Does aikido use punches and kicks?

[Same Trick]

Combat Sambo is another place you can find contact sparring. Like Judo even though atemi waza is a thing and a lot of judoka MMA learn it, I don't know enough about Aikido to find someone who is high level enough to show off Aikido striking (which looks a lot like Judo atemi waza.

For example, Judo has elbow strikes, and you'd rarely (not never) see them in competition, the more striker type mixed judoka learn elbow strikes as finishers to throws etc, even if they also cross train in a pure striking art.

I'm really interested in this subject because as someone with a boxing background and working on my black belt I really am exploring some other arts concepts and because of jujutsu, judo and aikido have a sort of common core.

World renown Aikido master Christian Tissier has a kickboxing background. However when one is committed to the philosophy within aikido and on the aikidotatami there’s not really room for kickboxing.
Same I think with Judo as the name suggest “soft”-way

 

[O'Malley]

Does aikido use punches and kicks?

It can happen.

What are the pros and cons of some one using aikido using punches and kicks?

The pros are that it makes you more effective, as strikes are important tools in combative situations. The cons is that sometimes you want to avoid smacking people in the face (e.g. drunk friend).

Some one said 90% should be non punches and kicks with aikido. Some even say 100% should be non punches and kicks with aikido.

So what is the right number? Or more like 60% to 70% should punches and kicks. What are the pros and cons of some one using aikido using punches and kicks? And what should right number be?

There's no right number. I know the quotes about aikido being 70 or 90% atemi but they shouldn't be taken literally, they just mean that atemi is an important part of the art.

Have you used punches and kicks to set up aikido take down?

I have, usually as a way to enter clinch range without getting smacked in the face.

However, in my mind, "atemi" are not mere punches and kicks. I understand "atemi" as "rooted strikes" where the goal is not to maximize impact but to take the opponent's space to topple him. I believe that it's common among jujutsu styles. The logic is similar to the strikes you see in sumo, which are very likely to have influenced jujutsu. One could also hypothesize that atemi comes from knife penetration:

So, to do proper atemi, you need to create a line from your striking limb to the ground, so that your strike is "solid" enough to unbalance your opponent:

Atemi in application:

That's also probably why the following techniques are called "atemi waza" in Shodokan/Tomiki aikido:

They say the punches and strikes are used to distract or unbalance the attacker making it easier for a take down.

But some schools seem to use more punches and strikes than other schools I don’t know why that the case.

Schools are different, and not everybody trains with the same goals, or knowledge.

I meant a professional competitor who primary uses/represents Aikido, in the grappling/striking sense. I figured there must be someone out there who trains it seriously and can show it full contact.

This is honestly something I tried and can't seem to find. I can find judo stuff involving strikes that are practical.

There are some aikido people that spar with strikes:

- YouTube

And I only know of one famous MMA athlete with a base in aikido (he was a Tomiki aikido champion but obviously had to acquire a full skillset to compete): - YouTube

 

[O'Malley]

The idea of Aikido is not about competition, I think the very name itself indicate that.
However the Tomiki linage have some sort of competition, the founder of that linage was heavily into judo I recall reading somewhere, I don’t know the rules and how the competition looks like though.

Edit - Although, Aikido has its randori practice usually with several attackers.
All attacks by attackers in Aikido are to be committed to hit and make contact with defender.

Aikido has had competition for decades in several major lineages. The Aikikai prohibits competition as a way to differentiate the art from other gendai budo like karate, judo, etc. (and it also publicly pressures other aikido organizations from holding tournaments because in the long run it could make them lose money).

 

[Same Trick]

Aikido has had competition for decades in several major lineages. The Aikikai prohibits competition as a way to differentiate the art from other gendai budo like karate, judo, etc. (and it also publicly pressures other aikido organizations from holding tournaments because in the long run it could make them lose money).

Which aikido linages hold competitions ? Tomiki I know does, any other of the major linages - Iwama/Saito, Tohei/KiAikido, Nishio ….?

Can you elaborate little on how Aikido competition looks ?
I recall I’ve seen something where only shomen-uchi strike is allowed as attack, both combatants goes freely at each other with this strike and then try to apply something aikido’ish

 

[O'Malley]

Which aikido linages hold competitions ? Tomiki I know does, any other of the major linages - Iwama/Saito, Tohei/KiAikido, Nishio ….?

Can you elaborate little on how Aikido competition looks ?
I recall I’ve seen something where only shomen-uchi strike is allowed as attack, both combatants goes freely at each other with this strike and then try to apply something aikido’ish

Sure.

Ki aikido has a set of partner kata called "taigi", which they have held competitions for (no idea how it's scored): Quick report of 4th International Ki-Aikido Taigi competition

Yoshinkan also has kata-based competition:

Shodokan (Tomiki) has competition with and without a rubber tanto, as you know.

And without going as far as holding a formal competition circuit, a lot of dojos also have their own homebrew sparring rulesets:

This one looks fun as hell, and looks like an interesting experiment to learn how to throw people while protecting your head:

 

[Same Trick]

Sure.

Ki aikido has a set of partner kata called "taigi", which they have held competitions for (no idea how it's scored): Quick report of 4th International Ki-Aikido Taigi competition

Yoshinkan also has kata-based competition:

Shodokan (Tomiki) has competition with and without a rubber tanto, as you know.

And without going as far as holding a formal competition circuit, a lot of dojos also have their own homebrew sparring rulesets:

This one looks fun as hell, and looks like an interesting experiment to learn how to throw people while protecting your head:

Nice! Yes, I thought if there’s aikido competition it Would probably be in kata format or more freely interpreted as randori still with decided attacker and defender.

 

[O'Malley]

Actually, although Morihei Ueshiba was opposed to aikido sports competitions (like the founders of karate and judo, which eventually became heavily competitive arts), he was not at all opposed to competitive practice: he and his students would often spar or play sumo after every training session. The students would play judo as well but he'd get angry because he didn't want them to practice an art that had (remote) origins in "filthy" China.