Crosstraining Aikidoka: A Survey

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[jducusin]

I did a forum search and as I didn't see anything recent that was similar (at least in its scope), I'm hoping that any Aikidoka out there who are currently cross training in other martial arts could be so kind as to take the time to answer a few questions for me - I'd really like to get a sense of what people are doing, how and why:

1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?

2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?

3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?

4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)

5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?)

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.

Thanks in advance for your time!

[Abasan]

1. 12 Years give or take.
2. Silat and Arnis.
3. 2 and less than 1.
4. Formal practice. Silat:arnis:aikido 1:1:4
5. Learning something new opened my eyes.
Silat was an opportunity for me given the teacher's reluctance to teach for years. I was his first student in the last 2 decades. At that point, I had deficient ability in Aikido to defend myself against a solid silat exponent. Practice in it showed me aspects of Aikido I never before realised. Its kind of like, you inherited something and overlook its meaning and function. Takes a fresh perspective to give you a better understanding.
Arnis I just did to improve weapon knowledge against knives and fast strikers. We rarely do this in Aikido classes where one usually over commits on his strikes. In arnis, with multiple rapid strikes and weaves, it will help with reflex, pattern analysis and confidence. Kuzushi, maai and etc is already there in Aikido and helps tremendously with Arnis.

7. These arts have different intents behind them. In silat and arnis, there's no mercy. When you're training for Aiki, you have to open yourself. In silat and arnis, your focus is to come out on top. They are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

[David Maidment]

1) Two years. Plus a stint when I was a youngster.

2) Iaido & Kyudo.

3) About six months Iaido, one month Kyudo.

4) Two - four days a week Aikido. One day a week Iaido. Kyudo once every other week.

5) All of the above. I find Iai to be complimentary to my Aikido, but I train in it mainly for itself.

6) The posture and cutting requirements of Iaido (along with moving with/from your centre) help most aspects of Aikido for me. I'm also working on getting some kind of zanshin down in Aikido (but failing!).

7) I've been told that I'm doing 'Iaido' cuts when using a bokken, instead of what is supposed to be done (too much intention to slice uke in two, I suppose...). Otherwise there's been very little detriment. I haven't done enough Kyudo to make any informed opinions regarding its effect.

[Demetrio Cereijo]

1) Eight years.
2) Currently Judo, formerly BJJ and some kickboxing.
3) Four months (in Judo), BJJ in and out since 2005.
4) I try to keep the same ratio in mat hours.
5) To have fun.
6) Putting the eyes back in the dragon.
7) Don't think so.

[bernardkwan]

1. About seven years in total (with an seven year break in between)
2. Gao Style Baguazhang
3. Three years
4. four days Bagua 2 days Aikido in a week
5. To train internal power and structure. Also being Chinese and living in HK, it won't do for me to purely train a Japanese martial art when there is so much on offer here. It's like going to Paris and only eating McDonalds.
6. Much broader range of attacks / kicks / throws. The footwork and movement is also much more complex
7. Most of the stuff carries over, although some of the qinna (grappling) may be more dangerous than the aikido. Perhaps there is less of an emphasis on "peace" and relaxation

[Peter Chenier]

1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?

Three years

2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?

Carlson Gracie BBJ just started

3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?

1 week :0)

4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)

3 Aikido 1 BBJ

5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?)

None of the above its to challenge myself

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?

On the first class in BBJ I learned when to use kokunage..I did not do it to my uke..after all it was a BBJ class not an Aikido class. I also learned that Aikidoka are nearly impossible to clinch with :0)

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.

Nope none at all..I also practiced karate for over 16 years..If I put it all together what have I learned?? Only that I need to learn allot more!!

Cheers

Peter

[Jon Marshall]

1. 13 years aikido.

2. Hsing-I Chuan

3. Couple of months (previous intermittent dabbles in other arts)

4. Aikido once a week, twice if I'm lucky. Hsing-I once a week. Plus solo practice, which is currently Hsing-I dominated .

5. Primarily to compliment my aikido. Specifically, to give teeth to my aikido so that the potential choice of whether to use more or less destructive techniques is just that - a genuine choice. Of course, I could also fall in love with Hsing-I in its own right - early days.

6. Hsing-I strikes seem, to me, to be more compatible with aikido movement than those of other styles I've looked at. As a Chinese internal art, there's lots of standing practice, which I'm a fan of.

7. Having dipped in and out of tai chi, where I felt there were some stylistic contradictions with aikido, I'm delighted to discover that Hsing-I (so far) seems very compatible indeed.

Still gotta learn more grappling, though.

Jon.

[Abasan]

Jon, is it because of the 'irimi' striking aspects and center powered strikes?

[Aikibu]

I did a forum search and as I didn't see anything recent that was similar (at least in its scope), I'm hoping that any Aikidoka out there who are currently cross training in other martial arts could be so kind as to take the time to answer a few questions for me - I'd really like to get a sense of what people are doing, how and why:

1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?

About 20 years current

2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?

MMA ( a mixture of striking,grappling BJJ) with various teachers... Iaido

3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?

About 20 years Iaido and 15 years MMA

4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)

Aikido & Iaido between 7 and 20 hours a week MMA about 3 to 4 hours

5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?)

a) Yes
b) Yes
c) Because it's fun I love MMA both watching and practicing. I am hoping to find a Systema School near me.

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how? Nothing builds a more competent Aikido practice than getting smacked/kicked in the face or being forced to tap out. Why? Well Most Aikido Dojos I've seen have beginners who have no prior Martial Arts experience and they need to see and feel what a fight may "look like" including me... They also need to feel punches and kicks...Just my Opinion...Getting smacked in the face and still being able to execute a technique is a sign of competence not failure. And being able to execute a technique when faced with a competent Martial Artist while remaining true to the spirit of Aikido...That's Mastery. ;)

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.

We're encouraged to cross train in our style of Aikido so... No...That's one of the things I love about Shoji Nishio's Philosophy of Aikido... Aikido has to work as a Martial Art and unless you adapt and test it... It will atrophy and die.

Thanks in advance for your time!

You're Welcome
William Hazen

[Jon Marshall]

Hi Ahmad,

Short answer, 'Yes'. Like I say, it's early days (more theory and enthusiasm than proven application), but the 'gaps' in aikido technique where an atemi could fit seem to lend themselves to the 5 basic hsing-i fists without compromising ones flow or posture.

You don't so much throw a punch, but move through your opponent with your whole body, fist first. So if your partner/opponent doesn't play ball and respect the ma-ai you're seeking to establish, he can have one of these instead. The 'root', so valued in Chinese internal arts, is more mobile than in tai chi (though, ultimately, perhaps less powerful) which makes it more aikido-friendly.

As with your arnis/silat experience, the arts are 'at opposite ends of the spectrum', which is nice. If you give it a try, let me know how you get on.

Jon.

[wideawakedreamer]

1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?

Almost 4 years now. Or it would be almost 4 years except that I haven't been training lately due to one major change in my life (hint: he's really cute and he can stand up now)

2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?

Arnis

3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?

I only started last year

4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)

See my answer to number 1.

5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?)

When I decided to take up Arnis, it was with both a and b in mind.

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?

A. Because Arnis is a weapons art, it helps as a sort of "reality check" when dealing with weapons.

B. Some of the concepts actually overlap. Like the idea of getting out of the line of attack. We also do that in Arnis.

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.

Only that sometimes I get impatient in Aikido practice. Especially when I see my fellow students being too lax because they're no longer afraid of getting hit (because we're all such gentle Aikidoka :rolleyes: ).

[mah927]

1) 3 years on and off - last six months serious

2) Goju Ryu - 18 years (last 5 training alone)

3) 3 plus in Aikido and Goju

4) 5 days Goju 2 days Aikido

5) I do both arts to broaden my knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist

6) It is benefiting both my Aikido and Goju Ryu. Helps me interpret bankai of Goju. Helps me incorporate Atemi in Aikido. Amazing how things - If I may use a favorite IT Term "seamlessly" fuse.

7) Doubt I have come across anything detrimental. Wonderful thing is how naturally, the mind is able to flow from one art to the other. Ahhmazing. Nice mini survey.

[jducusin]

6) It is benefiting both my Aikido and Goju Ryu. Helps me interpret bankai of Goju. Helps me incorporate Atemi in Aikido. Amazing how things - If I may use a favorite IT Term "seamlessly" fuse.


I recall my own Aikido instructor once having a student who had trained in Karate for many years remarking on the same thing; apparently he was in the middle of class when suddenly the Karateka started laughing, saying he had finally understood the bunkai behind a particular kata he had done for so long.

[OwlMatt]

1) About four months.

2) Taekwondo.

3) About three months.

4) I am taking two or three full-length (1.5-2 hours) aikido classes a week. I get brief taekwondo sessions with my sixth graders (see below) two or three times a week and take one full-length adult class a week.

5) I work at a small charter school for students with learning disabilities and behavioral issues, and taekwondo is what our students get for physical education. I started taekwondo mostly for the purpose of building up relationships with my students, whereas aikido is more of an end unto itself for me.

6) I find that both arts focus heavily on developing flexibility and balance in their practitioners, so they compliment each other quite well in terms of physical conditioning.

7) The only real problem I've discovered so far is that taekwondo cuts into the time I could be spending practicing aikido. If not for taekwondo, I could be getting in another aikido class every week.

[tsealock]

1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?
1 year
2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?
Bjj, Muay Thai
3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?
Muay Thai 1 year, BJJ 6 months
4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)
Aikido-3 days per week, BJJ 5 days per week, Muay Thai 1-2 days per week
5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:

A and B

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?

My aikido sensei also teaches us Muay thai so he really shows us how Muay thai strikes serve as Atemi for Aikido techniques. Also, Aikido techniques flow very well into bjj and vice-versa

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.

I can't really think of anything.

[EzD]

1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?
approx 15 years

2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?
JKD

3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?
approx 13 years

4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)
even split

5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
no
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
yes
c) other (if so, what?)
I think it's due to my bi-polar tendencies. Aikido (to me) is the ultimate in defense; JKD is the ultimate in offense

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?
I think Aikido compliments JKD with some of the footwork and getting comfortable in close range; JKD compliments Aikido with a broader reptoire of atemi.

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.
There is a definite conflict with mindset. However, both seem to agree on the mushin principle.

Just my 10 cents (inflation!)

[Flintstone]

1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?
8 years.

2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?
Aikijujutsu Yoseikan, Nihon Taijutsu. Mainly.

3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?
7 years.

4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)
50/50.

5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?)
a+b

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?
Absolutely.

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.
In no way.

[Anth]

1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?
2 weeks shy of a year.

2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?
Kamishin ryu karate.

3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido? Since the start

4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?) 50:50 - two sessions of each a week most weeks. Could be going up to 3 aiki to one karate at some point soon.

5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?) 9 years in karate and spending more time teaching than actually learning my own stuff these days made me want to start something new. There's something quite refreshing about being back at the other end of the dojo!

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how? Since I started I've had those "eureka moments" that others have mentioned regarding bunkai and I've noticed that other elements of my karate have made an appearance (new tori's normally get a warning to avoid my tsuki, for example). At the same time though my karate has started to flow a lot more (one thing I've needed to improve for years) so all good.

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how. Yep, too many years of being rooted in stances and staying on my feet means I'm too "rigid" at times and I roll like a bag of spanners. I keep getting a twitchy leg when I tenkan around a technique and naturally want to throw in a jodan mawashi-geri (roundhouse kick) instead of throwing too :p

[Chris Evans]

...Nothing builds a more competent Aikido practice than getting smacked/kicked in the face or being forced to tap out. Why? Well Most Aikido Dojos I've seen have beginners who have no prior Martial Arts experience and they need to see and feel what a fight may "look like" including me... They also need to feel punches and kicks...Just my Opinion...Getting smacked in the face and still being able to execute a technique is a sign of competence not failure. And being able to execute a technique when faced with a competent Martial Artist while remaining true to the spirit of Aikido...That's Mastery. ;)

We're encouraged to cross train in our style of Aikido so... No...That's one of the things I love about Shoji Nishio's Philosophy of Aikido... Aikido has to work as a Martial Art and unless you adapt and test it... It will atrophy and die.

You're Welcome
William Hazen

Reading William Hazen's post, specifically, and this thread, in general, makes me feel better about
cross-training in Aikido.

Lat year, I was training only a few hours a week, but while surfing I had realized the the importance in be earnest about holistic training. "Where the mind is at" is key to catching a wave that can hurt and the the way to the mind is through the physical (here I'll refer to Bodhidharma's experience when training monks).

I hear the cops in Japan cross-train in Judo and Kendo.

One observation I have is that a beginner budo-ka will really benefit from focusing on one art and building a physical fitness base. Now, if you do BJJ often you will gain fitness just from class.

[aikishihan]

Say, didn't the Founder of Aikido crosstrain?

Didn't most of his top disciples do so also?

Weren't we all admonished to not overlook every opportunity to improve ourselves and our art? That the "aikido" we seek is ours to create?

True training is 24/7. What are we wasting our time doing?

Nuff said.

[WilliB]

1) 5 yrs

2) Shotokan Karate

3) 4 yrs

4) 3x/week, 2x/week

5) a, b, c (= its interesting, period)

6) They complement each other. Where there is overlap, is it interesting to see the similarities.

7) No.

[WilliB]

I hear the cops in Japan cross-train in Judo and Kendo.


Yes and no. The J-cops have their own version of police judo, which (unsurprisingly) is pretty heavy on arrest techniques.
Any additional martial arts that the police school applicants bring with them are highly encouraged.
And then, of course, there is the famous 1-year "angry white pajamas" Aikido course at Yoshinkan, which the riot cops have to take. A great business deal for Yoshinkan, may I add.

[CitoMaramba]

1) 16 years
2) Arnis (Filipino Martial Arts)
3) Actually started Arnis before Aikido, continued training in it once I started practicing Aikido
4) Aikido 3 days a week, Arnis, 1 day a week
5) a) b) c) To preserve and keep in touch with my Filipino heritage
6) I see more similarities than differences now..
7) No fundamental incompatibilities..

[Chris Evans]

Yes and no. The J-cops have their own version of police judo, which (unsurprisingly) is pretty heavy on arrest techniques.
Any additional martial arts that the police school applicants bring with them are highly encouraged.
And then, of course, there is the famous 1-year "angry white pajamas" Aikido course at Yoshinkan, which the riot cops have to take. A great business deal for Yoshinkan, may I add.

Interesting. Thanks, Willi.

[amoeba]

1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?

7 years

2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?

Goju Ryu Karate

3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?

about 6 months

4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)

Aikido 3-4 times, Karate 1-2 times

5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?)

Probably all - I'd like to get my attacks (kicks and punches) a little sharper, I'd like to see some more of what's "out there", but most of all, it's just fun!:)
My aikido teacher has been in competitive karate for quite a few years prior to starting aikido and I think you do see it in her attacks... I find them quite impressive. So I think it might help there...

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?

See above. Especially when we do kicking techniques. I always hated those earlier. Punches, too... They're still a long way from perfect, but training kicking and pnuching for an hour once a week should help!:)

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.

Might be, because they do have different "movement schemes" - in karate, you normally stay quite straight and block (though goju ryu does have some of the circular-moving-out-of-the-way-techniques). But I haven't felt that I brought that into my aikido, I guess I've been training long enough to be able to seperate. I do occasionally have problems in karate because of my "aikido reflexes", but nothing too serious!

[JP3]

Q1) "How long have you been practicing Aikido?"

A1: Time since I began was 37 years ago, but that's a big illusion, as I took a 20 year break to go away and kick & punch stuff.

Q2) "What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?"

A2: Now, I really only "practice" aikido (Tomiki's) and judo. I've done some crosstraining in BJJ, but I'd consider that really just judo training, in specialty naewaza classes. Feels that way.

3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?

4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)

5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?)

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.

Thanks in advance for your time![/QUOTE]

[JP3]

Q1) "How long have you been practicing Aikido?"

A1: Time since I began was 37 years ago, but that's a big illusion, as I took a 20 year break to go away and kick & punch stuff.

Q2) "What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?"

A2: Now, I really only "practice" aikido (Tomiki's) and judo. I've done some crosstraining in BJJ, but I'd consider that really just judo training, in specialty naewaza classes. Feels that way.

Q3) "How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?"

A3: started the judo in '95, so it's been 18 years now. Yes, about that.

Q4) "What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)"

A4: Usually 3 days aikido, 2 days judo. Hardly ever less than 2 days each.

Q5) "Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?)"

A5: Really, to make my aikido better and comprehensive across different combative intervals (maai or mai ai, depending on which redneck spelled it to me. I need to ask Peter Goldsbury what it Actually is...). Point being, I see myself as an aikido practitioner who plays judo for fun, exercise and the cross-training elements of the different distances for techniques. It also helps with my predilection to my timing being "late," since I don't see so well.

Q6) "If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?"

A6: As noted above.

Q7) "Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how."

A7: Tendency to get competitive comes out, as it is inherent in judo.

[ryback]

I did a forum search and as I didn't see anything recent that was similar (at least in its scope), I'm hoping that any Aikidoka out there who are currently cross training in other martial arts could be so kind as to take the time to answer a few questions for me - I'd really like to get a sense of what people are doing, how and why:

1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?

2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?

3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?

4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)

5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?)

6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?

7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.

Thanks in advance for your time!

1) I'm practicing Aikido for 16 years.

2) Iai-do

3) I think about 14 years. My aikido sensei also teaches me iai-do.

4) 7 days per week (aprx.) aikido and 1 day iai-do.

5) a. Yes
b. Yes
c. To have a contact with a real live blade and also a connection with the samurai roots of aikido. It is also a good esoteric practice, it helps me become one with my self and my environment and clears my mind. It is the ideal solitary practice.

6) It is. Aikido has a strong connection with the sword and since we don't go in the battlefield with such a weapon nowadays it is important to practice difficult kata in order to become one with it inside the dojo. Iai-do practice keeps me internaly balanced as well and that is very important for aikido too.

7) I am strongly opposed against cross training in martial arts. To be honest, i don't even consider my iai-do as a cross training I see it more as a solitary aikido training with a shinken. So, in my opinion, nobody should mix different martial arts because the basic principles are different in each one of them. Yet, Iai-do is a "must" supplementary training for any aikidoist. So in fact, it is not even an exeption, it's part of it...

[JP3]

I think like Yannis, above. The aikido I've received, if you don't consider that which I received from a "traditional," so to speak, Ueshiba stylist when I was 8 to 10 years old, was from a Tomiki instructor. This brand of Aikido, being taught almost as an extension of the standard judo mai ai (maai, whichever) doesn't resonate with me as being cross-training at all, though a purist, which I am assuredly not, would probably disagree.

Personally, as my judo grows in competence, so does my aikido, and vice-versa. I have become progressively softer in my technique application, to the point where sometimes it literally does feel like magic when it happens, and I've been told that it "looked" effortless.... which to me, it did indeed feel that way. Neat feeling, that, whether it's kotegaeshi or haraigoshi.

All same-same, the difference is the distance from uke.

This isn't your standard Olympic judo, keep in mind. I can do that, too, but the feel is different, more combative/competitive, and the possibility exists in almost any Olympic judo "contest" with appropriate rules, for the competent aikido practitioner (or perhaps any other art, if they are aware of what the openings are, of course) to seriously injure the judoka. Typically, they (Olympic competition clubs) don't seem to train the underlying, fundamental stuff.

Tangent there, apologies...

[Aikeway]

A lot of the martial arts have changed and are less complete than what they once were. Karate originally had grappling in it and throws before it became mainly punching and kicking. Judo had atemi (striking) in it, a lot more ne-waza, leg locks, neck cranks. The standard of atemi in aikido is now often rather low.

So really to do your martial art properly, you need to cross-train. To become skilled at the striking component in aikido and to learn the atemi component of judo, you really need to study something like karate (perhaps goju ryu). To become skilled at ne-waza (groundwork) in judo you really need to cross train in BJJ. To be good on your feet at BJJ you really need to train in judo.

Tomiki aikido was intended to be practised with judo. Many of the standing joint techniques would be studied doing aikido and also the techniques from a greater distance, whereas judo would cover the closer-in throws where you grab the gi.

I tend to call this compartmentalization of martial arts training. You need to go to the different martial arts to become proficient in the area that they specialize in. The problem is that you don't usually have enough time (or inclination) to train 12 sessions per week covering all the areas you need to cover. On the other hand, a problem with cross-training is that many become jack of all trades and king of none.

[Aikeway]

A lot of the martial arts have changed and are less complete than what they once were. Karate originally had grappling in it and throws before it became mainly punching and kicking. Judo had atemi (striking) in it, a lot more ne-waza, leg locks, neck cranks. The standard of atemi in aikido is now often rather low.

So really to do your martial art properly, you need to cross-train. To become skilled at the striking component in aikido and to learn the atemi component of judo, you really need to study something like karate (perhaps goju ryu). To become skilled at ne-waza (groundwork) in judo you really need to cross train in BJJ. To be good on your feet at BJJ you really need to train in judo.

Tomiki aikido was intended to be practised with judo. Many of the standing joint techniques would be studied doing aikido and also the techniques from a greater distance, whereas judo would cover the closer-in throws where you grab the gi.

I tend to call this compartmentalization of martial arts training. You need to go to the different martial arts to become proficient in the area that they specialize in. The problem is that you don't usually have enough time (or inclination) to train 12 sessions per week covering all the areas you need to cover. On the other hand, a problem with cross-training is that many become jack of all trades and king of none.