Aikido + Brute Force = Football

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[aikido_fudoshin]

I was doing some football drills with a friend and noticed that many of the postures, and movements share aikido concepts. For example, keeping your hips tilted forward, weight forward, and various blending techniques to get around the blocker. Although there is much more contact and energy being used here, I found it quite interesting that they used similar concepts in their training. Seems to be especially good for defensive linemen.:grr:

[Genex]

Oh AMERICAN football. lotsa big guys runing around wearing armour. PAH!

Rugby's what you need lots of strong men running around pounding each other ARMOUR? we dont need no stinkin armour! or teeth for that matter... :p

still not as rouch as galic sports irish men running around with sticks BOOYAH!

pete

[erikmenzel]

Let me see, football-aikido is the martial art were if there is, within the fight, an opening to do shiho nage you dont do it yourself but leave it to the shiho nage specialist whom the coach will have replace you for the benefit of the team?

[Bruce Baker]

Beyond the comedy ...

You have just become awakened to the early physical stages of realizing the link between effective sports, and effective aikido.

Continue to extrapolate, and more insights will not only become clear, but you will get a sense of humor that allows you to slough off these comedy responses.

[gasman]

well you yanks call it soccer, but in real football there is also alot of similarities. grabbing and holding is not allowed but when passing an opponent there is body contact and i have found that since taking up aikido i have an edge. feeling the intent of the opponent, countering it sort of atemi related and then finding the path to go past him/her.

[aikido_fudoshin]

still not as rouch as galic sports irish men running around with sticks BOOYAH!

Yeah, in Canada we use skates and call it hockey. I know what loosing teeth is all about. I wonder if aikido would work in a hockey fight? I think it should work if you could get grounded enough. :D

[Sven Groot]

Perhaps we should start using hockey sticks in weapons training. :D

[mike lee]

Maybe we should have aikido dojo rugby teams that travel around the world and play each other and exchange gi after the match. Nothing like a good tackle to bring out one's :ki: .

:freaky:

[johnkeya]

That sounds like a fine idea! Of course there could be no keeping score. And no winners or losers either. We would be playing in order to learn from each other and about ki and stuff. And if an opposing player was coming in for a goal we would want to give them some resistance, but not so much that we actually prevent them from scoring because that would only hinder their progress in the sport. :-)

[Choku Tsuki]

On Sunday afternoon on CBS they'll often discuss and demonstrate the principles of one-on-one defense, and the visual language is clearly budo.

A few years ago the relationship between hockey and kenjutsu, particularly Musashi's musings on sen-no-sen, became vibrantly clear on a breakaway: the forward paused a millisecond and froze the goalie. It was beautiful.

And my eye has helped me see bronco and bull riding as aikido as well, albeit more ukemi and defense.

--Chuck

[willy_lee]

I was doing some football drills with a friend and noticed that many of the postures, and movements share aikido concepts. For example, keeping your hips tilted forward, weight forward, and various blending techniques to get around the blocker. Although there is much more contact and energy being used here, I found it quite interesting that they used similar concepts in their training. Seems to be especially good for defensive linemen.:grr:
Think also: defensive backs covering receivers. Linebackers holding off blockers while trying to see (or feel or sense) where the play is going (like randori). Quarterbacks in the pocket avoiding sacks while keeping a view of the whole field. Offensive linemen blending with pass rushers (who are trying to blend with them).

I imagine what it's like to play in the trenches on the line; to spend a day facing off against basically one person, again and again and again; each trying to make the other fall. Learning how to blend with that person. Building grudges and respect. Sounds like a particularly grueling seminar, doesn't it?

=wl