Having studied Aikido for almost 9 years now, I can see how a lot of people can think that Aikido techniques are either unrealistic or ineffective. Part of this is due, in no small part, to some really lousy Aikido out there, like the flowery, make believe sort of stuff you see nowadays. But, it must be stressed that this is not the fault of Aikido as an art, but instead is solely the fault of the teacher who either willingly, or through ignorance, chooses not stress the martial aspect of the art.
Another huge problem plaguing the Aikido community is the lack of qualified weapons training. Aikido, as an art, is based on the sword. It's movement are that of the sword. Aikido does not throw, it cuts. This is part of the problem you see when someone attempts an Aikido technique with attitude of throwing an opponent. It just doesn't work that way.
What's more, Aikido techniques are designed to fail if you try to muscle your way through them. You can't, unless of course you're substantially stronger than your opponent, throw someone who doesn't want to be thrown. You have to use technique, not brute force.
Another common complaint I hear about Aikido is that it takes many years to develop competency in. This is to another fallacy. Ueshiba Sensei never said that you had to spend 10 years training to become competent. In fact, he said that if you paid attention and applied yourself dilligently, you could expect results in six months. A famous historical example of this would the famed Sumo wrestler Tenryu whom Ueshiba Sensei trained in roughly that same amount of time.
My personal opinion is that if there isn't any serious wepaons training (sword/jo) going on in an Aikido dojo, then you ought to find one that offers it, because unless you can cut with a sword, you're just not going to get it.
Another huge problem plaguing the Aikido community is the lack of qualified weapons training. Aikido, as an art, is based on the sword. It's movement are that of the sword. Aikido does not throw, it cuts. This is part of the problem you see when someone attempts an Aikido technique with attitude of throwing an opponent. It just doesn't work that way.
What's more, Aikido techniques are designed to fail if you try to muscle your way through them. You can't, unless of course you're substantially stronger than your opponent, throw someone who doesn't want to be thrown. You have to use technique, not brute force.
Another common complaint I hear about Aikido is that it takes many years to develop competency in. This is to another fallacy. Ueshiba Sensei never said that you had to spend 10 years training to become competent. In fact, he said that if you paid attention and applied yourself dilligently, you could expect results in six months. A famous historical example of this would the famed Sumo wrestler Tenryu whom Ueshiba Sensei trained in roughly that same amount of time.
My personal opinion is that if there isn't any serious wepaons training (sword/jo) going on in an Aikido dojo, then you ought to find one that offers it, because unless you can cut with a sword, you're just not going to get it.
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