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Old 05-04-2008, 01:47 PM   #1242
DH
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,394
United_States
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Re: Aikido does not work at all in a fight.

Hi George
Yes I have seen this very thing over the last three years when I opened up the door again. People were expecting allot of different things and came in with some misconceptions about what they were about to feel. Many were either expecting:
1. Static unmoving "braced" resistance
2. Muscle
3. Waza and counters as a way out

I think as most have stated after meeting Mike, Ark, or me is that they were completely taken aback by how different the feel was to the expectation. They were surprised that
1. It all works seamlessly in motion without much thought.
2. It has nothing to do with chambering and muscle-which in fact prevents and or reduces all we have been outlining
3. It has nothing to do with waza.. Personally I do an exercise where I let men try to come and throw me and I keep them at arms length and they cannot get in for kuzuzhi (no not stiff armed judo) Then...I let them do the same thing and I let them get in -within my arms- but when they try to position they are either lifted up at whatever contact point they may have, and loose their feet, or they are weighted and they can't move. So, they dump out and reposition to try again with the same results. Then... I let them get all inside my body range with hands and legs entering for a throw, even to the point they enter because they think they go kuzushi, say I let them fit-in-to an osoto-gari or O-goshi but they simple cannot complete the throw so they dump out.
Las,t I simply start throwing them when they try to throw me with their own power smoothly and without stopping. That one demonstration serves to fully express that I am not not using waza to defend and the point is in the way the body is being carried.
Aikido, I have found, is far, far easier to handle then this type of attack.
Anyway, It is very difficult to discuss on the net as everyone approaches it from their prior understanding.
It's all good though. I just hope some of these guys get out to meet some real masters of these skills. Guys up this way have gone to see a highly ranked DR representative and have been disappointed in what they felt. Others have gone on to meet Howard and were set straight about the difference between DR jujutsu (being taught as aiki) and real DR aiki. There are also guys training with some Taiji master level teachers and having their eyes really opened to what's available.

All in all I can't wait till I'm 60. With any luck I'll have more power and a better grasp at using it.
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