During a knife attack at a large shopping complex in Incheon, South Korea, one of our Aikido Samsungdang members was on the first floor of the building where the incident occurred. People nearby were shouting for others to run, but the member could not understand what was happening and remained frozen in place. This experience led me to speak with our members before training about what really matters when facing danger. Learning Aikido does not mean we must confront every thr

First Aikido Class: What Do You Learn in One Hour? From Backward Ukemi to Sumi-otoshi This video follows a new member through about one hour of their actual first training session at Aikido Samsungdang. The session begins with backward ukemi, then moves through weight transfer, basic stance and hanmi, the positional relationship between ai-hanmi and gyaku-hanmi, and finally Gyaku-hanmi Katate-dori Sumi-otoshi. How a new member’s first class is structured is part of each dojo’

Simple training exercise using an ojami beanbag to check your body axis and unnecessary tension. Compare the same movement with and without the ojami and notice how your movement changes. お手玉を使って、身体の軸や余計な力みを確認するための簡単な稽古です。お手玉を使わずに動く場合と、乗せて動く場合の違いを比べてみてください。