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Paula Lydon 03-14-2004 12:55 PM

ask yourself
 
~~Every now and then a thread pops up concerning the effectiveness of Aikido. To be honest, I find these threads silly. Each practictioner must ask themselves that question ultimately. Others can tell of their experiences, which is wonderful sharing, but if you haven't been able to feel the truth of these principles for yourself (and have trained for a number of years), or you haven't seen/felt them in your sensei (haven't trained that long yourself), then perhaps you should try a different MA.
~~I believe that there are only a handful of principles that, if present, work in any MA whether it's called Aikido, Tae Kwon Do or Whatever-do. Does it work FOR YOU, or doesn't it? Does it work for your teacher(s)--so you have a direct experience to strive for--or doesn't it? One MA may 'speak' to you more clearly than another, but in the end you will be pursuing what works for you or what doesn't. I think that's the only question concerning effectivness we have to ask ourselves.
~~So there's a kettle of fish! :D :ai: :ki:

Anders Bjonback 03-14-2004 07:16 PM

Although I like most fish, I like water for tea the most in my kettles. :D

I think what a lot of beginners ask is whether this martial art can actually be applied in real life, or whether it's really nothing more than a dance. Personally, hearing experiences from people that have used aikido in actual situations has eased my mind somewhat about this question. What also helped was hearing people say things that make sense for me, like "what matters the most is how calm you are in the situation and that you don't panic." Of course, if I really wanted to learn to be martially effective, know how to tear apart another human being, then I'd go somewhere to get combat training, and maybe engage in anything goes competitions. But I'm not training to maim others to protect myself.

What I think is more pointless is arguing whether kung fu, aikido, or some other martial art, is better to train in. But discussing advantages and disadvantages of certain arts isn't so bad, because it isn't saying "this art is intrinsically better than that one."

Personally, aikido seems to fit my temperment the best (I just love it), although I sometimes do like the idea of training in something like crane kung fu.

Largo 03-14-2004 07:28 PM

I agree. A lot of things vary on how you train. There are great teachers in any style, and crap teachers and training in all styles. I would think that anyone who isn't sure about how applicable their training is should check out how some other places train. They could either find that what they are doing is effective, or maybe find something better.


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