How practical is Aikido?

[aefibird]

In short, it's not your 'art' that is effective or not, it is 'your' art that is effective or not.

 

Good point Thor!

[Taku-Shimazu]

How do you ask such a question?

 

I do not think that any art was design and was impractical.

 

The idea of martial arts is to defend yourself and maybe some to attack others, either way what use is it if you can't use it when you need to, practicallity?

[ThorLoser]

I do not think that any art was design and was impractical.

 

The idea of martial arts is to defend yourself and maybe some to attack others, either way what use is it if you can't use it when you need to, practicallity?

 

Battlefields throughoughout history are littered with the bodies of those who did not, in practice, effectively defend themselves.

 

In these battles, even the victorious side inevitably suffers losses.

 

For what purpose did the fallen engage in combat?

 

Herein lies the true goal of the martial aspects of the martial arts. They are designed to 'increase' an individuals chances of effective self defense, however, no system can 'guarantee' it.

 

If two practitioners of a system that 'did' guaranteed success in combat sparred against each other, one individual would be victorious and one wouldn't. This does not render the study of a system an excercise in futility. Similarly, it does not render the system impractical, what it does is demonstrate the reason for the prevalence of attempting to instill humility in the practitioners of most systems.

 

One would be well served to practice and execute every technique with the knowledge and expectation that every maneuver you execute may be your last, not that it may be your opponents last. This will lend your techniques a fierce aspect born out of your inherant understanding that while combat itself may be futile, life is not, and therefore you will struggle to maintain yours with every fiber of your being.

 

When a practitioner achieves this state, and even if he fails to effectively defend himself, it shouldn't be required to ask him why he defended himself, he should be honored for displaying courage at having acted to preserve his life while at the same time accepting that his life was lost.