Tony Heseltine 5th Dan
Here at Prince Bishops Aikido we teach a practical and dynamic approach to aikido whilst maintaining the traditional principles, which make aikido a unique martial art developed by a unique person. The circular flowing movements with concentrated poise and re-direction of the attackers force and energy are the principal trademarks of aikido the secrets of which we want to share with you. We also train with weapons using the sword and jo (4ft staff) which form an important part of how aikido works at its most fundamental level. You will also learn how to defend against an attacker using these weapons as well as knife attacks. With the sword and jo not being the preferred weapon of attack by todays standards they can be likened to a club, bat or bottle the methods are exactly the same
Aikido is a modern martial art founded by Professor Morihei Uyeshiba now referred to out of respect as O-sensei (meaning great teacher). It is well documented that aikido empty-hand techniques come from a number of ju-jutsu styles, and in particular, Daito-Ryu Aiki Ju-Jutsu, the style that had the most influence on O-sensei. But O-sensei's Aikido was far beyond Daito-Ryu, as many anecdotes and stories will attest. Everything that O-sensei came into contact with eventually influenced him in his development of Aikido as we know it today, but it is known that he studied the following styles of Ju-Jutsu: Takenouchi Ryu, Kito Ryu, Tenjin Shinyo Ryu, Shinkage Ryu (which includes a broad range of weapons and empty-hand techniques), and Yagyu Ryu (which also includes a famous sword style). He also studied modern gymnastics, karate, Judo and Kendo. It seems that he took all the best parts from many martial arts and rolled them into one creating something unique.
