Self Defense

As the original reason for being of most martial arts schools, self defense must be taught to permit students to gain the skills and self confidence necessary to be able to deal with any assailant. True self defense is therefore the primary goal of Seikido practitioners and the predominant criteria which defines Seikido.

First and foremost, students learn the skills necessary to be able to defend against forceful attacks which may arise during realistic confrontational situations. The curriculum includes many techniques which are designed to help smaller persons defend against larger assailants, even against ones armed with weapons. Sufficient strategies and techniques are included to provide a defence against almost any kind of attack, against almost any kind of attacker or attackers, and under almost any foreseeable situation. All Seikido techniques must be able to stand the test of effectiveness, regardless of the cooperation of the attacker, the attacker' s state of mind, or the surroundings.

Seikido students are also given the opportunity to attend seminars and demonstrations conducted by members of local and international self defence arts, to broaden their knowledge and expand their horizons.

Because many Seikido self defence methods are founded in Aikido traditions, after the mats are on the floor the class begins with a brief meditation to clear the mind and prepare for training, followed with the traditional bow. Warm up exercises should include falling and rolling to prepare the students for falls.

Seikido includes self defence techniques which are designed to be effective for situations where it may not be practical or even possible to employ relatively long range striking techniques that require a large degree of movement to be effective. This may include defence within a confined space or from a sitting or kneeling position. It may also involve grappling attacks from behind, or even defence against assailants using hand held weapons.

Mastery of the self defence aspects of Seikido is an essential component of a student’s development, as they may encounter situations where their personal safety or the safety of others with them is at stake. All Seikido self defence techniques are effective, so that simple techniques learned at a beginner’s level are just as important as highly sophisticated senior belt techniques. Students are expected to become increasingly proficient at all techniques as they progress through the ranks.

WEAPONS OR EQUIPMENT

All teaching aids must be treated with respect, whether they are real weapons such as a sword or club, or simulated weapons such as wooden dowels or plastic knives. Students are not to play with any weapons, real or simulated. When giving any weapon to another student it is held palm up with both hands as both students bow slightly. Wooden swords or Boken are given with the blade away from the recipient.

When kneeling or sitting on the floor weapons are to be kept by the right side when on the mat. Wooden swords are placed on the floor with the handle forward and the blade toward the student. Never step over any weapon which is lying on the floor.

DEMONSTRATING SELF DEFENCE TECHNIQUES ON MATS

The Instructor demonstrates and explains a technique, usually using a large senior student as attacker ('Uke'), while the remainder of the students remain seated. In a Seikido class students are permitted to sit cross legged if the traditional kneeling position is painful or difficult due to past injuries or physiological restrictions. It is impolite for students to talk or move noticeably while the Instructor is speaking or demonstrating techniques.

At the Instructor's signal the students bow to him/her from the kneeling position, then stand up by raising the hips and placing the right foot forward first, the entire motion being performed quickly and smoothly. This stand up procedure stems from ancient Samurai tradition, to allow optimum access to the sword. Students then practice the technique just shown by the Instructor.

To prevent injuries, students are taught to tap before reaching the point of injury when a control or pinning technique is applied on them. Defenders must respect the partner' s anatomy in the application of all techniques, especially since Seikido techniques are designed to work regardless of Uke's cooperation.

PRE-ARRANGED SELF DEFENCE TECHNIQUES

ORIGINS AND PURPOSE

All martial arts schools teach pre-set self defence techniques in some form or another, which are usually based upon the accumulated knowledge of previous masters. They are standardized requirements for advancement as taught by all the schools in the larger organization. They are also a means of formally passing down accumulated knowledge and traditions from master to student. The origins of many of the individual Seikido self defence techniques are the same as those taught in many Aikido schools with Hombu style foundations. A few are based upon Korean Hapkido techniques which themselves are derived from older self defence arts. Seikido has built upon that foundation and added to, or modified, many of the original techniques.

Seikido self defence techniques evolved over almost three decades of continuous refinement by the founders and affiliated instructors, including Assistant Instructor Thomas Gougoulias. Master George Hewsen of the Seishinkai School has contributed some of his considerable talents and extensive experience to the development of these techniques, particularly by testing the effectiveness of newly formulated techniques or variations upon traditional Aikido practices. Since the underlying objective of all Seikido techniques is to be effective regardless of the attacker's level of cooperation, some of the more traditional methods of applying the techniques have been extensively modified.

Part of the purpose of a standardized pre-arranged sequence is to have every Seikido school teach the same series of mandatory techniques in order to help students be familiar with school rocedures and to comply with promotional grading requirements. Students from any branch school can go to any other school and feel comfortable training with fellow students who are performing familiar techniques, and even take promotional gradings at any Seikido school, knowing the requirements for advancement.

The Aikido foundation to many Seikido self defence techniques will allow Seikido practitioners to train at other Aikido, Aikijutsu, Hapkido, or even Jujutsu schools, as these schools still practice many of the foundation techniques.

The founders of Seikido recognize that the martial arts will continue to evolve in the future as they have in the past, especially with the development of new techniques or at least the modification of older ones. Tradition in the Seikido “Way” includes keeping an open minded attitude toward new techniques and procedures when they are presented, and avoiding slavish adherence to old fashioned techniques and procedures just because they can be called “traditional”. In the event new techniques are discovered and proven to be effective, they can be incorporated into the curriculum.

SEQUENCE OF STEPS

The order of the pre-arranged defensive techniques in the Seikido curriculum has been carefully designed to be progressively more sophisticated as the student advances through the belt levels, by building gradually upon a solid foundation of basic movements. As students progress with time, they are expected to gradually become more and more proficient and therefore able to learn more and more sophisticated techniques. They will also need to be provided with new challenges throughout their martial arts training, so that learning never becomes mundane or boring.

Pre-arranged techniques for beginners are simple positional strategies, foot movements, evasive actions, and releases to about fifteen fundamental grappling attacks to vulnerable parts of the body. Intermediate techniques require increased proficiency as they become progressively more sophisticated. All self defence techniques are designed to defend against some specific type of attack, but learning higher belt techniques is made easier with a certain proficiency in fundamental evasive movements and counter measures which must be learned at lower belt level.

Since all techniques are intended to be practised as realistically as possible, many higher belt and especially Black Belt techniques can not be taught at lower belt levels because they are too dangerous. The student’s control and “feel” of the application of a technique must be sufficiently developed to permit practice without inflicting injury on the partner, especially since some of the senior techniques are potentially crippling and even lethal. Such control can only come with practice. The Instructor must have complete faith in the student’s commitment to ethical conduct, and trust that the student will not allow egotistical or selfish motivation to influence the execution of Seikido techniques. Only time can produce that level of trust. In addition, it takes time for students to develop and internalize the stable, centred, and self confident state of mind where they can control themselves in a confrontational situation, inside or outside the gym, without resorting to excessive violence which can be caused by uncertainty, fear, or pain.

The curriculum has been deliberately designed to teach students some of the best techniques which have been proven to be most effective against progressively more sophisticated attacks. It should be recognized that there are potentially thousands more variations, or even completely different techniques, which can be employed depending upon the type of attack encountered. Not all of these can be included in the mandatory pre-arranged steps; however, students and instructors are always encouraged to explore variations or different applications to further their knowledge.

Seikido self-defense techniques are based mainly upon the Japanese art of Aikido, which was founded by Morihi Ueshiba. Many of the techniques are designed to immobilize and disarm attackers as well as escape from various holds and grappling attacks. Although everyone has the right to defend themselves, the Seikido practitioner must be guided by ethical motives, with the intention to defend without inflicting unnecessary pain and suffuring. True victory is achieved only when no one loses.

The attacker "Uke" and the defender "Nage" work together in harmony blending their energies as they perform the basic movements. Large circular motions with good balance and redirection of the force combine to make a very effective defense style that negates the attacker's size and strength.

Breathing is an important part of the movement and breathing slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth can help you focus your energies and execute the movement better.

Basic Movements & Falls

Basics: elements of training, theory of neutralization.