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Old 09-05-2009, 09:15 AM   #60
Kevin Leavitt
 
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Re: Inefficiencies in the Aikido Training Method

Good points Erick. Reminds me of the old adage "you can't have all three, cheap, fast, and good." any two are okay, but not all three.

One thing I have been thinking deeply about lately revolving around OODA is that essentially you cannot have O, O, D, and A all at the same time either. you can have O and O, and D and A...but not all together.

I equate this to MA...not sure if I have it entirely correct as of course this is a generalization. ...

However, I think we tend to stay in the Observe and Orient phase of training in Aikido...Clinically speaking.

That is we Observe our external inputs very carefully and Study our reactions very carefully and we loop OO..OO...OO.

This kind of practice definitely allows us to increase our Skill and understanding of what we are observing...but it does not really do much in the way teaching us to rapidily Decide and Act.

Other arts such as Krav Maga and BJJ really spend more on the Decide and Act side of OODA. the consistently loop on DA, DA, DA. I think another term for this might be "Aliveness".

Minimizing the OO phases provides for a lower level of choices to be made as the DA crowd manages from a position of efficiency and "What works". However, it works and the re-tool and adapt and consistently innovate once they process experiences.

I personally think this is why you don't see Aikidoka per se in the UFC more so than any Philosophical, Ethical, or Moral standard, paradigm, or framework.

The UFC is not the place for "OO' ers. It is the place for "DAers".

I think ideally, a well rounded martial practice attempts to balance this equation out some what. It looks holistically at the OODA loop.

Recognizing that in application, that indeed you can't have it all, but must ultimately "Decide and Act" eventually and that in that phase what you choose may not be optimal, but what is important is that you recognize that Deciding and Acting is what is what you need to be doing at that time. (No Mind, Mushin etc.)

However, in practice and our training that we need to expand our ability to Observe and Orient...this creates choices and possibilities for us that we may possibly be able to draw from in the future when we do have to Decide and Act.

My personal opinion on inefficiency in AIkido is that we tend to not recognize the OODA loop thing much and we get stuck in OO, OO, OO land. We cease to be able to really make mistakes, bring in new data and experiences and innovate and grow...we simply are coloring within the lines with the same crayons and same page over and over and over.

You know...just this morning I was teaching Spider Guard to a few aikidoka and realized that they were not getting the connection with grabbing the sleeves and connecting with the hips. I had a huge ephiphany when I realized that the body connection and movement was Techninage in the Spider Guard! Openning the spine...expanding the suit, breathing and connecting...taking the slack out while you move your feet around Uke's body controlling his core.

I bring that up, because I was working in the DA side of the house and it expanding my OO side of the house simply because I was doing something different outside of the normal context purely based on what Uke was bring to the table!

It is the principles of Aikido....it is Ground Fighting Skills, and it synthesizes the two AND is used in the UFC all the time. it is also "evolved" somewhat high skill and can be used to provide options other than simply bludegoning a guy "Mongo" style.

It did not look like much, did not look like AIkido(tm), and had nothing directly to do with Peace, Harmony, or Philosophy...it simply was what it was...a spider guard...or two guys grappling on the ground!

Anyway...I think I am all over the place on this now. Sorry!

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