Aikido or not to Aikido?

[aikidogb]

I have considered practicing Aikido since I have moved to Green Bay, WI (Yes, home of the Green Bay Packers, quite possibly the best football team ever Anyways I am interested in the spiritual along with the physical and martial aspects of not only Aikido, but other arts as well.

There is also Jiu Jitsu and Judo up here. I think I could find BJJ and some sort of Kung Fu. I enjoyed the six months of Tai Chi I practiced, but that was a little too internal for me.

What do you all like most about your art and how long do you plan to practice and to live it?

Any comments would be beneficial. Anybody from the Green bay area that practices any martial art would be helpful. Thanks for all of your time.

 

[Knifehand]

I have considered practicing Aikido since I have moved to Green Bay, WI (Yes, home of the Green Bay Packers, quite possibly the best football team ever Anyways I am interested in the spiritual along with the physical and martial aspects of not only Aikido, but other arts as well.

There is also Jiu Jitsu and Judo up here. I think I could find BJJ and some sort of Kung Fu. I enjoyed the six months of Tai Chi I practiced, but that was a little too internal for me.

What do you all like most about your art and how long do you plan to practice and to live it?

Any comments would be beneficial. Anybody from the Green bay area that practices any martial art would be helpful. Thanks for all of your time.

Personally, For me Tang Soo Do is the best style for me. It has an equal balance of internal and external MA. I plan to live what i have learned the rest of my life, i plan to continue my training for the rest of my life.

 

[daddyslittle1]

for me I take Nihon Goshin Aikido.I like it because it helps me alot.In Aikido you help people.Not hit people.

 

[aikidogb]

I have recently found that in Green Bay WI there is also a Bujinkan school. What are the pros and cons of Aikido and Bujinkan and can both be practiced. Anybody from Green Bay that practices any art is most welcome.

I would like any information anybody has on Bujinkan budo Ninpo and any books or websites that would have more information. Thanks for all the help.

I am looking for an art that can be street effective in a short period of time and also one that has a general philosophy on life and puts me on some path towards helping myself to grow as a person. I know I am all over the place with this post, but any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Aikikitty]

I have recently found that in Green Bay WI there is also a Bujinkan school. What are the pros and cons of Aikido and Bujinkan and can both be practiced. Anybody from Green Bay that practices any art is most welcome.

I would like any information anybody has on Bujinkan budo Ninpo and any books or websites that would have more information. Thanks for all the help.

I am looking for an art that can be street effective in a short period of time and also one that has a general philosophy on life and puts me on some path towards helping myself to grow as a person. I know I am all over the place with this post, but any help would be much appreciated.

I don't know anything about Bujinkan, but I do know that Aikido does take a long time to learn (especially to get good at). So if you're looking to learn something in a short period of time, I'd hate to say that Aikido might not be what you're looking for. It's all about timing, blending, balance, learning to move with your whole body and not with strength, etc. and you got to do it enough for it to become muscle memory/be able to do it without stopping to think. (But personally, I love Aikido and I can't imagine ever doing anything else. It's awesome.)

I'd suggest going to visit some schools/dojos in your area and talk to the instructors and watch some classes (get a feel for the atmosphere too).

Robyn :asian:

 

[Tenjin]

I studied Aikido for a little over six years and have been in the Bujinkan for the last 13 or so.

I really enjoyed Aikido when I studied it, but felt that it lacked depth, particularly in regards to striking techniques. Most of the training in Aikido involves second initiative (uke attacks and you respond with the given technique you are working on) techniques that tend to focus on throws and joint locks (which often end in throws). Aikido to me was very dynamic and had some very powerful throws. Aikido has little to no bone breaking techniques from my experience.

The Bujinkan is not really a martial art as far as my understanding goes, its an organization run byMasaaki Hatsumi who is the Soke of nine Japanese ryu ha that are in that organization. In these arts you will find striking, grappling and weapons work, but really the focus tends to be on the feeling or essence of the techniques over just the physical movements. I find the techniques in the Bujinkan tend to be more permanent in their finishing techniques, whether it’s a sword cut or a broken elbow.

I tried myself to do both arts, but I really could not do it. I had problems learning as a beginner in the Bujinkan while taking Aikido, mainly some footwork things. Maybe you would have better luck.

As far as links I would recommend the following:

http://www.bujinkan.com/

www.winjutsu.com

www.kutaki.org

The best advice I can give is go check out both schools, and talk to the instructors. There is no one "ultimate" martial art, but if you go out and look at what the different schools have to offer you will probably find what fits you best.

 

[aikidogb]

Thanks again for all of the replies. I guess I am not really sure what emphasis I want my training to take. The fact that Japanese police take Aikido to subdue their "opponents" impresses me. This fact also makes me think that Aikido might be an art that can be used by anyone without the fear of lawsuits and the such. On the other hand, from what I have heard about Bujinkan is that it is more well rounded and can apply in more situations. How do you all feel about either art with respect to becoming a more balanced person in life. (No fear, respect for others and life, Learning not only a way to defend oneself, but also learning a way to live.) I hope that did not sound too New Agey.

Both arts intrigue me and again I would like anyone's opinion of the schools here in Green Bay. If necessary you could privately email me if you did not want to disrespect either of the organizations here.

Does Bujinkan have throws and joint manipulations? That is one aspect that drew me to Aikido. But, I would also like to learn striking an explosive dynamic attacks and defenses. Again, thanks for all the time and the info.

I find it difficult to find good information from websites that solely concentrate on one martial art. Obviously they paint their respective art in the best of light and that is why I love coming to this site to discuss drawbacks and the realities of different arts.

 

[traz]

The fact that Japanese police take Aikido to subdue their "opponents" impresses me

Keep in mind that they are taught a specific type of Aikido, called Yoshinkan Aikido, which is generally regarded as one of the hardest or toughest forms of aikido. There are many many "softer" forms of aikido out there (ki society for example), and those may have less practical street applications. I'm not trying to start a debate on the practicality of aikido, not at all, so don't turn this thread into that. But just keep in mind that the japanese police are taught a hard form of aikido, and that if you learn a soft form (which is quite common) it would be quite different.

 

[Tenjin]

Thanks again for all of the replies. I guess I am not really sure what emphasis I want my training to take. The fact that Japanese police take Aikido to subdue their "opponents" impresses me.

No real idea about this. Hopefully the Japanese police are better training than US ones. The training our guys in blue get over here is just pathetic.

Does Bujinkan have throws and joint manipulations? That is one aspect that drew me to Aikido. But, I would also like to learn striking an explosive dynamic attacks and defenses. Again, thanks for all the time and the info.

I can't recall a joint manipulation that Aikido has that is not included in the Bujinkan arts, though the Bujinkan arts break bones a great deal more than you will ever find in Aikido. Both have throws, but the Aikido throws are typically bigger motion so much more dynamic.

I find it difficult to find good information from websites that solely concentrate on one martial art. Obviously they paint their respective art in the best of light and that is why I love coming to this site to discuss drawbacks and the realities of different arts.

Websites are a waste of time and will only confuse you. It sounds like you have narrowed your search at this point to two schools. Go check out both and find what fits you best. There are hundreds of martial arts around the world that are great and effective, and IMO no "best" martial art.

Looked around on Winjutsu.com (which you might want to do, use the yellow pages and look for your state) and you have these guys in Appleton which is, according to Map Point, 35 min away from Green Bay.

http://www.winterwolfdojo.com/index2.html

I know nothing about them, but maybe at least they are close.

Again try www.winjutsu.com and go to yellow pages to look atthe web pages of the Bujinkan places near you, or ask on www.kutaki.org.

 

[An Eternal Student]

If there is elements you like from both, then try doing both.There's a chance they might be incompatiable but Im doing Genbukan Ninpo and Aikido simultaneously and it seems to work fine.You just end up using whatever works best for the specific situation.

 

[47MartialMan]

I like Aikido, but I have a different opinion on the ki part.

 

[theletch1]

No bone breaking in aikido? Most of the throws and a great many of the locks would dislocate joints, break bones and do a great deal of damage to muscle and tendon when done against an opponent who has thrown an attack at you with any determined force. I think I get your meaning though...it's the mindset of (traditional) aikido that no more harm than is absolutely necessary be done. So, there is the POTENTIAL for a lot of bone breaking in aikido, just not the INTENTION. Robyn was right on the money, though, when she said that aikido is not an art that you will become proficient at quickly. I've even heard that it is not the best "first art" to start with as the training seems to assume that you already have a good understanding of basic punches, blocks and kicks. I study a non-traditional form of aikido. It is not my first art but the one that I've gravitated toward over time and am now whole heartedly attached to. I don't think I'd have become as proficient and quickly as I have (and I still have a LONG way to go) had this been my first art. As has already been suggested here, visit different dojos, interview the instructors, take advantage of free trial classes and go with the art that speaks most deeply to you. Good luck, my friend.

 

[47MartialMan]

However, like other arts of nature, Aikido should be the first art because if a strmking art was first, it would be harder to go from that than into one like Aikido