View Single Post
Old 08-24-2008, 03:19 PM   #44
DH
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,394
United_States
Offline
Re: Grappling In Aikido

Quote:
Salim Shaw wrote: View Post
Picture of O'sensei on the ground (newaza). It looks like he is defending himself to me. I think if an Aikidoka found himself on the ground he/she would do something similar to this picture.
Well, this is Ueshiba performing Daito ryu jujutsu when he was actively teaching and handing out mokuroku scrolls in Daito ryu to all his deshi before the war.
This is from the period many still mistakenly refer to as "Pre-war Aikido."
Also worthy of note is every human being who was actually there and training with him-all the early Aikido giants- told Stan as far as they were concerned and knew "They were doing Daito ryu." Some even considered themselves Takeda Sokaku's students-through the Ueshiba connection.
Doesn't much matter any more, but the early denials and myths seem still to be what it taught and passed along.

As far as AIkido doing these things on the ground. That is interesting. What he is doing is a blood choke or sleeper. I'm not a big fan of the position his body is in, but that's neither here nor there. I would not consider that normal in the majority of aikido schools. Further, the manner by which the constriction is gained and held is not the same as any jujutsu I have seen or the way aikido folks tend to move.. It is done with opposing aiki-age and aiki-sage from the knees, back, sides, or if I could reposition him- his feet, and leaves the attacker's hands, arms, shoulders and body very relaxed and fluid for positional changes.

I maintain aikido has great potential against grapplers. It is, in and of itself, a grappling art. It would just take learning aiki as power and then how to control agression differently then is typically seen. It appears many are at least attempting to do it, albiet by adopting more external fighting methods instead of using aiki...do

Last edited by DH : 08-24-2008 at 03:23 PM.
  Reply With Quote