Aikido is one of the traditional forms of martial arts that combine both the body and the mind. It does not only emphasize the use of physical skills but also the spirituality of practitioners and those who wish to learn the art.

Aikido is a technique that incorporates moves that are more defensive than offensive. In fact, it seeks not to injure but to prevent or stop a person. This is perhaps why there is rarely a weapon used in the sport. The martial arts is made up mostly of movements and techniques. Still, there are some, who are already advanced, that go into weapons training. Weapons that are used in aikido are the tanto, the wooden jo and the bokken. Often, techniques in taking weapons from opponents and keeping the weapon practitioners are using are taught.

More than specific aikido weapons, practitioners of aikido rely mostly on the moves that they are being taught with. Their mastery of these movements are their weapons against people who wish to do them harm.

Below is a rundown of the movements and techniques taught in aikido.

Ikkyo
This is the most basic movement in aikido. In fact, it is the first to be taught. Ikkyo makes use of control in the grip by applying hand grip on the elbow and near the wrist. The grip can apply pressure on the ulnar, a medial portion of the arm.

Atemi
Atemi are feints or strikes that are used as attacks against the vital points o the body. This movement is meant to cause much damage; so it is rarely being used in aikido. Still, if there is a need, one can use atemi in fighting your way out of brawls. It can also be used as a form of distraction. Atemis can take your opponent by surprise and break his concentration by providing a startling incident. When used the right way, it can also ruin your opponent’s balance, which can provide an opportunity for you to strike or to run away.

Another form of strikes that can be used in aikido is the kick. This is however not used as often. Aikido does not encourage the use of kicks because injuries brought on by these kinds of movements may be too dangerous. Also, kicks are not so common in feudal Japan, where aikido originated.

Here are some forms of strikes that are often used.

Face-thrust
Although the aikido name, Ganmen-tsuki, can be quite complicated, it is basically a punch directed to the face.

Front-face
Called Shomenuchi in aikido language, it is characterized by a vertical knife strike to the head of the opponent.

Side-face
Also termed Yokomenuchi, this strike is done by making a diagonal knife-hand strike at the side of the neck or the side of the head of the opponent.

Chest-thrust
Called Mune-tsuki, this is basically a punch to the torso, targeting the chest, the solar plexus and the abdomen

Attacks
Although attacks are basically not encouraged in the study of aikido, teachers still see the need for it should circumstances warrant a more offensive technique. One example of an attack used in aikido is the immobilizing grab, which is often used when opponents wield weapons.

Grabs
This is one of the most basic techniques in aikido. It is considered safer and easier to do. It is a technique used to free one’s hand, rid your opponents’ of their weapon or to immobilize a person.

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Among the various martial arts that have emerged over the years, Aikido is one of those that continue to gather more practitioners. Simply because more and more people believe that martial arts should not instigate attacks but should place great emphasis on motion and the dynamics of movement especially of the opponents’ and use it against him or her.

Having the basic principle of “not fighting force with force,” aikido has become popular and has been practiced in different parts of the globe today.

AIKIDO TEACHINGS CAUGHT ON TAPE

If you are interested in learning aikido but do not have the time to attend classes in dojos or you are short of cash to enroll in an aikido class, then purchasing an aikido video would be suitable for you. By buying several aikido videos, you can learn the basic principles of martial arts.

You can even learn the different aikido techniques and practice these in the comfort of your own place. Here are some of the most popular and reliable aikido videos available today.

1. The Essential Teachings of Aikido.
This aikido video features Hikitsuchi Michio Sensei, 10th Dan, as he continues his life-long dedication to the “direct transmission” of Aikido he learned first-hand from the founder of Aikido, Ueshiba Morihei Osensei. This aikido video is a three-volume videotape series that is professionally produced with English-language voice-over. Shot entirely on location at the Aikido Kumano Juku Dojo in Shingu, Japan, individual tape includes point-by-point technical instruction, exciting demonstrations, and spirited discussions of the foundations of Aikido. Volume 1 features Hikitsuchi Sensei as he teaches how to practice “instantaneous aiki,” while the Volume 2 shows Hikitsuchi Sensei teaching “kihon waza.” A set of the Essential Teaching tapes can be bought at around $170-190.

2. The heart of Aikido Volume 1 to 3.
This set also features Hikitsuchi Sensei as he demonstrates how the movements of Aikido stemmed from the workings of the sword and the staff. He also the “aiki bojutsu” he learned directly from Osensei. More than half of the tape is dedicated to the demonstration of numerous Aikido techniques. This autobiographical video can be bought at around $60 –80.

3. Practical Aiki-Do - Volume 1 to Volume 5.
This series of aikido demonstrations is already in a DVD format. Compiled by Robert Koga, a former law enforcement instructor for LAPD and consultant for countless agencies in the US and across the globe, each individual volume is considered among the finest and most comprehensive works on Aikido.

Here, Sensei Koga takes the audience beyond the theory of aikido and takes them into the real world of practical Aikido by teaching techniques that can be used in everyday real-life situations. Each tape ranges from 50 minutes up to 56 minutes of playing and priced at $29.95 each.

4. Morihei Ueshiba: King of Aikido, Tape 1 to Tape 2.
This series is also available in DVD format. The tape 1 and tape 2 of Morihei Ueshiba: King of Aikido present exciting historic video and features spectacular 1930s “pre-war” footage of aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba. These tapes contain interesting collection of O-Sensei’s technique demonstrations. Playing time ranges from 60 to 65 minutes and can be bought at $24.95 each.

5. Aikido. This aikido video comes in DVD format.
Compiled by Patricia Guerri, Aiki Bukikai 6th Dan, this video will lead the audience to the mastery of Aikido weapons. This aikido video comes on different languages such as French, English, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, Arabian, and Hebrew.

It also divided into chapters, interactive menus, making of, photo gallery, certificates, and trailers as its Special Features. Playing time is approximately 85 minutes and can be bought in $29.95.

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Like all martial arts or sports for that matter, Aikido has their own set of uniforms. The aikidogi or the uniform used in aikido is similar to the keikogi used in most martial arts. Keikogi is a term used to refer to uniform for training.

This is a general term used to refer to uniforms of donned for traditional martial arts class. For Aikido it’s the aikidogi, for Judo it’s judogi, for Jiujitsu it’s the jujutsugi, karategi for Karate, kendogi for kendo and the shinobi-iri and shinobi shozoku for Ninjutsu arts. The training uniforms used in martial arts are often times referred to as mere gi or dogi.

The aikidogi consists of simple trousers and a white jacket or uwagi or upper garment. For aikidogi, wraparound jackets used in judo and karate are acceptable. Judo jackets are thicker and are built for durability since in judo the jacket receives considerable stress from the techniques like seizing and throwing.

For aikidokas, judo jackets might be advisable since some Aikido techniques also involve some keikogi grabbing which could tear the cloth during practice. Sometimes, aikido uniforms are customized to handle precisely the stress in some techniques. Although, personalized or specialized aikodogis are uncommon. If you do find keikogi specially made for Aikido training, you’ll notice that the gi has reinforced kneepatches.

The jacket is also a little longer around the waist which allows the aikidoka to easily tuck them to their hakama. The Aikdo jacket might also have shorter sleeves since basic techniques of Aikido focuses on wrist grabs and twists. The uwagi might be made from heavyweight tightly woven terrycloth which is similar to uwagi of Judo or from heavy canvas similar to karategi. Regardless, both are strong enough to withstand the regular grappling and throwing found in Aikido training.

Aside from the trousers and wraparound jackets, Aikido schools also add hakama, which looks like a dress or skirt, to the uniform. The concept behind wearing a hakama is to be able to hide the movements of the feet. The hakama is commonly black or indigo in color and are usually reserved for aikidokas that have received the dan rank.

In Aikido, most of the styles or schools use the ky?/dan ranking system which is the norm in the martial arts world. However, each style has different qualifications for meeting each rank and each style might use colored belts for ky? levels while others do not. In some schools the hakama is worn by all students regardless of rank. While in other styles, only female aikidokas are required to wear them.

When buying for first aikidogi it is important to make sure that the size and fit is right. Uniforms that are too small will constrict your movements while too big a size will get in the way of executing techniques. As mentioned before, in Aikido you’ll get considerable pulling, stretching, sliding, jumping and throwing thus the need for a set of uniform that will not easily tear from the regular training routine. Double stitched uniforms are usually stronger and will handle the stress. Extra knee padding is also a plus. However, do remember that these things cost a little extra but its all worth it since you’ll be having a uniform that will lasts longer. This is definitely better than buying a new one every time you tear it up during training.

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Aikido is a modern martial art that is founded by spirituality and philosophy influenced by the Omoto-kyo religion associated with the Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba. The etymology of the word Aikido stems from three Japanese characters. “Ai” literally means joining, with “ki” meaning something like spirit, and “do” meaning way. Loosely translated then, the meaning of Aikido is the way of joining the spirit.

The Aikido way is to align body and mind with the spirit or ki and it said that the only way to be able to do this is through cultivating a relaxed state. It is in this relaxed state that nothing is forced or contrived so the mind and body naturally join the spirit or energy and everything becomes one. It is this oneness and cultivation of relaxation that this martial art paradoxically gets referred to as the art of peace.Its founder Ueshiba was a pacifist and it is said that he taught Aikido as a peaceful means to end aggression.

Although spiritual and philosophical development is important in Aikido training, it has to be put to practical means and examples in actual practice of Aikido techniques and methods.Aikido training usually consists of two parties. The first is called uke or the receiving body and the other is known as nage (although this term varies depending on the Aikido style being taught) who gives the technique being taught.

This concept of uke and nage can be likened to the Chinese yin and yang because in Aikido, uke and nage are not separate entities. They are two parts of one where the Aikido training can be learned with give and take from both parties.For instance, one of the first techniques taught in Aikido training is how to throw and fall safely. It is the task of nage to prevent injury to uke so he can learn to land safely when thrown.

Furthermore, in Aikido training, the receiver or uke usually initiates an attack against the nage whose aim is to neutralize the assault with an Aikido move or technique.This way, both the uke and nage learn from each other and the Aikido training is not successfully executed without oneness between the two. It is in the give and take of these two entities in Aikido training that the principles of ki and other fundamentals of Aikido techniques are learned.

Such fundamentals are the principles of adapting, flexibility, calmness and blending. In the case of uke and nage, Aikido training teaches uke to be more flexible and relaxed so that nage will not be able to catch them unaware and throw them off balance. On the other hand, nage learns to blend and adapt to be able to control and assuage the assaulting energy from uke.Aikido training however is not exclusive to practice and parries between just two parties. In fact, Aikido training involves instruction for multiple attackers.

This is called randori and is a vital and required lesson to be learned in higher levels of Aikido training. The Aikido training for multiple attacks is done “freestyle” where a person can further expand their knowledge by practicing and performing Aikido techniques beyond the structured environment of the uke and nage. These are only two methods of Aikido training. There are many other training methods and techniques that follow the core value of Aikido.

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In order to seek out and apply for the jobs you are interested in, you will most likely post your profile and resume on a job search web site, such as monster.com or hotjobs.com. These search engines allow you to upload your resume in a Microsoft Word or text file format, or create one using their forms.

Outside of the job search web sites, emailing resume as form of application has become commonplace. However, each employer or headhunter has different rules on the file they will accept via e-mail. Most companies will accept an attachment in Microsoft Word – this is why you have to be conscious of the font type and size, as well as margins you are using when composing your resume. If a company is requesting a text file, you should follow these steps to convert your Microsoft Word document into a text resume:
- Select File, Save As
- Name the file; as a best practice, use your name as the file name, and use underscores as spaces
- Under Format, select Text Only
- Select Save.

Now that you have converted your file to a text file, make sure to open it and review how the spaces, tabs, and bullet points have transferred over. You may need to do some edits in order to format the resume to fit the file type. Note that the plain text file doesn’t allow for bolding, italicizing or underlining. Make sure that all your text is left justified and that the spacing is correct.

If an employer asks that you include your resume in the body of an email, treat this as a text file when formatting. Copy and paste your whole resume in an email. Keep the font styles basic; use Arial or Times New Roman fonts and keep the size at 10 or 12 points. Adjust all the spacing and bullet points as appropriate. A good rule to follow is to keep the email simple – avoid bolding or italicizing text since you don’t really know the type of email software your recipient is using or if the accept HTML or text emails only.

If you are sending your resume as an attachment, format the body of your email as a cover letter. At the top of the email, include your name and address, as well as the address of your recipient. Typically, the address can be found either on the job listing or at the company’s web site. If you are sending the resume in the body of the email, follow the same guidelines in terms of the email content. Don’t make an assumption that including a resume in the body of an email is the only information you should include in your message to your potential employer. Even if the resume is copied into the email, you still need to let your employer know a little bit more about yourself via a cover letter. However, since you will include your address at the top of the email, feel free to start your resume with a career objective instead of including the heading with your name and address.

Much like proofing is critical in perfecting your resume, testing how your resume is displayed in a body of an email or how it opens as an attachment via another computer is important. Rally your friends or family for help, and send them sample emails with your resume included in the body of the message or as an attachment. This will provide a great opportunity for you to assure that your resume is reaching your potential employers in the format that is clean and professional.

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If you have never written a resume, you may wonder if it is easier to embark on the task yourself or to hire someone else to do it for you. Resume writing services or professionals concentrate on developing and writing resumes for professionals in any industry, with any caliber of experience. These professionals are skilled in formatting your resume, knowing how to create winning statements that draw attention, and customizing your resume to the industry or field you are interested in. In addition to their writing skills, resume writing professionals are familiar with the scanning software that most companies use in order to review resumes for key words.

You should consider using a resume writing services:
- If you have never written a resume and you don’t know anyone who can assist in the process
- If you have not written a resume in years and are unsure of the appropriate format that translates well online
- If English is not your first language or if you know that you typically have problems with spelling or grammar.

A resume writer can assist by first collecting your information and understanding your career objective. If you have an existing resume, even if it is not the most up to date, you should make sure that you give that to the writer as a starting point. When you work with a professional resume writer you can expect that they can help you in composing your career objective statement, listing your responsibilities in a concise manner, and perfecting the final document. Additionally, a resume writer will be able to help you address any concerns potential employers may have about your resume, such as explaining a change of career, or gaps in your professional history.

There are truly no cons to using resume writing services, but there are certainly some things you should consider in order to get the best service for your money.

While some people recommend writers who are accredited or certified as professional resume writers, this is not the key to finding someone who will do a great job on your behalf. Make sure that you speak with the writer, and have him/her address any concerns or questions you have about composing your resume. They should be able to provide you with a sample of a before and an after resumes they have recently completed for a client, as well as professional references. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about their writing process; ask about their background (what other writing services do they provide?), their writing and editing process, turnaround time and a detailed explanation of their fees. If you receive a draft of your resume, and you are not satisfied with the format or there are discrepancies, ask for the writer to address your concerns before accepting the final document. The costs will vary, depending on the professional’s experience. Make sure that you understand what is involved in the cost. It is also in your best interest to talk to a couple of different professionals, so that you can better idea of the cost range.

Most importantly, make sure that you feel comfortable with the writer and the terms of the agreement you have with them, before you decide to hire them to work on your resume. Trust and understanding will result in the best working relationship, therefore producing the best resume for your career objective.

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If you have ever tried to write a resume, for yourself or for someone you know, you are already familiar with the fact that this is not an easy task to take on. So much information goes into a resume; from your career objective to the list of your qualifications, your resume should be personal, convey confidence and set your best foot forward in order to impress a potential employer. However, creating a winning resume is not easy. The following are the most commonly made mistakes in resume composition:

• Including references to personal web sites.

You may wonder why referencing a personal web site may be a mistake. What if you have a sample of your graphic design work on your site that you want your potential employer to see? It sounds like a great idea, if the site you are referencing only has work-related information available. Many people make a mistake of including their personal web sites that may contain information potential employers may find irrelevant (and now you are wasting their time) or inappropriate.

As a rule, do not include your personal web site if it contains your photo or other photos that may be viewed as inappropriate, if it contains jokes (even if they are clean jokes), or your blog. In other words, if the site you have is entirely for personal purposes, you are best leaving it off your resume.

Include a link to your web site if the pages are set up to showcase your professional portfolio, a copy of your resume, reference letters, presentations, photos taken for professional use, or your web development skills.

• Using very small fonts in order to get everything to fit on one page.

One of the most common challenges is creating a resume that formats well on a single page. As a rule, a resume should not exceed two pages. However, in recent years, it has become commonplace for professionals to change jobs frequently, and listing all the experiences, in addition to your career objective, education, qualifications and references, can certainly take up a lot of space.

Do not use a small font in order to fit everything into your resume. There is not a single area in your resume that should have a font size of less than 10 points. Keep in mind the font type you are using – stick to the basics, Arial and Times New Roman are your best bet. Instead of changing the font size, review and revise your resume to make your statements more concise.

• Incorrect company/school listings.

The biggest mistake people make, without realizing that they are making it, is not referring to the past employers and/or the school(s) they’ve attended by their full names. Do not use variations of company and school names. Don’t use abbreviations unless they are in fact part of the name. If you have attended New York University, list the complete name, not just NYU (even though it’s commonly known and your employer will likely recognize it). You don’t want to appear sloppy or as if you don’t pay attention to details.

• Lengthy paragraphs describing your experiences.

To list the responsibilities you’ve had in your past professional experience, you are best off using bullet points that begin with action verbs, such as managed, developed, etc. You do not need to use full sentences, and you certainly do not need to use the paragraph format. This makes the information in your resume overwhelming and difficult to review quickly. Make your statements brief and clear; don’t add words to fill in space.

• Typos.

The most important factor in achieving a winning resume is proof reading. You want to put your best foot forward. If your resume contains grammar and spelling problems, your potential employer will get an impression that you are not detail-oriented. It is hard to proof a document you have been working on so closely – use spell check (but be ware, it will not catch everything), ask your friends for help, meet with a career counselor. Do your best to present the most polished resume to your potential employers.

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A career objective, often listed as objective only on your resume, is a statement of your career goals. It sounds simple – you want to get a good job, utilize your experience and education, and get paid well. However, this is the most difficult part of the resume to compose, as you are limited to one to two sentences in which you are expected to convey your professional expertise, expectations from a job and an organization, as well as goals for your professional growth. Doesn’t sound so easy now, does it?

The most common mistake people make is not listing an objective. Most people operate under the assumption that the objective is not necessary to include in a resume because it states the obvious – your objective is to get the job you are applying for. However, this is a big misconception. Employers are looking for an objective; they want to know what it is that you are looking for in order to determine whether or not you are a good match for their company.

The second most common mistake is including a career objective that doesn’t actually express your goals and your qualification. For example, a statement like the one below is commonly used is resumes:

“To obtain a position where my experience and education can be utilized and expanded.”

If you examine this statement, you will find it doesn’t say anything specific about what you are looking for in terms of professional growth. Avoid using generic statements like this. They will hurt you more than help you in your job search, because your employer will be left with an impression that you don’t have a set a goal in mind.

Now that you know what not to do, here are some helpful tips on creating a winning career objective that will get your resume noticed and get your foot in the door. First, make your career objective personal. Think of your whole resume as a sales tool; your career objective is your opening statement. You want your employer to know what you want, not just restate what other people want.

Second, you want to state your commitment to your career goal. If you are unsure of what you want, how is your employer to believe that you really want the job at their organization and you are not just applying because you want to get out of your current work environment? Don’t be afraid to state what you want from a job and from an organization.

Third, while you want to state your commitment, you also want to show that you are willing to take action to achieve your goal. Indicate what direction or action you are willing to take in order to accomplish your career objective. Fourth and most important factor in a successful career objective is being specific about what you are looking for in a work situation. While you can say that you are looking for a “challenging” environment, this doesn’t mean anything to your employer, as people define challenges in various ways. Avoid using generic and broad terms. Simply state what you want, and what you are willing to do to get it.

Keeping in mind these criteria, let’s revise the above career objective statement so that it effectively states what you want.

“To obtain a position of a sales representative in a health insurance industry, where I can utilize my management and customer relations skills, with the opportunity for performance-based advancement.”

This statement tells a potential employer that you know what kind of job you want, what experience you have in order to get the position, and what you are willing do to become a successful professional with the company. Thus, you have just created a winning career objective for your resume.

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One of the biggest concerns in creating a resume has to do with your professional experience. Before you begin your resume, consider the following questions.

• What is your career objective?
• Are you changing careers or looking for professional growth?
• What experience have you had so far that will help in meeting your professional goals?

To get started in developing your resume, list all of your previous experience, in chronological order, starting with your latest job on a piece of paper. List the dates of employment, your job title, the full company name and the location of your employment. Now, consider just how much experience you have had. In recent years, it has become more commonplace to change jobs more frequently and not build your career in one place. As such, it is possible that someone with ten years of professional experience following college has had over three jobs. That doesn’t seem all that much to include on a resume, right? Consider someone with over 30 years of experience. It is important to set limits on what you include and what you can freely exclude from your resume under your professional experience.

Ideally, your resume should not exceed two pages. Depending on the type of jobs you have held and your responsibilities, having only two pages doesn’t account for a lot of space. The best practice for listing your experiences is not to exceed the most recent five jobs you have held. Again, keep the mind the length of the resume when you are deciding on the number of jobs you will list – if your last five jobs and their accompanying responsibilities will take over one page alone, than consider narrowing the experience down to the three most recent positions you had.

Also, consider the time you spent at each organization you have worked for – list up to the last ten to fifteen years of experience. It is not necessary to list every job you’ve ever had to showcase your qualifications and years of experience. If you have a long professional career, focus on the last three to five jobs, but use the profile or summary at the beginning of the resume to highlight the number of years you have spent working, or the number of years you have spent in a certain industry, acquiring specific skills.

When listing your experiences, it is important that you do so in chronological order without skipping any of the jobs you have held. While you may feel that certain jobs are not particularly complimenting to your current career objective you should not avoid listing them on your resume. Work on highlighting the responsibilities that are transferable across various industries. Leaving any unexplained gaps in your work history will raise questions by your potential employer – thus don’t create those gaps on your resume by listing your experience out of order or by skipping jobs you have had. Finally, make sure that your cover letter accounts for any additional qualifications you would like to bring to the attention of your potential employer that you didn’t include on the resume.

Your resume should be concise, well written, and sell you as the best candidate for the job. Just remember that it is quality over quantity that counts.

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People think of their resume as a collective of their education, skills and professional experience. Many employers rely on resumes as form of job applications for the open positions within their organizations. Thus it is very important that you have a well-written resume prepared when searching for jobs.

Creating a resume is not an easy task, even if you are a professional with years of experience and many skills. However, composing a resume when you are looking to completely change careers, or when you are fresh out of school is much more difficult, because you do not have any experience to highlight.

If you are changing careers, and nothing from your past professional experience qualifies you for the new job you are seeking, highlight those qualifications that can be transitioned along the various industries. For example, if you’ve managed people, no matter the type of business, you should highlight this under your experience.

Rather than not highlighting your professional experience, even if it is not directly related to the job you are seeking, you should consider writing a professional profile, or summary at the start of your resume. The summary will allow you to address the career change by highlighting your skills and how they relate to your career objective. In addition, this is one situation where it is ok to reference any volunteer or community service work that you have done if it can help promote your qualifications for the job.

If you are fresh out of college, and don’t have much to bring to the table in terms of full time professional experience, don’t get discouraged in creating your resume. Focus on highlighting your skills and your education. Avoid using a professional profile, or summary. Rather, list your career objective and start the resume by listing your education. Make sure to mention any awards or honors you received while in school. Following your education, list all the skills that will qualify you for the job you are seeking.

Make sure to mention any courses, such as project management or business communication that you have taken and can apply at work. Instead of listing any experience, title the section “Pre-professional Experience” and divide it into categories applicable to your career objective. For example, instead of say that you spent a summer working at the Gap, use a sub-heading of “Customer Relations” and list any responsibilities where you have provided customer service. Tap into any community service, volunteer, or school club positions you have held in order to highlight your abilities and showcase that you are the best candidate for the job.

Don’t be afraid of not having the right experience, or not having any professional experience to include in a resume. Focus on what you can do rather than what you don’t have the experience in doing and you will have a winning resume.

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