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Old 04-26-2013, 11:51 AM   #64
Andy Kazama
 
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Dojo: Aikido South
Location: Atlanta
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 43
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Re: Can we see that aikido is all over the place in MMA?

Well, Chris, according to John Driscoll's analysis, you are probably doing Daito-Ryu 82% of the time …I don't have much to add here except to say I think Cliff is correct in that I do prefer to view "aiki" as the base of the pyramid. As we touch the surface of this stuff, some of us are finding that the particular waza becomes almost an after-thought -- and in some cases, one is scrambling to actually use the specific waza that is being shown because uke is already toast. I think this is where it becomes highly useful to MMA. The finish could look like Daito-Ryu, OR it could be a crushing elbow to the temple.

As for finding this stuff on youtube, I haven't found it difficult in the least (except for maybe videos of DH, that guy's like bigfoot). There are plenty of clips of O'Sensei out there and plenty of his uchi deshi (ex. Yamaguchi, Sunadomari, etc…) giving easy to follow examples of what good movement looks like on the outside. Obviously, you are not going to be able to view what they are doing on the inside on a video. That's what seminars are for…even if they are located in the most remote island on the planet -- which also happens to be a paradise on earth- and not just because of the plate lunches

Lastly, everything I have encountered in the training has been 100% congruent with my aikido practice, and I have not heard anyone who has actually trained this stuff who has said differently (this includes 6th dans). In contrast, the little bit I have done, and it is a little, has moved my "waza suck-o-meter" from enormous suckage to just under huge suckage. Aiki works, and not just on compliant ukes, and this is why I think it is beneficial to both traditional budo and MMA practitioners.

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The basic fundamentals, refined to perfection, are your most advanced techniques.
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