Thread: Aikido for MMA?
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Old 10-14-2011, 02:11 PM   #6
Chris Evans
Location: Berkeley, CA.
Join Date: Oct 2010
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Smile Re: Aikido for MMA?

Quote:
Chris Hein wrote: View Post
I've trained and competed in MMA. Training in MMA actually made me go back to Aikido, once I really understood what I wanted and what the two different martial arts taught.

While it's hard to say that Aikido training might not provide any insights or helpful training tools for an MMA fight, it doesn't provide much. If You want to fight in MMA, train in MMA. Sport martial arts, when it comes to the competition aspect are very particular animals. Each training method catering to a particular skill set. For example, if you want to be a competitive boxer, you should train in boxing, not MMA. MMA training teaches striking methods, but those methods are not designed for competitive boxing. While many MMA fighters still train in boxing, someone who only trains in boxing is going to seriously limit himself in an MMA fight. You train for the type of event you expect to be fighting in. Judo training is best for Judo, MMA for MMA, Boxing for Boxing etc. Saying this, you must understand that Boxing and MMA are much much more closely related than MMA and Aikido.

Aikido has little to nothing in common with type of fighting done in MMA. This is not to say that one is better than the other, it's simply to say that they are VERY different. MMA is concerned with one-on-on fighting, done in a controlled atmosphere, with a referee, unarmed, playing by a ruleset. Aikido is concerned with conflict resolution, against multiple attackers, likely armed, in less than ideal settings, at unexpected times. Different.
I'm not interested in competing in MMA (not yet), but I enjoy the training and sparring with people preparing for MMA bouts: Seems like a decent test of karate and motivates me to keep up on fitness.

Martial arts ("... conflict resolution, against multiple attackers, likely armed, in less than ideal settings, at unexpected times..".) skillfulness is paramount, before any martial sports.

"The state that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools."
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