How come aikido isn't used in competions? [Archive]

harstr

07-30-2003, 11:54 PM

The following teachings of O-Sensei speak for themselves I think:

t is important not to be concerned with thoughts of victory and defeat. Rather, you should let the ki of your thoughts and feelings blend with the Universal.

Aikido is not an art to fight with enemies and defeat them. It is a way to lead all human beings to live in harmony with each other as though everyone were one family. The secret of aikido is to make yourself become one with the universe and to go along with its natural movements. One who has attained this secret holds the universe in him/herself and can say, "I am the universe."

If anyone tries to fight me, it means that s/he is going to break harmony with the universe, because I am the universe. At the instant when s/he conceives the desire to fight with me, s/he is defeated.

Nonresistance is one of the principles of aikido. Because there is no resistance, you have won before even starting. People whose minds are evil or who enjoy fighting are defeated without a fight.

tedehara

07-31-2003, 04:54 AM

We did have a guy take classes for about 3 months. When I asked him why he started, he mentioned that he had been beaten out of a mixed-styles tournament by someone who used aikido against him.

bob_stra

07-31-2003, 05:08 AM

Hmm, I've wondered this. I never seen anyone use any aikido in any sort of popular fighting sport.
Hey, I'm standing *RIGHT HERE*

Just last night I tried to use some Suwariwaza when I missed a double leg. (without much success I might add. Meh, it keeps me amused)

I also use it to beat up on small children. Much to Aleksey's delight.

I will say this however. The bokken stuff works straight out of the bag against resisting opponents (well, noodle wielding pre teen maniacs). Not sure why. Simpler footwork?

PeterR

07-31-2003, 05:22 AM

One word - Tomiki.

I've personally used what I learnt in Aikido dojos in Judo shiai and have no problem seeing Aikido principles when I watch other fighters. I used the same principles when I did Nippon Kempo although at the time I didn't know it.

If you mean pretty Aikido waza - sorry but it will rarely be that clear. You have to look a little deeper.

Paula Lydon

07-31-2003, 07:13 AM

~~Some years ago a couple of the Denver Broncos were training in Aikido to inhance their movement and ability to pass through a crowd without being tackled :D

PeterR

07-31-2003, 07:39 AM

~~Some years ago a couple of the Denver Broncos were training in Aikido to inhance their movement and ability to pass through a crowd without being tackled :D
Did it work?

jxa127

07-31-2003, 07:51 AM

Well...

O'Sensei's admonitions aside, I thought about entering a local tournament here in Harrisburg, but a close look at the rules indicated that a lot of the things I'd do would be illegal.

Regards,

-Drew

Carl Simard

07-31-2003, 08:45 AM

If you mean pretty Aikido waza - sorry but it will rarely be that clear. You have to look a little deeper.
You certainly have a good point here. And it's not only for aikido but for any MA.

Take judo for example. In a judo competion, it will be somewhat rare to see a perfect technique being applied. Most of the time, it will be a half-missed one, that may or not look like when done in training... But even these half-missed technique can be effective.

It's probably the same thing for aikido technique. Haven't seen any Tomiki competion, but is it the same thing ? In short, you do your best but the pretty and perfect technical execution don't happen very often in competition situation ?

paw

07-31-2003, 08:52 AM

Some years ago a couple of the Denver Broncos were training in Aikido to inhance their movement and ability to pass through a crowd without being tackled

Peter is far too nice. Just look at the "deadly" arts that have been taught to the US Navy SEALs --- a good number of which are rubish (SCARS anyone?)

Because something is taught to an "special" group doesn't make it effective, particularly for the context. Could aikido improve football players ability to run through crowds? Possibly. But it would be more effective to devise plays so that there weren't crowds of people to run through. Or to improve the individual athlete's physical capabilities so the athlete is simply too fast, too quick or too strong. Both tasks (planning plays and physical conditioning) that a football team has to do anyway.

Regards,

Paul

Cyrijl

07-31-2003, 09:15 AM

1-many are afraid because they don't train realistically

2-pure aikido would be at a distinct disadvantage in a MMA event. Just as pure boxing, kung fu, etc. would be at a disadvantage.

3-many place the art over the martial

Dave Miller

07-31-2003, 09:18 AM

I have often pondered entering some local karate tournament, dusting off my old Shorin ryu kata, and competing in both kata and fighting. But in the fighting competition, rather than using Shorin ryu, using Atemi waza. If it's just "point karate," then good, firm atemi should score points. I don't see any reason why a person couldn't be effective in that sort of situation. Just get off the line of attack and/or redirect the attack and counter with atemi.

What do you think, Peter?

thisisnotreal

07-31-2003, 10:49 AM

Hi.

In furthurance to what Drew said about the 'rules'....

I'm not sure if it was at this site, or another, but some guy (claiming to be Jason DeLuca..I recognized it from the UFC series) said exactly the same thing.

So, from what i remember;

as far as no-holds-barred tourneys go, these days anyways, it is in name only. They do bar moves: Head and neck manipulation and small joint manipulations were illegal.

so..this seems to eliminate a wide range of aiki waza.

PeterR

07-31-2003, 10:53 AM

In short, you do your best but the pretty and perfect technical execution don't happen very often in competition situation ?
That's about right but when it does happen its gorgeous.

Paul - I think observing one or two classes of Aikido to see if there is anything unique in the avoidance movements and then devise drills for the football setting might confer an advantage. Aikido training per se would not. I remember an old old movie (it might have been black and white) where Notre Damme had a few of its players take ballet lessons to improve their coordination as a group. Very cute as the opposing teams jaws dropped.

On that note we switch to Dave. The only way to get good at a particular sport is to do lots of it. Its a major reason my randori is so poor - I should do more. In fact the main reason I do Judo is to do more randori. However, more to the point I entered a sumo contest in Tsukuba Japan and figured with my indepth Aikdio training (at that point one years worth) I would have a distinct advantage. Moving off-line, atemi waza, etc. Wrong. I won only one out of three and I suspect that was only due to the person laughing so hard at my skinny ass in a mawashi (there are pictures but they are hidden deep in secret archives).

Sumo was actually pretty interesting - alot of those that do it are not that big just very strong. We went down to Tokyo to train with a group and I was tossed by a college champion (easily), lasted three minutes with a guy that had my build but muscles like ropes, and put a friend in hospital with a bruised liver. He landed on the doyo rope, I landed on top and the next day his back was black.

paw

07-31-2003, 11:18 AM

Peter,
I think observing one or two classes of Aikido to see if there is anything unique in the avoidance movements and then devise drills for the football setting might confer an advantage. Aikido training per se would not.

Exactly!

The question is then, are the players learning aikido? The players would not learn a single traditional aikido attack, no aikido terminology, not wear gi or hakama, not learn ukemi, wouldn't bow in or out at the start.... Bottom line, none of the football players would be able to pass the lowest rank exam. Because of these reasons, I would say the football players aren't learning aikido any more than I would look at a group of basketball players jogging and declare that they are learning track and field.

Josh,
They do bar moves: Head and neck manipulation and small joint manipulations were illegal.

There are no uniform MMA rules, rules are event dependent. However, I'm not aware of any organization (UFC, Pride, Extreme Challenge, King of the Cage....) that doesn't define "small joint" to mean 3 or fewer fingers or toes. As for head and neck manipulation, chokes and neck cranks are allowed, so I can't think of any aikido technique that would be excluded.

Joseph's reasons ring most true to me thus far.

Regards,

Paul

opherdonchin

07-31-2003, 12:04 PM

The only way to get good at a particular sport is to do lots of it.I certainly won't argue with that, but it's a long way from that to the claim that learning other sports is useless for learning your own sport. Since overtraining is often a serious issue for all sorts of athletes, finding alternative physical activity that improves your performance but also allows recuperation seems important.

Erik

07-31-2003, 12:17 PM

~~Some years ago a couple of the Denver Broncos were training in Aikido to inhance their movement and ability to pass through a crowd without being tackled :D
Martial Arts training got really big a few years back when the Rams won the superbowl. I forget the guys name but he's a striker so pretty soon everybody was studying the martial arts. I know the 49ers have a TKD guy on staff. I think it's one of those bad correlations that people make. The guy may have made a difference but it was probably pretty small. But you know how it goes, if they do it, you gotta do it to keep up with Jones or Rams in this case.

drDalek

07-31-2003, 12:30 PM

I think the big reason is fear, people dont train realistically and all too often they invoke some O'Sensei quote to justify being lazy or cowardly.

It is my duty as a martial artist to train my martial art as martially as I can so that I can one day practice it as art. I dont think it works the other way around.

At your next class, why not get a dojo buddy to attack you in a realistic and spirited manner, leading his attacks where you move so that you can get the timing right and making decent though non damaging contact when your timing is not right. Hopefully this is realistic enough to break some misconceptions about "fighting" while at the same time being non competitive enough to satisfy your need to follow the teachings of a man who was in his younger days pretty much a hotheaded scrapper.

Erik

07-31-2003, 12:41 PM

I forget the guys name
Earnest Hart Jr (http://www.worldblackbelt.com/pages/iom_hart.asp?SID=2XM2B3SXOKY6A6H).

jxa127

07-31-2003, 01:00 PM

PeterR

07-31-2003, 01:16 PM

but it's a long way from that to the claim that learning other sports is useless for learning your own sport.
Who said that - certainly not I. I specifically do Judo to improve my Aikido.

I just don't think that the bulk of Aikido training is that useful for football and the part that may be is best quickly adapted and taken out onto the practice field.

I will say that professional sports training does not involve just playing the sport but lots of other physical training in the form of drills, weight lifting, etc. Some are designed to enhance certain skills, some condition certain muscles, and others just even out the body. I know one semi-professional tennis player that does certain weight lifting exercises with his left arm only to even out the size of his forearms. I can easily see as part of some training scheme that an athlete is required to let's say swim a few laps - I mean they do it to race horses don't they - but that really is in context of training rather than sport.

A professional athlete will concentrate on one maybe two sports - in Canada we have some great winter/summer switchers. When they are not training for their chosen sport(s), they are resting.

A good athlete will most likely be competent in a number of sports and probably varies them for pleasure rather than any idea of enhancing them all.

paw

07-31-2003, 01:20 PM

Drew,
The last time I looked at the rules, I thought that a lot of how I'd react was prohibited. But, maybe there's something I missed.

Looks like a standard point-fighting tournament. It's heavily striking based.

Out of curiosity, why were you thinking of entering?

Regards,

Paul

PeterR

07-31-2003, 01:24 PM

I would say the football players aren't learning aikido any more than I would look at a group of basketball players jogging and declare that they are learning track and field.
For that you would have to ask to football players although I would suspect they would say no they weren't.

What we study is really quite relative. My part time study of Aikido is quite pitiful when compared to some of the full-time Aikido deshi that I know. Do I study Aikido?

If they say yes than I would be forced to say the once or twice a week neighbourhood dojo student is also studying and by extention they would be forced to conceed that the football players are.

Paul do you remember Ubaldo - he couldn't get on a mat but there are few that would contradict him when he said he was studying Aikido.

jxa127

07-31-2003, 01:48 PM

Drew,

Looks like a standard point-fighting tournament. It's heavily striking based.

Out of curiosity, why were you thinking of entering?

Regards,

Paul
Hi Paul,

Partially it was that the advertising said the tournament was open to all martial arts styles and people of all ranks. Partially I thought it'd be a neat way to spend a Saturday morning. Partially it's because the tournament is part of a big festival we have here in Harrisburg that's really cool.

Generally, I agree with the concept that aikido is not for competition, but I thought about seeing how I'd do outside the dojo against aother styles.

FWIW, I've used my training for real, so I didn't have to prove anything to myself.

*shrug* The tournamen just seemed like a neat idea. However, after looking at the rules, I realized that a lot of what I know wouldn't be applicable. That's not to say that aikido couldn't be used in this case, just that I'm not sure how I'd do it.

Any suggestions?

Regards,

-Drew

drDalek

07-31-2003, 01:53 PM

Okay, I'm not taking personally the comments about being scared or using O' Sensei to rationalize not competing...

<snip>
Ha ha, it seems I cut you deep when I was not even aiming for you, how very "Aikido" of you. :rolleyes:

Seriously though, dont mind me, I am just another faceless voice on the internet and my opinion should be of no consequence to you, it should not even affect you enough to ellicit a response.

jxa127

07-31-2003, 02:04 PM

Wynand,

Well, I hate broad generalizations, they all stink. :D

Seriously, though, I was trying to bring this discussion from the theoretical and general to the specific.

What would you (or anyone else who chooses to answer) do in the specific tournament I mentioned?

Regards,

-Drew

drDalek

07-31-2003, 02:22 PM

Wynand,

<snip>

Seriously, though, I was trying to bring this discussion from the theoretical and general to the specific.

What would you (or anyone else who chooses to answer) do in the specific tournament I mentioned?

<snip>
You cant discuss specific things on the internet, you can only waffle along describing scenarios playing in your minds eye.

There is literally an infinite number of ways your fight could play out, lots of people recommend that your outwait and maintain ma-ai when going up against a striker, others recommend the timely application of atemi waza. Personally I recommend spiking their water-cooler with powerful laxatives and bringing your own water in a bottle before the match.

:D :D

paw

07-31-2003, 02:33 PM

Drew,
Generally, I agree with the concept that aikido is not for competition, but I thought about seeing how I'd do outside the dojo against aother styles.
cough *Tomiki* cough. I'm all for that, but I would do so in a less restrictive environment. Say, light contract strikes standing, no strikes on the ground, to submission...just as an example.
What would you (or anyone else who chooses to answer) do in the specific tournament I mentioned?

Keep in mind that I'd never enter a point fighting tournament. If I'm going to kick and punch, I want to make contact darn it --- without a judge stopping me.

I'd get a cup, a mouthgard, enter a "novice" division and just box.

Peter,
Paul do you remember Ubaldo - he couldn't get on a mat but there are few that would contradict him when he said he was studying Aikido.

I do remember and miss him. I regret that I cannot speak from personal experience, however, Ubaldo, as best I recall, knew aikido terminology, it's history and training methods. He seemed familiar enough that I have no doubt that if he were physically able, he could have passed several kyu exams with little trouble.

In contrast, the football players would not know aikido terminology, it's history, training methods, basic attacks, etc.... They would be preforming a drill or two that happened to have origins in aikido, but I doubt they would be aware of that or even care. Therefore, I would answer, no they are not studying aikido.

Another example.... Powerlifting is a competition comprised of the bench press, the squat and the deadlift. If someone trains these are they a powerlifter? I, and most powerlifters would say no. Until you compete and are judged by meet criteria, you're not a powerlifter. Most people bench press in the gym. Very few bench press in accordance with powerlifting rules. That's the difference --- the context.

Does that help explain where I'm coming from?

As I understand your point, you are only discussing frequency of training as the only varience. However, once a week or every day, it's the same basic training, a complete method of "stuff" that we recognize as aikido --- the context is the same.

Regards,

Paul

Qatana

07-31-2003, 02:45 PM

But the football players arent trying to learn aikido they are trying to improve their FOOTBALL using aikido exercises.

paw

07-31-2003, 03:15 PM

But the football players arent trying to learn aikido they are trying to improve their FOOTBALL using aikido exercises.

Right. Which bring me back to my original statements in my first post. Why adopt something unrelated to your specific sport (outside of the context) when there exists methods of resolving the issue within your sport (the same context) and further, you'll already undertake?

Even among professional athletes, training time is not unlimited.

This brings back Peter's original question, "did it work?" I tried to suggest:

1. Just because aikido was taught to select group doesn't mean aikido is effective for that group.

and

2. The context of football is radically different between the context of aikido randori to such a great degree that it is probably not worth persuing.

Lance Armstrong just won his 5th Tour de France. There's no question he has amazing aerobic conditioning. I'll be the rent money he'd loose in a 10K run against a mediocre runner, or a mile swim against a mediocre swimmer. Why? No significant carryover between biking, running or swimming.

Does that make sense?

Regards,

Paul

(who is getting on his bike to try and beat the rain on the ride home)

opherdonchin

07-31-2003, 04:16 PM

I bet he'd beat me at either swimming or running, and I'm pretty mediocre.

...

Sorry.

Pretoriano

07-31-2003, 10:11 PM

Hey Drew, you have mentioned that local tournament four times in this tread.

You seen eager to go and to test the "thing" right?

Are you aware why nobody replies giving counseling to you about this? Because nobody wants to feel responsabile for what can happen there... dont be afraid is not that bad, it is not easy to harm a 30 year men like you.

What Engle sensei says about?

What division do you want to enter?

Do you have ready your "gear" (besides cups, mouth..)I mean the variations on techniques that can be fuzzed you most probable will have to use (within the rules)

It is your decision man, make it wise!

If I were you I stoped by some dojos going to see what they have first.

Praetorian

Caracas, Venezuela

PeterR

08-01-2003, 12:56 AM

In contrast, the football players would not know aikido terminology, it's history, training methods, basic attacks, etc.... They would be preforming a drill or two that happened to have origins in aikido, but I doubt they would be aware of that or even care. Therefore, I would answer, no they are not studying aikido.
In the context of our discussion I agree they are not studying Aikido BUT (I was feeling expansive last night) I have no idea to what extent the football players trained.

Did they put on the funny white suits, did they terrify the regular members ("You want me to iriminage that"), how long did they train for.

I suspect it is just as we described but if it was more than that then during the time they trained in AIkido then they were studying it.

I am very tolerant of the non-regular Aikido practioner who still likes to think he studies Aikido - if that's what they believe who am I to question. Ergo - you have to ask the football players what they thought.

kensparrow

08-01-2003, 06:42 AM

Okay, I'm not taking personally the comments about being scared or using O' Sensei to rationalize not competing, but here's a link to the tournament I was thinking of entering. Download the rules, and then let's talk about how aikido could be used:

http://www.joergskarate.com/breath.htm

The last time I looked at the rules, I thought that a lot of how I'd react was prohibited. But, maybe there's something I missed.

Regards,

-Drew
No head contact and no grappling doesn't seem to leave much although I guess it would depend on how they define grappling.

Even if they did allow aikido techniques, have you thought about what would happen if you pulled off a strong throw against someone with no ukemi skills? The rules will disqualify you for causing "blood or redness", I'm guessing broken necks are frowned uppon.

I know it sounds like a cop out to say "I don't compete because I'm afraid I'll hurt someone" but it is much easier to pull a punch than to go easy with an aikido technique and still have it be effective.

jxa127

08-01-2003, 07:35 AM

Hey Drew, you have mentioned that local tournament four times in this tread.
I mentioned this four times 'cause few people would answer the direct question. It seems that most people want to talk about generalities rather than specifics.
You seen eager to go and to test the "thing" right?
Maybe. :D
Are you aware why nobody replies giving counseling to you about this? Because nobody wants to feel responsabile for what can happen there... dont be afraid is not that bad, it is not easy to harm a 30 year men like you.
HA! (I'm not 30 yet, although I'm close.) I feel like tenderized meat after last night's class. :) More to the point, I'm not asking people to tell me what to do, I'm asking what you would do in my situation. Would you enter the tournament? If so, what kind of techniques, tai sabaki, etc. might you use?
What Engle sensei says about?

What division do you want to enter?

Do you have ready your "gear" (besides cups, mouth..)I mean the variations on techniques that can be fuzzed you most probable will have to use (within the rules)

It is your decision man, make it wise!
Engle sensei was cool about it. But, I looked at the rules, figured that without "grappling, head or back contact, etc." I won't have much to offer, and decided that this particular competition isn't for me. I was entranced by the idea of a competition truly open to all styles, but this one is really geared for Tae Kwon Do, Karate, or other striking arts.

Praetorian, thanks for your comments. (Weren't the praetorian the Roman emperor's private guards?)

Ken said:
No head contact and no grappling doesn't seem to leave much although I guess it would depend on how they define grappling.

Even if they did allow aikido techniques, have you thought about what would happen if you pulled off a strong throw against someone with no ukemi skills? The rules will disqualify you for causing "blood or redness", I'm guessing broken necks are frowned upon.

I know it sounds like a cop out to say "I don't compete because I'm afraid I'll hurt someone" but it is much easier to pull a punch than to go easy with an aikido technique and still have it be effective.
Well, that's what I was thinking too. That is the practical side of the argument against competition in aikido. Lacking competition to keep our edge, we must have good, strong ukemi -- with serious, committed, and intelligent attacks. Those attacks can be the traditional aikido attacks, but they must be good. We need ukes who will show us our weaknesses. We need frequent jiyu waza and randori practice to test us. And we need a willingness to occasionally practice against untraditional attacks. Even Tomiki aikido competitions, as I understand them, are based on something like jiyu waza and tanto tori -- fairly traditional aikido stuff.

So, my answer to the original question is that aikido does not fit well into standard competition formats, and there are other ways to train in a spontaneous (unscripted) manner.

Regards,

-Drew

paw

08-01-2003, 08:12 AM

Drew,
Well, that's what I was thinking too. That is the practical side of the argument against competition in aikido.

I don't buy that at all. In a world with no-lie training knives, redman suits, high guard suits and simunition, there's a lot that can be trained safely.
we must have good, strong ukemi -- with serious, committed, and intelligent attacks. Those attacks can be the traditional aikido attacks, but they must be good. We need ukes who will show us our weaknesses. We need frequent jiyu waza and randori practice to test us. And we need a willingness to occasionally practice against untraditional attacks.

If "we" as aikidoists can train it, "we" as aikidoist can create a set of rules and make it competition if "we" so choose.

As I mentioned previously, I don't blame you for not entering the tournament. I wouldn't either. In my opinion the rules are restrictive to any grappling art and most striking arts I know (muay thai, for example). Peter has gotten great overlap with judo randori so that might be an "outside the box" option.

Regards,

Paul

Cyrijl

08-01-2003, 08:31 AM

Drew,

Point sparring is for punks. This tourney would leave you like a fish out of water. No sweeps and no grappling? No hitting below the waist or in the back? These are TKD rules...never enter a fight when the rules favor (outrageously) the other side.

The best bet is to find someone near you or someone in your dojo to practice realistically against. Tournies like htis are a no no.

Whatever you choose, i wish you the best of luck

jxa127

08-01-2003, 08:58 AM

Drew,
I don't buy that at all. In a world with no-lie training knives, redman suits, high guard suits and simunition, there's a lot that can be trained safely.

Paul,

I'm confused. What do the above have to do with competition? I think they're great things, but they're training aids, not competition equipment, right?

If "we" as aikidoists can train it, "we" as aikidoist can create a set of rules and make it competition if "we" so choose.

Sure, like Tomiki aikido. I've got nothing against them, but their competition is structured within an aikido framework (duh :) ). Most competitions that I've seen aren't structured that way. That's what I meant by the practical consideration against competiton.

As I mentioned previously, I don't blame you for not entering the tournament. I wouldn't either. In my opinion the rules are restrictive to any grappling art and most striking arts I know (muay thai, for example).

Right, that's what I meant. The rules for that competiton are restrictive and what I know wouldn't fit too well. I suspect that's true for a lot of competitons.

Regards,

-Drew

paw

08-01-2003, 09:26 AM

Drew,
I'm confused. What do the above have to do with competition? I think they're great things, but they're training aids, not competition equipment, right?

I misunderstood your earlier statment. I thought you were saying aikido is inherently too dangerous to have a competition with, when what you were saying was aikido techniques would be considered too dangerous for this particular point fighting competition.

In the larger picture, a number of people, myself included, just view competition as another form of training ... so training equipment may be competion equipment, and modern training equipment let us train a lot closer to the edge than most people realize.
I suspect that's true for a lot of competitons.

I don't think judo is that much of a stretch... neither would be MMA ... although that's a big step up. Alternatively, you could try Tomiki...I'm sure Peter would put in a good word for you.

Regards,

Paul

PeterR

08-01-2003, 02:33 PM

Even Tomiki aikido competitions, as I understand them, are based on something like jiyu waza and tanto tori -- fairly traditional aikido stuff.
Jiyu waza, tanto dori is what we call kakare geiko - a pretty low level form of randori.

Full blown randori is like nothing you have ever experienced if all you have done is non-tomiki Aikdio. If you've done Judo randori you might have a better idea.

Full resistance randori is a training aid - so is its logical extetion shiai. Although both operate within a framework the lessons learned are applicable over all ones Aikdio and beyond. My Judo is what it is because of the Aikido.

The thing is how do you know your Aikido is too dangerous for competition - to make statements like that it must have been tested. Personally I find randori pretty restrictive but I am convinced that if I can't learn to deal with its unique environment my Aikido has little chance in an even more chaotic one.

I have seen too many beautiful waza rendered useless when applied against a smart, skilled and resisting opponent.

Pretoriano

08-01-2003, 07:30 PM

Drew:

Tonight, I just attended to a point contact karate clinic gave by American heavy weight champion JP Micthel Team named Tetion.

The guy, a consumed martial artist showed us how to be faster and precise, using economical movements, also heavily stressed the need to fight smart, he organized some drills for to work on the above, and then proceed to fight around 30 people from age of 6 to adult, some sensei fought him, Tetion walked up his talk, and gave pretty examples on the above. Top nocth atlete, excelente attitude, one bravo for him!

Drew: you have some courage you know, yes, definetively this sort of tournaments were concieved to determined martial aproach, I think a little mix will work well, maybe it is good for you to go as observer this year, and to sign up the next.

Do you know how Shogun's close guard were named?

I agree with Ken he explained it very well.

Praetorian

jxa127

08-01-2003, 11:03 PM

Peter,

I never said that I consider aikido too dangerous for competitions, but I did agree with the poster who mentioned that pulling a technique on somebody without ukemi training could be dangerous. My main point was that I thought about competing in a local tournament and then saw that the rules pretty much forbade what I know how to do.

Anyway, tell me more about Tomiki randori. The way we do it, it's multiple attackers (at one time), any attack. We usually don't stop when nage ends up taken down -- at least not the first time. :D

Regards,

-Drew

PeterR

08-02-2003, 12:22 AM

I never said that I consider aikido too dangerous for competitions, but I did agree with the poster who mentioned that pulling a technique on somebody without ukemi training could be dangerous.
So you did - sorry. We place a lot of emphasis on training for control and understanding when resistance is futile. Injuries when they occur are usually because a failure in these regards. Unlike Judo (at least the training I've done) we don't do randori until quite some time has passed.

There is a lot of description of shodokan randori - just follow the links in my signature. It's been discussed here before and this morning I'm in a bit of a rush.

Perhaps one of the other Shodokan people can expand.

Budd

08-04-2003, 11:06 AM

Hello,

New poster here. I just thought I'd add my two cents to the topic. Drew, I've trained in both aikido and karate, training in aikido first. When I was a teenager, in the summertime, I would stay with my father in a different state than I normally lived in during the school year, so I'd supplement my aikido training with karate classes (the only thing resembling a dojo in town). My first tournament was after I'd had a fair bit of experience in each.

It completely threw me.

For one thing, in many karate tournaments, hardly anyone is really trying to hit you. Those that do give you a decent attack only have to barely miss you in order to get the point. It becomes almost a game of tag, where, if I touch my hand to the top of your head, I get the point. Not to mention that the judging is done by "black belts" on each corner of the "ring". Given the proliferation of "McDojos" and eight-year-old black belts, you might be surprised by the kinds of folks that are judging you.

Not that I'm totally trying to put down tournaments -- they can be fun for what they are . . but if you're really looking to test some of your skills, I'd recommend possibly trying something like judo, jujutsu or MMA. Your background in aiki (assuming that you've developed some decent grappling skills) might serve you better there. If your atemi waza is outstanding, you might do fine in a karate point sparring tournament, but you might want to work out with some karate guys to get an idea of the kinds of kicks you'll expect to encounter. Also, if you're not ranked in karate, your aikido rank might not be recognized and you'll have to compete in the beginner's bracket (not always a bad thing, but not usually where you're going to find the tough competitors).

Still interested? I think another poster here wrote it best that you might want to go watch the tournament and see if it looks like something you'd want to do. If you're still interested, then find some karate guys that do compete in point sparring and work out with them, so you'll know how to best use your skills within the rules allowed.

Good luck,

Budd

L. Camejo

08-04-2003, 11:56 AM

Been lurking around this thread for a while now :). Lots of valid points.

To give Peter a helping hand, Shodokan randori is based on a single attacker coming at you constantly with a soft tanto.

The strike used by Tanto (the person armed with the tanto) is limited to very quick, sharp and precise tsuki (thrusts) to the target area which is above the belt and below the shoulders on all sides. For Tanto to score a point (which is in fact a penalty against Toshu for poor body avoidance) the soft tanto must bend about half way and Tanto must maintain controlled and straight posture, with the striking arm parallel to the floor as well.

Unlike in kata Aikido practice and lower levels of low or no resistance randori (kakari geiko) the idea is to score an unquestionable hit, so Tanto is not pulling shots or attacking without meaning. Faking, jab-like motions, constant quick attacks and following of the moving target are the norm.

In the event that Toshu (defender) attempts a technique, Tanto can resist it by body positioning to negate the tech., muscular tension, use of tegatana against the arms or by applying one of 5 allowed counters techniques (atemi waza).

Both Tanto and Toshu are aware of, and trained in the techniques allowed, which are the 17 basic techs of the Randori no kata, seen here http://homepage2.nifty.com/shodokan/en/kyogi10.html .

As such, neither person is caught by "surprise" or hidden techniques, unless the surprise is in the particular variation applied.

This creates a situation where skill must be applied to get off a successful technique. Without correct kuzushi (disruption of balance), timing and setup for a technique, Tanto is able to negate most attempts (being aware of what may be used and skillfully being able to counter) and keeps coming at Toshu.

In most cases if not all, successful and "clean" techniques (ippon) are only possible when Toshu's tai sabaki, timing, kuzushi and setup (kake) all work together in harmony the way they are supposed to. Else it's a constant chess match between players trying to disrupt the other's balance or trying to get off a strike, counter or combination of techs.

Hope this helps and I hope I did not misrepresent or forget anything Peter.

Back to lurkdom :)

Arigato Gozaimashita

L.C.:ai::ki:

L. Camejo

08-04-2003, 12:13 PM

Jiyu waza, tanto dori is what we call kakare geiko - a pretty low level form of randori.

Full blown randori is like nothing you have ever experienced if all you have done is non-tomiki Aikdio. If you've done Judo randori you might have a better idea.
I must concur with this point. Having welcomed practitioners and instructors from a few other Aikido styles, a common denominator among all have been their reaction to our style of randori. It can be a very humbling thing when a 6th kyu can shut down yudansha under pressure. But humility is a great asset in walking the path.:)
Personally I find randori pretty restrictive but I am convinced that if I can't learn to deal with its unique environment my Aikido has little chance in an even more chaotic one.
Amen brother. This is why I am slowly trying to develop a form of randori structured on shiai-based randori, but allowing for a gradual application of more attacks with tanto and possibly a few more techinques than allowed in the junanahon. Shhh... this is my little experiment don't tell The big N. in Osaka ok. :)

Just 2 more cents.

L.C.:ai::ki:

PeterR

08-04-2003, 02:33 PM

Shhh... this is my little experiment don't tell The big N. in Osaka ok. :)
We're supposed to experiment. The only reason for the Shodokan dogma is to provide a framework in the context of curriculum (sound technical basis) and for the times groups come togeather.

You covered randori just fine but please don't forget toshu randori were both are unarmed. This is a far tougher media to pull off as attacks tend to be much more subtle and the range of counters increases from five to seventeen. And folks please remember that the number refers to the kihon technique as source - variations abound.

I'm writing from the Maharaja Lounge in Dubai. Computer terminals in an Arab motif. Seriously cool.