AikiWeb Aikido Forums - View Single Post - aikido vs jiu-jitsu

Kevin Leavitt · 07-23-2005, 03:46 PM

Good post Jean,

Here was the big paradigm shift for me.....

I was training a few officers in my battalion in aikido about a year ago, kinda dismissing the ground fighitng that the army is involved in as many aikidoka do because I felt it was very stupid to fight on the ground. Still feel that way, but I have a deeper understanding now of the dynamics of ground fighting, and also the dynamic it takes to train masses of soldiers for situational training.

What happened to me is I had a SGT in my Battalion that was really skilled in MMA, Judo, and BJJ in particular. We had the typically aikido/ground fighting discussion. It ended with us both doning mouth pieces, sticks, and MMA gloves and fighting.

Of course, we ended on the ground, and I had my ass handed to me. Later this year, I had a guy complete the two month intense Army combatives course with no prior experience in fighting or MA, he held his own against me. It was very humiliating and an eye opener.

My aikido training serves me well, especially in weapons fighting, it also allowed me to learn BJJ fairly rapidily and I am know miles ahead of others because of my understanding of kokyu, ki, posture etc.

The biggest lessons I have learned.

1. Know what you are looking for out of martial arts. Adapt your training to reach that goal.
2. TMA tend to be parochial and lend to "group think". If you are training to be a soldier, MMA guy or, a Cop, you may want to consider schools that are geared towards that.
3. If you are looking for BUDO or following the martial way..then TMA, like aikido is the ticket.
4. Constantly look inward to yourself and make sure you are being honest with your training
5. Be very careful in falling into the trap of what "realistic" is. Aikido, BJJ, Krav Maga and all arts have their own paradigm of what "realistic" is. None of them is entirely right in their training approach. If realistic training is your goal...you will have to work hard and question often to make sure you are accomplishing your goals!

Good discussion Jean.

07-23-2005, 03:46 PM	#122
Kevin Leavitt Dojo: Team Combat USA Location: Olympia, Washington Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 4,376 Offline	Re: aikido vs jiu-jitsu Good post Jean, Here was the big paradigm shift for me..... I was training a few officers in my battalion in aikido about a year ago, kinda dismissing the ground fighitng that the army is involved in as many aikidoka do because I felt it was very stupid to fight on the ground. Still feel that way, but I have a deeper understanding now of the dynamics of ground fighting, and also the dynamic it takes to train masses of soldiers for situational training. What happened to me is I had a SGT in my Battalion that was really skilled in MMA, Judo, and BJJ in particular. We had the typically aikido/ground fighting discussion. It ended with us both doning mouth pieces, sticks, and MMA gloves and fighting. Of course, we ended on the ground, and I had my ass handed to me. Later this year, I had a guy complete the two month intense Army combatives course with no prior experience in fighting or MA, he held his own against me. It was very humiliating and an eye opener. My aikido training serves me well, especially in weapons fighting, it also allowed me to learn BJJ fairly rapidily and I am know miles ahead of others because of my understanding of kokyu, ki, posture etc. The biggest lessons I have learned. 1. Know what you are looking for out of martial arts. Adapt your training to reach that goal. 2. TMA tend to be parochial and lend to "group think". If you are training to be a soldier, MMA guy or, a Cop, you may want to consider schools that are geared towards that. 3. If you are looking for BUDO or following the martial way..then TMA, like aikido is the ticket. 4. Constantly look inward to yourself and make sure you are being honest with your training 5. Be very careful in falling into the trap of what "realistic" is. Aikido, BJJ, Krav Maga and all arts have their own paradigm of what "realistic" is. None of them is entirely right in their training approach. If realistic training is your goal...you will have to work hard and question often to make sure you are accomplishing your goals! Good discussion Jean.