What Do You Think Of Akido?

[jeff5]

Many of the Aikido techinques and body mechanics are based on similar movements that you would make with a sword. This was to make the empty hand portion of the Samurai arts relateable to men who mainly fought with weapons.

[Tom Yum]

Perhaps my humour was too subtle. I'll get my coat.

Can you pick me up a case of beer while you're out there? Thanks.

[ScottUK]

Perhaps my humour was too subtle. I'll get my coat.

[Hardball]

If they drop their sword, they should impale themselves on it. Is that an aiki technique too?

If they drop their sword they break out with jujitsu.

[ScottUK]

If they drop their sword, they should impale themselves on it. Is that an aiki technique too?

[Hardball]

Nonsense. He'd be better off with a samurai technique...

That is a Samuriai technique. They used it when they dropped or broke their sword.

[ScottUK]

Nonsense. He'd be better off with a samurai technique...

[Hardball]

If Akido meets Boxing, Akidoka would be wise to go for double leg takedown.

[jubaji]

...............................

[tntma]

Oooh, you were doing fairly well until there...

Im not sure I follow you, aikido movements are largely based on samarai techniques.

[jubaji]

Also, Aikido is very similar to Samurai, since most of the movements and techniques are based from samurai.

Oooh, you were doing fairly well until there...

[tntma]

Aikido can be extremely effective in a real fight situation. It does however take a long time to get proficient at the art, but once you do, you can be very effective, yes even against a experienced brawler. Even though aikido is mostly a defensive art, dont be fooled, an aikidoist can be offensive too, esspecially some of the harder styles of aikido.

Aikido may not be the best art for everyone, esspecially those with little patience, but it is definately effective, if used properly, same as any other art.

Also, Aikido is very similar to Samurai, since most of the movements and techniques are based from samurai.

[Hardball]

I just bought two more of his books, one on Nerve attacks and the other on advanced Jujitsu- These were written fairly recently. All I can say is I wish I lived closer to Santa Clarita, where he teaches!

Check your local YMCA, a lot of his understudies teach there. Also, try his DVD's also.

[Hardball]

Problem is, it is all but impossible to find any ju-jutsu dojos around any more. The last good books about this subject were by George Kirby, in the late 70's and early 80's. So, out of what is left out there today, I think Aikido is pretty much one of the last links to samurai.

George Kirby is still around. In fact he is the Grandmaster and Founder of the very prosperous American Jujitsu Association. www.americanjujitsuassociation.org

[jeff5]

I'd say as far as combativeness goes, akikido rates pretty low. I actually like it as an art, just that I don't know how good it is from a self defense aspect. This is mainly because of the historical development of Jujitsu and Aikido.

In Japan you had professional warriors, the Samurai. They fought with Bow, Spear, Sword, etc. They had their primary weapons, secondary weapons, and when all else failed empty hand. The empty hand portion was a very small subset, because as a warrior you obviously don't want to put down your weapons. Most of the close in grappling that they did would be reminiscent of Shui Jiao, Western Wrestling, or Judo just from the very nature of the armor they were wearing and how melee fighting progressed.

Once Japan was at peace, many of the houses and schools got very stylized and very specialized. Remember, they had a period of hundreds of years where they really didn't use their skills for actual combat very much. Daito-Ryu Aikijujitsu, which is the forerunner of Aikido, was codified during this time. I'm not saying that the old Jujitsu Ryu weren't combative, because from what I've read training in them was extremely hard and there was still the "kill your enemy" mind-set.

Then from Daito-Ryu we have Aikido. Aikido was not developed as a combat art, it was developed as a Do, a way to personal development and sefl perfection. Any actual combat or self defense techinques in it were secondary.

So yes I think its easy for lots of us today to criticsize Aikido. But I also think that we aren't looking at it correctly for what it actually is.