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Old 07-31-2005, 01:45 PM   #8
Don
Dojo: aikido of charlotte
Location: Charlotte
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 112
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Re: Aikdio vs. someone using a boxing style?

Aikido can successfully deal with a boxer. Some things to consider. The original poster's statement about most American's in a fight using a careful boxing stance may not really be true. It doesn't take long to watch available video of prison fighs, riots, soccer matches out of control, and robberies gone haywire to realize that attacks come in as many forms as there are people, and more likely than not will be wild head long rushing in and wild swinging attacks. The chances of you standing toe to toe in a real fight in a boxing stance and with another trained boxer are very very small. Think about it. If someone really is pissed off at you and wants to attack you, they probably are not carefully thinking about a three minute round and scoring points. They want to hit you and hurt you, AND if they are mugging or robbing you, they don't want to hang around. So it all happens really fast and generally as best as I can tell in a pretty random manner.

Second, if you are standing toe to toe or even trying to adjust maai, but just standing in front of them then you haven't internalized irimi and tenkan movements. The last thing aikido teaches you is to stay on the line of attack. Instead you should be moving to their rear, or their blind spot where you are safe and they aren't. Boxers tend to expect you to remain in front of them, and think about it, when that doesn't happen; they clinch.

Third, if you try for a grab technique, such as shiho nage, most likely, unless your timing is very good (you have been practicing a long time AND you are lucky) you will either miss grabbing the punch or you will end up struggling with the opponent. Grabbing presents the opponent with something to work against. Aikido teaches more than just techniques; it teaches movements and openings. For instance, a really good movement might be to enter irimi as if to do irimi nage. However, you don't HAVE to do irimi nage once you have the opening. You can choke out, push them away and/or trip them, deliver atemi to their exposed back, or change to another technique.

You can't stand there with you arms down, like many people do when practicing static technique. Read George Leydard's articles on timing and distance on this website. If you find yourself in a fight situation, get your hands and arms up in unbendable arm position to proctect yourself and increase maai. That way the attacker has to get through your hands/arms and once he invades that spacing, it gives you something to work with.

Once you have your arms up, don't deal with jabs. Deflect them and move off the line and make the opponent commit. Aikido is more than technique it is strategy. That use of strategy is "leading their mind"

Finally an example of technique that I have used that works. I have already mentioned getting behind and changing to a choke. That stops a fight really fast. Next if you have your arms up, and you move off the line, against say a straight right or a right cross or left hook, you can use basic old ikkyo omote, BUT YOU CAN'T GRAB. If your arms are up and you think of them as sword blades, then you will find you can execute ikkyo without the grab until ready to pin from a committed right cross, straight right or left, or a left hook. Wild haymakers are more like yokomen strikes.

Lastly do not neglect practicing both sides. 90% of people will punch and lead with their right. However, you will find lefties.

Now, I've been practicing for 12 years and it took me a long time to figure most of this out and I am still figuring it out. But it is possible to deal with a boxer, perhaps just not right away.
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