Nonviolent Martial Arts This sounds a contradiction in terms but there is a martial art that is dedicated to nonviolent action and to defusing aggression instead of returning it two fold. The art is Aikido (eye-key-dough). Aikido was developed in Japan by a man who had taken life on, only to find that life had a force all of its own, which when directed positively could turn back violence. Having made this discovery he re-designed many of the martial arts techniques he had learnt to accord with this natural law and presented these as Aikido, The Way of Harmony. Perhaps the major difference between Aikido and other martial arts lies in the mind of the defender. What is their intent? The Aikido practitioner seeks to protect not only themselves, but also the antagonist, from the effects of violence. This is not the same as intending to stop or control the attacker by some means. In Aikido you allow the attack and work with it, seeing it through to a peaceful end for both parties. Let's look at an example. Someone grabs you by the arm to pull you over. You have a number of options:- pull back; push their hand off your arm; strike out; or go where they want you to go. In Aikido you choose the last option because going where they direct you is the least of their expectations, it unbalances them and enables you to escape or redress the situation. If this sounds simplistic, Aikido often is, complex solutions leave defenders trapped. Aikido is a physical practice where two people learn the art of conflict. One attacks, the other receives this attack in order that, over time, moving and responding becomes second nature. One of the ground rules is that you don't hit back which in some circumstances means over-riding your automatic reaction with a learnt response. Being able to do this rests upon the skill of being 'centred'. Staying centred means keeping mentally at the place where you feel in control. When you move off centre you become unbalanced and are more likely to get caught up in an argument. Assertion comes from centre, aggression is uncentred action. So one of the aims of self defense is to help the aggressor find their sense of centre again, so they can discontinue their violent behaviour towards us right now and others in the future. The martial art of Aikido attracts students who want to learn self defense but not by the old way of the one who causes the most pain wins. As there is no glamour in this approach you don't hear much about Aikido but it has been taught in Australia for over twenty years and a look through the yellow pages under martial arts will find you a local practice hall. George Eaton