The “Internal chinese arts you find in Sydney like”Tai Chi, Chi Kung, Bagua and Hsing share many concepts similar to Aikido. All can be said to be internal martial arts focusing on the cultivation of Ki (Chi as it is known in the Chinese tradition). Whilst Tai Chi etc.. are predominately a solo art form, aikido training is done mostly in pairs. Some people consider them to be very similar at the highest level however the journey there is a bit different.Tai chi practiconers spend most of their time focusing on posture through the practice of forms, learning to walk and attention to breathing and relaxation – you can find them in a lot of the parks around Sydney. Aikido on the other hand uses attacks from a partner to learn calmness under motion and the intensity of physical attack. From this practice the aikido student learns the secret of internal power. These arts utilise the practice of weapons forms to further develop their understanding of movement and calmness. Aikido also offers the benefits of ‘yuki’ the use of ki to heal and I believe this is explored in some of the Chinese arts as well, in particular Chi Kung is practiced mostly for its health benefits
Aikido practices a number of blending exercises to learn to understand how to move and respond to applied energy, this is similar to exercises like ‘push hands’ that is often practiced in Tai Chi. Although many people associate Tai Chi with old people moving slowly in a Sydney park in the early morning, Tai Chi is also a serious martial art that takes many years to master. So to aikido is also a long road to mastery. Key differences in the practice if your thinking of doing aikido – we do a lot of tumbling. Tumbling or ukemi is the art of receiving a technique without injury, this enables us to practice aikido technique without injury to our partner because they take ukemi.