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ronmar · 04-09-2002, 01:35 PM

Hi,

I think that this aikido vs boxing debate highlights one of the main problems with aikido and the martial arts in general; too much thinking and not enough doing.
I boxed for a year in university and even at this very low level found that I learned fast because I had to. There is little room for theorising about what will and will not work in the boxing ring (you don't see a lot of karate reverse punches or blocks in boxing).
I feel people might be kidding themselves when they talk in terms of "performing move X while stepping with technique Y as the boxer throws a punch" etc. This is a bit arrogant as it assumes the boxer is unadaptable, slow and predictable, as well as having inferior technique (ie its not an eastern martial art and so is crude and can be defeated by applying more advanced principles).
Most boxers I have met are the very opposite of this stereotype as a direct result of their training with a live opponent, I feel.
Boxers have fast reflexes, they know how an opponent will react under pressure, and they are very good at ending a fight fast.
Perhaps it would be good for people to try a little boxing so as to get the feel of being on the receiving end of a real attack and not one thrown by a friend in the dojo.

04-09-2002, 01:35 PM	#101
ronmar Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 66 Offline	Hi, I think that this aikido vs boxing debate highlights one of the main problems with aikido and the martial arts in general; too much thinking and not enough doing. I boxed for a year in university and even at this very low level found that I learned fast because I had to. There is little room for theorising about what will and will not work in the boxing ring (you don't see a lot of karate reverse punches or blocks in boxing). I feel people might be kidding themselves when they talk in terms of "performing move X while stepping with technique Y as the boxer throws a punch" etc. This is a bit arrogant as it assumes the boxer is unadaptable, slow and predictable, as well as having inferior technique (ie its not an eastern martial art and so is crude and can be defeated by applying more advanced principles). Most boxers I have met are the very opposite of this stereotype as a direct result of their training with a live opponent, I feel. Boxers have fast reflexes, they know how an opponent will react under pressure, and they are very good at ending a fight fast. Perhaps it would be good for people to try a little boxing so as to get the feel of being on the receiving end of a real attack and not one thrown by a friend in the dojo.