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Old 02-05-2007, 11:09 PM   #10
Nafis Zahir
 
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Dojo: Bucks County Aikido
Location: Pennsylvania
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 425
United_States
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Re: I Need Aikido ?'s Answered PLEASE!

I was recently at a seminar where a high ranking Shihan was grabbed with a straight hand grab attack. He then asked everyone watching, "Why do we practice techniques from this type of attack, when this is not a realistic attack (paraphrased)?" No one had an answer, it was a question we all have asked at one point or another. He then asked a second time and received no response. Then, he told us why. He said, "We practice this way in order to better understand the intention of your opponent's attack." Now I did not understand it 100%, but it made a great deal of sense to me.

Also, practicing from the attacks we receive, which are controlled, makes it easier to deal with attacks that are out of control. I have done a couple of techniques to a few of my friends who street fight, do karate or wrestle, and I must say that I could have really put it on them. But because they don't anything about Aikido and can't take ukemi, I had to let up and also let them think that whatever I was doing didn't work. Hope this helps to answer your question.

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