About Aikido - Tim Warneka: coach, keynote speaker, counselor

About Aikido

"Aikido is the embodiment of Emotional Intelligence."

-Tim Warneka

Leadership expert, coach, keynote speaker and counselor Tim Warneka has been practicing Aikido continuously since 1989 and holds black belt ranking.

Far more than a system of self defense—the Japanese martial art of Aikido is a powerful tool for transforming people. Practiced by men, women & children around the world, Aikido is embodied conflict resolution, it provides an understanding power at deeper levels, it can be a spiritual journey, and even become a Way of life.

We live in an era where—for the first time in history—humans are capable of destroying all life on the planet. The choice is very simple: we will either learn to live in a way that peacefully addresses our violence, anger and aggression or they will destroy us. Aikido offers some solutions to this dilemma.

However, because people are biologically hard-wired to resist against force, embodying these quality of openness and harmony is counter-intuitive for most of us. Aikido gives us a real-life place to practice these qualities in order to re-program our inner software into ways of living and working that are more successful.

“Aikido is a way to reconcile the world
and make human beings one family.”
- Master Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido

[The following description of the Japanese martial art of Aikido has been adapted from Tim Warneka’s book Leading People the Black Belt Way. Tim uses the principles of Aikido in everything he does, from working with individuals to consulting with large corporations. For additional perspectives on Aikido and suggested readings, please see the related links at the end of this section.]

Aikido: Brief Description

One of the most modern of martial arts, Aikido is a Japanese martial art that is practiced by millions of men, women and children around the world. Aikido was developed by Morihei Ueshiba (c.1883-1968) —arguably the greatest martial artist who ever lived. Master Ueshiba is often referred to as “O’Sensei” (great teacher) by Aikido practitioners. Aikido is a revolutionary, non-aggressive martial art that seeks the resolution of conflict. There are no competitions, contests or trophies in Aikido. When training in Aikido, people ideally practice together in an open, family-style of training.

Often translated as “the Way of Harmony,” or "The Art of Peace," Aikido teaches you to be more successful by blending harmoniously with people. Master Ueshiba did not talk about harmony just because the idea sounded good and made people feel warm and fuzzy inside. He spoke of harmony from the pragmatic perspective of a martial artist: Harmony works better. A powerfully effective martial art, Aikido has been incorporated into the training of Special Forces in militaries around the world.

"To win without fighting is best." - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Aikido: Full Description

One of the most modern of martial arts, Aikido was developed by Morihei Ueshiba (c.1883- 1968)—arguably the greatest martial artist who ever lived. Aikido is a revolutionary, non-aggressive martial art that seeks the resolution of conflict. Often called “The Way of the Spirit of Harmony,” Aikido is the physical embodiment of the Win/Win strategy and has been incorporated in Special Forces and US Marine Corps training programs, as well as in militaries around the world. In the Marine Corps, the program -- created in part by Aikido teacher Richard Strozzi Heckler -- is known as the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, and it is taught at MACE, or Martial Arts Center for Excellence.

A powerful form of self-defense, Aikido is a very difficult art that demands an enormous investment of time and effort. Earning a black belt in Aikido typically takes anywhere from five to ten years of intensive practice several times each week. While the results are well worth the effort, not everyone can make such an enormous time commitment. Tim has committed himself to giving people who cannot make this commitment another way: The Black Belt Way.

The Art of Harmony. One of the best ways for people to comprehensively understand harmony is by examining it through the lens of Aikido. Aikido teaches you that you will be more successful when you blend harmoniously with people. Master Ueshiba was not talking about harmony just because the idea sounded good and made people feel warm and fuzzy inside. He spoke of harmony from the pragmatic perspective of a martial artist: Harmony works better.

While he was alive, Master Ueshiba repeatedly proved that harmony leads to success, and he did so in the most practical terms. In Asia, if you create a martial art and call that art effective, people are going to come and test your art. They do this by trying to kill you. Nothing personal. You simply have to put your money where your mouth is. As the founder of Aikido, Master Ueshiba walked his talk. Many different fighters from all walks of the world challenged Master Ueshiba, and he was never defeated and he rarely injured anyone who challenged him.

Aikido practitioners practice techniques against both armed and unarmed attackers. We practice techniques where our partner attacks us with knives (tanto), sticks (jo), and swords (bokken). Aikido also emphasizes practicing against multiple attackers.

Aikido is a rarity in the martial arts world as it is one of the few arts that hold a deeply ingrained spiritual and ethical component. Prior to developing Aikido, Master Ueshiba was already recognized in Japan as a great martial artist when he became disillusioned with the competitive, hurtful face of the martial art world where ethical principles and effective practice materialized as separate disciplines. A deeply spiritual man, Master Ueshiba sought to combine ethical principles with effective martial arts practice. He developed the art of Aikido as a way to bridge the gap he saw between these two realms, and he even went so far as to state that, “In true budo [martial arts], there are no enemies. True budo is a function of love… Aikido is the manifestation of love.”

Master Ueshiba’s words are strikingly familiar to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 11, 1964 in which Dr. King said, “Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence...The foundation of such a method is love.” Leaders who aspire to follow the spiritual insights of Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Dorothy Day and Mother Theresa would do well to study the principles of Aikido.

Master Ueshiba saw the martial arts as an activity that played a crucial role in the development of personal character. This fact is often lost on the Western world, as we are so enamored with the heroes who appear on our theater screens—characters who are able to defeat multitudes of enemies and walk away unscathed. Many people have fallen under the siren song of unlimited power that Hollywood spins around martial arts. In reality, in Asia, the martial arts have been viewed historically as a way of refining character.

In his work, Master Ueshiba drew from the Asian religions and philosophies of Zen Buddhism, Shinto, and Taoism. In fact, people often refer to Aikido as “Zen in motion.” It is not necessary to believe in any particular religion as Aikido is practiced by people of every faith around the world. Achieving a calm state in the quiet of the meditation room is all well and good, but how well does that translate into your day-to-day life? One of the goals of The Black Belt Way is striving to maintain a relaxed and supple calmness in the midst of increasingly conflictual situations—a perfect fit for leaders, don’t you think?

The genius of Aikido teaches us that being open and relaxed is the safest and most effective way to be a leader. Verbal, mental and emotional leadership challenges can be dealt with more effectively when we can remain relaxed and open. Because we are hard-wired to resist against force, embodying the quality of openness is counter-intuitive for many leaders.

Training Tips for Timid Beginners (by Nev Sagiba)

NON TOXIC DOJO - STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP!

"When you train ENJOY. Enjoy movement for its own sake.

Do not obsess with "getting it right" the first time, then stand around beating yourself up mentally because you think you are wrong.

Or chattering. You are not on display. It is not an exam. You are not wrong."

“Be open” is very easy to say, yet, very difficult to actually do. For most leaders, staying open requires continual practice. On the Aikido mat, attacks come in the form of strikes, punches, grabs, and even weapons. When someone is coming to punch me, I notice a tightening of my muscles, and a strong desire to either hide my head in my arms or hit the person back.

Thankfully, most leadership challenges do not come in the same physical form as on the Aikido mat, but the effect on our bodies is the same.

Aikido is far more than self defense—it is embodied conflict resolution. For me, practicing Aikido is like having a laboratory where I can go and attempt to physically embody the insights from the great wisdom traditions of the world: turn the other cheek; do unto others as you would have them do unto you; do no harm.

We live in an era where—for the first time in history—humans are capable of destroying all life on the planet. With humanity's long history of violence toward one another, "business as usual" will no longer suffice.

Our collective choice is very simple: we will either learn to live in a way that peacefully addresses our violence, anger and aggression or they will destroy us … and all future generations. The great gift that Morihei Ueshiba gave the world through Aikido offers some possible solutions to avoiding that nightmare that the legacy of human violence may bring us.

The rest, as they say, is up to us.

Great Books on Aikido

The rest, as they say, is up to us.