Life of Guangzhou - American in GZ Teaches Japanese Art of Aikido

Every Saturday night at a badminton hall situated in Guangzhou's Haizhu District a group of enthusiasts meets to practice Aikido, a Judo-like style of martial arts that originated in Japan.

Sonny demonstrates how to thwart a knife-wielding rival (Guangzhou Daily)

American Sonny Roobin Shihan from California is one of the two trainers at the weekly event. At the age of 52, he says he is 'addicted' to Aikido.

Shihan entered the world of martial arts when he was 10 years old. Later he traveled around the world, eventually studying Aikido in Japan for over a decade before arriving in China in 1997. Sonny then set up residence in Guangdong, where has continued to remain immersed in martial art traditions.

When asked about Aikido – which is not as well known as Judo and Karate in China – Sonny explains that it is a good builder of will power and self-defense skills.

By using Aikido a smaller opponent can learn to resist a stronger one. Sonny shared a self-defense story in which he encountered a robber during his travels: Pretending to hand his wallet to the robber, he grabbed the thief by his wrist and threw him to the ground using Aikido techniques.

Sonny says an Aikido expert should be agile at dodging attacks, and able to find the point of advantage in a narrow space. He also explained that the defender needs to be able to escape and overwhelm rivals through rapid movement and body strength.

(By Jessie Hwang and Stephen Roach)