EASTERN martial arts have become very popular in the Western world. Thousands of people in the UK attend a huge range of martial arts clubs each week for fitness, self-defence, competitions and as a spiritual discipline.

Many of these disciplines are combat systems where participants fight and certain styles - judo and taekwondo - have now been adopted as Olympic sports. Karate will be part of the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

But the dynamic Japanese martial art of aikido stands apart from these fighting sports. While offering self-defence techniques, fitness opportunities and a chance to find inner calm, there are no attacking moves.

This is a modern activity developed by martial artist Morihei Ueshiba in the early part of the 20th century. It is based on self-defence and self-development and the three Japanese symbols which make up the word aikido are often translated as “The Way of Harmonious Spirit”.

One of the basic principles in this art is to enable practitioners to defend themselves if attacked while protecting their attacker from injury.

And the Malvern Aikido Club is trying to encourage more local people to try it out and experience the benefits it brings.

Chairman of the club Paul Adkins describes aikido as a martial art which is almost like dance. He said: “Aikido does not require any strength. There is a lot of training and graceful movement. It is the idea you use the energy of the person attacking you and flow with it. You are redirecting the movement from the other person. That is what makes it so graceful.

“Aikido works on a number of different levels. There is the fitness, the self-defence and the spiritual. A lot of the techniques you do are very gentle and there are no attacking movements.

“Some martial arts are quite aggressive. This is very beautiful. It is a great workout there is lots of strengthening. From a health perspective it is more like a life style.”

He stressed that it gives people confidence when dealing with difficult situations and some of the moves put you in control of the other person. “There is one grip that is very empowering.”

Paul, a retired mental health nurse, started learning and practising martial arts in his youth. He started with karate and then took up judo. “I did that for a long time but the judo club closed down,” he said.

But he had a gap in his martial arts experience until moving to Malvern 23 years ago. “We moved to Malvern and I liked the idea of doing martial arts again. “There was an aikido club in Malvern so I joined. Eventually the guy who ran it had to move.”

Paul eventually took on the running of the club and teaches, together with Steve Roe, who is club secretary. The club uses Rodway Hall, Redland Road, Malvern.

He added: “There are different schools of aikido that strayed from the original principles but are more brutal. The true aikido has a gentle way. The whole philosophy is much more healthy. You feel better and it reaches other aspects of your life.

“Aikido is the peaceful and harmonious side of martial arts. In aikido you work together - the person who is being thrown comes to learn how to be thrown and has to do it properly and in a way that flows.

“If a person throws a punch, in aikido you take the energy of that person’s movement but put them in a position where you have control of them.” He said the idea is that the moves become second nature and the aim is to be present in the moment – not thinking about the past or worrying about the future – while allowing yourself to respond to whatever unfolds.

“You have to make your life count. You have to primarily look after yourself and you owe it to yourself. It is important to enjoy the moment rather than thinking about the next thing.”

Paul said he had reaped great benefits from aikido and is now calmer, fitter and has a more benevolent attitude towards others.

The club takes members from the age of 14 and there is no upper age limit. In Japan children as young as three and four can get involved. “They see it more as a way of life,” he said.

“There are some people aged 85 who still roll around the mat looking youthful. It is important to use your body – you have to use it or lose it.

“I would like people to come and try it and experience for themselves the benefits you can get from it and also you do develop yourself in all the right ways. People who do it still have fun.”

One of the other benefits of aikido is meeting the other lovely people who practise it and not just other members of the local club, added Paul.

“Every year there is a summer school where there is a teacher from Japan who comes to teach. We have people coming from all over the world for the summer school. You get to practise with lots of other people you do not normally get to practise with.”

The Malvern Club is currently running a beginners class at Malvern Library. “We thought people might be put off coming to a club where there are established members, so we decided to run a course in the library.

“It is a nice neutral space and we are covering the basics. They will learn how to roll and the etiquette and basic techniques.”

Anyone interested in learning more about aikido or trying it can ring Paul on 07977 770032 or email Paul at sensei_2@malvern-aikido.org or Steve at secretary@malvern-aikido.org. For more information about the club visit http://malvern-aikido.org/