The Art of Aikido
Size really doesn't matter in this martial arts discipline.
By Helen i-lin Hwang

 

John King, the 6-foot, brawny, intimidating nightclub bouncer, was tired of breaking up fights with fists. He was also wary of catching blood-borne diseases like hepatitis and HIV from drunken patrons who would bite or scratch. So he started training in aikido, which has been touted as the “gentle martial art.” He fell in love with the idea that this style of self defense was less about strength and size, and more about responding to an attack in an almost nonviolent manner.

A friend turned him on to aikido and King has been doing it ever since, studying under the guidance of sensei Ceceilia Ricciotti, co-owner of Philadelphia Aikido. King has earned black belt and attributes the martial art to “harmonizing mind, body and spirit.” Tapping further into his spiritual self, he’s gone on to become a reiki master and kiatsu practitioner. (He’s also the stalwart circulation director at City Paper.)

Aikido translates as “a way of coordinating one’s total energy.” It’s not about engaging an opponent in a test of might or getting into an all-out battle that you would see in a Matrix film. It’s based on nonresistance and harmonizing. It’s about confronting the attack but then redirecting the negative energy so the aggressor is thrown or repelled.

Ricciotti, a short, broad-shouldered woman with cropped brown hair, deftly takes down much taller and bigger opponents. She has an open, warm smile for everyone. Her manner is nurturing and calm as she shows her students, whether novices or experts, the proper postures, positions and movements of the martial art. No matter how many times she has to repeat the steps, she maintains her patient demeanor.

Not only does the philosophical aspect distinguish aikido from other martial arts, but the physical aspect involves joint locks, or manipulating joints to “get compliance, taking [them] to the edge of the range of motions,” says Tom Klein, co-owner and managing director of Philadelphia Aikido and a second-degree black belt. He’s been a student of Ricciotti’s since 1980 and left a job in the City Planning office to pursue aikido full-time. In fact, the blue recycling buckets for paper, glass and aluminum you see all over town are the product of Klein’s work for the city of Philadelphia.

A warm-up includes forward somersaults, backward somersaults and throwing yourself, landing with a slap on the mat to soften the fall. Using wrists, shoulders and elbows, you can force an opponent, praying for mercy, to the ground. Sparring in aikido looks like a dance. The movements are fluid, the footwork choreographed.

Ricciotti embraces the Kokikai school of aikido, which focuses on “blending,” the method of redirecting energy and movements so that a person literally “blends” into the force of the assault, either by stepping aside or channeling the power of the assault so the aggressor meets his or her own end. There are five belt colors, which correlate with ability and years of experience: white, orange, blue, brown and black. Within each of the orange, blue and brown belts, there are two levels. The black belt, however, is divided into seven degrees of expertise.

Ricciotti has been a black belt since 1979. She trained with Shuji Maruyama, who was an apprentice of Morihei Ueshiba (known also as O-Sensei), the founder of aikido. Maruyama founded the Kokikai school of aikido and opened the first American school in Philadelphia in 1968. Maruyama, a nimble, adroit, 60-some-year-old master who teaches with a self deprecating sense of humor, makes “quality control” visits to his schools about three times a year and even tests the students himself. During his last visit to Philadelphia in November, he passed a woman from blue to brown belt.

After residing in Old City as The Center City Dojo for 15 years, Ricciotti decided to expand and move to a bigger space near City Line Avenue. Her school is the largest Kokikai school in the United States. Out on the Main Line, the students don’t have to worry about battling for parking spaces and risking tickets. The facility also includes a fully equipped fitness gym, sauna, massage services and outdoor pool for the summer. Renamed the Defensive Arts Center, the new 10,500-square-foot space will also house other martial arts schools. The new school, set back from the busy city traffic, is shrouded in trees and tucked away in a quiet residential apartment area. Light floods the spacious main studio. The fitness area, which used to be a row of squash courts, has high ceilings that breathe the sweat out into the air.
Before Ricciotti opened up her own dojo, she ran a health food store in Philly. She’s also been a massage therapist since 1980. With her knowledge of holistic living and her years of experience in aikido, she “can be lot of things to a lot of people. She can be dojo leader, a friend, the list goes on. … She has a unique knack for fulfilling whatever need is going on with different people at different times,” raves King. Some students have studied with her since the ’70s.

The thing about aikido is it’s noncompetitive. You will never go to an aikido tournament or organized fight. There will be weekend camps to refine technique. The social, club-like atmosphere of the classes and the camps is stressed as much as learning the sport.
Because of the encouraging environment, King has been committed to it for six years already and foresees a lifetime of aikido. “With the current increase in holistic awareness, aikido is something that people can practice as part of a healthier lifestyle. … It’s not a religion but a spiritual discipline. … It can add up to a far more fulfilling existence.”