Aikido is an amazing cultural and spiritual practice, which cultivates a number of important qualities. And, for multiple reasons, it offers less than zero self-defense value. For one thing, the practice of Aikido stifles useful inherent human reactions, like digging for an underhook or covering your face. For another, adherents have the illusion of self-defense ability, and just look how The Emperor’s New Clothes turned out.
Yoga is an amazing warrior art, that has integrity, so it does not promise self-defense ability. Aikido, because it lacks integrity, makes claims that are false. And this matters, because sometimes human beings need to defend themselves.
To be sure, Aikido has a few techniques that can actually work, like a front kick. Here is a video of Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida discussing the front kick they learned from O’Sensei Steven Seagal. The signature wrist lock of Aikido can be made to work. Here a Chinese police officer uses the wrist lock to subdue an armed man:
The problem is not that no Aikido techniques work, a few can be made to work, typically on someone smaller, untrained, or unawares. This is not a high standard for a martial art, which is supposed to work on someone larger and stronger. However, even for those few Aikido techniques that can be made to work, in a typical dojo (but not all), the lack of practice against trained, active resistance that includes punches, is such that even a front kick cannot be used effectively.
The fact that people continue to believe that for the average devotee Aikido has significant practical value in a fighting context, and that founder Morihei Ueshiba was a wizard, is a testament to the human capacity for self-deception. Aikido devotees are, admittedly, genuinely more rational than Flat Earthers, and way above the unfortunates who believe birds are fake.
It was long believed that in the 100 years since Aikido was developed, there was not a single verifiable case of it actually working. To be sure, there were stories, many, many stories. For example, virtually every Aikido adept has apparently fallen off a bike and miraculously rolled out safely. And whenever the CIA needed the special favor of twisting a terrorist enemy of the state’s wrist overseas, Steven Seagal was ready.
While nearly every Aikido expert has some story about using the art successfully, mysteriously, despite the ubiquity of cell phone cameras and security cams, not a single verifiable instance of it was believed to have occurred, ever. And it gets worse, the art has never verifiably worked even in a gym, against trained, active resistance that includes strikes.
Further, there are very many cases of Aikido failing. Here are just a handful:
•Aikido teacher issues challenge to MMA gym;
•Black belt Judoka vs. Aikido master; and,
•Aikido 4th degree vs. Turkish wrestle.
However, the belief that Aikido has never verifiably worked is false. It actually worked, once.
Rokas Leonavicius from Lithuania was a professional Aikido instructor with some 15 years experience, but over a period of time realized that the art doesn’t actually work at all, and that the power structure in some dojos can be unhealthy. He bravely shares his thoughts on an ongoing basis via his Martial Arts Journey YouTube channel. At one point Rokas challenged the world to send him a video of Aikido working.
He received one. It came from a trained Aikido practitioner and bouncer, who shared a video of dealing with an unruly bar patron via the use of kote gaeshi, the wrist lock made popular by Aikido.
The gentleman who sent Rokas the video offered some important clarifying remarks:
“Times have changed and early Aikido did hold up against other arts in the past, but people were also Judoka a lot of the times if my memory serves me correct. For the most part, Aikido works on the untrained. I do not feel it holds up against many other arts we see today because it’s not really as much a martial art as it is a peaceful practice. The founder was devastated after the war and wanted to promote peace through a healthy compassionate practice. I strongly feel it does develop better human beings whereas many other martial arts do not. It has its place. Let’s just say it is more psychological than applicable in a fight. I, like you, once tried to functionalize Aikido, and was somewhat successful. However, I now focus on things like boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ, and wrestling. When I practice Aikido it is more like moving meditation for me. I can pull off some stuff under pressure, but I have years and years of practice in multiple arts.”
“I do not feel I could have done the same on highly trained individuals. I also feel my size does help although I did not use much energy or force. The principles of Aikido are very sound and can be applied to different arts. Aikido served me well many nights. I have worked with everyone from Little Wayne to the Atlanta Falcons. I strongly feel it helped me in my career. But it was a different time. I am retired for the most part now. I just give classes here and there, mostly Muay Thai. I have only five fighters now.”
“I don’t think we can functionalize Aikido, but we can personalize it. Ultimately, we as martial artists should focus on developing our skills through the arts without a biased lens anyway.”
That is a beautifully put closing thought.