| Taidō | |
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| Japanese Name | |
| Japanese | 躰道 |
| kana spelling | たいどう |
| Modified Hepburn | Taidō |
| Most commonly used | Taido |
| Modified spelling | Taidoh |
| Modified spelling | Taidou |
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Taidō's founder giving a lecture on Unsoku in Atlanta, Georgia, 1996. |
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Taidō (taidō/taido/taidou/taidoh 躰道) is a Japanese martial art created in 1965 by Seiken Shukumine (1925 - 2001). The word taidō means "way of the body." Taidō 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 Genseiryū around 1950.
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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." Taidō's techniques offered many innovations: the inclusion of spinning and twisting movements, gymnastic maneuvers, speedy and effective footwork, and a changing body angle.
Taidō's purpose was, and continues to be, the application of scientific methodology and traditional values to the evolution of the martial arts. According to its creator, Taido's ultimate aim is to equip its practitioners to function at a high level in society.
These movements are combined with punches, kicks, and other techniques. The last category, Ten, includes acrobatic movements, for instance back-flips, which makes Taidō spectacular to watch. Taidō has a special kind of foot-work, which is called unsoku, as well as non-stepping (acrobatic) locomotion, called unshin.
Competitions in Taidō 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.
Taidō is practiced in Japan, Sweden, Finland, Portugal, Denmark, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Australia, USA and Costa Rica.
Taido is unrelated to Shintaido.
Taido is unrelated to Taido 太道 (read by some as 'futoudo').
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