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Old 10-29-2013, 09:04 AM   #98
aikidark
Dojo: Aikido at Plano Dojo, Plano Texas
Location: Mckinney Texas
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 29
United_States
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Re: Can you truly understand budo without training in Japan?

Kieth, I'm not quite sure I agree with the marketing aspect you mention, or maybe I misunderstood your post. I think that aikido would like to market itself, but either does not or falls short. I am surprised by how many people I encounter that have never heard of aikido, some of them even practicing martial arts themselves. Then just about every martial art with a few exceptions (silat, caporeia, systema) are more popular and offered in more locations and stripmalls (the quality of such places may be questioned), but overall the popularity of other martial arts leaves aikido far behind.

For those that practice, there are always questions as to the effectiveness of any given art, but the showcasing of other arts, and their availability seems to me to leave the marketing factor out of aikido.

Then the issue must be raised, should aikido change to attract a larger base? I personally do not think so, but then again there are so many different styles and orginizations, each with their own take on the art. Couple that with the time it takes to learn and refine even the basics versus other martial arts, and I wonder again if marketing is prevailent or needed. Aikido will attract those to it that wish to train, as evidenced by the numbers who give it a try and then move on, and I don't think marketing has any significant role in that.

Then figure in the costs of marketing, in addition to just keeping the dojo doors open and the lights on, leaves little in the way of a marketing budget.

Anyways, I've rambled on enough
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