interesting Aikido

[chris davis 200]

I am WELL WELL aware of the aikido opinions here on this board. Many i share. But i do understand that there are some good aikidoka around. and some that use it very effectivley.

Check out this threads below.

[QUOTE]

I rarely feel like I have much to contribute but I thought I would share this little anecdote with anyone interested.

I took a free Kenpo lesson last night. It was my first time in any karate class. Well, the instructor knows me and knows that I am a 4th kyu aikidoka(just over 2 years study)here in town but no one else in the class knew anything about me.

After stretching/warmups it just happened to be sparring night, his highest rank was a green belt(he said only about 1/2 his class was there). So I put on the gear, head, hands, and feet; and asked my sparring partner about the rules. Here they are, "contact above the waist, try to avoid face, hit as hard as you want to be hit"

What none of these people know about me is that I do lots of heavy bag work and submission wrestle informally with some good friends. So, I wasn't too good about keeping to the rules, I grabbed several kicks (no no), leg-kicked someone one time (very softly) and accidently hit my partner in the gut pretty hard.

Anyways, to get to the point of this post, the instructor sent the people working on techniques to the other room to do whatever they do and kept his 3 highest ranks and me in the main room to spar with him. I went third, basically I thought the whole class was a load of crap. The instructor and I tappy-tapped each other with him landing most of the better shots, in fact I don't know if I hit him at all. He mentioned something about aikido during sparring. Now I hadn't even considered using any aikido just out of respect for him and his dojo but I felt he was being kind of a jerk about it. So I started using Irimi footwork against his kicks, but rather than grabbing his neck, I just firmly shoulder checked him over and over. I only lost my temper once when he kicked me in the back of the head, I trapped his leg the next time and just stepped in and gave him a little weight shift while dropping my center, rather than dump him though I held him up because I wasn't trying to show him up in front of his students.

Well this has gone on long enough, but you probably get the picture, I have gained a new found appreciation for my aikido training. The footwork is very practical and when he actually did try to do the old school yard trip I just leaned into him and dropped my center, then had to hold him up again.
QUOTE]

I had a similar experience several years back. For fun and exercise me and a TKD 2nd dan sparred in the dojo. It was a karate school with an aikido class. I was an enthusiastic white belt aikido student with a few years of prior JJ and kempo training. He was taking karate lessons at the school and trying out the aikido class on the side.

Anywhoo, we agreed to no throws, no wrestling on the ground, light contact anywhere except the obvious danger spots. He fought like a TKD person and tagged me every which way over the course of 40 minutes of friendly sparring. I tagged him now and then too. But more importantly, I "choked him" almost at will. Whenever I tried to do like kempo his superior skill defeated me. In a real fight he would have broken every one of my ribs. But whenever I tried to do like aikido I evaded his blows, entered in, and grabbed him around the neck or on the shoulders. Every time. In a real fight I could have choked him unconscious, or tossed him aside with irimi-nage, kokyu-nage, sayo-undo. Had I known more aikido I could have done more.

This shodan student was convinced (when he started aikido) that there was no way anyone could counter his 'devastating TKD roundhouse kick'. He warned me, and I said try it. When he kicked, I stepped about 1 foot forward (irimi) and caught his leg under the thigh, with my other hand in his face. He hopped around for a moment until it sunk in he was toast. He wanted to try it again, and the same thing happened. I had never had someone try that and I honestly didn't know what would happen. It was so simple. And they say people don't really launch over-committed, out-of-control attacks.

There are some karateka who are fighters and would never expose themselves unless they know they can get away with it. But it is sure fun when they do!

I would like to add my personal testimonials to the value of Aiki. My Shodan test was a six-hour ordeal that I will never forget. The self-defense portion consisted of responses to punch, kicks, grabs, multiple attackers of 5, knives and handguns. The principals of Aiki where utilized and I was able to reach my goal that day. I also wish to add that that year, with utilizing the principals of Aiki, I was the Florida state champion for self-defense

You cant believe everything you read on the net, and people do tend to embellish but some interesting points non the less.


cheers PPL

Chris

[BadgerFu57]

That's cool.

What is a self-defense champion? Do they take you in a dark alleyway and gang beat you? Lol, j/k. Seriously, what is it?

[chris davis 200]

Ha ha - dont have a clue - i think this guy is a bit of a youngster and it was an americanised youth defence thing i think. Dont know.

[Szczepankiewicz]

It's a lot easier to counter a technique when you know it's coming. Now, if we could just get trained up in some pre-cognition skills that would be peachy.

Thanks for the post Chris, it was...how do you say... entertaining.

Spanky

[chris davis 200]

It's a lot easier to counter a technique when you know it's coming.

Well this was sparring so i dont think the attacks were 'known'.

But it was just supposed to be 'interesting'.

[Szczepankiewicz]

I was referring to the post about the Super Roundhouse kick and how the fella said none could stop it. The aikidoka, in his superior humbleness, was able to stop it with simple moves...

As she said in the movie "Dodge this!"

[chris davis 200]

ah right - yeh - i know.

but that is a good way to counter a round house.

[Szczepankiewicz]

Indeed it is.

During my last belt test one of our younger students, (17 at the time) who happended to be a 3rd Brown in TKD before he came to us, was playing agressor for the grappling portion. He knew what the attack was supposed to be and what my response would be. Time and again he tried his damndest to resist the techniques. And he did a good job. He knew what I was going to do and did everything he could to prevent that from happening.

It's funny. All on video tape where he clearly went out of his way to make my life difficult.

Ahhh, but what goes around comes around. During the final phase of my test was the randori. He was my opponent twice and, if memory serves me correctly, he ended up on his ass and into the wall numerous times. Not so easy to counter something if you don't know it's coming.

He who laughs last laughs best...

[Szczepankiewicz]

Along those lines, a week or so ago I was training one of our newer students the mechanics of a front arm bar. As I was demonstrating on him he twisted, turned and wriggled to avoid being locked up.

As I was trying to TEACH this to him it was getting old that he would not cooperate. I'm not sure if he was doing this on purpose or not. Probably not.

However, I proceeded to show him that if I wanted him locked up, I could pull it off whether he cooperated or not. I jacked him up against the wall and put the lock on just tight enough for him to notice.

After that I explained the difference in Uke reaction to a technique when you are learning said technique and when you are practicing the technique.

It wasn't a fun lesson for him but I think it hit home and he learned a valuable lesson.

Spanky

[michaelarsanis]

It think its important to note that all the above mentioned Akidoka crosstrained and used other arts - none were pure Akido.

[chris davis 200]

I think that it is also important to note that using their other arts didnt really work but using their aikido did.

Now I hadn't even considered using any aikido just out of respect for him and his dojo but I felt he was being kind of a jerk about it. So I started using Irimi footwork against his kicks, but rather than grabbing his neck, I just firmly shoulder checked him over and over

Whenever I tried to do like kempo his superior skill defeated me. In a real fight he would have broken every one of my ribs. But whenever I tried to do like aikido I evaded his blows, entered in, and grabbed him around the neck or on the shoulders. Every time.

When he kicked, I stepped about 1 foot forward (irimi) and caught his leg under the thigh, with my other hand in his face. He hopped around for a moment until it sunk in he was toast. He wanted to try it again, and the same thing happened. I had never had someone try that and I honestly didn't know what would happen. It was so simple.

So the fact that they cross trained is kinda irrelevant to what they used.

Cheers
Chris

[PaiLumUmar]

No doubt, Of all the Japanese arts I have studied the Aikido was the most useful. I studied it before I got into Taiji or Submission grappling and was very helpful on a few self defense situations.

[m.artist]

ya i have also wanted to study aikido as well. i have read many great things about morihei ueshiba and have wanted to do the aikdo he taught. unfortunately where i live the only aikido school is another mcdojo so i don't think i want to learn there....i want to go to the source(japan lol) and take it there

[PaiLumUmar]

What do you study now m artist?
I say do it anyway, unless you cannot morally handle it.
That way you have an understanding/exposure to the movement and some techniques. You may pick up somebad habits depending on the Sensei. But hopefuly not somthing that can't be fixed.

[m.artist]

well im "advanced" in yang style tai chi. and right now im doing ed parkers system kenpo.