Peter Goldsbury

Hello Iain,

This is a discussion forum and as such everybody is to a large extent equal. So no one is going to come straight out and answer your question as "A Master".

I am a 6th dan, but have not used my skills outside the dojo for many years. When I last used them I was a shodan and encountered a couple of your fellow countrymen in London at an England vs. Scotland game (it was rugby or soccer�\I cannot remember which). I was returning home from aikido practice and encountered the two guys near Trafalgar Square.

Everything happened so quickly that I do not remember the precise details, but I remember putting down my bag containing keikogi etc and taking a kamae stance. What happened next was a direct irimi-nage, with an atemi to one guy's jaw. He landed on the pavement and did not get up. I then turned to face the second guy, but he assured me he had no problem with me and I continued on my way home.

This incident convinced me of the value of atemi�\and also the potential dangers, for the first guy did not get up. He received what I think the Shodokan people call shomen-ate and clearly was not expecting it. I think he was slightly concussed.

What conclusions can I draw from this episode? I do not really know, except ro reinforce the belief I have that the training you have done�\or not done�\will probably determine how effective you will be in a 'real' situation, when the adrenalin flows and you have to react immediately.

Edited post. I want to second Mr Clark's point that I had not been practising aikido in order to practise on the street. Later in my aikido career, when I trained in the US, I met some members of the dojo who systematically tried out their aikido skills outside the dojo. I was on a student visa, so did not have that luxury, even if I had wanted it.

Best regards,