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Old 02-27-2012, 10:00 AM   #43
dalen7
 
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Dojo: Karcag Aikido Club
Location: Karcag
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Re: early kyu expectations

Quote:
Mario Tobias wrote: View Post
Aikido takes many years even decades to START understanding. With a 4th kyu which typically takes 1.5 to 3 years at most, with this amount of time I can say they would have learned NOTHING of aikido but the forms.
Can't learn to swim if you dont get wet... [Bruce Lee???]

A triangle:
Judo, Aikido, BJJ [throw in Thai Boxing in the middle of that triangle logo]

It all connects, so its no wonder it takes many years to 'master'.

I know that my whole game changed when I took Aikido into Thai Boxing and grappling.
Perhaps many fear what they may find out. After all when a person works forever on something it would be easy to have the ego feel threatened that its all a waste... but which is better, hiding from it or finding out if there is more of an adventure waiting?

Many may be surprised to realize that taking BJJ or at least trying your Aikido out with grappling, etc. can really make sense of all the stuff people struggle with for years.

The guys who were at the 'founding of Aikido' were Judoka, etc.
They had it going on... however many start Aikido with no previous martial art experience - which is fine, but you will indeed take a life time to figure it out. Why not give yourself the edge.

Likewise to those in BJJ I would say it would not hurt to try out Aikido instead of instantly saying its bogus. Nice to keep an open mind, after all its more about range.

A nice triangle:
- Aikido distance
- Judo [up close... some techniques tend to resemble that of Aikido with Koshinage, etc.]
- BJJ [the ground, your going there and most people dont have the control through their Aikido technique so if its not a tight game they will roll out and put you in their guard.]

A person does not necessarily have to be a sporty person, etc. to try this out.
And in the same token if a person is willing to drop any perceptions of what they expect out of their art without trying it, and just enjoy it for what it is they are doing... that is fine.

The key danger would be advertising Aikido as self-defense.
Especially with the mindset that it takes years to master... by that time your yoda and if you got through life so far you will be fine.

Of course the main benefit to me at the beginning was indeed this introspection of my own internal attitude in which a 'fight' can be avoided as typically its two stirred up egos that get the fight going on.

Peace

Dalen

dAlen [day•lynn]
dum spiro spero - {While I have breathe - I have hope}

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