is there a realistic alternative to aikido? a passive martial art that works?

Question

i've heard a lot of bad things about aikido, im not mocking anyone here, its just what i've gathered from a lot of peoples past experience
is there a truely effective passive martial art where one can use a persons energy/weight/force against them that is practical for a street situation?

Answer 1

As someone said before, people tend to criticize what they don't understand. Aikido is that way because it is based on internal energy. Also, Aikido deviates from other traditional martial arts because technique is circular, not linear which makes application and the dynamics required entirely different and harder to learn.



But really in any martial art, if you are only using your limbs to counter and haven't learned how to generate force and energy from your entire body, then you haven't learned a thing. In Shotokan, for example from my point of view, just as a blind person has to strengthen every other sense to compensate for his/her lack of vision, a woman must increase her advantage by learning to develop her other strengths and compensate for lack of body mass, muscle strength and size. So, good speed along with timing, and relying on energy from your center becomes necessary and vital for technique to be strong and effective.



Aikido's all about knowing how to develop and manifest that energy from your core in order to benefit from its applications. It is about redirecting incoming energy, so you must picture a scenario where someone is coming at you. Timing is essential, and in order for technique to work, it's necessary for practice and training to be as realistic as possible.



Clearly, a real life situation where someone is holding a knife to your throat is not for an Aikido beginner since the energy of the knife and holder is static, like that of a tree-trunk. Knowing how to turn into your attacker becomes more natural with many years of Aikido practice.



Steven Segal is an avid Aikidoka and has studied the art for many years. In any of his movies you can appreciate the context of how some applications are meant to be used, even if it is Hollywood. It is taught in the police academy because it's meant to takedown and subdue with no force.



It takes about a decade of training to have good footwork, fluid movement and a good handle on technique in Aikido. At this point you have only begun :)



Aikido is only for those who are serious about making martial arts a part of their lives and who are looking for something other than a traditional martial art.



I think Tai Chi might be another option for you.



Edit @ Jon: You have no clue as to any kind of time frame in Aikido, especially since you haven't trained in it. The time frame for comfort level and beyond that, proficiency is different for everyone. At ten years as I mentioned before you have a good handle on the basics to start some real training, at 5 years you've developed better movement and comfort level in the art and at the dojo, and in 2 to 3 years you're right out of the womb and still in diapers, and this is if you are athletic and have decent hand-eye coordination.

Answer 2

All Martial Arts work in a street fight it doesn't matter if it is a Soft style (Passive) like Aikido or a Hard Style like Taekwondo. Its up to the individual, how many hours of serious training he has put in and his/ her understanding of the principle of his chosen Art and the continues training to maintain that proficiency.

Regarding an Alternative to aikido you have two kinds; Hapkido and Hankido. Hapkido (aka Aikido's dirty little cousin) like aikido is an off shoot of Aikijutsu but the korean's added kicks and was influence by judo somewhat. Some of the techniques are so similar they sometimes mirror each other like shihonage, ikkyo, sankyo to name a few. Then there's Hankido a korean a more resent Art which is an off shoot of Hapkido yet very very similar to Aikido in principle and technique. Chi Na a chinese Art that is similar to both.

Everything boils down to the Teacher, not the Art or technique. if you doubt the efficiency of your chosen Art then it is best to seek another teacher than an alternative to an Art for it doesn't matter what you learn but how you where trained to apply it in an extreme situation under extreme stress like a street fight.

Answer 3

Aikido is very effective. Don't disregard Aikido.



Other effective 'passive' styles that also work are: Tai Chi Chuan, Bag Gua, Hsing I, Chin Na, Wing Chun, and my style of Hakko Ryu Jiu-Jitsu.



All these effective styles, including Aikido, utilize the person's strength against them in a self-defense situation. Watch a Steven Seagal movie to show how Aikido would work under ideal conditions (no one is unbeatable).



Again, it takes a very long time to become good at the 'soft' styles of martial arts.



Or you can take steroids, pump iron, and take a few months of boxing and wrestling and Muay Thai and compete in the UFC?

Answer 4

To answer you directly, yes. But back to this in a moment.



First, you must realize that every ones opinion will be different depending on their own level of experience.I personally have practiced Aikido for 35 years, and have taught the art for over 30 of those years, so my opinion has some weight. Aikido as an art form is precisely that, a performance art. However, Aikidos' roots are in JuJitsu, not Brazilian or UFC or MMA, but rather, a real fighting art in ancient Japan practised by real body guards ( samurai) designed to disable and mame an attacker in a life and death struggle.



So one must not forget that pain compliance and joint locks that work well in the dojo can only translate to real self defense if one is experienced enough, and willing enough, to break the joints, tear the tendons, or even kill an attacker.



So the answer is this. If you are not willing to practice this magnificent art for thousands upon thousands of hours, do your self a favor, hire a body guard or take a combat shooting course.

Answer 5

I recommend dedicating yourself to Aikido solely. Learning the principles of one style is hard enough. if you attempt to learn two styles at once, it will be easy to confuse or mislearn the principles - bad!! These are the basic learning blocks that you need to build off of to be a successful martial artist. If you really want to do two martial arts, wait until you have your black belt in aikido, with good foundations - then add something else. Good luck!

Answer 6

Skill and technique in all MAs take time studying under a good instructor to develop. U cant develop skill and expect to become good at a MA by just practicing when u have class. MAs are meant to be practiced everyday. U must also find a good instructor to study under. Finding a good instructor is more important than finding any particular MA to study. A half @ssed instructor produces half @ssed students. A MA is only as effective as the martial artists skills. Aikido and other soft and internal MAs take longer to learn than external MAs. Taijiquan is one of the most effective MAs but it takes at least 10 years to just become proficient.

Answer 7

Yes, aikido.



Its heavily critized because most people don't understand it, and it takes a long time to get good at. You can't enter aikido with the mindset (I'm going to learn how o fight, you have to enter it with 'I'm going to deflect this attack and not cause harm to anyone.'



I would like to see someone go to my sensei and tell him it doesn't work. Then try to attack him, it'd be funny.



And if it didn't work, why would many soliders and police officers train in it? After all, they aren't exactly pansies



oh and BJJ isn't a self defense, its a sport, not to say it cant help you, but there are A LOT of weaknesses that it has after the rules aredropped, besides, you NEVER want to be on the ground in a real fight unless you have no other option

Answer 8

"what i've gathered from a lot of peoples past experience"



Are you really that gullible?



Are these people extensively trained Aikidoka?



How many years or rather - how much QUALITY time have they put in the art?



I would say that ALL of these "people" have NO training whatsoever in ANY art.



And you come here echoing their lies.



Do you know what that makes you?

Answer 9

judo. hapkido. those two are the ones that come to mind with thsoe principles. id say Brazilian jujitsu as well but if you want something similar to aikido then i guess those two are the closest ones.

Answer 10

study bruce lee. his philosphy. the art of fighting without fighting.ina street situation there is no answer. no amount of self disipline will stop a bullet. hand to hand, study bruce, he combined all the arts plus ballet into one form.

Answer 11

isn't tai chi passive in nauture?

Answer 12

It is hard to find an alternative to Aikido. It is a truely unique martial art that stands out among the sea of martial art styles.



I have tried to find an alternative to Aikido myself. I like Aikido but the comments about it's value in self-defense has thrown me off it's course sometimes (Aikido is hard to understand).



I had one person recommend to me to look into a type of system that is taught to mental health orderly types. It is used to restrain someone without using strikes and hurting them. But, practically you can't learn this unless you go into the field or have some lucky chance to study it somehow.



I just have not read anything yet that replaces Aikido. Judo, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, Japanese Jiu Jitsu, and Aiki Jiu Jitsu all use the person's energy/weigh/force against them (because they all are break-offs of each other). But they aren't passive. They all are arts that mainly require aggression (or at least in sparring and competition you have to use them aggressively).



One person has already made the 1st comment to your question that people usually misunderstand Aikido. I think this is largely true. In your research of Aikido you probably have come across the contradiction (like I have) that Aikido is seen as total garbage or a highly effective self-defense system. Why the contradiction? I think it is because a lot of people misunderstand it. It is the oddball of martial arts. Just like oddballs that don't fit "normal" behaviour in society are often misunderstood and mocked, so is Aikido.



It is true that Aikido will take some time to basically be effective in (I am basing my opinions on the fact I took it's parent art [that Aikido came from mostly] Aiki Jiu Jitsu for 2 yrs. and have thouroughly studied Aikido and participated in a few free lessons). I think Aikido will be, basicaly effective for self-defense, in about 3 years (give or take a year). You do have to deal with this fact (most people unanimously agree on this fact whether they love Aikido or hate it). Aikido is basically effective when you learn these three skills good enough: evasion (avoid the attack), throwing, and the conclusion, the Aikido pin. If you can do these skills decently you are basically set to use Aikido for self-defense. I think 3 years (+/-) is what you are probably looking at to use it that way.



Aikido is largely misuderstood because of it's passive/defensive nature. The huge majority of martial arts are about pretty much seriously injuring someone (hitting, knocking unconcious, choking unconcious, breaking limbs, eye gouging, etc., etc.). So, most people are used to doing that in a martial art. When you have some martial art that is actually concerned about the attacker as well as the defender it dumbfounds most people. How can that be realistic? How can you not resort to beating someone up? Hitting them? Hurting them? It confuses the huge majority. It is a philosophy most people don't understand or like. People are more natually brutes and use force to accomplish their goals. It is a lot like the peaceful nature of most religions. It is hard for a lot of people to carry out those peaceful philosophies like the founder's intended. It is "too hard" to do. But, the key is living & breathing that philosophy until it becomes a part of who you are. Then it is more natual & "easy" to do. So, it is with Aikido.



You will have to internalize Aikido for it be effective for you. If you try to blend it with more brutal moves it won't be Aikido anymore, and probably will lose it's effectiveness. You have to live & breath Aikido's nature of peace & harmony. You have to read Morihei Ueshiba's (the founder of Aikido) intent & purpose of Aikido and how it is to be used. If you go back to the religion analogy it is the same way. You have to understand & internalize what the founder is teaching. If you blend the founder's philosophies with others you get something else and probably won't be as pure and effectie. You have to play by the rules so to speak. You have to become "passive," to use a person's energy/weight/force against them, to wait for the attack, to defuse a potentially hostile situation before it gets out of hand if possible, to want peace, to ideally minimize injury to your attacker, to focus on defense and not fighing [escape when possible], to desire harmony, all the stuff that makes up Aikido.



If someone can't wrap their mind or internalize all the peace & harmony of Aikido then it is garbage and near useless for anything. If someone try to be aggressive and streetfight with Aikido then it simply would not work. If you internalize peace & harmony, defense, Aikido, then it will be more practical and useful for you in self-defense.



So, don't give up on Aikido. I don't think you will find another martial art that fits what you want as well. It has potential b/c an Aikido black belt has undeniable self-defense skill.