Thinking about Aikido

[MMA_Jim]

Aikido (contrary to popular belief apparently) is truly a very powerful art, for those who are commenting and saying it is impractical (no offense to any posters) they probably did not fully appreciate all the values and slight details that come with learning this art. In the beginning it may seem slow and impractical, but all of this is just practice for a real combat scenario. I have personally taken on two bullies larger then I am at once using purely aikido and I could throw them with ease. Try out this art, but only if you have the patience for it.

Cant say I'll agree with you on this one-

1: just because 2 people attacked you and you used aikido techniques to defend yourself doesnt merit it as being more or less effective- one needs to take into account the skill of the attackers involved....

2: I've seen aikido and trained with aikido-ists (?) The most resounding thing I've been told was "Aikido is so fun to practice after you start to get good at it, but you can not use this stuff in a real fight- its just not made for that."

And that was from a guy who trained BJJ with me- Aikido was (and still is) his first style, him being (at least) a 4th degree black belt instructor with over 30 years invested in the style.

[slink]

krunchyfrogg,

Whether or not the school that you linked to is for you depends on what you want out of Aikido. Based on their website they seem to be into the peace, love, and joy approach to Aikido. If that is indeed the case then you could expect a light aerobic workout, techniques which would never work if your opponent provided any resistance, and little to no self-defense applications. They will likely be very nice people and the training will likely be fun. You probably will not walk away with any sore joints or bruises. If you are looking for something that could actually work outside the dojo then this place is probably not for you. Again, this is all based strictly on their website. The only way to be sure is to go try a class.

As to some of the other posts in this thread I would not put any faith in someone's opinion of Aikido if they have never trained in it or only took a couple of lessons. I would say the same regarding any martial art.

In regards to how well the techniques would work in the real world that would depend on how and where you train. There are unfortunately plenty of Aikido schools which teach the art in such a way that it is fun to do but not really practical. There is also, again unfortunately, no shortage of instructors who view the art in this fashion. If you want something that will allow you to defend yourself you can still find schools which will teach the art in this way as well; they are just harder to find.

Finally, I would not let the criticisms about partnered training scare you away from Aikido. This sort of thing is also found in Japanese Jujitsu as well as Judo. It's there to make sure that you learn the techniques and don't injure your training partner or yourself. The free flowing training with resistance will come in at more advanced levels. Of course the amount and type of resistance will vary from school to school (see previous paragraphs). I hope that helps.