Quote:
Roy Dean wrote:
Post #62 should get some kind of recognition (i.e. post of the year, or even post of the decade!).
I agree with everything Dan Austin wrote, and thank him for taking the time to do so.
I had my own disillusionment with the effectiveness of Aikido many years ago, after sparring with a BJJ blue belt (who was really just an old high school wrestler with a rear naked choke). It helped me recognize Aikido for what it is, rather than what I had wanted it to be. I wrote extensively about that process of realization here, for those interested. |
Hi Roy,
Thank you very much for the compliment, it's sincerely appreciated. I read the article you linked, and I've been chuckling all day about the "Kimo would be the new O'Sensei" line. I suspect that one's going to stay with me.
You had a wise teacher, and I enjoy your writings and agree wholeheartedly.
I'm not ashamed to admit that "Above the Law" got me into Aikido as well. Seagal did put on a good show, didn't he? A friend of mine got me to see the movie, and thence to a local Aikido school. I had also been to the library and looked at various Aikido books, and was impressed by the photos showing people being tossed about. The amazing thing to me is that I had already done karate and kickboxing for many years, yet because I knew nothing of grappling I still bought it. I did enjoy the classes, and since I wasn't a beginner martial artist I found the techniques to be very easy. As you mentioned, that didn't gain me anything in terms of how quickly I could advance in rank, but for the most part I had emptied my cup and assumed that I needed to walk before I could run, and the realism would pick up with time. Questioning wasn't encouraged, it was a pretty formal environment, and it's a lesson that even someone with a more combative background can drink the KoolAid for a while until his head clears. The higher ranking folks I saw at seminars didn't impress me that they could really pull these things off against a tough fighter, but they did look good. I'm not certain how long I would have stuck with it, but as it happens life periodically insists on moving you to another stage whether you were looking for it or not. I had a sparring match with a good Thai boxer one day, and immediately realized that there was not the slightest hope in Hades of ever getting him with any Aikido technique. It was also glaringly obvious that my timing, perception speed and reaction speed was in the toilet compared to where it was when I used to spar on a regular basis. In real terms, I was worse than before I took Aikido! That deterioration in competitive skills really shouldn't come as a surprise, it's just another affirmation of the specificity principle, but that encounter knocked the KoolAid effect out of my system for good.
There are still things that I appreciate about Aikido (residual KoolAid?) but if you are interested in what works, then you have to apply the scientific method and keep the BS detector on high. This is what Bruce Lee recommended decades ago, and what made UFC president Dana White refer to him as the father of MMA. I still don't see a practical alternative to that inescapable logic. Proven fighters like Mario Sperry have the same mindset. When he's asked what his advice for young fighters is, Sperry says to be humble, always be open to learning new things from anyone, and always assume that your opponent is just as skilled, tough, and determined to win as you are. That last bit of advice torpedoes unrealistic attacks, cooperative training, and low percentage technique in one soundbite. Figuring out how to beat that really tough opponent is what will keep you thinking, searching and improving, and the more you improve, the tougher he gets. In terms of gaining real ability, anything else is like playing chess against people who just learned how the little horsie moves - sure you'll look good, but good players will wipe you off the board, and at some level you'll know that. How fun is that really? Ultimately, real reward is proportional to real challenge.