I think there's a few crossover fights we could reference that show some UFC champs having issues against Boxers.
I disagree regarding my line of argument. Guys commenting outside their knowledge base to shout down and disrespect other systems is kind of everything wrong in martial arts. The ego behind the dojo wars stuff is why we don't have a more collaborative atmosphere between systems and schools and while it may appear to effectively popularize people's chosen system for a time, it hampers the growth of the community as a whole. I'd rather have a community built on mutual respect and collaboration with some personal anecdotes thrown in than what we have now where very few people encourage their peers to check their ego's instead of trying to demean or belittle what other people are doing.
You can take this conversation as a microcosm of that problem, of the detractors, you are the only one to sit down and go point by point after some coaxing to have a legitimate discussion. While you have been fairly cranky at times, you have made good points and we have had some productive discussion. Despite this, however, our ability to even have a discussion starts with one of us being willing to trust and honor the anecdotal data point that the other one has some basis of knowledge and expertise that gives their words merit. The problem with the dogpile crowd is a lack of reciprocity in that same respect. I gave you my abbreviated CV as a fighter, like you have provided yours, not to grandstand but to establish a baseline of where I was drawing that information from, in hopes of receiving the basic level of respect that I am who I claim to be. So far, while we have disagreed, its mostly been on a point to point basis, not through ad hominem attacks or disingenuous argument. You are the exception to the others, who have been far less good natured in their approach to our talk.
I get it, people see an Aikido dogpile and it looks great, so they jump in. I've ceded almost every possible point brought up about Aikido and given a pretty honest depiction from my point of view as to what it is and isn't. The only thing I have said in its favor is that the system itself, despite its flaws and problems, is valuable, applicable and worth saving. That singular statement has spawned challenges to fight, some Steven Segal commentary, a proverbial buffet of ad hominem attacks, strawman arguments, gas lighting and general fury that I won't concede Aikido as an imaginary martial art to the court of public opinion. Why exactly would I do that when I have years of experience with using it successfully? I'm not trying to get your fifty bucks or trying to teach you anything, I'm just disagreeing with you on the internet based on my personal experience. Last time I checked, for my purposes, my real experience outweighs the opinions of some guys on the internet who are saying things I know to be false.
You have had other people offer the same, which is all this thread really is, opinion, yet for the boo Aikido group here, there's an expectation of anyone in favor of Aikido to prostrate themselves before some supposed truth which doesn't exist. My experience tells me otherwise and I don't require your external validation, I have no intention of sharing your viewpoint when that viewpoint is invalidated by my own experiences and understanding. Do you need to believe me or the other LEO that hopped in here? Nope. You can argue the point just like you can disbelieve a stop sign or doubt the intentions of someone yelling fire, but your doubt is not an objective truth, both our arguments are subjective to our personal experience. My lack of proof and subjective personal experience do not justify or invite a contemptuous response, that response is what is being chosen by personal ego and hubris on the part of those responding.
