Mystry Japanese Martial Art

[punisher73]

One of my aikido teachers taught us to go hard in reality. Pre-war aikido was the model our classes adhered to. Our dojo's ethos was Harmony or Else. Aikido often gets a bad rap due to the Californian hippy inspired model we see and hear nowadays. Our dojo had a small number of students and most of those were already high-level martial artists from Judo, Kyokushin, Shotokan and Sambo. There were also a couple ex Royal Marines who liked to bring in tips and tricks they learned from unarmed combat programmes whilst serving. Sometimes we had potential members seeking out the spiritual based aikido, but they didn't stay too long - old school aikido could definitely be described as a twisting and mangling art

I would definitely agree with this. There are a lot of stories about the first aikido schools opening up in places like Hawaii and in the US. There was plenty of dojo challenges back then and most of those guys knew how to fight and had to do so to keep the doors open and spread the art.

I studied aikido for a short time and the instructor was one who had prior MA training (Judo and some karate) and was challenged and afterwards the challenger became his student. One of the instructor's senior students was also had prior ranking and who had no tolerance for BS and was an LEO with a lot of experience and he loved his aikido and used it all the time.

 

[opr1945]

My Friend would have been in Okinawa around 10 years after WWII. May be the hard style was still being taught?

 

[isshinryuronin]

I studied aikido for a short time and the instructor was one who had prior MA training (Judo and some karate) and was challenged and afterwards the challenger became his student. One of the instructor's senior students was also had prior ranking and who had no tolerance for BS and was an LEO with a lot of experience and he loved his aikido and used it all the time.

Aikido has a number of practical MA techniques, but some practitioners do not see it or execute it as a combat art. Like many in iaido, it is viewed as more of a fine art, an art where execution and form is paramount, but without the fighting frame of mind. I think this is generally true more times than not.

When one comes into one of these arts from another more combat-oriented art, they bring with them a "feeling" and experience in facing a non-resistant opponent where there is some element of danger. This will be reflected in the way they execute the new art.

I noticed that I executed differently from my iaido classmates, whose previous MA background was soft style kung fu, tai chi, or none. My moves were stronger and done with intent to kill, whereas most of the others had intent only to have good form. The power in their moves IMO would not be effective when clashing with another sword. I will admit that this difference could have affected my more advanced progress in a negative way, I can't say for sure. I bring this up only to illustrate my experience in how one's previous study in an MA can affect how another one is performed. By the standards of the new art, this may be judged as a plus or a minus.

 

[isshinryuronin]

WHOOPS.

When one comes into one of these arts from another more combat-oriented art, they bring with them a "feeling" and experience in facing a non-resistant opponent where there is some element of danger. This will be reflected in the way they execute the new art.

I meant resistant or non-compliant.

 

[punisher73]

Aikido has a number of practical MA techniques, but some practitioners do not see it or execute it as a combat art. Like many in iaido, it is viewed as more of a fine art, an art where execution and form is paramount, but without the fighting frame of mind. I think this is generally true more times than not.

When one comes into one of these arts from another more combat-oriented art, they bring with them a "feeling" and experience in facing a non-resistant opponent where there is some element of danger. This will be reflected in the way they execute the new art.

I noticed that I executed differently from my iaido classmates, whose previous MA background was soft style kung fu, tai chi, or none. My moves were stronger and done with intent to kill, whereas most of the others had intent only to have good form. The power in their moves IMO would not be effective when clashing with another sword. I will admit that this difference could have affected my more advanced progress in a negative way, I can't say for sure. I bring this up only to illustrate my experience in how one's previous study in an MA can affect how another one is performed. By the standards of the new art, this may be judged as a plus or a minus.

I agree with this. Add in the fact that in many Aikido schools in the US, they downplayed the combat aspect of the art and really focused on the "harmony" which many times translated to a "cooperative dance" with your partner (disclaimer: not all schools did this, just many).

Also, from prior combat experience, a person can see the possibilities of what they are doing. For example, the attacks aren't locked into that specific attack, but a line of attack (to steal an FMA term) with a type of energy/intent that you are dealing with. For example, the infamous overhead strike is now understood in terms of a looping overhand right that many street thugs throw.