Ich, Ni, San, Shi. These Japanese words can be heard in frequent repetition during an Aikido Club meeting. When listening to these sounds and the club members slowly responding in harmony, it’s hard to make out if they are even words or just melodic sounds. However, when examining what the word Aikido itself means, it makes sense that these “words” sound more like musical sounds rather than actual words. Founded in the 1930s, Aikido means “the way of harmony.” Considering that Aikido is a form of defensive martial arts, this is mildly ironic. But the founder of this Japanese martial art, Morihei Ueshiba, wanted the purpose of it to not be about harming others, but rather to “defend oneself while preserving the attacker, [thereby] bettering oneself in the process.” Because of this, techniques used in Aikido do as little damage to the attacker by using very little effort, making the class a great choice for just about anyone. “I’m not athletic at all so I like that it doesn’t require me to be a physical…monster. It’s very doable,” Alice Blake, a freshman who has attended eight of the Aikido Club meetings, said. As Blake sat on the sidelines of a Monday [...]