BJJaikdo bullshido?

**ryanand** · Posted On: 9/17/2005 6:08pm

http://www.aikidobuff.com/

does this look like BS to you? ive noticed most arts with long ass asian names end up being horrible... i was looking at the BJJ page because i'm interested in starting it up but CANNOT FIND ANYWHERE IN WNY besides this place.

**Psycho Dad** · Posted On: 9/17/2005 6:15pm

Well, do they have randori? And is there any information as to Jerry Phelp's training in BJJ? Is he at least a purple belt, or is this a case where they've read a BJJ book and decided to start teaching from there?

**Captain Spaulding** · Posted On: 9/17/2005 6:23pm

I always thought that thrust choking someone while in their guard was a bad idea...

The website says that he trained under Rorion as a "long distance" student for five years.

**Beatdown Richie** · Posted On: 9/17/2005 6:43pm

- Sensei made the decision, in 1999, to start in a long distance learning program, under the instruction of Rorion Gracie. After about five years of training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Phelps - Sensei had become extremely proficient in the art.

Hmmmm. Long-distance BJJ. Hmmmmm.

Honestly, it could be BS, or it could be a not-so-professionally presented school with a competent instructor. The BJJ techniques he shows are not all standard, high-percentage stuff, but they don't look bad per se. Go and check it out and let us know.

**Beatdown Richie** · Posted On: 9/17/2005 6:46pm

I always thought that thrust choking someone while in their guard was a bad idea...

Not a bad idea in principle, but not a high-percentage submission, and you have to watch out for armbars. It's a way to get the opponent to react and to get things moving, though.

**sui generis** · Posted On: 9/17/2005 6:47pm

... seems like they re blending Aikido + Bjj ... which should mean they do Bjj on the ground, what is a plus ... but this probably also means that they use Aikido for getting people to the ground ... which only means one thing : r u n :sad5:

**Bjarke** · Posted On: 9/17/2005 7:38pm

Originally Posted by sui generis

... seems like they re blending Aikido + Bjj ... which should mean they do Bjj on the ground, what is a plus ... but this probably also means that they use Aikido for getting people to the ground ... which only means one thing : r u n :sad5:

At http://www.geocities.com/aikido_14043/about_aikido.htm it says

"In addition to the traditional Aikido techniques, Nihon Goshin style incorporates a variety of strikes, straight punches, Shoto chops, elbow blows, front kicks, side kicks, roundhouse kicks, and crescent kicks all used in a defensive manner."

So this is not regular Aikido, which has nothing like that. If they spar with resisting opponents, it may be effective. I know that my problem with aikido is not so much with the techniques but the non-alive training methods used. I started BJJ a few weeks ago, and I can really feel the difference. Tomiki Aikido has competitions with resistance, but I haven't been involved with that, so I can't comment on it.

I do wonder about one thing, though: how do you use an elbow blow in a defensive manner?

Edit: There is of course the sad possibility that they are doing no sparring or rolling at all, and that they therefore are teaching BJJ in the manner of Aikido.

**ryanand** · Posted On: 9/17/2005 7:52pm

I do wonder about one thing, though: how do you use an elbow blow in a defensive manner?

wait for them to charge at you from across the room while you hold your elbow out, being otherwise motionless.... its an anti-grappling technique, you see

**Goldust** · Posted On: 9/17/2005 8:06pm

I trained in Nihon Goshin Aikido for three years back around 1993-96 and remember briefly training with this guy Jerry Phelps at that time. Depending on what you are looking for and what you hope to get out of your training will depend on whether or not I would recommend training there. If you do a search for “Nihon Goshin Aikido” or “NGA” you should pull up about a half dozen previous thread discussing it.

Reading the website “a long distance learning program, under the instruction of Rorion Gracie” sounds like he went to seminars, took a few privates and bought some training tapes and books. Since it doesn’t state what belt rank that he holds in BJJ I wouldn’t expect to much as far as BJJ instruction is concerned.

What it looks like to me is that after he received his third degree black belt in Nihon Goshin Aikido he decided to break away from the NGA organization and start his own thing called Nihon GoshinJutsu Aikido by incorporating more of the striking from his Karate background and some of the BJJ ground fighting that he learned into the curriculum.

If you are looking for or are interested in a BJJ/grappling school or MMA type training I seriously doubt that this place will fit the bill.

**Poop Loops** · Posted On: 9/17/2005 8:50pm

Originally Posted by ryanand

wait for them to charge at you from across the room while you hold your elbow out, being otherwise motionless.... its an anti-grappling technique, you see

I saw something like that at a TKD tournament. One guy raised his leg for an axe kick and just kept it there, the other guy RAN INTO it.

PL