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Morgan Wible wrote:
No disrespect, but i didn't mean or post this as a "is Aikido effective" question/ debate. I was asking those out there if they believed that THEY could use Aikido effectively. Just to get a general idea of some Aikidoka's opinions, because i posted this from the perspective that i whole-heartedly believe i could use the Aikido that i have been taught for self defence when i need to.
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If you "whole-heartedly believe" that you could use aikido to defend yourself then why do you need anyone else's opinion about what they can do? Could you imagine the same thread on an MMA forum about an art like BJJ? Why would people who have actually tested the effectiveness of their art for themselves need to start a thread announcing that to everyone? Why would they care about anyone else's opinion on the matter, other than that of their teachers and hands-on training partners?
Quote:
Ron Tisdale wrote:
One of the 3rd dans at my home dojo started his practice there this way. While he is quite well respected and a valuable member of the dojo, I don't believe that he or the head of the dojo would recommend starting the way he did. And I don't find that strange at all.
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I wouldn't recommend the type of challenge suggested either, but I do respect a dojo that is willing to accommodate it. That said, I think there has to be some room to question the effectiveness of any art or teacher in the context of learning that art, and I have had no problem finding this space in the other arts I have studied. It is only in aikido where this natural and essential exploratory process seems to be so problematic, and in a nutshell I think that encapsulates everything that is wrong with the art.