Grappling · Aiki
Aikido
Blending, throws, and joint locks from aiki — a modern Japanese art that refuses to look like a prize fight.
Find a topic
A map of this art. Live entries are links. The rest is mapped, not written yet.
What Is Aikido?
Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art founded by Morihei Ueshiba. It emphasizes blending with an attack (aiki), entering (irimi), turning (tenkan), throws, and joint locks, often ending in a pin. Many schools include weapons work with the jō and bokken.
Ueshiba’s later teaching leaned toward harmony and non-destruction. Earlier pre-war training was harder. Branches today — Aikikai, Yoshinkan, Shodokan (Tomiki), Iwama, and others — do not share one sparring culture.
How Aikido Works
The attacker (uke) offers a committed grab or strike. The defender (nage / tori) off-balances and throws or locks. Ukemi — safe falling — is half the art. Resistance levels vary by dojo from cooperative kata to Shodokan sport randori.
Compared with judo, aikido generally avoids a competitive newaza meta. Compared with jujutsu, it is a specific modern child, not the whole parent family.
Aiki, not a trophy
Daitō-ryū aiki-jujutsu is the technical ancestor usually cited. Hapkido is a Korean cousin in the joint-lock conversation, with a different kicking culture.
What You’ll Find Here
This hub is the live overview. Published entries are links. Fighters, gyms, rules, and news are mapped for later — even when those pages are not written yet.
FAQ
Questions we hear on the mats, in gyms, and when fighters compare styles.
Does aikido work in a fight?
That depends on the school’s resistance and the student’s other training. This encyclopedia will not sell a miracle. It will describe the art as it is practiced.
Is there sport aikido?
Shodokan (Tomiki) aikido has a sport randori format. Most aikido is not an Olympic combat sport.
Why so much grabbing?
Classical attacks include wrist grabs that look dated next to boxing. Schools that want modern relevance add strikes; not all do.
The Bottom Line
Aikido is blending, throws, and locks from aiki. Read jujutsu for the parent family and judo when you want a sport that tests throws every week.
