does size matter in aikido ?

[jono_1uk]

Hi Guys and Girls.

I have tried various martial arts over the years from freestyle karate to Thai Boxing.
problem is i am a bloke and only 5 ft 1 !!
So i am looking for a style that will work in a real life street situation against people who are likely to be bigger than me as i may look like an easy target.
although i am small i am reasonably broad so i do have some strength lol.
is aikido right for me ?

Jon

 

[Connie]

aikido

No!!! size don`t matter in aikido. I am a woman and i have an handycap. i do aikido for 6 years and i have my green belt, I am 169 cm and i fight man who are 200cm.
Its is the inner strenght what does the fight. and the technics.

We have 2 little girls of 9 years and they fight with the tall guys.

i hope that mine story decide that you are learn aikido, let me know.


love Connie

 

[ORANGATUANG]

Iwas going to say the same thing Connie..It shouldnt matter how tall or short you are as long as you know how to handle your self...like me iam only 5 foot tall and if i learnt aikido i would really kick some serious butt...

 

[DRAGONKING]

O`sensei, who created aikido, was only about 5feet 1inches tall, and his teacher, Sokaku Takeda was only about 4feet 11inches tall!! These were two of the best, most feared and respected martial artists of all time. They were probably at the peak of their powers from their 40`s onwards, so age isn`t a factor either. Aikido, in my own experience, is the most amazing thing i have ever come across. Please find a good teacher and practice, practice, practice!! I wish you every success. You will not regret it!!!!!!

All the best,
DragonKing.

 

[supertom]

If I think I guess right with what you mean by the headline. Yes size matters in Aikido, cuase the bigger it is the easier it is for your opponent to grab it! That's why I don;t do Aikido!

(Tee-Hee, Tee- Hee! I;m so bad)

 

[reno77]

does size matter in aikido

I think that being shorter in size, whether it is aikido or another martial art, will help you learn utilize your technique better. Because you do not have the luxury of superior size, strenght, reach advantage, that should force you to learn the more intricate aspects of properly executing the method of attack. In other words, you won't cheat by using your strenght as a substitute for a properly executed technique.
As a previous post mentions, it certainly did not deter smaller men such as Takeda from overcoming there disadvantages against a superior foe. Other notable warriors such as Audie Murphy, Jigaro Kano, Bruce Lee, Mushashi were not big tall men yet who can diminish there fighting spirit and toughness.
Now this may indeed have to do more with the character of the man involved than the actual size however, the important thing is to focus on your talents rather than your perceived disadvantages. As the saying goes:" A man is not judged by how tall he is but by the stoutness of his heart".

 

[ORANGATUANG]

Never heard of that saying before reno77..then there is hope for me then to learn "if" i took it on...

 

[reno77]

does size matter in aikido

There is hope for everyone, orangatuang.

 

[j mclane]

Iwas going to say the same thing Connie..It shouldnt matter how tall or short you are as long as you know how to handle your self...like me iam only 5 foot tall and if i learnt aikido i would really kick some serious butt...

Lets hope you dont then. It would be dangerous to teach you anything that deadly

 

[ORANGATUANG]

Gee thanks i will keep that in mind...

 

[j mclane]

Gee thanks i will keep that in mind...

Why brag about how much arse you would kick if you learn Aikido then.

Not realy the right state of mind to be learning something that dangerous.

Like giving an escaped loonatic a gun to play with.

 

[ORANGATUANG]

Iam not going to do it any way i was just being hypothectical
and dont call me an loonatic you f==== h-----

 

[j mclane]

Iam not going to do it any way i was just being hypothectical
and dont call me an loonatic you f==== h-----

Didnt actualy call you a loonatic.....but you quite clearly are.

 

[TDWoj]

Bill Collins Sensei, who teaches the advanced class in my dojo, says that learning aikido is learning to love your enemy. Your enemy attacks you but you don't really want to fight him; what you really want to do is make friends with him. If he continues to attack you, you step aside and let him go past. And if he still doesn't want to make friends, then you throw him down - but in a way that you can still make friends with him afterward...

Of course, if he continues to insist upon not becoming friends with you, you can still kill him (quite literally). But that's a last resort.

In aikido, women have the advantage two ways: one, our centre of gravity is lower, and two, we are generally smaller. Small guys have 50% of that advantage . It isn't about strength; it's about redirecting your opponent's energy.

If aikido is something you want to do, then no, size doesn't matter. Aikido isn't for kicking butt (sorry, Heather), but for learning to harmonize with your opponent. That he/she ends up butt-first on the ground is just part of that harmonization.

 

[ORANGATUANG]

I dont know anything about martial arts of any kind any way TD..And iam glad you got rid of what said to that member i was having an "pink panther "moment....just i didnt like being called that and i blew my stack...

 

[colletti]

You are all right.

One of SS students says in path beyond thought that women generally have the advantage because they are forced to learn the technique. Larger/stronger people sometimes have trouble getting the technique due to using their strength too much.

When I studied Aikido a few years ago, everyone in the dojo enjoyed trying new techniques on me. I'm 6ft. 260lbs and
was the guinea pig to see if the techniques really could
take down a BIG person. And let me tell you I got
tossed all around that dojo by people of all sizes.

TD. Your story in the other thread is inspiring, especially for people with physical problems (I've got a herniated disc, sciatica, etc... too). But I'm thinking of getting back in
the dojo soon, after reading about your experiences. Thanks!

 

[TDWoj]

TD. Your story in the other thread is inspiring, especially for people with physical problems (I've got a herniated disc, sciatica, etc... too). But I'm thinking of getting back in
the dojo soon, after reading about your experiences. Thanks!

You're welcome.

I found with the herniated disc and sciatica, the only time I WASN'T in pain was when I was in aikido class. It was the next best thing to physiotherapy. (Just as long as you don't land straight down on your tailbone!)

Good luck, and I hope it works as well for you as it did for me!

 

[take-sensei]

No!!! size don`t matter in aikido. I am a woman and i have an handycap. i do aikido for 6 years and i have my green belt, I am 169 cm and i fight man who are 200cm.
Its is the inner strenght what does the fight. and the technics.

We have 2 little girls of 9 years and they fight with the tall guys.

i hope that mine story decide that you are learn aikido, let me know.


love Connie

That's right Connie, and what nice to hear you have a green belt in Aikido!!!
I'm also from Holland, and may I ask at which dojo you train Aikido?

Because I will also begin with Aikido over a few weeks, and I think I will learn and train it in "Aikidojo Haarlem" in Haarlem (which support the Aiki Kai style), which is not so far from where I live. I wish you many succes with studying Aikido!!!

Greets take-sensei

 

[krism]

Hi,

I've got a question. Does it matter if you wear glasses? I can't see getting all tossed around and trying to keep your glasses in one piece.

thanks,
kris

 

[Connie]

At my dojo they wear glasses. You put only your jewelery off.

i train Aikido in Den-Helder. maybe you can write me an e mail. Than we can write in Dutch.

love Connie

 

[shihonage]

Hi Guys and Girls.

I have tried various martial arts over the years from freestyle karate to Thai Boxing.
problem is i am a bloke and only 5 ft 1 !!
So i am looking for a style that will work in a real life street situation against people who are likely to be bigger than me as i may look like an easy target.
although i am small i am reasonably broad so i do have some strength lol.
is aikido right for me ?

Jon

Jon, please note that there's a discrepancy going on in this thread.

The question you're asking is "do principles of Aikido work for a shorter person in real life ?".

The question every single person in this thread answered is "do principles of Aikido work in the dojo ?". Given the often noted lack of resistance/competitive training in a lot of Aikido dojos, this question is about as meaningful as asking "does size matter during ballet dancing ?".

It is a pet peeve of mine when Aikidoka eagerly jump in to say "Oh yeah !! We have a 90pound woman in our class and she effortlessly tosses around 300lbs men !! Aikido works and the size doesn't matter in the least !"

They always forget to add "... in the dojo". The real answer however always depends on the practitioner and how well they REALLY understand the purpose of their practice, which in the long run amounts to a series of stylized, seemingly-distanced-from-reality, paired exercises.

Anyway, the short answer to your question is, yes, because you have past experience with combative arts, you will be able to make Aikido principles work for you in an applicable and useful fashion. That's what I think.

However I also think that most short people studying Aikido can be easily clobbered by a taller, bigger person who's REALLY upset at them for keying their car.

Quite a few Aikido practitioners don't go outside of their art to explore, and as result they practice with inferior, almost non-existent attacks and learn unrealistic energy patterns which have nothing to do with real world. They learn to harmonize with harmonized attacks instead or harmonizing with violent attacks. That is not what Aikido Founder taught at all - he broke his student's arm once for not giving a sincere attack - but thats the kind of ultracooperative nonsense that goes on in most dojos today.

If you can still find a good dojo with sincere practitioners you could however learn solid and applicable technique. Visit and watch and see for yourself.

Effective Aikido

Ineffective Aikido

 

[matt.m]

Size in Aikido

Nah,

Size matters not. I practice Moo Sul Kwan Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do, I have also participated in Judo. At a tournament over the past weekend I watched Hapkido form and honestly I was most impressed with a brown belt woman who is 5 ft 5 and all of 125 lbs throw a man who was 6 ft 3 and 250. I am a male 5 ft 7 and 165. I am able to throw people that are 6 ft 6 and 300 no sweat to major full circle throws.

So worry not at all, the thing is the pull and the initial off balance.