Curious to see if anyone here actually practices or defends it. To me, Aikido is like a pyramid scheme. So many are involved in it and will desperately defend its honor. It’s like they have so much time and hope invested that they are delusional and will completely ignore the warning signs and argue for its validity untill death. I can’t help but relate it to a pyramid scheme. So much evidence out there to prove it’s BS, and yet everyone involved will always try to convince you it is legitimate.
Again, anyone here practice it? If so, convince me it’s even a somewhat useful martial art.
My old coach had a pretty street lethal version that saved his life multiple times. He was in the service way back in the day. One time on the cambodian border he got into it with this crazy fucker named zagon or aragon or some shit? He fucked him up.
He ran into him again after he became a cop back in the states. Had to fuck him up AGAIN. Busted his arm or something.
Find a good coach man. Someone with an army background.
Pyramid scheme is a decent analogy, hadn't thought of that.
There are one or two effective techniques like restraining an already defeated opponent but most of the techniques are unrealistic and in the typical Aikido class breaking a sweat is a gross health and safety violation.
To me it's like astrology, faith healing, flat earth society, alchemy etc.
Some people like chocolate some people like vanilla but sometimes you have to say a field is just BS or the redeeming qualities are too far outweighed by the bad.
I could respect someone who went to boxercise because they want to keep fit a bit and didn't care for being a badass but I just can't respect someone who goes to Aikido.
As a kid, I thought Aikido was the most badass, lethal martial art on earth. My evidence? Steven Seagal movies. I mean, that dude snapped arms and necks like it was his job. He fought with sticks, broke dudes over his knee, took on trained killers, etc. I was too young and stupid to know better. I just knew he was a real Aikido master and the stuff he did in movies wasn't flashy like Van Damm who whoever. It was brutal and dynamic. The whole thing felt like a commercial for the lethality of Aikido. I wanted to do Aikido so bad, but the only martial arts school within fifty miles of my little town was a lame TKD place.
As I become an adult and actually did a little research on the subject, I realized Seagal wasn't performing Aikido in his movies at all. Aikido is based around the idea of defeating an attacker without hurting them, and it employs techniques that would simply never work against a resisting opponent. That's why there's no such thing as competitive Aikido. It was founded by a guy who adapted it from Japanese Jujutsu because he was too old and feeble to perform the movements anymore. Knowing that, who in their right mind would practice this and think they knew how to defend themselves?
Its a fantasy style like Chi Gung, Yellow Bamboo, or whatever other nonsense people try to sell to the gullible.
As a kid, I thought Aikido was the most badass, lethal martial art on earth. My evidence? Steven Seagal movies. I mean, that dude snapped arms and necks like it was his job. He fought with sticks, broke dudes over his knee, took on trained killers, etc. I was too young and stupid to know better. I just knew he was a real Aikido master and the stuff he did in movies wasn't flashy like Van Damm who whoever. It was brutal and dynamic. The whole thing felt like a commercial for the lethality of Aikido. I wanted to do Aikido so bad, but the only martial arts school within fifty miles of my shitty little town was a lame TKD place.
As I become an adult and actually did a little research on the subject, I realized Seagal wasn't performing Aikido in his movies at all. Aikido is based around the idea of defeating an opponent without hurting them, and it employs techniques that would simply never work against a resisting opponent. That's why there's no such thing as competitive Aikido. It was founded by a guy who adapted it from Japanese Jujutsu because he was too old a feeble to perform the movements anymore. Knowing that, who in their right mind would practice this and think they knew how to defend themselves?
Its a fantasy style like Tai Chi, Yellow Bamboo, or whatever other nonsense people try to sell gullible people on.
As a kid, I thought Aikido was the most badass, lethal martial art on earth. My evidence? Steven Seagal movies. I mean, that dude snapped arms and necks like it was his job. He fought with sticks, broke dudes over his knee, took on trained killers, etc. I was too young and stupid to know better. I just knew he was a real Aikido master and the stuff he did in movies wasn't flashy like Van Damm who whoever. It was brutal and dynamic. The whole thing felt like a commercial for the lethality of Aikido. I wanted to do Aikido so bad, but the only martial arts school within fifty miles of my shitty little town was a lame TKD place.
As I become an adult and actually did a little research on the subject, I realized Seagal wasn't performing Aikido in his movies at all. Aikido is based around the idea of defeating an opponent without hurting them, and it employs techniques that would simply never work against a resisting opponent. That's why there's no such thing as competitive Aikido. It was founded by a guy who adapted it from Japanese Jujutsu because he was too old a feeble to perform the movements anymore. Knowing that, who in their right mind would practice this and think they knew how to defend themselves?
Its a fantasy style like Tai Chi, Yellow Bamboo, or whatever other nonsense people try to sell gullible people on.
I think it was created as an empty handed supplement to someone grabbing your blade hand, or as a last ditch disarming art if you were weaponless, and your opponent had a sword, knife, or staff.
I took Aikido for one semester in college at a local studio for college credit. The owner of the studio studied in Japan for like 10 years. I will say, out all the martial artists I’ve been on the mat with (TKD, BJJ, Aikido, Muay Thai, etc), his grip was stronger than anyone I’ve ever encountered. I felt like he could have crushed bones if he was trying...
I took Aikido for one semester in college at a local studio for college credit. The owner of the studio studied in Japan for like 10 years. I will say, out all the martial artists I’ve been on the mat with (TKD, BJJ, Aikido, Muay Thai, etc), his grip was stronger than anyone I’ve ever encountered. I felt like he could have crushed bones if he was trying...
I met a guy who was a Japanese Jiujitsu instructor, holy shit his handshake could crush rocks.
I took Aikido for one semester in college at a local studio for college credit. The owner of the studio studied in Japan for like 10 years. I will say, out all the martial artists I’ve been on the mat with (TKD, BJJ, Aikido, Muay Thai, etc), his grip was stronger than anyone I’ve ever encountered. I felt like he could have crushed bones if he was trying...
Plot twist: he just wanks it a lot nothing to do with aikido
I took Aikido for one semester in college at a local studio for college credit. The owner of the studio studied in Japan for like 10 years. I will say, out all the martial artists I’ve been on the mat with (TKD, BJJ, Aikido, Muay Thai, etc), his grip was stronger than anyone I’ve ever encountered. I felt like he could have crushed bones if he was trying...
I took Aikido for one semester in college at a local studio for college credit. The owner of the studio studied in Japan for like 10 years. I will say, out all the martial artists I’ve been on the mat with (TKD, BJJ, Aikido, Muay Thai, etc), his grip was stronger than anyone I’ve ever encountered. I felt like he could have crushed bones if he was trying...
My only experience with Aikido was when a local Aikido black belt came to our judo class. He was thrown about 100 times, even by beginners who were only training with us for a few months.
From seeing aikido in videos, and sparring with that black belt - I would say about 90% of aikido is useless and 10% is useful. I wouldn’t rate it even for self defense.