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Old 08-10-2012, 03:59 PM   #224
Kevin Leavitt
 
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Re: How effective is aikido in self defense?

Quote:
Graham Christian wrote: View Post
If the opponent feels better as a result then it's Aikido and thus very effective. Thus the word self-defence doesn't fit Aikido. Maybe it should be called 'pan' defence.

Peace.G.
I have no idea what u are getting at.

However if u study Boyd and OODA, he makes it clear that the Orient phase is very important. This phase uses things like previous experiences, cultural tradition, analysis and synthesis, new info, and genetic heritage. If u think about it....if u work hard at aikido and budo, it can enable u to see things with a good perspective and make the right decisions when necessary.

There are two things I think are important with this discussion. 1. Recognizing that budo is complex and we have to consider many aspects in order to make good decisions on the action we take. We cannot simply choose to focus on the things we want to focus on,, or redefine things to fit our own world view. We must try and be as objective as possible. 2. We need to accept that if we are in a fight, then we must accept that it is a fight and recognize that there is a process to win, and that is to disrupt your opponents plan and change his ability to act.

I am not sure how your opponent feels about things determines if it is aikido or not.. I tend to think in terms of self. That is, I can only affect my actions. If I train properly, I can make the most informed and skillful actions that are appropriate for the situation. As such, if I have compassion and approach the situation with my he'd screwed on right, and I use the appropriate action, then I am doing aikido. How my opponent feels about it? I can't determine how he feels about it, it is not important as I can't affect this directly.

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