Women dominate aikido

The ancient form of martial arts offers

Gina Spring, Managing Editor

Issue date: 11/11/05 Section: Lifestyles

Media Credit: Gina Spring, Managing Editor

RING - Aikido instructor Edward Mink teaches junior Danielle Hammond (top) and junior Elizabeth Olszewski the seoi nage throw.

She raises her left arm high above her head in a gentle curve. The baggy sleeve of her clean, white gi slips down her slender arm. Slowly, she picks up her left foot to gain momentum and propels herself head first toward the mat. Her body is strong as the mat rolls across her extended arm and then across her shoulder blades, her head and neck never making contact with the floor. She falls on her side, her hand and feet slapping the mat as she lands. She uses her neck muscles to hold her head inches from the cool, hard surface. She holds back a smile, knowing she has just completed her perfected roll fall.

Of all things these young women could be doing on a Tuesday morning, they have chosen to learn a martial art. They jump at the opportunity to be thrown to the ground by a classmate, often a male much bigger than they are. They practice techniques, learn the history of the art and come back to class everyday with frequently sore and tired muscles from training the day before.

For Danielle Hammond, a junior dietetics major, the aikido class she attends is a way for her to learn self-defense and have a sense of security and confidence should she ever be attacked. She also appreciates aikido's defensive purpose, focusing on neutralizing a situation rather than hurting someone.

Hammond is enrolled in the second eight-week aikido course at the UA, taught by Edward Mink, director of health promotions for the Pat Walker Health Center. Mink has taught the course for 15 years.

Mink said women perform "wonderfully" in his class, better than the men, especially in the beginning. "It is a graceful art, hip-oriented and involves blending and flowing, and women pick up on those things much faster than men in general," Mink said. "Men tend to be rigid and very herky-jerky in the movements."

While some women say they prefer to learn a martial art so that they can learn how to protect themselves, others train for physical fitness and mental benefits. Hammond said her training has not only raised her confidence when it comes to self-defense, but it has also made her more confident with herself spiritually.

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