Customer Reviews

The Elements of Aikido

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. O'Connor knows what Aikido students are looking for in this wonderful, informative book. This should be a first pick for those studying Aikido or even thinking about studying. I was surprised to see that the author also added his own drawings. They are very good.

This book contain many details of Aikido, not for pratice. It say about : What is, How to , concept and compare with other martial arts. good one for me. This is the first book for my Aikido.

OK, I may be a little biased being a student at O'Connor Sensei's dojo (I'm writing this under my wife's account and maiden name so I don't appear a teacher's pet), add the fact that I'm relatively new to Aikido and you may be thinking "can I trust this review at all?" Hopefully my honesty will convince you that this indeed is a fantastic book, and I really recommend it to anyone interested in the art. Personally I've been practicing for about 9 months now and am finally starting to "get it", this book was a major part of that. While the sections on specific technique are relatively light, the content on some of the more subjective aspects (i.e. Ki, philosophy etc) is better than anything I've read elsewhere (while being new to aikido, I'm a confirmed bibliophile and have amassed a collection of such already). Besides which, a book really can't impart technique nearly as well as direct instruction (or even youtube), but on the more abstruse aspects as covered here, such books really do open new doors of understanding. This, and "The Art of Peace" by O'Sensei are the two books I can see myself reading many times over in the coming years, highly recommended to aikidoka of all levels of experience.

This book does not purport to teach you to be an aikido master... or novice for that matter. It explains the concepts of nonviolence behind aikido. It shows you the basic moves and relates them to this concept. It explains them well enough that it may give you "tweaks" if you are already a practicing aikidoka. This is a great book for the uninitiated and the novice. I would not have been nearly as lost if I had read this book before I stepped into the dojo for the first time. Aikido focuses on staying centered, projecting ki, and circular movement. This book explains those concepts very well. It also gives a historical contextual background.