A New Journey

[Gyakuto]

I’ve finally decided to try Aikido after years of turning my nose up at because of the sight of people seemingly throwing themselves around and, of course, because of Steven Seagulls

I watched an NHK Spiritual Explorers episode about it (not a very good one) and this prompted me do a search for a local dojo. After a couple of emails from the teacher asking about my motivations, health etc,he invited me along this coming Thursday. I’m looking forward to it.

 

[_Simon_]

That is bloody fantastic brother, I reckon you'll love it, have fun and enjoy the new journey! Let us know how you go

 

[Gyakuto]

Do/have you practised Aikido, _Simon_?

 

[O'Malley]

Hope you have fun! Let us know how it went!

Also I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. I've been practicing different styles of aikido for six years, during which I've also conducted extensive research on the art's technical and historical aspects.

 

[Gyakuto]

Oh great I assume it’ll all be too bewildering to formulate meaningful questions

 

[Oily Dragon]

I’ve finally decided to try Aikido after years of turning my nose up at because of the sight of people seemingly throwing themselves around and, of course, because of Steven Seagulls

I watched an NHK Spiritual Explorers episode about it (not a very good one) and this prompted me do a search for a local dojo. After a couple of emails from the teacher asking about my motivations, health etc,he invited me along this coming Thursday. I’m looking forward to it.

Cooool.

Let us know when you learn the no touch Qi blasts.

Wait, wrong art...

 

[Oily Dragon]

Hope you have fun! Let us know how it went!

Also I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. I've been practicing different styles of aikido for six years, during which I've also conducted extensive research on the art's technical and historical aspects.

I've never formally studied Aikido (done Judo, jujutsu, catch) but I do watch a lot of technique videos to learn new things.

Like, staff training is a big part of my personal regimen, so I'll often consume staff training vids from all sorts of arts because I know what I'm doing generally, but occasionally find something new. Always found Aikido jo training neat (I prefer staff under 6" so bo, Jo etc).

What level in Aikido do you get to basics like this?

 

[Gyakuto]

I've never formally studied Aikido (done Judo, jujutsu, catch) but I do watch a lot of technique videos to learn new things.

Like, staff training is a big part of my personal regimen, so I'll often consume staff training vids from all sorts of arts because I know what I'm doing generally, but occasionally find something new. Always found Aikido jo training neat (I prefer staff under 6" so bo, Jo etc).

What level in Aikido do you get to basics like this?

I did watch a ‘Nine Cut Boken [sic] Kata’ on the website of the dojo I’m going to attend. Swordsmanship (Iaido) is my main art and so I have to say the video was…’interesting’ in terms of cutting and body shifting. Of course, I don’t know the context of the video and I’ll have to be careful to keep my mouth tightly zipped!

 

[Oily Dragon]

I did watch a ‘Nine Cut Boken [sic] Kata’ on the website of the dojo I’m going to attend. Swordsmanship (Iaido) is my main art and so I have to say the video was…’interesting’ in terms of cutting and body shifting. Of course, I don’t know the context of the video and I’ll have to be careful to keep my mouth tightly zipped!

I think we're on the same page.

I thought of that newer staff video, as I watched the end of that old video of Ueshiba, chopping wood over and over and over. It's interesting to compare to some of the heavier duty staff videos out there in Asian MA.

There's a time for circles, and a time for straight lines, based on my informal study of Aikido. It'd be cool to see what you think.

One of the best things I think Ueshiba did was break a bit from his contemporaries and focus on the peaceful side of jujutsu, if that makes sense. If you go back and learn about his roots, it was anything but peaceful.

I can relate, I used my foundations in similar arts to kind of learn to chill the hell out. I wish I could teach it. But sometimes, just rolling forward feels like freedom. And that's always worth learning.

 

[Gyakuto]

When I was watching that NHK programme on Aikido, I liked the look of ‘rolling around’ and the rolling exercises they were doing! It just looked different enough to be fun and possibly helpful for the body.I think the difficulty comes when claims are made about Aikido’s ‘effectiveness’ and that’s something I’m also looking to explore. Since it’s Japanese system, I’m hoping to feel more at home with it than I have been with the various Chinese systems I’ve tried in the past.

 

[Oily Dragon]

When I was watching that NHK programme on Aikido, I liked the look of ‘rolling around’ and the rolling exercises they were doing! It just looked different enough to be fun and possibly helpful for the body.I think the difficulty comes when claims are made about Aikido’s ‘effectiveness’ and that’s something I’m also looking to explore. Since it’s Japanese system, I’m hoping to feel more at home with it than I have been with the various Chinese systems I’ve tried in the past.

So this is one of those "is it effective" vs "can I make it effective" moments for you. I dig that. It's cool to able to pick up new arts with an already established BS detector, eh?

I don't really know of any big names in Aikido going around claiming effectiveness on a broad level nowadays. I can think of a few arts that do but Aikido has always seemed to be the gentleman in the room, if that makes sense.

Not many "Aikido vs. Boxing" "Aikido vs Wrestling" tribes out there, right? Even the Aikido guy who was on Joe Rogan show was pretty cool dude and honest.

 

[Gyakuto]

‘Effectiveness’ is a relative term I suppose. I’m of the orientation that MA are generally not that effective fighting arts compared to boxing and MMA because of the degree of cooperation required between attacker and defender during practise. In, say, boxing one aims to be an uncooperative, fully-resisting, aggressive opponent by default and fights over that basis It’s not very pretty really though. Same with MMA…occasional flashed of ‘beauty’.In Karate there seems to be mutually accepted foundations over which one fights which give’s it it’s outward appearance and doubtless stunning looks…at times. In, say Wing Chun, these parameters are further tightened etc and in Aikido, as far as I can tell, there is maximum cooperation, very little resistance and no aggression at all. But that’s how the art works and it’s what lends it it’s beauty, grace and skill. It’s lovely.

However, if you pit a boxer with against a Wing Chun person, the freedom under which the boxer has learn her art puts her at a distinct advantage over the Wing Chunner who has been restricted due to the art’s parameters. Put a Karateka up against and Aikido exponent and I think the karateka will likely defeat the Aikidoka again because they are freer in what they do in their practise.

Now it’s very possible that at the highest levels, this idea breaks down completely and the sheer experience and constant applications techniques spiritual training and thus fearlessness etc shatters this ‘constraints in practise hypothesis’.

I’ve matured enough to not have an issue with people simply enjoying ‘waving their swords around’ for fun and internally play samurai in Iaido or doing flashy but impractical double-spinning-flipping-over-reverse roundhouse kicks in Karate classes.…I’ve forgotten what point I was trying to make…oh yes….if Aikido,is beautiful for the sake of being beautiful, then great! Let the meatheads argue about which is the ‘best’!

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I’ve finally decided to try Aikido after years of turning my nose up at because of the sight of people seemingly throwing themselves around and, of course, because of Steven Seagulls

I watched an NHK Spiritual Explorers episode about it (not a very good one) and this prompted me do a search for a local dojo. After a couple of emails from the teacher asking about my motivations, health etc,he invited me along this coming Thursday. I’m looking forward to it.

I'm very interested in hearing what your experiences are. I have never trained in Aikido, but our sensei has. He has shown us some simple hand techniques that also happen to have analogues in our art, and we practice them. Nothing fancy, mostly just releases from holds and grips. Useful stuff for non-violent walk-aways when you don't want to punch the person in the face (although that works too). I'm interested in both Aikido and Tai Chi, although neither are available in my area. Maybe someday. Enjoy!

 

[Tez3]

My instructor once said that Aikido is where you hold your opponent's hand and they break their own arm, he did teach us some and it certainly seems that way

 

[Gyakuto]

We have a true Tai Chi Chuan ‘master’ here in Devon according to my friends who drive 400 miles down from Yorkshire to visit me as an excuse train with her! She studied at University in Shanghai but teaches here on beaches, the seafront, in ruined abbey grounds and other atmospheric places. Now it‘s (she’s) very beautiful and I quite like to watch it while my friends participate, but it isn't……dynamic enough to make me want to put down my ice cream and get up of the grass on a sunny morning and take part. I have seen her doing some cool looking ‘Kung Fu’ in the car park of her hotel but she doesn’t teach it…yet.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

We have a true Tai Chi Chuan ‘master’ here in Devon according to my friends who drive 400 miles down from Yorkshire to visit me as an excuse train with her! She studied at University in Shanghai but teaches here on beaches, the seafront, in ruined abbey grounds and other atmospheric places. Now it‘s (she’s) very beautiful and I quite like to watch it while my friends participate, but it isn't……dynamic enough to make me want to put down my ice cream and get up of the grass on a sunny morning and take part. I have seen her doing some cool looking ‘Kung Fu’ in the car park of her hotel but she doesn’t teach it…yet.

I think Tai Chi might help me with flexibility and balance issues I've been experiencing as I age.

 

[Gyakuto]

I think Tai Chi might help me with flexibility and balance issues I've been experiencing as I age.

Quite a few of her students are certainly on the older side

 

[Jared Traveler]

I’ve finally decided to try Aikido after years of turning my nose up at because of the sight of people seemingly throwing themselves around and, of course, because of Steven Seagulls

I watched an NHK Spiritual Explorers episode about it (not a very good one) and this prompted me do a search for a local dojo. After a couple of emails from the teacher asking about my motivations, health etc,he invited me along this coming Thursday. I’m looking forward to it.

First, congratulations for doing the main thing you need to do to stay involved in martial arts long term. That is in my opinion, to keep finding new things and new ways to stay involved.

Second, what are you hoping to get out of the training?

 

[Gyakuto]

First, congratulations for doing the main thing you need to do to stay involved in martial arts long term. That is in my opinion, to keep finding new things and new ways to stay involved.

I do worry about ’polluting’ my Iaido with Aikido technique! When Aikidoka joined our Iai dojo they found it nigh impossible to keep their back foot pointing directly ahead (so the pelvic and thoracic girdles are square to allow for proper cutting) and to stop their small ‘chopping’ action with their bokuto/sword. I think it’s an unfounded worry at my stage!

Second, what are you hoping to get out of the training?

Learning something new to keep the neurones challenged, address my doubts about the art and to meet new, like-minded people (I took very early retirement and now I’m lonely!)

 

[_Simon_]

Do/have you practised Aikido, _Simon_?

No I haven't, but one of my karate instructors infuses and teaches us aiki principles, completely changed how I practice and how I view practice.

I would say go in with an open mind, as sometimes we can compare what we learn way too much with what we've been taught. It's good to compare in a unifying sense and a way that augments our practice, but comparing the two from judgement doesn't allow for learning. I love seeing what new systems have to offer and it's refreshing all the different approaches... I think your Iaido will compliment things for sure, even if technically some things are different.

Have so much fun