Monday, October 12, 2009

Taido - A Unique Budo

By Bill Williams

Taido was the brainchild of Seiken Shukumine. He started this Japanese martial art form in 1965. The meaning of Taido karate is "way of the body, and it is based on an older Okinawan fighting method known as Te. This was not the only time that Shukumine had developed a unique martial arts style. When he was only 25, he created a new kind of karate that was known as Gensei-Ryu.

Karate and other martial arts have been widespread in the West for a number of years. In the 1960s, prior to the founding of Taido, most teaching was rudimentary and the original techniques for this "empty handed" style of fighting saw little change. yet, society was changing and Shukumine was a student of philosophy and tried to anticipate what would have to be rethought as far as how classical karate ideas of training were concerned.

Shukumine thought that there were some problems with karate that limited the way it could be applied and learned. There was a lack of innovation and originality and the training methods of the essential punches and kicks would quickly bore many trainees.

Older martial arts tactics consisted of rigid and uninspired movements. Karate didn't adapt over the years as far as the methods and instructions for the students.

Shukumine saw that the martial arts would be accepted as a defensive art form if he could conceive a way to generate more movements and innovations. He wanted to allow students the opportunity to be inspired by their training and for this to happen the work and teacher had to inspire them. These thoughts became the driving force that would help him to create Taido karate. Before he founded Taido, Seiken Shukumine launched a martial arts form that was called Genseiryu karate. This was quite popular, but still he knew it wasnt enough.

He felt that he would have to update traditional karate movements and training methods, and finally in 1965 his new Taido karate form opened. Taido was a modern, unique form of martial arts that includes many aerial moves. It requires a student to make use of twists, spins, speed and changing angles of the body. Shukumine's hope was to use Taido karate to promote the study and training of karate and other martial arts.

The purpose of Taido is to improve the awareness of the students who practice this martial arts form. Shukumine had one ultimate goal as far as the study of Taido karate was concerned. He wanted to be able to help all Taido practitioners reach their highest potential in all aspects of their lives.

The Five Principles of Taido

A Taido student should keep their thoughts are calm and clear. The mind should be as undisturbed as a placid lake. Then they will understand the reality of any situation. If the mind is kept untroubled and even it will prevent a student from being deceived.

Taido teaches students that the mind and body must be harmoniously composed. They must work together as a single entity. When a person acts in the right manner, any type of threats will not worry him.

Taido students are taught to practice calling upon the deepest power that is at the center of their being. Once a Taido karate practitioner can do this, they will not experience any fear of confrontation or battle.

If a Taido student maintains these actions, they will always manage to act in an respectable and right manner.

Taido teaches creativity, adaptability and flexibility in both movements and ideas. When a person has the correct moves, their opponents cannot best them.

Taido's Technical Movements

Sen- Taido movements that involve vertical spinning. Un - movements making use of wave like motion that ascends and descends. Hen - kicks that involve a toppling motion resulting in changes to the axis of the body. Nen - movements with horizontal spinning. Ten - tumbling or flipping motions.

Besides the punches and kicks, there are two movement ways to set up the strikes. Unsoku - fast and strategic stepping movements for controlling space and angle to the opponent. Unshin - locomotion movements that are acrobatic in nature and dont involve actual stepping on the floor.

Taido Tournaments

There are some unique types of Taido Karate competitions that students can participate in. Jissen is the act of sparring, Taido style. Taido forms are called Hokei - closely related to kata in Karate. Tenkai- these are routines that are enacted by teams of Taido members in which the central hero must stand against five of his "opponents" and show challenging or new techniques.

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