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Old 06-20-2008, 08:54 AM   #52
Bill Danosky
 
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Dojo: BN Yoshinkan
Join Date: Nov 2004
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Re: Am I turning to the dark side?

Quote:
Rob Liberti wrote: View Post
The...difference is that Dan is all about MMA which is great - but that's not aikido proper per se. I have to take what he shows me and apply it to the other things I'm interested in. My opinion is that this is fantastic because I wanted to know aikido and MMA.
That's about where I'm at, too. Kevin L. has convinced me that I need to get some good ground skills even if I'm sticking with Aikido for the rest of it.

Quote:
Ron Tisdale wrote: View Post
Uh, no one said anything about magic except for you. The people you mention are people that I respect greatly, however, I have not seen the level of ability in this ONE particular area that some others have shown me.
Yes, that was me that was talking about "magic powers" in the intro to this thread. Within the context of taking my practice to the next level, whether it's really magic or not.

I do know- and have said- I need to get with Mike, Dan or Rob to see if it's the same thing as what the shihans are doing. But I hope it helps my case to say I've taken enough ukemi from Jeannette and Mustard Senseis to have felt some very "weird stuff". Like irresistible weight on my back and shoulders from two finger nikkyos and hands free throws from kata mochi. I've heard Amos Parker Shihan can make you feel like two tons of sand just got dumped over you, and everybody has seen Chida Sensei's wicked Aiki parlor tricks.

Quote:
William Hazen wrote: View Post
Some aspects of Aikido need to change perhaps like the way it is taught However our Martial "System" of Aikido (and a few others) can be effective against MMA at least in my experience. I think the fault lies in the fact that your basic MMA Student learns to fight a heck of allot of faster than your basic Aikido student.

Folks (including me at one time) love to around the mulberry bush about Aikido not being about fighting and that IME is the reason some Aikido has a bad rap and for good reasons...It's been dumbed down to the point in some Aikido circles that it is no longer Martially Effective using the "excuse" that "aikido is not about fighting" aka putting the cart before the horse...
Kudos to you, William. I think that's one of the truest things I've ever read about Aikido's effectiveness. MMA students do have a much higher learning curve (necessity being the mother of invention and all) but fortunately we all have a ton of time in already.

Aikido is beautiful, mysterious and elegant, which is not exclusive of effectiveness. You have to be really, really good at it to use it effectively but IMO, that's the big payoff for all the labor you put into it.

Thanks, everyone, for sticking with me as I work my way through this. Just think of it this way: It's like watching a character develop in a good movie- it's rewarding in the end, but first you have to hate them for a little while.

Last edited by Bill Danosky : 06-20-2008 at 09:00 AM.
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