Neumann then grabbed Riesen’s arm, with her other hand on his back as she pulled him down to the floor. In defeat, Riesen tapped the mat.
The two were not spending their time sparring. Instead, they were practicing the Japanese art of Aikido Yoshokai.
The MSU Aikido Club has been a source of harmony on campus for more than 40 years. The group was established in 1973 and focuses on creating a non-resistant flow between two partners.
Aikido translates to “the way of harmony with the life force.” Its style is similar to that of Japanese martial arts like karate, but it reduces the instances of confrontation to promote peace.
There are about 10 members who regularly attend the club’s practices, though staff advisor Joe Petroff said new members are always welcome.
“When I first checked it out, I thought it looked fixed or fake,” doctoral student Dan Ewart said.
Members and instructors slip off their shoes before entering the matted floor of the Judo Room for practice.
After performing a series of bows to each other, the senior members move to the side of the room that is opposite to the newer members.
Senior instructors give a series of commands for stretches, from pivoting their bodies at various angles to stretching and rolling their wrists. The students also jump up and down to loosen their muscles, keeping time by counting aloud - all in Japanese.
The majority of the class is spent with students partnered up to run through a series of basic movements and rolls. Older members typically partner with newer members for this exercise.
“The goal is to create a sort of harmony with the person you’re training with,” Petroff said.
While going through the motions, one partner acts as the “shite” while the other acts as the “uke.” The uke is the one who appears to have lost by the end of the motion, tapping the mat to signal their defeat.
Petroff said Aikido Yoshokai is not a competitive martial art, though the club occasionally performs demonstrations of their powerful throws, pins and weapon techniques.
“It’s not a sport or competitive - it’s an art,” Ewart said. “It’s two people creating one beautiful technique.”
The club meets from 7-8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 2-3 p.m. on Sundays in IM Sports-West’s Judo Room.
