning students are paired up with senior students to make sure they are learning carefully and safely. Like with any new activity, it can feel overwhelming at first because there is so much new information. Aikido students make for generous teachers, however, and everyone remembers starting their aikido study in the same place and experiencing the same feelings. Everyone understands that growth takes time and patience.

After an hour or so, junior students are excused from the mats. Senior students stay to train with a greater level of complexity and intensity.

The best way to get a sense of aikido is to come watch a class!

Kimeda Sensei
In Eight Times Up, Kondo Sensei has a profound effect on Riley and the other students. In real life, one of the most senior Yoshinkai Aikido instructors in the world is Takeshi Kimeda Sensei. Kimeda Sensei is a real-life teacher (9th degree black belt) who still actively teaches in Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Kimeda Sensei was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1941. He was the first person to bring Yoshinkan Aikido to North America. He brought it to California in 1964. He later started teaching in Michigan, and then came to Canada, teaching in various cities in Ontario. It was here that he founded Aikido Yoshinkai Canada, a network of clubs that maintains a close relationship with the Yoshinkan Aikido Hombu Dojo in Japan. 

History of Aikido

Aikido is a young martial art that was many centuries in the making. The name "aikido" wasn't officially used until 1942, but the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (pictured above), started to define its basic techniques as early as the 1920's.

Aikido comes from the same family of martial arts as judo and jiu-jitsu. All of these arts have their roots in the fighting techniques of the samurai, medieval Japanese warriors. Samurai typically fought with weapons such as the sword, but needed to develop a "back-up plan" in case they lost their weapons in battle.

As the days of sword-fighting died out, different modern martial arts developed into different kinds of sports with rules and competitions. Aikido, however, never became a sport. Ueshiba O-Sensei maintained that its dual goals were self-defense and self-improvement. One of his favourite sayings was "True victory is victory over the self. But if you have to win a fight, win quickly!"