Aikido Question

[Samurai Shotokan]

I was wondering how aikido works since you dont strike back you just flow with you attackers energy. It looks like it doesn't hurt but i guess it does.Ive also heard its hard to learn as well is this true?

[JusticeZero]

It hurts like heck. They turn with the attack and turn it into a balance throw that drops the attacker on the ground pretty forcibly, sometimes in interesting pretzel locks. The ground doesn't have to worry about conditioning it's striking surfaces or rooting. It's like a Judo guy I talked to once said: "Sure, we strike. We strike you with the ground."

It's fairly esoteric in that they are supposed to be learning to blend force and use the attacker's inertia and balance to throw, rather than their personal strength; as such, it takes more time to master because you have to get good at feeling through the other person rather than just powering through movements. Most techniques seem to be based on snatching an attack and controlling it while using it as an anchor for a throw. The "grab the punching wrist" thing tends to be where it gets difficult and sketchy for a lot of people, especially as they don't teach the attacks they are learning to respond to.

[fallen_milkman]

The "grab the punching wrist" thing tends to be where it gets difficult and sketchy for a lot of people, especially as they don't teach the attacks they are learning to respond to.

A lot of the time, at least from what I've noticed working with aikido, you're not actually grabbing the punching wrist. You are blocking it normally, and the controling it. People who are good at it just make it look like one fluid movement. Aikido's effectiveness, even early on, is astounding.

[tsdshep]

aikido too me looks to be very panrful i take tangsoodo and we do basick and advanced selfdefince and when you hit ground it hurts like well you know.Also froum what i understand akidio uses a lot of rist locks and jiont tecniques very panefull.akido as with any martial art takes a long time too learn i say tough it out you will get froum the art everything you put into it .I hope this helpd as i said i dont take akido thes are just mt thoughts

[jedimc]

I love this video, its a good demo - http://www.met.rdg.ac.uk/~sws99dsc/rdgaikido/AikidoDemo1.wmv

[tsdshep]

I am sorry but viedo you had us watch is noyt tridishoal akido thear for i wouldent base the art on it.In akido thear are not strikes or agreashon this man does bouth.you never attack in akido and this guy does it over and over and i am not talking about the dummy running at him.but thear self defince is so very impresive i just dont like all the hard tecniques added buy theys guys.HArd is not akido

[jedimc]

But you have to admit it is a pretty cool video. Yoshinkan is a harder style than other's so it could be that, and in aikido there are strikes they are called atemi and used for distracting the opponent.

[JusticeZero]

It looked like the Aikido i've seen. There's a number of schools of Aikido - they all, to my understanding, try to capture the art as they were taught it, but they are like 'snapshots' of the founder at different stages.

Though I will note that a lot of modern Aikido schools have gotten entirely too wishy-washy with the "no aggression" thing, and I wouldn't want to train around them. You need to posess and acknowledge some amount of 'aggression', even if it is minor, or else you run the danger of becoming passive-aggressive dancers. I don't want to train with anyone who doesn't acknowledge the violence inherent in what they do, because from experience I have learned that the people studying the most extremely peaceful of arts are the most angry, violent, and abusive people in the martial arts - they don't 'own' that aspect of themselves or their art, so it's always a steady string of 'I had to protect the other students from your aggression, so I threw you down two flights of stairs.' 'I didn't kick you full force between the legs. Your chi forced me to do it as part of the karmic balance.' 'There was a nail sticking up out of the floor in the exact place where I made sure to throw you? It looked like it had been pried up? How odd. It must be the universe trying to teach you something about your hostility.'

[jedimc]

Yes well there would have to a bit of agression as the art evolved from Aikijujitsu( a very agressive art) and if you are getting attacked its either you life or the attackers life, I choose mine.

[tsdshep]

well with all do respect your rong moder akido added agreshion moreisha akido was no agreashon.It was a very peacfull art no strikes no agreasho you used there agreashon agenst theam.What i ment by no strikes is there were very littler if any strukes used in akido.I f i am wrong i am sory but i have talked two 2 diffrent people one who took akido for 5 years and another who took it for 3.Also anywere on line that talks about moreisha akido says the same thing all the agreashon was addid.His was a very soft peacfull but very deadly art.But thean agen i dont take akido so i wouldent know the only thing i do know all the agreave strike and kicks in akido were added thay are not tridishonal.you would of never see as you guys say oh great semsi lead oof with a punch or a kick he would let you do that.

P.S sry for the bad grammer and spelling