arcelt

For 2010 I hope to: - Reach 2nd degree in TKD - Reach 2nd Kyu in Aikido - Finally be able to do the sideways splits - Develop my teaching skills

I know this is an old thread, but in the hopes that someone is still reading... I wouldn't advise taking another striking style while still learning the ropes of Shotokan but....I saw you mention Aikido. Aikido will not conflict at all with what you are learning in Shotokan and might enhance and deepen it. My gut reaction is to recommend, as it seems you have already decided to do, to stick with one art for awhile. However, if the bug to cross train bites you again, it has been my experience that training in Aikido and a striking style at the same time produces a nice complimentary experience... Just my $.02...

Alas, me too. Strength is not a problem for me, but conditioning and flexibility are. Instead of lifting, I need to stretch and work on cardio but I don't enjoy either of those nearly as much as lifting weights...

For me it's always been Geography. Living in the semi-rural south, I've never had the opportunity to pick and choose...I went with what was available. When I was a kid there was a Goju school not far from my house. Now there is a school that teaches both TKD and Aikido just a couple of miles away. I've been pretty lucky to have lived in close proximity to some quality dojos. I hope I don't ever have to move again...I fear my luck won't always be so good!

Hapkido is a style that I have great interest in, I only wish it were taught in my area. My two main arts currently are TKD and Aikido, and Hapkido seems to be an interesting amalgamation of the two very different styles.

I'm not sure that one can really be "experienced" in a martial endeavor without having been in a number of situations where there are no rules and one must overcome an adversary in defense of one's life. In that respect, I think the only truly "experienced" martial arts are those practiced by the military and police forces. Sparring is great for developing timing and getting a feel for going against a real opponent, but all sparring has rules. The rules keep us safe and sane, but they also detract from the ultimate reality of the situation. I am horribly inexperienced and I hope to remain so.

Judo....

In my early years of training, martial arts for me was all about being prepared for a fight. As I think now about the uncountable thousands of hours and dollars I have spent studying martial arts, it is clear to me that it is now much more. If preservation of self were my sole motivation for training, my time and money would be much more practically employed by purchasing a hand gun and obtaining a conceal-carry permit. At this point, I train for the health benefit, I train for the sheer joy of pushing my own boundaries, I train because it is in my blood and I can't imagine not training. However, that is not to discount the "martial" in martial arts. I've had three real-world physical confrontations since I began training, and the outcomes of those encounters have convinced me that martial arts, or at least the martial arts I have trained in, do have real tangible benefits in a fight. The knowledge that I am capable of defending myself and my family should the unfortunate need arise is just one benefit among many.

33...been training for 11 years, but not consecutively... From 9 until 19 in Goju Ryu and then from 32 until now in TKD and Aikido... There is a definite deficiency in flexibility now but also a definite plus in strength. My joints hurt more and I don't seem to bounce back from injury like I used to. What I wouldn't give to have my 20s back.

I think the character Starman (a masked Mexican style wrester) from the old NES game Pro Wrestling did the same thing. So now we have Bruce Lee (or a stuntman), Guile, and now Starman doing it. That means we all can do it. Foot capture problem solved!

All you've got to do is, when he grabs your foot, launch yourself into a backflip, extending the previously planted foot...oh, hell, it's too hard to explain it. Just do this (around second 43): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmLQoypqaTw

I agree with that. I'm almost one year in, training 3 or 4 nights per week, and I still only have a good feel for the most basic techniques. I can tell that it will take YEARS before I have anything more than a basic grasp of Aikido. As I previously pointed out, there is no Goju in my area, but I am keeping my striking skills alive by training in TKD. It is quite far removed from Goju in both technique and focus, but it keeps me in shape and keeps my striking reflexes sharp. Maybe as I progress in Aikido, I'll become more comfortable melding Aikido with the striking arts. As of now, they are still quite separate for me.

I hear you there, Ryan. Are you still taking Aikido? If so, how is it going?

I absolutely agree that cross training BJJ with Goju will be beneficial. In fact, I can't imagine any MA that can't be supplemented with a solid grasp of ground fighting...I wish I had more of it myself.

I've heard some people refer to the "Aikido Wars", with a West Coast Aikido (gentle, flowing, blend with your opponent, gently immobilize your opponent, hug your opponent afterwards) and East Cost Aikido (gentle, flowing, rip your opponents arms off). I think of the rap wars when I hear this...drive by wrist lockings and all that....Hyperbole, of course, but it does seem that Aikido has diverged into 2 separate styles, one of which is more internal like Tai Chi, and the other that seems closer to its Daito Ryu roots....

My instructor learned in Japan and I think he brought that attitude back with him. I have trained in some seminars with other American instructors and everything is very gentle; when I train at my dojo it HURTS....When I was studying Goju, I had my nose broken, suffered numerous black eyes and busted lips, etc., and nothing, I mean nothing compares with the pain of a well executed Nikyo or Sankyo..

My five: Sanchin, Sanchin, Sanchin, Sanchin, and Sanchin.

As an addendum, I think that the founder of Aikido tended to only teach those who had prior martial arts experience. A knowledge of basic stand up technique is assumed in the art, I think. It seems that most Aikido schools have given up on that requirement, though...it's not good for business....

Hapkido is an option, as is blending Aikido with a striking style. I train in Aikido but come from a Goju Ryu background. I absolutely love Aikido, but I would never recommend that someone train solely in it if self defense is the aim. Aikido plus any good, hard striking style makes a highly effective MA, IMO.

Indeed. If I hadn't studied a striking style, I don't think I would get much out of Aikido.

Nothing like posting on a thread that's been silent for a month and a half, but hey... I hope by this time you've made your decision and started training. I'd love to hear what you decided and how it has been so far. My background is solidly in Goju Ryu, and I think you could do far worse than to make that choice, particularly if the school in your area practices traditional conditioning (makiwara, chi-ishi, etc.). Of course I am biased....

To preface this, I trained for almost 10 years in Goju Ryu and think that I have a decent grasp of stand up punching/kicking/gouging/elbowing/kneeing fighting. After a long martial arts hiatus, I starting training again in Kempo and TKD (no Goju in my current location). I noted that, beyond being somewhat older and less flexible, my stand up game is still pretty good. I have always been fascinated by Aikido, so I decided to jump at the chance when I realized that an Aikido dojo exists only a few miles from my house. The instructor lived in Iwama, Japan, for many years as an uchideshi under Saito sensei. I had been researching Aikido online and had almost talked myself out of even attending the free trial class after reading reports of no-touch throws, knocking people out with ki from across the room, and other mystical mumbo-jumbo that I don't have time for. Nevertheless, I went and was quite surprised. The training is HARD. I don't want to use the word "brutal" to describe it, but that word sometimes comes to mind as I'm furiously tapping when my sensei is demonstrating nikyo or sankyo on me. When learning a new technique, we walk through it slowly a few times and then uke is instructed to attack at strength. It is a rare night that I don't come home with at least a bruise or two. I spoke with my instructor about my misgivings regarding some things I had read about aikido. He said that, to him, Aikido is first and foremost a form of budo, and he believes in teaching it in a way that is both rigorous and street effective. I must say that I wouldn't tell anyone to take aikido alone if they were purely looking for self defense. But since I have a strong background in other fighting styles, Aikido seems to me to be remarkably effective. I can imagine that if I were in a confrontation, I would undoubtedly use the striking skills that I picked up in goju but, if I were to notice my opponent unbalanced or open in any way, I could easily end the fight with a lock, with joint dislocation or worse as the result for my opponent. Never in class is aikido presented as a way to avoid confrontation or a source of mystical powers. It is presented as a way of dislocating shoulders and breaking wrists should the need arise. This is not to say that we are taught to go over board and hurt the opponent more than necessary, but that the main focus of training is to come out of a confrontation on top. The attitude that I have seen is similar to what I've learned in other martial arts--avoid fighting if at all possible but if a confrontation is unavoidable, defend yourself. For what it's worth, almost all of the students in my class have black belts in striking styles. I'm not sure why this is, but it means that everyone knows how to execute a proper attack as uke, and there is always a busted lip or bloody nose waiting for you if you screw up the technique. I'm curious if my aikido school is unique in this. So much that I read online talks about the mystical aspect of the art, and how aikido should be used to protect the attacker, etc...... Since I haven't trained in any other aikido dojos, I wonder if this one is different from the mainstream, or if the hocus-pocus schools just garner more attention.

Three evenings usually, 1.5 hours each. Occasionally I can squeeze in a 4th evening or a Saturday class.

I've trained in a lot of styles over the years and seen a lot of variation in this. In different styles/traditions, a black belt means different things. In some arts, it truly indicates a high level of mastery of the style. In others, it indicates a proficient student who has learned the basics and is now ready to begin learning advanced techniques. I'm sure most arts fall somewhere in between. Since rank varies so much from style to style, from school to school, the best thing to do is to focus on ones' skills and abilities. That seems to me to be the only reliable yardstick.

Let me summarize what the Uke said after that... Uke: Ouch. I KNOW it was edited....jeez...just trying to interject some levity into the proceedings!