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Old 02-10-2005, 01:30 PM   #11
Casey Martinson
Dojo: Meishinkan Dojo/Lehigh Acres
Location: Florida
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 30
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Re: Training and Learning

Paul,
sometimes I think you like to argue just for the sake of argument

i haven't figured out the quoting technology here, but you said:
"Presuming that was or is true, I'm confident that their training methodology was/is drastically different from the training methodology of what most of us would identify as tai chi."

I think that is pretty much what I said..."tai chi as it is taught almost universally in the West, and probably more than not in the East..."

you also said:
"Crimes of passion and domestic abuse quickly come to mind. Those crimes are not bound to a specific socio-economic background, as far as I know. They might be more likely to occur in a specific socio-economic background or geographic location, but it certainly can happen to anyone, yes?"

Yes, anything can happen to anyone. A meteor could land on your head. But what is probable? Maybe one of us should dig up some statistics to back up our impressions. Maybe I've led a sheltered existence, or maybe I've just had the sense or fortune to stay away from trouble, but the last time I was physically attacked was in high school in gym class. I was never in danger of serious injury. Also, one time I woke up in the middle of the night to find a strange guy crouched down by my bed. I don't know what his intentions were when he came in--he said he was drunk and lost but later police work revealed that to be highly improbable. Whatever his reason for being there, I kept a firm grip on his shoulder and escorted him to the door. This guy was about six inches taller and outweighed me by probably fifty pounds or more, but I kept my cool--on the outside anyway--and got him out without incident. Then I called the police.
Now, you could rightly argue, what if this guy had resisted, had a weapon, etc. I don't know what then. But whatever the case, I would criticize my self-defense not for lack of combat training but for lack of common sense; I had left the door unlocked, something I'll never do again.

I still think the probability of being seriously attacked is rather low for most people. And if you use your head, you can keep it even lower. If you have an abusive spouse, your best defense is to leave as soon as you notice that abusive potential. Or even better yet, don't get involved with that kind of person to begin with. In spite of the stories we hear where women didn't realize their partner was violent untill it was too late, I think the signs of violence are there if you look for them. Yes, it's always "possible" that a dangerous maniac could attack you when and where you least expect it. But I think a more likely attack is going to be the guy who loses his temper at a sporting event, like that recent NBA brawl. If you saw that video, that attacks were all wild swings and lunges, very good scenarios for "non-violent" aikido intervention. Sure, you could use UFC tactics to take down a drunk fan and beat his head into the concrete, but you'll probably get arrested and sued for your trouble.

I'm not saying all this to argue that aikido isn't good for defending against life-threatening attacks. As I said before, you could argue about aikido's combat effectiveness--and I mean life-or-death combat--forever without proving anything. But I believe we've heard plenty of stories in this forum and others of people using aikido to diffuse hostility or stop an attack that wasn't intended to maim or kill. Those types of attacks are, I believe, more likely than having a dangerous criminal come out of an alley with a knife.

"You're using aikido principles as a metaphor for good driving habits. While that may be well and good, aikido is trained with surroundings, timing, distance, flow as an interaction between people. You'd be better off (ie it's more effective) to take a driving class that focuses on surroundings, timing, distance and flow between other motor vehicles on the road if being a safe motorist was one's goal."

That sounds good. Do you know where I can take a class that will give me a black belt in defensive driving? Incidentally, I didn't claim aikido was the best thing for somebody with a goal to road safety; I just said that road safety is one form of self defense that will be enhanced by aikido training. And you're bound to call that a generalization I suppose. So let me say that I feel my road safety has been improved by the aikido training that I've done, and I have heard others say the same thing.
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