This year’s International Men’s Health Week was marked by Fingal County Council with a number of different activities taking place around the county with various sports clubs including a ‘come and try’ Aikido event hosted in Balbriggan by Takemusu Aikido Society.
International Men’s Health Week took place from Monday 10th until Sunday 16th June. It was a reason to remind the public that regular physical activity helps to improve overall health and prevent heart diseases, strokes, diabetes and even cancer.
Aikido is the art of unbalancing the aggressor making him so weak that even people beyond their prime can do it without applying excessive power. But it is only possible when a person maintains his own physical and mental balance.
Therefore aikido focuses on self-balance, awareness and body coordination enabling one to execute techniques without relying on physical strength. This idea seems attractive to older people as about 70% of aikido practitioners worldwide are over 40-years-old. Balbriggan’s men became no exception.
Speaking about the discipline and of its benefits, Raman sensei of Takemusu Aikido Society explained, “Middle-aged people who haven’t exercised for years may be sceptical about it and won’t dare to try. Well, football or rugby is not an option for them, but can they do something else during several decades of active life ahead? An unexpected answer could be traditional martial arts, such as aikido.”
“Many never considered the discipline because martial arts are associated with aggressive fighting, only suitable for young strong men. However, aikido focusing on self-development and self-improvement differs from this stereotype,” he added.
The free come-and-try aikido session saw a few local men in their 40s from Balbriggan and Naul even brave and curious enough to show up at the dojo. The class focused on exploring the core elements of the aikido curriculum and its potential health benefits.
Raman sensei, who spent a decade learning aikido in Japan, began the class with warming-up and core strength exercises, which are essential for maintaining healthy muscles and joints, as well as for developing body balance, stability and coordination. Then he explained safe falling techniques that can prevent injuries caused by slips, trips and falls accidents, which are among the main causes of musculoskeletal injuries in Ireland.
After that, participants delved into Aikido techniques. They tried to replicate basic forms and apply their newly acquired safe-falling skills. After each basic technique, Raman sensei demonstrated how the basic form can evolve into more advanced forms and practical applications.
At the end of the class, all attendees were tired but extremely excited. They enjoyed every second on the mats and hopefully, found their lifelong passion!
