Taido
Taido
Taido is a modern Japanese martial art. Word Taido can be translated as ?the way of the mind and body? or ?the way of internal and external self?. It was created by Dr. Seiken Shukumine.
Shukumine believed that Japanese martial arts were not adapting to the world as it changed and wanted to reform them to meet new challenges of twenty first century. In around 1950 when he was twenty five year old he developed a karate style called Gensei ryu. Influence of traditional karate which originated from island of Okinawa is evident in Taido as well.
However, he began to realize that karate was limited by the two dimensional nature of its techniques. So in 1965, after years of research and training in martial art theory and practice, he created a new martial art called Taido with its three dimensional fighting techniques.
Taido aims to apply scientific methods and principles as well as traditional values into development of the martial art. It is conceived as an on going process with outlines for creating new fighting techniques. The Taido martial art?s and practitioner?s relationship with the society in which they practice is also taken in to account.
Techniques Taido techniques aim to provide offensive and defensive ability through variety of movements including three dimensional ones. Three dimensional movements results from changing the axis and balance of the body. Some of the innovative and sometimes unique techniques introduced in Taido include, efficiently performed spinning, twisting, and other flexible body movements, quick and elaborate foot movements, and various other acrobatics and maneuvers. Taido techniques also aim to make the internal organs of the body healthy, by considering the effect of the movements on them according to acupuncture theory and by use of breathing techniques.
Basically five types of body movements are categorized in Taido; Sen or vertically spinning movement, Nen or horizontally spinning movement, Un or wave like raising and falling movement, Hen or falling movement with concurrent changing of the axis of the body, Ten or rolling and tumbling movement.
The elaborate foot techniques in Taido are called unsoku. They are trained as patterns called unsoku happo or ?eight ways to move the feet?. Foot movements are used to create favorable angles, to avoid, to add speed, and to manage the space between the practitioner and the opponent.
These various types of movement are accompanied by strikes using hands and feet and other techniques. All in all Taido performances with all those techniques and acrobatics can be highly entertaining to an observer.
To master the techniques and perform them high degree of physical ability and mental concentration is essential.
Taido competition takes place in three forms; As Jissen or sparring bouts where two competitors are matched, As Hokei a kata like demonstrations and interpretations of techniques through a systemized sequence of movements, As Tenkai a prearranged fight where one person defeats five opponents. Tenkai performers are judged as a team and according to methods in other performance sports like figure skating.
Taido is at present practiced in a wide variety of countries.