jono_1uk said:
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