Quote:
|
Which is it? And don't say "it is all these things" as you jump about from one to the other when the need arises.
|
Of course I do. If something is both things, why can I not use both attributes to support my point? This thread was started simply as a way of telling if Aikido could mix with other arts. I say any art can mix with any other, with the proper study.
How many purported stunts have you seen performed in real situations by any martial arts that go beyond punching and kicking wrestling? No one walks around with a sword anymore, so the point is moot.
Simply because something seems beyond you, doesn’t mean it can't be done. Or that it is ludicrous. If it were ludicrous, most of the disarms I've seen Burton Richardson perform would fall into that category, as some of the initial movements looked quite similar. But we all know it is better to run or equalize than to disarm with your hands.
As for the training, I've already addressed that. Not every sensei is the same. In any art you will find a large number of folks teaching techniques and using methods that either don't work or are taught in a way that doesn't work. It is common in many arts.
And I never said Aikido was either the most efficient or realistic martial art. Recall that I made comments about the amount of time to become any good at it. Many of its techniques would collapse under survival stress (unless your mental training was up to it). However, the Tokyo police use a modified version of Aikido in their training, and I've heard it works for them. Just because you must dig through the dirt doesn't mean you shouldn't look for the gold.
There are some techniques in both BJJ and Thai Boxing that I would never try in the street. That doesn't mean either art has no value. Keep it simple, keep it swift, is what I say. But Aikido is a study in biomechanics, and as such can benefit any martialist who deconstructs it analytically.
Respect.