Quote:
Jason Casteel wrote:
So many stipulations! With those in mind, I can only say "I don't know". I've used aikido techniques, as trained on the mat, in two street situations against people who were not drunk and wanted to hurt me. I had no prior training. I simply wanted to be able to protect myself if needed. That's all I asked for from the art and the way we train(ed) provided me with enough to accomplish that when needed, no more, no less. Beyond that, all I can say is "I don't know", but I am ok with that.
You don't need "live" training to be able to use aikido, but you need hard training with consequences. You need people that won't dive when you breathe on them, low success rates on techniques, people who will make you work to be successful, an environment that will push you further and further (randori, etc) the longer you keep coming and testing that actually tests your limits, not just your techniques...oh and some ki, you need that too. YMMV.
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Ha!
Well, i'm sick of these armchair martial artists: they really do ruin the discussions, and turn them into massive threads, where nothing is accomplished - besides a false sense of superiority, and legitimacy.
I know that you can use your kata training in some 'street' situations, and that - along with the mental health benefits - is a valuable part of a modern martial art.
But what i'm getting at, is that - ultimately - a martial art is - by definition - something that has merit when up against others with siimilar, or the same, training; and I think that 99% of aikidoka would be found wanting when up against someone with training in a style such as judo, boxing, or BJJ.
These styles might have a sportive/sparring aspect to their pedagogy, and be trained with rules - but that's irrelevant: they get results.
'You can't argue with results.', as the maxim goes.
We're always hearing how 'Aikido is not a set of techniques: it's a philosophy which underlies them.'; well if this is so, and the most significant barrier to randori is that the techniques are 'teh d4adly', then why not create new techniques that can be safely sparred?
The fact is, you can learn/improve much, much, faster, and with absolutely no doubt (e.g., 'Is this person letteing me do the technique/taking a fall for me?'), if you have some form of honest practice.
And you can refine technique, while not being competitive, through randori: I know - because I do it; I even competed (entered a competition), and relied on technique to try and prevail!