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from Karate Depot

Who's Who in
Taido

 Seiken Shukumine

Taido ( 躰道 / taidō ) is a Japanese martial art created in 1965 by Seiken Shukumine (1925 - 2001). The word taidō means "way of the body." Taido has its roots in traditional Okinawan Karate. Feeling that the martial arts, particularly karate, were not adapting to meet the needs of a changing world, Shukumine first developed a style of karate called Genseiryu around 1950.

Eventually, Shukumine became convinced that the limitations of karate lay in its linear mode of training. He considered how to make the defense more flexible and universal and introduced the new art as "Taido." Taido's techniques offered many innovations: the inclusion of spinning and twisting movements, gymnastic maneuvers, speedy and effective footwork, and a changing body angle.

Taido's purpose was, and continues to be, the application of scientific methodology and traditional values to the evolution of the martial arts.

Five Principles of Taido

• Keep your mind as clear and calm as the polished surface of a mirror. This way you will see to the heart of things. Having the right state of mind will help you avoid confusion.
• Be composed. Body and mind should be as one. Bear yourself correctly and you need never fear insult.
• Invigorate your spirit from the source of energy deep in your abdomen. With the right spirit you will never fear combat.
• In every action, follow the correct precepts you have been taught. By doing so you cannot act wrongly.
• Be adaptable in your techniques and maintain freedom of physical movement. The right technique will prevent you from being dominated.

Five Types of Body Movements:

• Sen - Vertical spinning movement
• Un - Ascending and descending wave-like movement
• Hen - Falling movement characterized by changing the body's axis
• Nen - Horizontal spinning movement
• Ten - Rolling and tumbling movement

These movements are combined with punches, kicks, and other techniques. The last category, Ten, includes acrobatic movements, for instance back-flips, which makes Taido spectacular to watch. Taido has a special kind of foot-work, which is called unsoku, as well as non-stepping (acrobatic) locomotion, called unshin.

Competitions in Taido include Jissen (sparring), Hokei (which is similar to kata), and Tenkai, which is a made-up fight, where one "hero" defeats five opponents during the last part of a 30 second bout. In Tenkai the judges give points to the competing teams in a similar manner as is done in e.g. figure skating.

Taido is practiced in Japan, Sweden, Finland, Portugal, Denmark, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Australia and the USA.

There is also another Japanese martial art named Taido ( 太道 / taidō ), but it is only practiced in Japan.