AikiWeb Aikido Forums - View Single Post - Self-defense art?

Edwin Neal · 01-30-2006, 11:45 AM

Come on lets not get all full of ourselves here...
the learning curve of aikido ten times other MA??? PROVE this don't just state it...this can be construed as egotistical and often is by people new to the martial arts or other MA... our art is so incredible that it takes a lifetime to learn implies others are so much easier and thus "not as good"...the "basic physical movements" of aikido can be learned in less than a year... does this mean "mastery"? no... does it mean that you "could" use the "basic physical movements" for self-defense? the answer must be yes... does this mean you know everything there is to know about aikido? of course not... People who would make claims that aikido is SOOO incredibly complex must be prepared to back them up... i DO NOT know how to play basketball... if i had up to lets say one year to practice under the guidance of a good coach i could learn the basic rules and physical skills of the game... does that mean i am ready for the NBA or even have a "black belt" in basketball... probably not, nearly certainly not in my case... I am saying that people that say things like it takes too long to be practical, MUST be missing the point of aikido altogether... aikido must be martially viable! If you cannot even protect yourself, you cannot even HOPE to not cause harm to a potential attacker... do i mean everyone will be able to use their aikido sucessfully in a self defense situation after one years training... no that depends on the situation there are no guarantee's in such a situation with any martial art however long you have studied...
I am willing to accept testimonials... come on folks... tell me your story have you used your "basic physical aikido skills" in any kind of "situation", before you studied for "many years" maybe 10 times more than any other art? my personal experiences tell me that i did in fact have skills that were useful in a relatively short time... but i still have much to learn as well... just because our art is "infinitly" rich doesn't mean it takes infinity to get it...

01-30-2006, 11:45 AM	#8
Edwin Neal Dojo: Ronin Location: Henderson, North Carolina Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 597 Offline	Re: Self-defense art? Come on lets not get all full of ourselves here... the learning curve of aikido ten times other MA??? PROVE this don't just state it...this can be construed as egotistical and often is by people new to the martial arts or other MA... our art is so incredible that it takes a lifetime to learn implies others are so much easier and thus "not as good"...the "basic physical movements" of aikido can be learned in less than a year... does this mean "mastery"? no... does it mean that you "could" use the "basic physical movements" for self-defense? the answer must be yes... does this mean you know everything there is to know about aikido? of course not... People who would make claims that aikido is SOOO incredibly complex must be prepared to back them up... i DO NOT know how to play basketball... if i had up to lets say one year to practice under the guidance of a good coach i could learn the basic rules and physical skills of the game... does that mean i am ready for the NBA or even have a "black belt" in basketball... probably not, nearly certainly not in my case... I am saying that people that say things like it takes too long to be practical, MUST be missing the point of aikido altogether... aikido must be martially viable! If you cannot even protect yourself, you cannot even HOPE to not cause harm to a potential attacker... do i mean everyone will be able to use their aikido sucessfully in a self defense situation after one years training... no that depends on the situation there are no guarantee's in such a situation with any martial art however long you have studied... I am willing to accept testimonials... come on folks... tell me your story have you used your "basic physical aikido skills" in any kind of "situation", before you studied for "many years" maybe 10 times more than any other art? my personal experiences tell me that i did in fact have skills that were useful in a relatively short time... but i still have much to learn as well... just because our art is "infinitly" rich doesn't mean it takes infinity to get it...
	Edwin Neal