aikido

[maurizio]

hello every body I'm maurizio from italy,

i was really impressed many years ago in what steven seagal did in his movies but since i practice martial arts i have many doubts that he could really fight in a real fight.
I have seen on you tube his aikido lessons and i have noticed that his opponent is very small and attaks without any kind of aggressivity.
Does anyone in this forum practice aikido? I went in two aikido dojo in my town and the situation was the same. so i ask if there are some dojos maybe in usa where you can practice with a sense of reality and not like little kids.
my doubt is if aikido can be really considered a martial art or just something else (i like the concept of energy in aikido and the spirit of non being aggressive).
i hope anyone is offended by what i have written
bye
maurizio

 

[Kotegashi]

Hi Maurizio,

I've practiced aikido for several years and it is highly effective in a real fight.

There is one downside to aikido, it is very hard to master, you need years and years of training.

As to the matter of Seagal, he is a 7th dan in Aikikai Aikido which is considered to be the hardcore form of aikido. It almost only uses techniques that are effective in a fight and don't focus as much on the spiritual side of aikido as many other forms do.

Seagal also has several black belts in other martial arts, so he can hold his own in a real fight.


Besides, why do you think so many police departments all over the world train in aikido?

Peace

 

[maurizio]

Maybe it's aikijitsu?
I have unfortunately had experience in violent aggression and I think that if I would have done aikido I could not be here to tell you.
but i'm sure it's like you say it takes several years of practice and high level to be able to defense.
did steven seagal ever done a real fight? because it's easy to be a superhero and invincible in the movies...

 

[tigerfeet]

Well Maurizio, the only time I eve had to defend myself I used aikido and it worked for me.
A lot of the effectiveness of aikido is that it is done in a spirit of peace. It is not an aggressive fighting form, like karate or judo or many other martial arts, but in my humble opinion, it is the best.
Don't be deceived by appearances. The most effective part of aikido lies in its spirit.

 

[mayaxe]

As I prepare for my shodan in Aikido and after studying Shotokan karate and Wing Chun kung fu for the last 10 years I can tell you that Aikido is not only very effective martial art that can be practiced by anyone but also using its teachings in application as well as use of Ki it has help me become far stronger mentally which has improved my work and life. Aikido as a practiced martial art takes a great deal of time to master but is based on a very simple premise of using your attackers projected force against them. It uses very little strength (if practiced correctly) and can be used in many forms. It is not however a sport and you won’t see anyone competing for medals or awards - if they are then they do not understand the meaning of Aikido. Im sure that Take Sensei being a nanadan (ne shichidan) master is more than capable of holding his own in a fight but you won’t ever see it apart from in the movies as his essence and sprit are firmly rooted in Aikido teachings of non conflict.

 

[tigerfeet]

As I prepare for my shodan in Aikido and after studying Shotokan karate and Wing Chun kung fu for the last 10 years I can tell you that Aikido is not only very effective martial art that can be practiced by anyone but also using its teachings in application as well as use of Ki it has help me become far stronger mentally which has improved my work and life. Aikido as a practiced martial art takes a great deal of time to master but is based on a very simple premise of using your attackers projected force against them. It uses very little strength (if practiced correctly) and can be used in many forms. It is not however a sport and you won’t see anyone competing for medals or awards - if they are then they do not understand the meaning of Aikido. Im sure that Take Sensei being a nanadan (ne shichidan) master is more than capable of holding his own in a fight but you won’t ever see it apart from in the movies as his essence and sprit are firmly rooted in Aikido teachings of non conflict.

Exactly! well said Mayaxe!

 

[maurizio]

thanks very much for your suggestions, explanations and patience!!

can anyone explain me what's the difference between aikido and ki aikido?

 

[DRAGONKING]

All aikido is connected, it just depends what you want from it. There is aikido aimed at spiritual development( ki aikido) aikido aimed at martial art defence( nishio aikido), sport (tomiki aikido) or a mix of them all (aikikai). The Founder, Morihei Ueshiba spoke of Takemusu Aiki as being the Way, the pinnacle of all martial arts. A strong martial base that leads to spiritual enlightenment. There are many paths to the top of mount Fuji, but there is only one summit.

Peace,

Dragonking.

"If you could do any of those things, not only would I leave, but I`d be impressed!"

 

[mayaxe]

I couldnt put it any better the Dragonking did.