What do you people think about Aikido...?

Question

Aikido, looks very promising...

What about if you study Aikido and Shaolin Kung Fu...?

Is that a really really good mix...?

I think that Aikido is very effective by its self...

What do you think...?

Answer 1

I think Aikido is very effective but only if your opponent is attackiing you. It is a defensive martial art.

Answer 2

eddie, I find this interesting. Everyone that studies Aikido currently will say that it works in the street. Others that either have never studied the real art, or have only a little training in it will say it is of no use. Let me ask you this question. Do you really think that Aikido would have been handed down to so many new generations if it did not work for real? Lets face it, Aikido is one of the harder martial arts to master. Like other martial arts there are good Aikido instructors and bad ones. Having been in the martial arts nearly 42 years, I can say truthfully that I've seen a lot of really bad Aikido. BUT, I have seen a few Aikido masters that are truly amazing. They changed my beliefs about Aikido and its effectiveness. Bottom line is it is the instructor not the art that makes it. In my experiences that has always been the truth.

Answer 3

I will try to tread lightly here, I know some people's feelings might get hurt (I'm sure my thumbs downs count for this answer will be substantial).



Aikido is good for mental and spiritual purposes. I don't think it's effective, especially against a resisting or strong opponent. It is an aesthetically pleasing art. I have yet to see any proof of the techniques working. There is an Aikido group that spars and posts videos on YouTube, but that is the only non-demo Aikido I have ever been able to find.



Shaolin kung fu is what I would choose for myself instead of Aikido or both. Of course, it is all about what you are seeking from the martial art. With any kung fu style you will get mental/spiritual training as well as fairly practical techniques... not to mention it's beautiful.

Answer 4

Aikido is an exceptional martial art, stand alone and without necessity to mix. It is purely reactionary (defensive), so if you're looking for a hard hitting knock em down bone breaker, this isn't your style. It's an interal and soft martial art that focuses on reading your opponent, choosing the course of action that does the least damage, and completely and effectively neutralizes/immobilizes your enemy, rendering them unable to attack without the necessity for excessive force, eg breaking bones, hard strikes, etc.



If you decide to take aikido, be prepared for months and months of tumbling and being tossed - it's the first step in the art to learn how to break fall so you better understand the way someone, including yourself, will react to the similar techniques in the art.



Also - be prepared to hear a lot of statements like "aikido is for losers" or "Aikido blows" from MMA fanatics. Take these opinions with a grain of salt as most of these people have probably never actually trained properly in a traditional martial art.



But above all - listen to yourself and what you feel. Take a few classes - watch some at the schools you're scouting, and pay attention to how you feel about it. You're the best guide for your own choices.

Answer 5

Aikido can be very effective, depending on the school from which you learn and your personal ability.



Aikido branched out shortly after O-Sensei Morehei Ueshiba (the founder of Aikido) passed away. Each branch, driven by different personalities emphasized different aspects of O-Sensei's teachings. Some emphasized the spiritual aspects. Some schools emphasized finding the exact angles and movements where your opponent is not being resisted, and cannot resist you. Another branch kept the martial power that was originally part of Aikido.



I am fairly new to Aikido, but have had some introduction to differing styles of Aikido through seminar training, and from contact with some black-belts that left another style of Aikido and joined ours.



Some Aikido schools (ryu) have become so focused on being light of foot, light-handed, and finding those perfect angles of non-resistance, they have become little more than fancy dancing (from what I have been told). Others retain some of the martial power. Many schools have dropped the weapons training that was originally part of Aikido (weapons techniques and empty hand techniques have parallels and connections).



My own senior instructor spent 9 years in Japan in Iwama Province (the birth place of Aikido) studying in the founders dojo under Morihiro Saito Sensei, who was given the founder's dojo when O-Sensei died. We study the weapons, and can generate power in our techniques to immobilize and opponent (at least my senior students and instructors can). I have personally used my little training to restrain teenagers who were getting too rough, and have used it successfully in Shotokan Karate free-sparring.



The downside of Aikido is it takes longer to learn than most arts. Many schools are more expensive than those of other martial arts, and it does not prepare you to grapple on the ground.



The effectiveness for an individual depends on their level of training, their personal commitment, how well they have stayed in practice, and their mastery of the psychology it takes to render an effective defense. This is true of any martial art, however.

Answer 6

I think like anything, it is what you make of it. You will get a ground game to go along with your stand up game. More importantly, you will get a different perspective. You will have more weapons in your arsenal. I don't think mixing is an issue, but flow might be...the difficulty is in transitions and you don't want to get caught in a transition from one thing to another, the combatives (hands, elbows, shins, knees) should flow smoothly until you get close enough to grab.



Chin na, "seize control" basically joint locking is from China and some form of chin na is incorporate in Taijiquan. If this is not included in your Kung Fu cirriculum, than perhaps asking your sifu may give you what you need round out your skills. It is far more free form and therefore realistic than aikido, which requires partners and practice sets.



Aikido is a relatively new art and incorporates many of shintoist (Buddhist) philosophies so that means it is way over my head, and I have noticed aikido schools seem to have limited hours.



You coul also consider Jiu Jitsu or Combat Sambo(which includes modern weapons(gun, knife, bat, etc.) as part of cirriculum) in one form or another to round out your game or wrestling. Prior to doing anything I would discuss Chin Na with your sifu. Save the extra money and join a gym.



Whatever you do...enjoy

Answer 7

I studied Matsubayashi Ryu Karate for 8 years and have now studied Aikikai Aikido going on 7 years.



I think the more I train, the more similarities I see in the two arts - I hope that doesn't sound odd.



I think they compliment each other very well - for example, karate doesn't train you to lead your partner or how to move to the flank but aikido doesn't teach you to punch as well as karate does.



As far as effectiveness, I think it is takes a long time to become effective as aikido techniques, but in a fight, its never going to look like formal practice no matter what the style.



Where aikido excels in my opinion is that it teaches you to deal with what IS happening and how to change when what IS happening changes rather than how to deal with what you think will happen or what you want to happen. It teaches you to go with and use your attackers energy regardless where its going, how its changing or whatnot - attacker changes, you change too - the change itself is where you take control. There are only so many ways the human body works and gravity effects everyone equally. Its just as advantageous to be small as it is to be big - different, but then the same principles just express themselves in equally effective ways.



My two Senseis - a married couple are very different in their aikido - he is tall so he tends to go up to take your balance. His aikido is very yang - feels like being hit by a wave. She is short so she tends to bring people down to take your balance. Her aikido is very yin - feels like being pulled into a whirlpool. Those differences are due to their body shapes and sizes but both of them have the same idea underlying the techniques.



We as students (of all arts) tend to get trapped into step one, step two kind of thing. We (especially as beginners) look at what we are learning and judge it to be effective or not without having really learned enough to know. We train technique wanting the technique itself to be effective without seeing that the technique isn't the goal - its just the tools we use to learn the principles - knowing and being able to apply the principles is the goal as far as practical application - the techniques aren't effective in and of themselves - the principles are.



As far as fun, I love training - its very challanging as far as the ukemi and the fine details that are learned and refined over and over again. No technique is ever he same twice but its not the differences that are important - its the similarities - where all those specific instances are similar, that is the real principle that can be applied in any situation.

Answer 8

Aiki-arts are fantastic. There is no need to "mix" martial arts. Study and dedicate yourself to mastery of one, then supplement later with like arts and branching skills if you feel so inclined. Aiki and Jujutsu are closely connected. To this, skills in koppojutsu and kosshijutsu can be added to improve techniques for striking. You'll be able to see, by doing this, the ways in which the arts are connected and developed from an overall sense of Taijutsu, so you're not so much learning multiple arts as you are reconnecting fragmented ones.



Aikido will show you how to redirect an attackers intent. Jujutsu will allow you to take the fight to them by grappling with them. Koppojutsu will teach you how to strike and damage bones and joints, and kosshijutsu will show you how to tear skin, create pain through nerve manipulation, and seperate muscles to disable attackers. In all these arts, you'll notice ties to eachother. Aikido is a great starting point, and can very well serve you on its own with dedicated training.



Note that you're only as capable as you are practiced. You must continue to train all the time.

Answer 9

I've studied Aikido, Hapkido, TaeKwonDo, Karate, and Judo. I think Aikido provides you with some good moves, but you will be limited if that's the only thing you study. The people that dis Aikido obviosly have never tangled with someone that actually knows what they are doing.

Answer 10

Aikido would only fit you if you're the type of person who doesn't like violence and would rather go out of your way to avoid it. The basic principles of Aikido is founded on the philosophy of promoting non-violent means as a solution to conflict. This means that when you encounter trouble, a true follower of the Aikido philosophy would make avoiding conflict and finding a peaceful way of resolving the conflict as his priority. If it means having to turn tail and run then so be it. It is only due to Steven Seagal's violent movies(whose messages are contrary to the principles of Aikido) that most people are led to think Aikido is about breaking other people's arms and beating the living tar out of them. If you want that sort of thing, then Daito-ryu Aiki-jujitsu, the original art the Aikido founder studied would be better suited for you. O-Sensei Morihei Uyeshiba, a former soldier who led a life of violence, developed Aikido after he became tired of violence and became a Shinto priest in his old age. He wanted to live a life of peace, but understood that although a man might chose not to fight, one still needed to defend oneself from unreasonable men who attack unprovoked and ignore any reasonable attempts to diffuse the situation. But of course, just because you are defending yourself doesn't give you the right to intentionally maim or kill your attacker out of spite or anger, this is why the founder developed a gentler art meant merely to neutralize the initial unprovoked attack and give you the chance to escape or immobilize your attacker until he either sees reason or exhausts himself with his pointless exertions of aggression. Trying to compare Aikido with the other more aggressive and violent martial arts is not only pointless, it is absurd. It's like asking which would win in a head on collision, a Tank or an ambulance? Any child can tell you a Tank would win hands down because it was designed exactly for impact and destruction, while an ambulance is designed to get you comfortably to the hospital in the shortest time possible to save and preserve your life.

So is Aikido effective for self defense? Only if the art of diplomacy is your kind of thing. But if you are more into charging head on, ripping your opponent's head off and tearing them to shreds, then you're better off learning something else that's more geared towards that goal. Aikido is there as an alternative for people who want to find a way to defend themselves without resorting to violence, it is not an art that everyone can embrace, just as other aggressive martial arts like Muay Thai for example are not suited for everyone. You should chose the right art for your personality and body type, never chose an art because it is "cool" or the "in" thing, after all, this is self defense were talking about, your life is more important than any coolness factor that any art has. What's the point of learning something cool if it gets you k1lled? I'd rather have people say that I looked like a wimpy amateur but was lucky enough to have survived an attack, than have them say I looked really cool with all my moves and was kicking their as5es at the beginning but still ended up in the morgue.

Answer 11

I'm female aikido fanatic,it' the best form of self defense for me. it is subtle and yet deadly. we were thought how to have self discipline and self confidence. respect the seven virtues of aikido which is courtesy,honor,benevolence,wisdom,sincerity loyalty,and piety. ( Shuseikan Aikido and SAF member)

Answer 12

why train two arts? Aikido is great but takes time to perfect.

Answer 13

Aikido blows. Anyone can see the techniques only work with a cooperating partner.

Answer 14

Aikido is sick because there is a lot of technique for that. Also one of the actors do that Steven Sagol.

Answer 15

shaolin kung fu is just... incredible, good luck getting into that. you have to have your head hit for 2 hours on sand bags, have people hit your head for 2 hours to "increase the resistance on the head" punch a wall with paper for 2 hours EVERY day for years to become almost immune and learn to master KI

Answer 16

I heard bad things.......... I heard some where that it is not great for real world fighting situations.