Aikido and Basic Physics: The Application of Aikido as a Strategy to Improve the Understanding of Physics Concepts in Basic and Higher Education

This article proposes an innovative interdisciplinary analysis that explores conceptual correspondences between the principles of Aikido, a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba, and the fundamentals of basic physics, particularly the laws of conservation, force, and mass. Through a comparative methodology, we demonstrate how the concepts of energetic flow (Ki), dynamic balance, centralization, and circular movement in Aikido offer valuable pedagogical analogies for comprehending complex physical principles such as energy conservation, angular momentum, fundamental constants, and Noether’s symmetries. The results suggest that this integrative approach not only enriches the teaching of physics for students at various levels but also provides a conceptual framework that facilitates the transition between intuitive-embodied and abstract-mathematical knowledge. We conclude that incorporating martial arts-based metaphors, particularly Aikido, represents a promising pedagogical strategy for teaching theoretical physics, potentially increasing engagement and deep conceptual understanding in educational contexts.